web site vs. forum

[Redwoood]

Hi there,

this may have been answered before but I couldn't really find a definitive answer through all my searches. So I'm taking the lazy way out by letting the public speak

I noticed I spend a lot of time in the forums (too much!), not very much on the web site ( ). Am I missing out on something ?
I know there is the help files, and the galleries and whatnot. But what are the killer sections of the web site that I'm missing ?
Also, I noticed that the credentials to log in to the web site are different from the forums. This, I guess, is a technical restriction due to different data bases.
What are the features that require a login, what do I gain by logging in?

Redwoood

[azjoe]

Hi Redwoood,

The main site is integrated in a manner which allows you to access all of the content of www.straightrazorplace.com. I.e., you can access the blogs, the help files, the forum, etc... all from the main site. Many users predominantly visit the forum (and prefer to have it loaded full page instead of inside the main page), so they bypass the main site and go directly to the forum... I guess I'd consider the forum the "killer" feature on the site.

Along the way to where we are now, some modules were replaced with better ones and we've lost some of the cohesiveness of the site. The Admins and some of the Moderators are working on fixing this as we speak... for example, recently the forum software was brought up to the latest version and the chat program was replaced with one that seems to function better. Soon the main site software will be upgraded and some time later a new "look" will be added to streamline the whole thing. These things take time, and since the admins and moderators are an "all volunteer" army, we get things done as time permits. The recent site outages are delaying some progress while we focus energy on problems the host is having.

Regarding the multiple logins required... that's an unfortunate consequence of some of the changes made. As it stands today, you need to register on the main site... this gives you the ability to access all its features... if you don't register, you can view but not add content to the site (eg, help files, the gallery, etc.), you can't get a free email account, etc. If you don't register with the forum you can view but not post messages and you won't be able to access the chat facility. BTW, we STRONGLY recommend that you use the same username and password BOTH places and that you run with the remember me checkbox ALWAYS checked. Plans are also in the works to merge the two registrations in the not too distant future.

I hope that has answered your questions... if not, just ask for additional info.

[Redwoood]

Thanks Joe,
that's pretty much what I thought. Yeah, as you say, the web site is a bit incoherent, but I'm looking forward to changes/new features.
Personally, I spend most of my time in the forums (full screen of course ), and I can't imagine this could change in the near future.

BTW, I'm not sure what exactly the hosting problems are, but one simple way of easing the load on the server(s) is to cap the maximum number of messages displayed per screen. I used to run 40 myself because I have a fat enough pipe and can afford it, but then the issues with the forum got worse and I thought I better go easy on the server, ie reduced it to 10. I could imagine there may be other 'selfish' people like me out there.
Also, you can reduce spikes on the db by limiting the number of searches per time period. I'm sure vBulletin has an option for that. It may be a bit less convenient for users, but it could improve stability, which is what's important.

Redwoood

[rtaylor61]

Hi there,

this may have been answered before but I couldn't really find a definitive answer through all my searches. So I'm taking the lazy way out by letting the public speak

I noticed I spend a lot of time in the forums (too much!), not very much on the web site ( ). Am I missing out on something ?
I know there is the help files, and the galleries and whatnot. But what are the killer sections of the web site that I'm missing ?
Also, I noticed that the credentials to log in to the web site are different from the forums. This, I guess, is a technical restriction due to different data bases.
What are the features that require a login, what do I gain by logging in?

Redwoood

There's a website???

RT