Poll - Basschat, good to grow?

[waynepunkdude]

[quote name='benwhiteuk' post='331333' date='Nov 18 2008, 10:58 AM']Yeah I’ve seen these on a few forums, but I don’t like the idea of it. Just seems a way for people to almost compete against each other and compare their ‘score’ against others and to feel some kind of superiority over other members… I can’t see any merits for having something like that, but then maybe I’m just a very cynical 23 year old who needs to lighten up? [/quote]


I guess it could go that way.

I also feel any disagreements should be settled by battle to the death.

[Currrls]

[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='331150' date='Nov 17 2008, 11:14 PM']I used to be an avid IRC user before Bassworld. I personally like the idea of a dedicated channel but its harder to manage and if more than 10 members are using it heavily then its hard to track conversations without going to private rooms. Also if an IRC channel was too popular, would it drain interest from the rest of the forum?[/quote]
yeah fair point. i could imagine it would basically end up either everyone on the IRC and no one on the forums, or the other way round.

[OutToPlayJazz]

How about using Skype? I'm sure a lot of us have built in webcams & exchanging musical ideas would be a possible as well this way.

[Currrls]

[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='334376' date='Nov 22 2008, 01:02 PM']How about using Skype? I'm sure a lot of us have built in webcams & exchanging musical ideas would be a possible as well this way.[/quote]
i use skype, is there a way to set up any kind of conferencing where you can have more than 2 people talking at the same time?

[timloudon]

One thing I can think of is about the market place:

Each post is displayed in the order of the last action (or reply), as with all the others.

It would be good to be able to order the items in a date/time posted (as well as the above system) - i.e. looking at things that went on sale yesterday above something that was on sale a week ago but is being bumped or commented on.

Just a thought.

[xgsjx]

I think Basschat could grow, but there's nothing wrong with it as it is.

The chatroom idea sounds good as does the idea of MySpace style pages for members, but then again, I like the page layout as it stands.

I do think Basschat should remain free tho. I have no probs paying a subscription but I think there would be less members & that would have a negative effect on how good it works just now (questions, advice etc from fellow basschatters). Advertising & maybe an online shop for members to sell at a commission (keep the free marketplace on here) would be like a secondhand webshop (now there's an idea)! Either that or a bass version of Ebay.

G

[Golchen]

I didn't vote as I would go for 'maybe' instead of yes/no/don't care.

I'm OK with as is, but I'm also happy to see any improvements/new features. The one thing that I'm not big on is paying! There are too many free places out there to get tied to one that wants your money.

[JPJ]

For me, the forum is fine as is.

Having been around here through the various incarnations since Gerald or Gerard first got the idea rolling in the UK, I feel right at home with the Kiwi/Ped format.

I'm sure the place needs some finance to keep it going and to maintain bandwidth, uptime etc etc. I have suggested before the pay-to-sell idea where the advertiser pays to place a 'for sale' add. If you look at the number of threads in the for sale sections, even a nominal listing fee should be sufficient to fund the ongoing maintenance and development costs of the site. Failing that, merchandise is probably another fine way to raise income (just look at the uptake for the 'orange' basschat shirts!).

I'd be happy to pay a subscription to access this place, but I recognise that others may not either be able or willing to do the same, and I dislike the two-tier approach adopted by some other forums as being eliteist and clique'y (two things I hate with a passion).

[mathewsanchez]

[size=3]How about a big map where you can place/pin your for sale ads, so you can easily find local basses for sale?[/size]

[size=1]Sorry to use big font like some annoying ebay seller but I wanted to get my idea noticed.[/size]

[Mr Cougar]

Having been a member of this since the begining and before that Bassworld and that weird limbo thing we had for a while inbetween I'd say that the forum is better than ever. On one of the other forums I use where I am a mod we get commission from Amazon for any books bought through a link on the site which generates enough cash.

I'd be loath to see this site turn too commercial or into a pay site with premium content as it has always been a collection of friendly enthusiasts (with some w***ers) discussing stuff, buying, trading,selling, GASing and generally being sad obsessives.

Which I love.

[Kiwi]

[quote name='mathewsanchez' post='373275' date='Jan 7 2009, 05:31 PM'][size=3]How about a big map where you can place/pin your for sale ads, so you can easily find local basses for sale?[/size]

[size=1]Sorry to use big font like some annoying ebay seller but I wanted to get my idea noticed.[/size][/quote]

Ahem, duly noted. I think its a nice idea but I think I've mentioned previously that if we modify this off-the-shelf forum software, its more difficult to implement upgrades. The alternative is bespoke software which costs probably more than this site could afford at commercial rates (and then there's the ongoing maintenance needed). If I continued the survey I could offer a range of options and ask how much per month would everyone be prepared to pay for having access to that feature.

