How can we improve? Reader Suggestions

[Miles]

I thought I would get a thread going asking our readers:

What do you like about MacApper?
What do you dislike about MacApper?
What types of articles do you like best?
How do you like some of the audio/video podcasts we've been running?
How can we improve?Also if you have specific articles or areas you would like us to cover please drop your suggestions here as we would love to hear them.

[B0rg]

I like the reviews of software I wouldn't easily find on my own but more than that I like suggestions on how to use the programs in different ways.

All the new podcasts are great too so keep it up!

[bobtomay]

Well, thought I'd go ahead and make a few comments now that I've scouted out the site for a few days.

Like:
The main page. :coolthumbup:
You've created a great looking site. It's nice having the blogs / reviews / links / how-to's / podcasts of new (and old) apps and what's happening in the Mac world. Think the whole page is very well done. And it's readily apparent, this is the area where you invest your energies. This 'should' be a great draw to bring people into the forum.

Dislike:
The forum.
And it's also readily apparent, not much energy is invested in this area. Don't really know how interested you are in growing the forum - but there are at least a couple of things I have noticed.

Spam - it's intolerable - general users don't want to be inflicted with this sort of thing everywhere they turn. Much of it was posted months ago and still sitting there. Generally people come to forums for help and support. If someone arrives here based on a search query to a problem and just finds a spam post ... or several ...

All the DVD backup stuff - now mind you, I'm not one of those that believe all discussion in this realm should be out of bounds ... but all the one posters, just posting links to their own software - way too many of them sitting around and for the most part, just spam also.

The members list - :uhh: man, checked it out for all of about 30 seconds - the first 2 I clicked on have zero posts, but with home pages to spam sites that, while I'm not a prude, none of us want to be bombarded with this junk either. It's just another way for them to get around the no spam rules.

I can understand wanting to grow your members list and #. But, I think you'll end up with a stronger, better and in the end larger #, by not allowing this type of stuff to remain.

One way to help the forum area, would also be to provide a link back to the homepage. Right now, there is no way for a person that ends up in the forum as a first stop, to even realize that such a great page even exists.

[MacHeadCase]

Whoah! Excellent post, bob. Was thinking of writing something like this but couldn't have said it any better myself.

All the points you made are awesome.


*Sigh* Virtual rep to you sir.

I hope someone is still monitoring this thread to read your post.

[Kilted]

I heartily agree
There is a wealth of Mac fans out there. That would like a smaller well run forum with less stress on money making ads and such (Ad's are ok within reason) There are spam filters out there. But you need the Mods on the ball and working as a team and not disjointed efforts which have no co-ordination. I hope the mods here talk to each other and if not will begin to do so. This forum will build if it is known to be well run.

[MacHeadCase]

Ok I'm sending a link to these posts of yours guys to Steven. He absolutely has to read about this.

I didn't even see this thread till bobtomay brought it up: I had suggested via PM earlier in the week that Steven ask these very same questions and suggestions. DOH! :blush:

[Steven Owens]

Thanks for all the suggestions! Do any of you have any idea how to keep the spammers away? Also, please see my other post I made.

http://macapper.com/forums/showpost.php?p=5175&postcount=99

[MacHeadCase]

Gotcha Steven.

[Kilted]

I don't think you can keep them away.
However at the forum I am on we have filters which trigger on links and keywords . Also the first 10 posts of new members are moderated ie they have to be approved by a mod first.

Maybe that won't work here but it may be a place to start

[bobtomay]

Have one site I visit where links can't be put into the first 10 posts a new member makes. This can hurt the honest new members trying to help someone out though. Don't know that I really like this one.

[Greg]

I have been granted All-mighty Mod powers. I will try and help quell the spam.

