New Forum Layout - Nice

I see the reason for all the forums. Lets say we started a new site. We had a Fox Body, SN95, V6/4 cyl, and s197 forum. To handle all the random bull we add an Off-Topic forum. As the member base increases the Off-Topic forum gets so big posts disappear as fast as they are created. So it gets divided into sub-forums under each car type to keep like groups of people together.

Now comes the confusion. People assume that because there is a general talk sub-forum in the SN95 forum it is meant to be for people to talk about SN95 stuff. When in reality it isn't meant for anything other than general talk. So it really shouldn't matter who's in there. Fox guys, S197 guys, whatever. I think it would actually be better to have a main Off-Topic forum and have it sub-divided into categories such as politics, internet, funnies, etc. Away goes the confusion. Then people wanting to talk about SN95 specific stuff have only one place to go.

And I have been meaning to reply to everything 90lxwhite has stated but haven't had time to do so until now. I agree with you 110%. Yes, there is a search engine on this forum. Yes, it does good to use it - sometimes. But us old guys who have been around Mustangs our whole life should not cringe when someone asks "How much HP will this combo produce?". And I agree that it is kind of a good feeling to be able to spout off an answer because we've seen the same thing 100 times. So well put man.

I think it's great there are younger guys grabbing old Mustangs instead of a Honda. And it's even better they come here with questions. It means they want to learn. There are so many kids these days that have no motivation. No desire to better themselves in any way. So the ones that make it here - I commend them for their effort. We need to raise more kids like them!
 
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Kevin,

If they had just one general talk forum and sub cat's like you described I think it would solve a ton of confusion but you would lose alot of old time members to it in the process. The point that some of us are trying to make is that its like going to a bar. You have your regulars and friends you associate with and talk and have a good time. Now if that bar closed and you were forced to mingle with 3-4 other bars worth of guys (even if you all have a similar background) it just doesn't work out usually. Now you start to lose your bar customers.

I don't think it is so much of a not wanting to have a general talk section but the general idea of being able to converse with the guys you have chatted with for over 10 years in some cases. @Noobz347 I think that this might be what some of us were trying to get across. I might be wrong but this is how I see it.
 
I have been on numerous forums over the years. I have to say the layout of this one when I first came back a couple months ago was a bit weird compared to the "norm". Now, it is closer to what I am used to. But it's still not the way it should be in my opinion. But to each his own.

I understand where you are coming from though. And that makes perfect sense. It is just kind of strange the way the forums have a separate general chat forum for each generation. If people used them the way they were supposed to, I think it would have been fine the way it was. But every time I came in here I couldn't remember where I was reading threads I had yet to participate in. There were technical threads in the general chat forum and vice versa.

I will say this, I hope the SN95 guys that are here stick around and continue to post. Because I enjoy reading what's going on with these cars just as much as I did my Fox's.
 
I have been on numerous forums over the years. I have to say the layout of this one when I first came back a couple months ago was a bit weird compared to the "norm". Now, it is closer to what I am used to. But it's still not the way it should be in my opinion. But to each his own.

I understand where you are coming from though. And that makes perfect sense. It is just kind of strange the way the forums have a separate general chat forum for each generation. If people used them the way they were supposed to, I think it would have been fine the way it was. But every time I came in here I couldn't remember where I was reading threads I had yet to participate in. There were technical threads in the general chat forum and vice versa.

I will say this, I hope the SN95 guys that are here stick around and continue to post. Because I enjoy reading what's going on with these cars just as much as I did my Fox's.

I hope the so too Kevin. There are about 4-5 guys that I truly enjoy when they share their knowledge and appreciate their help when needed. If those guys disappear I think I will probably vanish into the shadows and participate only when needed. @revhead347 @VibrantRedGT @final5-0 @Chythar @Venom351R

Thank all of you for your help along my way in learning the ins and outs of the ridiculous 95 GT I had.
 
