Forum Consolidation

[Cruisingdad]

We would appreciate and feedback and thoughts on forum(s) consilidation.

We realize that we have some forums that are not used much or could use to be grouped and consolidated with other forums. As members, we would appreciate your thoughts on what would make navigation easier and what forums could dissapear.

Thank you for your time.

The Mods

[scottyt]

the only thing things i could really see is

moving charting in to cruising
learning to sail into seamanship
or maybe destinations into cruising

really its pretty good now, i would probably just put destinations into cruising, then seamanship and learning to sail together

[sailingdog]

I would get rid of some of the sub-forums. For instance, Northeast really doesn't need to have Long Island and Mass Bay broken out...

[smackdaddy]

How does the stuff under "Boat Builder's Row" differ from the stuff under "Boat Review and Purchase". It seems those could be consolidated pretty easily.

Also, I still advocate for working the articles into a more visible rotation. Lots of great stuff there.

Finally - getting rid of the "General Interest Forums" link in the bread crumb trail would simplify navigation. You're either on the main "Sailnet Community" page, or you're in your selected forum. The stuff in the middle seems pretty whacked.

[Minnewaska]

I haven't been around here very long, but I have been active on other boards (ironically that use exactly the same software). This one by far, perhaps 3 or 4 fold, has the most categories. I found it daunting at first and now only seem to check in on about three of them. I try to mark those read so I can see what is really new, then pretty much ignore the others. I would limit or eliminate sub-forums. They are used interchangeably, particularly the redundant ones.

On another board that appears to the use the same software, the user can limit which forums they wish to see in their options. I would suggest you make that available, although, I suspect there is some advertising objection. This is the only board I use that has embedded ads.

On another topic, the other forums have a navigation capability at the bottom of the threads. That makes it much easier to move around to other forums or back to the one you found the thread in.

[bljones]

"Newsfeeds" could be combined with "general" and i don't think anyone would notice
"Chartering and "destinations" and even "crew " could go into "cruising."

How about combining herSailnet with Lats and Atts? You could call it "Her Attitude."

(That is soooo much cleaner than my first choice for the name of that forum, and I am still going to get hate mail anyway.)

[xort]

lets just make one really big general forum where everything goes!!!

[Stillraining]

Lets go with
1) Armchair Sailor ( CLOD's included )
2) Dingy Sailors ( Boat Size only...be nice!)
3) Training wheel sailors ( Multihulls)
4) Lead minds sailors ( The real sailors )
5) Liveaboards sailors ( Dock condo or otherwise)
6) Hot chick sailors ( Does this need explaining?)
7) Help Im screwed sailors ( SOS...land or sea questions)
8) Where do I start sailors ( Newbies and RTW on 5.00 a day crowd)
9) Look at me sailors ( Show offs) Smacky can self moderate this one...

and finally
10) The Screw you sailors ( Off topic and genral disidant sailors club)..a good job for a watch Dog!..

We then just call them the Sailnet 10 Comandments and be done with it.

[bljones]

I think Still has something there. I like it.

[T37Chef]

Nice one Still, I like it.