Since the site has slowed down....what sections can be combined?

Mook

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Spring cleaning. Since the site has definitely slowed down, I think combining some sections might make the site look a bit fresher, cleaner and easier to navigate for any newcomers.

Any suggestions on what could be combined? I was thinking food and entertainment can be combined into Off Topic...

Trucks can be combined back with Automotive...maybe even technical too. I could add a "tech" icon so threads stand out....

What else? If anything at all?
 

Flyn

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Does more forums create the slowdown or are they separate topics?

In other words, are you wanting to combine sub forums to fix the slowdown or just to do something?

Entertainment is already combined with tech which, IMO, are completely different topics. Putting a hodgepodge of unrelated topics into one sub forum would seem to me to be the opposite of easy to surf and fresh.

Maybe I don't understand what you are trying to do?

Maybe a Lifestyle forum with sub forums of Entertainment, Food, Tech, etc?
 

Mook

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Nothing to do with slowdown at all. The main directory page has a ton of forums...tv, movies, tech...thats off topic stuff....food? doesnt really need its own section. Guns, I keep separate cause its a hot button topic.

I'm trying to reduce the number of sections, streamline so that when someone visits the site, they dont see a list of endless sections....half the time, threads go in places they dont belong anyway. As TCG winds down a bit, there is no needs to have all that clutter, especially when most of the members are all regulars.
 

Flyn

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One of the reasons I suggested the topics like guns, food, etc. is to bring in new members. We want new people to be able to find something that interests them because just the cars isn't enough anymore.

Is it possible to do a Forum and then sub forums within? If so, you can have a "The Chicago Home" forum (or whatever you want to call it, Lifestyle, Homelife, whatever) and put all the lifestyle sub forums inside. That would get several of the forums out of sight although it would add a click.
 

Mook

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One of the reasons I suggested the topics like guns, food, etc. is to bring in new members. We want new people to be able to find something that interests them because just the cars isn't enough anymore.

Is it possible to do a Forum and then sub forums within? If so, you can have a "The Chicago Home" forum (or whatever you want to call it, Lifestyle, Homelife, whatever) and put all the lifestyle sub forums inside. That would get several of the forums out of sight although it would add a click.

Sub forums are mostly hidden and useless these days. They basically get no use or attention. Again, I'm not looking to add MORE clutter. New folks that come to the site read as guests, we have very few that sign up and post...Piling tv and movies into off topic would be fine b/c half of those threads get zero reads these days anyway anymore.

Boating, trucks and news should all go into the automotive discussion. TCG technical could just be auto discussion too, I think people just put those into off topic anyways? :rofl:

News I like to keep separate b/c believe it or not, its a pretty widely read section of the site. Agree on everything else. I'm sure if I moved boating, there would be a revolt.
 

Flyn

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Sub forums are mostly hidden and useless these days. They basically get no use or attention. Again, I'm not looking to add MORE clutter. New folks that come to the site read as guests, we have very few that sign up and post...Piling tv and movies into off topic would be fine b/c half of those threads get zero reads these days anyway anymore.

Sounds like what we need is a way to convert the guests to members. to use a football analogy, playing a Prevent Defense is the best way to lose. Rather than pulling back and shrinking, should we be aggressively going after the guests and finding out what will get them to sign up?

Maybe we need to make it easier to sign up for the site?

Maybe a physical reward for doing so? Sign up and get a TCG car sticker? That would attract people into signing up and get more TCG stickers out on cars as additional advertising.

Just tossing this stuff out...
 

CMNTMXR57

GM, Holden & Chrysler Mini-Van nut swinger
Sep 12, 2008
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Yes, TCG Tour and NFZ can be merged into the events section

- Auto News Today and Automotive discussions... Combine those. Perhaps add truck/suv discussion to that.

- 3800 discussion. Could this be moved under GM Technical

- Is Shocker Racing really needed anymore? Not to ruin anyone's group or anything, but I rarely see them post and I only know a handful of them anyway. It's not like it's a huge group with 100's of members. I know I'll probably get blasted for that.

- Off and On Topics could be combined. Seems as though people don't know what really belongs in each anyway. We could make the food, sports, and entertainment all subs of that (to clean up the index shell).

- NWS section. As much as a dirty horndog that I am, I never go in the section. Mainly because anytime I'm on here is while I'm at work and, well, that's... Not Work Safe... Anything I need is on the intertubez anyway.

- Sponsors and partners I get that they help pay the bills, but how many of them are actually active anymore, much less their sections frequented.
 

guspech750

Guspech Superdriller
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Facebook is super gay. When forums die off and Facebook is all that is left. I still will not use Facebook.

Long live forums.


Combine off/on topic.
Make a new sub forum called water and air for all things nautical and airplane related.


Perhaps new members can get a free reach around when they sign up and make 5 posts?
 

Mook

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I've come to grips that we are done growing. We get a few registrations a day but nothing comes of them. I could open up sections again to guests, but regulars will just abuse it like last time.

All I'm trying to do is clean things up for what will be our essential swan song. Not saying I'm closing the site or anything sinister like that, but Ive definitely made peace with where the forum is going.
 

Mook

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Theres nothing harsh about it. I think we're all well aware of the decline year after year...I'm not even being pitty party about it. Just saying whatever everyone already knows.

Why not try and clean things up so we're a bit more streamlined and presentable in our golden years?
 

Mook

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:rofl: FB fucking sucks so hard these days. I mean I still use it obsessively b/c most of the other sites I used to frequent have died or slowed down a ton and I refuse to use reddit...but there is nothing of worth on FB anymore....except for manchens video being spammed everywhere.
 

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