[MacHeadCase]

Great. Now we can spam you with the Reported Posts. :laugh:

[Kilted]

Congrats on your new powers

[MaDDoG]

Oh great spam nullifier....I wish you well

[Kilted]

I have been granted All-mighty Mod powers. I will try and help quell the spam.
You could make a start with our newest "Member" need2Blove:thumbdown: :thumbdown:

[MaDDoG]

lets just call him "Need2BErased"

[MacHeadCase]

Yeah I reported the crap. :mad:

[MaDDoG]

ooooo you have 2 stars (bows)

[MacHeadCase]

Oh my. I hadn't noticed. So two stars it is.

Now you may call me Your Highness. :biggrin:

[MaDDoG]

Why are you high?;)

[MacHeadCase]

Not at this time no. :biggrin:

We are getting a tad off topic here though and I do think this is a very important subject. So I'm outta this one till I have something on topic to post.

[MaDDoG]

I think if we have a look at some of the other forums and borrow all the best things we see we could put together a pretty darn good forum here.

[Ryan]

I think if we have a look at some of the other forums and borrow all the best things we see we could put together a pretty darn good forum here.

Sounds like a pretty good idea to me!

[Peter Craddock]

As a newly registered user, I can confirm registration was pretty easy. Often, adding a question or two with button answers ("What does MacApper talk about? -Sea Travels -Apple-related subjects -World peace -Space exploration") can really reduce spam (though apparently that's just a temporary solution).

[MacHeadCase]

Good idea there, Peter. I know that someone in the forum where I came from talked about a plug-in for vBulletin that would stop a lot of spammers: he used to hang out in a forum that also used vBulletin just like this one.

I dunno how the plug-in worked or how it was implemented on the boards though.

[Kilted]

http://cormacmoylan.com/blog/blaaie/fighting-spam-in-vbulletin.eire
This blog may have some ideas. I'm afraid rather clueless as how it would work

[MacHeadCase]

Excellent link, Kilted!

I used Akismet (http://www.vbulletin.org/forum/showthread.php?t=155386&highlight=akismet) on my blog and it worked wonders! It would block spammers like crazy: how it worked is that it checked an online database and if the IP had been declared as a spammer's IP, comments were not allowed from that person. The database was updated daily I believe so it was pretty much up-to-date. Sometimes if it wasn't sure, it would hold the comment till I moderated it: if I then told it it was spam, it would add that IP to the inline database and so forth.

Cool to see they make it for vBulletin as well.

And I see the author also recommends a second one that would solidify Akismet, Check Proxy RBL (http://www.vbulletin.org/forum/showthread.php?t=131852&highlight=captcha).

And there could always be the Enhanced Captcha Image Verification (http://www.vbulletin.org/forum/showthread.php?t=132482&highlight=captcha) plug-in.

In tandem, these might be a big defense.

[Steven Owens]

I am back in action now. And thanks for the link Kilted, I am going to talk to our server guy tomorrow to see if I can get some of that implemented.

[MacHeadCase]

Excellent news, Steven! :)

[Kilted]

Sound good to me.

[MaDDoG]

I don't know, those spammers have been rather fun I think......not!!

[MacHeadCase]

You know? I really dig this forum's skin/theme. It's really cool. :wub:

[Rxx]

I like the way it looks, and I like the people here. I know them already! :laugh: So I dont have to relearn who everyone is. But the forums strike me as odd. Maybe if you broke them up more? Like have a "New mac user help forum" to draw in more new mac users from the outside. Maybe more than what we got going now. It seems fine for the time being, because this place is small in terms of members, but if you want growth, maybe you should "target" a wider group of people. Forums are where people come for help. Maybe make it look like "Hey, I can get alot of help here" on top of community and social forums as well.

Edit: I forgot something. I know its a small something, but hey, thats what suggestions are for. Anyway, the stickys, they are so hard to tell apart from the actual threads its maddening. Maybe just make the font bold or something so that only a quick glance is necessary. I know it says "Sticky" but it just dont seem like enough of a visual difference to me

[bobtomay]

Good ideas CL33Zero!

