Admin please address.

[eJM]

Originally Posted by airdale

Hey, can we get a new column or section for all the new Segways that are hitting the market?

All we will get is a lot of confusion if we don't....

Contrary to popular opinion, what you are asking, I think, is not a bad idea at all. Adding sub-forums (that's what it's called) is not just an organizational scheme, it can also be good for SEO (Search Engine Optimization - a plan to improve a site's visibility and ranking on Google, et al), and thus, bring more visitors and potential members to a website. As a branded site, it's not hard to imagine that users of all the various Segway products would want peer support and camaraderie. This is as good a place, perhaps better, to find it as any other forum or social media group.

As has been mentioned, a sub-forum needs content for search engines to find and index (list) it. Having well thought out forum names and descriptions help. I suspect your idea could be accomplished by adding maybe 2 or 3 new forums, MiniPro, NineBot and Robotics. There would need to be some existing threads about those products moved to the new forums. And a campaign to get the community and new members to create new discussions in those forums.

Although ideally there would be a good supply of existing content that could be moved to those forums, new forum communities are started every day with zero content. SegwayChat is not a new forum and there are some dedicated members that would help where they could. So, although those new sub-forums may be weak on content for a while, it would build in time.

Unfortunately (and I am prepared for some personal attacks for saying this), the administration of this site is weak. The admin doesn't come here every day, as far as I can tell, and the super moderator, the only other staffer, hasn't posted a message since Feb. 2015.

I realize that both administrators have busy lives and probably jobs that take time and effort so they can support their families. But that's hardly a way to run a website that has so many people that count on it for support. There have been active members with forum administrative experience, at least 2 with vBulletin experience, but their rare suggestions or reports of issues have been virtually unacknowledged. Valid suggestions, such as yours, are not only ignored, they are left to be ridiculed by other, less savvy members. Perhaps it's because your suggestion wasn't presented to their satisfaction, or because you sometimes butcher the English language. For whatever reason, your initial query may not get the attention it deserves and too much undeserved negativity.

Your idea was a good one, regardless what anyone else said to the contrary. Yes, it is just my opinion, but it's the opinion of someone who has been actively involved in forum administration for 20 years, in small, medium and large (big boards) forums. But it's hard work to grow a forum and the owner of this site may not be able or willing. And that's his right.

Jim

[GlideGuy]

Originally Posted by eJM

Adding sub-forums (that's what it's called) is not just an organizational scheme, it can also be good for SEO (Search Engine Optimization - a plan to improve a site's visibility and ranking on Google, et al), and thus, bring more visitors and potential members to a website.

Currently, SegwayChat has 3 categories, 14 forums and 3 sub-forums.

I make very limited use of sub-forums because, in my experience, people overlook them more often than not. A sub-forum gets tucked-away at the top of its parent forum (unless viewing by category) and users scan their eyes down past the announcements, sub-forums and many times, right past the stickies.

Now, if there are several sub-forums in a given parent forum...the odds are better that they don't get overlooked.

I find Howard Forums to be very busy and confusing. They make extensive use of catagonies and sub-forums...so much so that it becomes intimidating to even try to post something if it doesn't fit SQUARELY into a given sub-forum. You can start a thread off about iPhone reception, the subject drifts to Verizon specific service and you get your thread closed prematurely because it is in the wrong area!

SegwayChat is currently very easy to navigate and I simply don't see a situation where there are an abundance of model specific threads that need to be shuffled-off into their own forum or sub-forum.

[eJM]

I don't see the necessity for this discussion to get bogged down in forum terminology. Very few here will understand it. I used the term sub-forum loosely. A case could be made that SegChat's categories and forums are disorganized as they are and should be reorganized, some renamed, another added. If there were a suggestion box that was actually considered, my first recommendation would be to convert to Xenforo software. For a site dedicated to such high-tech devices that are the epitome of mobility, the forum should really be using something that is actually mobile friendly.

But let's not digress. Segway is not the Segway of 14 years ago or even 3 years ago. The new members joining today aren't necessarily looking for information on the Segway PT, like I was 10 years ago. Now there is more diversity and all of us should be more accepting of that. And airdale is not only asking for acceptance, but asking us to welcome it by providing model-specific support forums. My belief is that SegwayChat could see new potential and new growth because of it.

[airdale]

Originally Posted by eJM

I don't see the necessity for this discussion to get bogged down in forum terminology. Very few here will understand it. I used the term sub-forum loosely. A case could be made that SegChat's categories and forums are disorganized as they are and should be reorganized, some renamed, another added. If there were a suggestion box that was actually considered, my first recommendation would be to convert to Xenforo software. For a site dedicated to such high-tech devices that are the epitome of mobility, the forum should really be using something that is actually mobile friendly.

But let's not digress. Segway is not the Segway of 14 years ago or even 3 years ago. The new members joining today aren't necessarily looking for information on the Segway PT, like I was 10 years ago. Now there is more diversity and all of us should be more accepting of that. And airdale is not only asking for acceptance, but asking us to welcome it by providing model-specific support forums. My belief is that SegwayChat could see new potential and new growth because of it.

Thank you.

[JohnG]

Well, when members don't even use the current sub-forums correctly (e.g., a community feedback thread posted not in community feedback; I've since moved it to the correct forum), it suggests that maybe members don't care enough as it is to post in the "right" forum.

We've never had separate forums for separate product lines; the amount of customers who buy these machines just doesn't warrant it at present.

If we somehow seen an influx of posting/traffic that suggests one forum is no longer sufficient, we'll definitely consider it in the future. Thanks.

John

[GlideGuy]

John, I LIKE the prefixes! Good move

[JohnG]

Thanks... wish I had implemented it 10 years ago!