Forum layout changes

Sluffy wrote:I've been out for most of the day and for a while in the morning I happened to notice a very old man totter past me and for us to exchange 'good morning's' with each other.  About 20 minutes later he passed me on his way back and I noticed he had a newspaper tucked under his arm.

I thought bless him, if my dad was alive today he'd be doing the exact same thing.

Anyway I digress.

Leeds_Trotter wrote:I hold my hands up, it was me pushing for a change. I thought people would prefer a crisp, more modern look.

The aim was to help us attract more people to the forum, but it seems the people who were already here go put off. There was still a lot of work we had to do, but it seems nobody was ready for such change.

Not at all LT.

You were only doing what I invited you to do, namely to think of any ways we could improve Nuts for the benefit of us all and implement the changes as practically as you could thereafter.

If I'd been around I'd almost certainly have insisted you carried on developing the new style and weathered the storm until people got used to the change - which invariably they always do (me included).

It's fine and dandy people wanting to cling on to what they are accustomed to and find comfort in but in life you've got to move with the times, or you soon become extinct.

Wanders Ways quite separately to us also decided to give their forum an update in appearance and I must say they've done a very fine job of it in my opinion.

I don't think from the bits I saw, that we were quite up to these standard but no doubt given a bit more time, and a bit of trial and error, we easily could have been - but I think poor LT and BTID lost there nerve with not wanting to displease anyone - and have pulled the plug on their development of our site and reverted back to what we had before - which looks doubly tired and old now that I see it again!

Sometimes you really have to throw those comfy old slippers away when they start smelling and falling to pieces and endure breaking in a new pair until you get use to them.

Seems we've collectively spat our dummy out and said "I'm not wearing them" before even trying them on seeing how they felt after a day or two and instead rummaged to the bottom of the garbage bin to get our old ones back.

Well we've got our wish, and while the world moves on, how people use, view and communicate on their smart phones and tablets, with their tweets and snapchats and what other paraphernalia and whatever snazzy, trending and exciting ways technology is taking people forward these days - we've just become that old man who goes down to his local store the first thing in the morning to get his newspaper as his way of interacting and understanding the world - because he's comfortable doing it that way, he's done it that way for years, and he'll carry on doing it that way until the day he dies even if the whole world passes him by.

Great attempt to move Nuts forward LT and BTID, I'm just sorry it's coincided at a time I haven't been about much and probably would have been able to give you more of a chance of bringing about the desired step of trying to bring a freshness and more current look to the site, in a desire to attract younger and more modern day generation of Wanderers supporters to become more involved and interactive with us on Nuts.

Thank you Sluffy.

I will be having a word with BTID to see if we can set up a test forum where we can take our time and both work together in coming up with a new theme that we can present to the users amd get some feedback. It may take some time to get right, but we'll get there.

Natasha Whittam wrote:Absolute drivel.

No one, and I mean no one, is going to start posting on a forum because it looks modern.

Spend all the time you want trying to make the site look modern, but it won't encourage a single person to post.

As I've said a million times, the only thing that attracts people to forms is content and debate. I really don't see why the mods can't concentrate on that aspect of the forum.

Have you had a good look at our forum over the last couple of years???

It's been gloom and fucking doom about Brexit (every frigging day it feels like it to me anyway) and Trump and constant innuendo from the sites resident anti-Anderson correspondent about how the owner is going to bankrupt the club/never ever going to buy a player/ is going to asset strip the club / has hocked the clubs assets, etc, etc, etc - not a single statement made by this lunatic ever coming true - or ever likely to either!

Every time I seem to post anything these days I expect the usual suspects to troll me or attempt to embroil me in some meaningless argument - so much so I actually look forward to being busy in my real life and not having the time to fritter it away on here like I usually do and try my best to distract people away from all the bitterness that seems have replaced the fun we once used to have on here.

What else are we supposed to do if certain people want to carry their own little personal agendas and vendettas, or playing people or whatever it is they see it as on here and stamp out all the smiles and laughs and in their place take their ball home because so and so stitched them up, or because I post on here and said something or banned their mate or whatever and hold a grudge maybe?

I simply don't get it!

We provide a forum for everyone to enjoy but if people don't want to, our rather piss all over it, then what do you really expect us to do?