I think they have been trying to get the forums moving for some time now. A new forum has got to be a tough business. There are several pretty good Mac forums out there and many more lifeless ones that have been around a good deal longer than MacApper.

From my reading, it looks like they just changed the home page a couple of weeks before 'we' showed up, reducing it to the six topics you see now. Have you been to some of those dead forums with 20-25 topics? And, most of them with no posts for months. That surely doesn't look inviting to new members.

And for all of us newbs here at macapper, keep in mind, 'we' have been here less than 3 weeks at this point in time. I really feel like the old timers here have bent over backwards thus far in making us feel welcomed and a part of the forum. Shoot, just look, even 3 of us have been brought into the moderating staff to help, and with them not really knowing a thing about us.

For the most part, what we have brought is a real sense of community. This is a great thing to build the forum upon. And while it may appear that we are "stealing the show" from all of you that started the place, please know, this is not our intention. Come on and jump back into the place with us. This is, after all, your forum. I know you guys/gals are computer geeks, and are online everyday. It wouldn't kill ya to make at least a casual appearance. You're getting to know some of us by now. We'd like to get to know all of you also. At least drop in to say hi, howdy, where did you yokels come from, or something. A lot of you guys have a 'Contributor' badge, how about a little contributing to the forum side. One post a week, maybe two? The forum could immediately jump from about 20 active members to around 50.

Anyway, looks like you're stuck with us. We're not going anywhere for awhile. So jump on in, the water's fine.

CL33Zero, I have been looking at that home page for a couple of weeks now and have a couple of ideas. I think the staff does also, particularly related to John's favorite topic. Don't see it expanding to those 20-25 topics by any stretch of the imagination yet. While I am no where near the Mac expert that dtravis7 or Sherman happen to be, I am definitely one of those more into the tech side of things than the social side and would love to see this expanded. But, we'll need the newbies coming in to ask questions for it to make sense for much of an expansion to the topics. I'll try to post my few suggestions later.

(And, yes I know, I like to start sentences with "And". Bad habit. :blink: )

[Brown Study]

I'm seconding bobtomay's suggestion that there be a forum for users new to Macs. Maybe not a "switchers" forum, since that label is everywhere — one place in particular — and not completely accurate, anyway. Perhaps New To Macs or something of the sort.

[MacHeadCase]

*Snip*
From my reading, it looks like they just changed the home page a couple of weeks before 'we' showed up, reducing it to the six topics you see now. Have you been to some of those dead forums with 20-25 topics? And, most of them with no posts for months. That surely doesn't look inviting to new members.

Exactly! Befoer coming here, I searched for a decent Mac forum to replace the other one. You wouldn't believe all those ghost towns that are trying to pass for Mac forums around t3h Tubez! Heck! I wasn't even sure I'd join here either, it was pretty dead too and it was full of spam. Spam in a dead forum doesn't look good, it speaks of a forum that is about to close, IMO.

And for all of us newbs here at macapper, keep in mind, 'we' have been here less than 3 weeks at this point in time. I really feel like the old timers here have bent over backwards thus far in making us feel welcomed and a part of the forum. Shoot, just look, even 3 of us have been brought into the moderating staff to help, and with them not really knowing a thing about us.

For the most part, what we have brought is a real sense of community. This is a great thing to build the forum upon. And while it may appear that we are "stealing the show" from all of you that started the place, please know, this is not our intention. Come on and jump back into the place with us. This is, after all, your forum. I know you guys/gals are computer geeks, and are online everyday. It wouldn't kill ya to make at least a casual appearance. You're getting to know some of us by now. We'd like to get to know all of you also. At least drop in to say hi, howdy, where did you yokels come from, or something. A lot of you guys have a 'Contributor' badge, how about a little contributing to the forum side. One post a week, maybe two? The forum could immediately jump from about 20 active members to around 50.

Anyway, looks like you're stuck with us. We're not going anywhere for awhile. So jump on in, the water's fine.

