what do we think of the new site

[svin]

Count me with those who think this site is a big improvement over the old one.
To begin with, it just plain looks better. The old design was embarrassingly plain and old - looking.
I think we tend to focus on the message board, and there is more to it.
Remember, this website isn't just for the already converted. It's for those who are looking for more info on the band, or those who want to re - connect as well.
If the site looks interesting, these people will explore further.
The site and forum are similar to others I frequent, so it really wasn't a problem for me to adapt to it.
It's clear to me that the site designer and webmaster have been hard at work working out the bugs, and I've noticed it coming together quite nicely from the beginning.
Yes, the site takes a bit more navigating, and things aren't exactly the same as with the old one.
It's my feeling that what we get with this site is well worth the small changes we have had to deal with.
I was excited when the framework for this site was unveiled, and the way it has turned out exceeds what I expected.

[admin]

Hey you nuts,

Obviously I'm interested in this thread. We're working more on the guts of the site than on the content at the moment (and on getting the store set up), but I think there are some good suggestions coming through here.

I was wondering about the increase in SPAM I have been receiving lately but it did not occur to me that the SPAMMERS found my email via the board. Interesting.

What provoked me to respond just now was that I want to assure you that the community is *not* set up to expose your email address. If you've found a way to get others' addresses through the board system, please let me know details by email to admin@poconut.org.

I guess my concern is that POCO is missing an opportunity to grow their following and the 'brand' but not having updated content on their main website and especially their homepage.

Agreed -- there are some ideas in the pipeline which may address this concern once the "internals" work is finished. Aceinoc's later suggestion about using some nut-contributed content seems like a good possibility to me too.

Take care,
Russell

p.s. What is it exactly about the current smilies that bothers some folks? Is there some other set of icons you'd like to have installed, or is it something else? I'm not really an emoticon person, so these subtleties are somewhat lost on me. [Insert friendly expressive symbol here, to taste].

[Wahooaroo]

I guess my concern is that POCO is missing an opportunity to grow their following and the 'brand' but not having updated content on their main website and especially their homepage.

Agreed -- there are some ideas in the pipeline which may address this concern once the "internals" work is finished. Aceinoc's later suggestion about using some nut-contributed content seems like a good possibility to me too.

Got to agree, nothing saps your interest in something more, than to go to a website and find the last content was updated over a year or two back. Makes it seem abandoned....kinda like a ghost town.

Not that this place is like that, the forum lets you know it's still a work in progress, but even on the old site the updates came few and far between. Now, as a fan, I'm fine with that....I'm just happy the band is still making music after 40 years!


But as far as a marketing tool is concerned, you want those first time visitors (or the infrequent ones) to feel that it is an "alive" site and that there's something happening there. I like the concept of the "Poconut" contributions....good idea that'll help keep it fresh.

Another factor in the "feel" or the "liveliness" of a site, is the amount of people plugged into the forum at any given time of day. At the end, the old site was kickin' with 20 to 30 folks tuned in during the daylight hours, which was a huge increase from whence it started. Hopefully more people such as I, will come ambling back here to the stable....

And as far as the new format.....I think it's great. Kinda like the first one (way back!) when it comes to navigation and I think it's pretty intuitive.

I also like the emoticons.....way less goofy than the last site and a great way to communicate "emotions" on a forum which helps greatly when your trying to convey exactly what you're thoughts are.


One of my fav sites has this basic set plus about 100 more that get way more specific as far as the content of the site is concerned and also the various personalities of the people who post there. Needless to say, said emoticons can be very entertaining (and to the point!).

Kudos to everyone for the effort and a great job so far!

[TonySTL]

My perspective will be a little different as I can't "see" the changes but can address it as a user of adaptive software. PHP/BB is much more friendly and easier to navigate than the old forum software. There are built in hot keys that help me jump all over the place with minimal keystrokes. I also have written some scripts that make certain repeated actions quicker and smoother...again with less keystrokes.

I can do more with the quoting in a response than I could in the old forum...at least I think I can??? It is A LOT easier to get to the last post that I have read on any particular thread when I've been away for a couple of days.

I still haven't messed with images but it looks like this will be possible for me to upload my own picts when I get around to it...just have to make sure I have the right pics labeled on my side so as not to embarras myself.

I would love it if the main page for news, store and tour information were easier to access from the forum page.

Russel, if you decide to go to more captcha - can you look into some of the options that are accessible for those who cannot see the code? (However, there is a cool new option that allows a screen shot be sent to a site where it is interpreted in real time and sent back within minutes)...I would still like to former solution.

Lastly, I don't know much about the emoticons here...some of them are not labeled and I am not sure what they look like or how to place them where you want...I use the old typing ones or the <smile> type as they are more clear to me.


lastly again...is there a way to label the pictures/images that are posted here?