We've kept our side of the bargain, we've provided the theatre, we promote it the best way we can by keeping the clubs news as current as we can to attract an audience, then our star turns either get reluctant to post, or so abusive they are finally flung out, or so bleeding negative about every fecking thing - is it any bloody wonder that nobody wants an encore or decides to return for next weeks show?

Well we've tried to glitz up the old place in an attempt to appeal for a new audience and maybe sign up a new leading lady or man but even what remains of our audience doesn't want that either!

The recent amazing generous donations that came flooding in last week clearly show that there is enough good spirit in the Nuts faithfuls to carry on for a long time yet but it's clear to me that our start turns, the one's that make us laugh and cry either don't want to do it any more or maybe have lost their magic.

So if you want to come here for the latest news about the club, then people will and are still doing that but if people want to come here for a laugh and to be entertained, escape from work or the wife for ten minutes - like they use to - well those days are now long gone and instead try not to slit your wrists reading about all the constant negativity and indeed a fair share of hatred too, that is the constant fayre of Nuts since Brexit/Trump/Anderson came on the scene.

Most of us get by in real life for days/weeks on end without ever mentioning Trump/Brexit/what a crook Anderson is (Answer - He isn't!), yet it seems like hardly a hour goes by without our various divas mentioning them on here - and people simply just can't be arsed reading it anymore - let alone joining in.

The laughs have gone from Nuts.

If I knew how to get them back I would.

But I don't.

So until they do I/we will keep the theatre open for as long as we can until the day they hopefully do.

Is the suggestion here that if the Brexit and Trump threads were both shut down then the forum would be better for it? And that alongside ‘Anti-Anderson’ (your own terminology), these have ruined the site?

Having serious topics debated isn’t anything new, they’ve run alongside the football content throughout Nuts, so clearly this isn’t the case.

The site isn’t what it was as regulars have been banned or moved on, no big deal and not a huge amount can be done about it.

Can we have a "fuck the thought police" emoji please?

My main problems with the changes were visual. I look at a screen for a fair few hours of the day, and vast expanses of white do the eyes no favours.
As I mentioned, white text on a black background, would be much easier to read, but probably not feasible. Others would know better than me.
Everyone likes a change now and again. Some changes are unpopular, like our club badge with the stupid ribbons. We live and learn.
Maybe we didn't give the change a fair crack, but as I say, it's difficult to enjoy a forum you're having difficulty reading.
I think you should keep experimenting. Try out a few new layouts and judge them by the feedback.
And by the way, I quite enjoy the Trump and Brexit threads.

And what's the deal with the old man getting his paper?

boltonbonce wrote:My main problems with the changes were visual. I look at a screen for a fair few hours of the day, and vast expanses of white do the eyes no favours.
As I mentioned, white text on a black background, would be much easier to read, but probably not feasible. Others would know better than me.
Everyone likes a change now and again. Some changes are unpopular, like our club badge with the stupid ribbons. We live and learn.
Maybe we didn't give the change a fair crack, but as I say, it's difficult to enjoy a forum you're having difficulty reading.
I think you should keep experimenting. Try out a few new layouts and judge them by the feedback.
And by the way, I quite enjoy the Trump and Brexit threads.

And what's the deal with the old man getting his paper?

I agree with some of what you are saying, an all white background wasn't for me either. I'd much prefer an off white colour.

I'm not opposed to change but the changes need to improve the site and I didn't feel that these changes did that. I appreciate it was a work in progress but what I was looking at was unattractive and not as user friendly as before.

Maybe baby steps is the best way forward, although I doubt the visual appearance of the site will have a significant effect on the number of active members. As far as I am concerned I am on this site because I am a Bolton fan and I imagine that is why everyone else is here.

You’re right xmiles it’s the content that makes people come here.  I wouldn’t say we lost our bottle, it was a case that maybe a little more thought and feedback from the members would have been better prior to going ahead with the changes.  Although I didn’t think you’d all complain as much as you did.

The general consensus was it was too white and wide so please feel free to suggest how you all would like us to make the forum look.  What features would you like to see, what don’t you like?  And don’t be saying it’s perfect.

I think this site has a better look and is easier to post on and read than the other Bolton sites The Wanderer and WanderersWays.I don't think it needs any improvements.

Keep plugging away LT. I appreciated your efforts, for one, although I've a feeling one or two might ask for it to be changed to Latin