What can I say? This is oh so true and exactly to the point. Even if I wanted, I wouldn't be able to say it any better.

You MacApper old timers can give us a hand in making this forum truly hop and we can give you a hand with comments on the main page so the webcrawlers pick up the action and give a better and higher rating in Google hits, which in turn would bring more traffic in MacApper.

CL33Zero, I have been looking at that home page for a couple of weeks now and have a couple of ideas. I think the staff does also, particularly related to John's favorite topic. Don't see it expanding to those 20-25 topics by any stretch of the imagination yet. While I am no where near the Mac expert that dtravis7 or Sherman happen to be, I am definitely one of those more into the tech side of things than the social side and would love to see this expanded. But, we'll need the newbies coming in to ask questions for it to make sense for much of an expansion to the topics. I'll try to post my few suggestions later.

*Snip*

Yes somehow we'll need new members and we can balance out the social aspect of the forum and the tech help. Nothing is as boring as a one-sided forum, either al-tech or all-social.

[MacHeadCase]

I'm seconding bobtomay's suggestion that there be a forum for users new to Macs. Maybe not a "switchers" forum, since that label is everywhere — one place in particular — and not completely accurate, anyway. Perhaps New To Macs or something of the sort.

And that is a fine suggestion as well. We all know how very much the Switcher name is misused/overused at that other place. How can someone with 400+ posts with a join date in 2007,as an example, still consider him/herself a Switcher?

New to Macs would encourage people to really consider, IMO, if they are still New to Macs.

[Rxx]

"Mac help line"?

Lol

[MaDDoG]

I don't think I can add much to what has already been said in the last couple of posts.
I'm sure the original members of this forum have been sitting back watching and thinking "what the heck?" They are probably feeling over run by garrulous lunatics from some other forum and all of a sudden the forum that was once theirs is being invaded and taken away. Please don't feel like that. Come out and have a chat because that's what forums are all about. Grow and expand or wither and die.
I see many names on the member list that I don't ever see on the forum when I'm here. Maybe thats the I'm on the other side of the world thing or maybe we have made them leave or just plain go shy. I hope not
Help us make your forum into somewhere to be proud to hang around and say "I was here when it first started. I helped make this place" Don't be afraid of the noisy new people, come out and play!

[Stretch]

You guys should promote the forums more on the front page. Shouldn't be too hard to get more activity on them.

[iBones]

You guys should promote the forums more on the front page. Shouldn't be too hard to get more activity on them.You'd be surprised how difficult it is to get more activity on a forum. It's some sort of cult phenomenon. I have given up trying to figure it out. You would think that if a person takes all the time to register and figure out how to type in that encrypted string of letters like 30 times they'd be ready to participate and post...nope. Unbelievable. I've run the number son a lot of sites and the percentages are pretty much the same. A very small group of folks participate in the overall scheme of things. Won't bore you with the numbers cuz I think I threw them away. :tongue:

[MediaRight]

Let me just tell you guys that us higher-ups at MacApper and Escalate Media are in the midst of planning MacApper 3.0: a major rework of the site, behind the scenes and in-front. We're still planning all the forum stuff, but we'll be shuffling the catigories some, and some other things. We're taking note of everything you guys are saying and rolling the best-of's into the plans. I'll have more for you all on this later. Stay tuned!

[MacHeadCase]

I don't really hate the little numbers of forums/sub-forums actually. I have seen many Mac forums with 10, 20, 30 forums and what hits me is that it quickly gets confusing for the member when you break down the categories too much.

Not only that but, like bobtomay says, when there is less activity on the board, the more forums you have the more dead it looks like for the lurker wondering if he/she should join.

Mac Software (Apple and 3rd party), Mac Hardware (Apple and 3rd party) suit me fine.

Maybe the name Rants and Blathers should be changed to something we see a bit everywhere else like Members Lounge. At first I thought it was a forum where we went to vent. Then I asked Steven and he told me it was the equivalent of the Members Lounge. So giving it the name that everyone recognizes would simplify things, IMO.