I hope the so too Kevin. There are about 4-5 guys that I truly enjoy when they share their knowledge and appreciate their help when needed. If those guys disappear I think I will probably vanish into the shadows and participate only when needed. @revhead347 @VibrantRedGT @final5-0 @Chythar @Venom351R

Thank all of you for your help along my way in learning the ins and outs of the ridiculous 95 GT I had.

Wow. I feel privileged to be included in that group. And here I thought I was mostly a lurker on the board.
 
Just one more one last thing: ok so it's not as big of a deal as some are making it out to be where one post a I have a problem thread, ie: my car is overheating. If its in "tech or talk" they will more than likely recieve the same help
 
Just one more one last thing: ok so it's not as big of a deal as some are making it out to be where one post a I have a problem thread, ie: my car is overheating. If its in "tech or talk" they will more than likely recieve the same help


I'll try and explain some of the evolution and maybe it'll make bit more sense...

Back in the day, this forum was rigid tech. I mean, thread gestapo goose-stepping through the forums and putting the smack down on anything not tech related (this is an exaggeration but that's ok, I'm just trying to paint a picture).

As it grew, there became more of a need for not just technical forums but for basic chatter and banter about this car, or that one, or whatever. So to alleviate some of the headache with the technical purists, the talk sections were born. So no you can chit-chat with the same folks you helped and that helped you about your wheels, get some opinions on how something looked, find the best places to purchase things, and so on.

Through all the comings and goings, people developed friendships etc.. Some still had Mustangs while others didn't. The talk sections started to contain more and more threads having NOTHING at all to do with Mustangs. So the Off-Topic section was born. Sit down, have a beer, and BS about anything you want. Later, through interest and intrigue, came Fight-Club, The Survival Stall, and so on.

The primary function of the forum though, is still about pretty rigid tech. Those are the only forums that earn a message count. The talk and off-topic forums are just there to help keep the technical sections about just technical threads.

So here we are today... The world is about reality TV shows, text messaging, and social media. The tech begins lose the spot-light as the main interest. Folks would rather log into facebook and brag their 700HP, 4 cylinder, nearly stock, with racing stripes, street monster than attempt to try and learn anything about what it REALLY takes to get there. The plethora of social outlets has many new comers confused... "What do you mean I can't just start a thread about any random thing in the forum that I land in???? What is this TECH that you speak of? I'm not here to learn anything... I'm here to brag about my 700 HP 4 banger and listen to exhaust clips. Isn't this like Youtube for Mustangs???".

So... once again we've evolved. Now the general chit-chat is on-top and in order to keep the technical forums more pure, we've set them up as the sub-forum. So that the noob pops in and starts a random thread about shiny wheels, he's in the right place. If he wants to ask about how to set his timing (for instance) in that forum, no harm no foul. As he becomes more aware of how the forums are arranged he will find the majority of his answers already in the technical section. What's more is that if he really comes up with a head thumper, he's likely to get the best access to knowledgeable help in the technical section because we still have a pretty good user base of people who steer clear of the majority of the off-topic stuff.

Then finally, there's the search function. This is pretty huge when it comes to the technical section. It's a lot easier to find the answers you're looking for when you only have to search the technical forum. It weeds out a huge majority of unrelated, non-helpful threads when you're able to cut the chit-chat forums out of the search query.

So anyway... Nobody will really raise an eyebrow if there happens to be a tech question in thee talk forum. Chit-chat in the tech forum, gets either deleted, or moved when it's identified. I usually get several reported posts a week for non-technical threads in technical sections. The "guess my horse power" threads that you previously mentioned are one of those. That's not really a tech question. It's just a guessing game. "How do I build a 300 HP N/A combo"... That's a tech question. It requires knowledge of applicable pieces, parts, and procedures that are verifiable. "Guess my hp" really requires none of those things so they go to the talk section so folks can banter about what they think a power plant might produce.