There could be another forum for Switchers (that we thought would be cool if it was called New Mac Users) it would be a good idea but to me that isn't essential because it breaks down categories. At which point do you stop being a Switcher? Don't we want all Switchers to embrace the Mac and be done with it? Why categorize like this? are my reactions to creating this forum. But again it doesn't really bother me one way or the other.

The Artistic Endeavors forum is where a member posts whatever he/she creates. It could be drawings, video, webpages, music, photography, etc. So that is another nice way of making a whole of many things, IMO.

Apple Talk means to me that it is the place to discuss news about Apple or maybe talk over Apple's direction.

And Scene and Site News is where members would find announcements from staff or wish to introduce themselves to everyone.

[Kilted]

I think we need a Swithchers forum. For me when I was new to Mac I felt intimidated by a lot of Computer forums. The switcher forums can help a newbie find their way. I'm still a switcher in many ways I switch from PC to Mac every weekday. Newbies to Mac need an area to feel at home at first. .. Having said all that I wonder if switchers are your target audience. You can decide.

[Rxx]

Maybe just something other than "switcher" but with the same "simple help" concept.

Cause anyone can have a simple "help me out" question.

[bobtomay]

Kind of like something in lieu of Switcher's Forum.

New Mac User
My First Mac
My First Mac. How do I ... ?

Also like CLL3's idea for the Stickies of making them stand out a little more.

[MacHeadCase]

And mods being able to sticky threads too. :tongue:

What I was thinking is asking some of our top notch members to write some essential How Tos for troubleshooting and useful info for new users or some members that just need a method to troubleshoot their Macs and analyse the problems. These of course, would have to be stickied for all to see.

[bobtomay]

Yep, and / or the addition of a FAQ forum.

On second thought - a separate FAQ forum should probly wait until there are enough to justify it's existence.

[MacHeadCase]

Now that is a very nifty idea! A FAQ forum would be super! :)

[bobtomay]

and this yellow on white font color def could use some work

[iBones]

I think we need a Swithchers forum. If they call it "switchers" I'll lose my mind. Some other idiot (do the math) came up with that name and as MHC points out "New Mac Users" sounds a lot more friendly to me. "Switchers" sounds like you're coming from some alien land or something. Meh.

And mods being able to sticky threads too. :tongue:Something is wrong. The MODS should be able to do all this stuff.

Somebody got happy with the mouse and clicked off all the things MODS should be able to do in the MOD User Group. MOD should be able to delete posts, delete threads, ban users, delete users, move threads/posts and otherwise "Moderate" the forum without having to contact an Admin at every turn. If they can't be trusted to do that they shouldn't be MODS. ;)

Speaking of which, I understand there were a lot of spammers at the site. Bet a lot of them are "Russian" spammers who use a specific time zone when they register. I drove me nuts for years BUT...I have a nice little mod that eliminates those jerks from registering. Interested? PM me and I'll give you the details! :)

[MacHeadCase]

*Snip*

Something is wrong. The MODS should be able to do all this stuff.

Somebody got happy with the mouse and clicked off all the things MODS should be able to do in the MOD User Group. MOD should be able to delete posts, delete threads, ban users, delete users, move threads/posts and otherwise "Moderate" the forum without having to contact an Admin at every turn. If they can't be trusted to do that they shouldn't be MODS. ;)

Speaking of which, I understand there were a lot of spammers at the site. Bet a lot of them are "Russian" spammers who use a specific time zone when they register. I drove me nuts for years BUT...I have a nice little mod that eliminates those jerks from registering. Interested? PM me and I'll give you the details! :)

We've been told it should happen around mid-July. MacApper v3 be unveiled around that time. It will be a whole website overhaul.

and this yellow on white font color def could use some work

Yeah that's a real killer. I don't even notice them till I get an email notification. Bad choice of colours.