That would give us an idea of where to invest any income. Alternatively it might just mean that forums aren't really capable of generating much investment without huge numbers of members paying a relatively low cost subscription every month.

[Born 2B Mild]

[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='373591' date='Jan 7 2009, 10:17 PM']Ahem, duly noted. I think its a nice idea but I think I've mentioned previously that if we modify this off-the-shelf forum software, its more difficult to implement upgrades. The alternative is bespoke software which costs probably more than this site could afford at commercial rates (and then there's the ongoing maintenance needed). If I continued the survey I could offer a range of options and ask how much per month would everyone be prepared to pay for having access to that feature.

That would give us an idea of where to invest any income. Alternatively it might just mean that forums aren't really capable of generating much investment without huge numbers of members paying a relatively low cost subscription every month.[/quote]
A way round the software thing is to create microsites. So, the forum stays as off-the-shelf, but 'new' elements can be linked to seperately constructed web pages.

[Kiwi]

[quote name='Born 2B Mild' post='373618' date='Jan 7 2009, 10:40 PM']A way round the software thing is to create microsites. So, the forum stays as off-the-shelf, but 'new' elements can be linked to seperately constructed web pages.[/quote]
Thats a point I seem to recall suggesting privately myself at one point to ped and phatmonkey in the distant past. I can't remember why it wasn't given more consideration.

[Toasted]

It'd be easy to implement mathewsanchez's idea through google maps. The forum software shouldn't need modifying at all.

[Kev]

very true, although tbh it doesnt take too much effort just to check out the location on google maps seperatly anyways, thats what i always do

[Toasted]

1) Postcode
2) Google
3) ???
4) Profit

[Mike]

[quote name='Toasted' post='374163' date='Jan 8 2009, 03:56 PM']1) Postcode
2) Google
3) ???
4) Profit[/quote]

CANCER

Edited January 8, 2009 by Mike

[Kiwi]

[quote name='Toasted' post='373810' date='Jan 8 2009, 09:01 AM']It'd be easy to implement mathewsanchez's idea through google maps. The forum software shouldn't need modifying at all.[/quote]
Well I'll leave you and Phatmonkey to sort it out then. Cheers!

[steve-soar]

I think Basschat is perfect.

It is a free, open forum for chat about bass guitars in every level of detail. I think I.P. boards do the biz and it is up to the posters to create the charm that is Basschat.
Donation on its way.
I am a member because it is organic and flows pretty much like chat in a real situation would.
The mods are not heavy handed and newbies get treated better here than on many other sites.
Basschat is cool for school.

[leschirons]

[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='324541' date='Nov 7 2008, 11:02 PM']Mike, you say that like Sandy Toksvig is a bad thing. [/quote]

Stevie Wonder is a mate of mine and he thinks she's really fit.

[waynepunkdude]

I don't know how implementable it is but, pre made search terms in the for sale section so for example you could look for a Fender Precision for under £500 instead of putting Fender Precision and finding people wanting to trade for a Fender Precision or basses that are over budget.

Did that make sense?

[Kiwi]

Certainly did mate. It would be nice to be able to customise the forum software like that but if we did, it would be difficult to update in the event of spammers. So we can either employ someone to code up custom software meaning all the suggestions could be taken on board but we'd have to charge people for it. Or we can continue to use the off-the-shelf package with reduced convenience.

[~tl]

A few points, having read through this thread...

1) Avoid moving over to a custom developed forum software. Just don't do it. It always ends badly. ALWAYS.

2) See #1.

3) For adding more functionality but keeping the upgrade path clean, does IP.Board have some sort of plug-in functionality where you can add things without making changes to the core code?

4) I'd advise keeping the core functionality of the forums as actual forums and as simple as possible. If people want to have "social networking" style things then they can use Facebook/Myspace. The current forum profiles offer plenty of "social networking" features as it is.

5) The wiki certainly has a lot of potential, but it's a little disjointed at the moment. It needs some thought and someone to work on it's structure and act as a moderator for the content. There's also the question of whether to keep the content purely factual or to include reviews and the like. I personally feel that forum posts are a better place for gear reviews and the wiki should be kept for purely factual content, but that's just me. Either way, decisions have to be made about style.

6) The "Market Place" is great, but there are some areas that could be improved. The "Recycling Unwanted Items" forum has a "Completed" sub-forum – why not extend this section wide. You wouldn't need to have separate sub-forums in each forum really, one forum for the whole lot would probably do. Over at the [url="http://forums.ilounge.com/"]iLounge forums[/url] (which I help moderate) we let people lock their own topics in the "Classifieds" forum (the equivalent of the "Market Place" here) and all locked topics are automatically moved in to the "Archived Classifieds" forum. Threads that haven't been posted in in a month (from memory, it could be a slightly different period of time) are also moved in to the archive to keep the main forum for listings that are likely to still be relevant. I would think that should be possible in IP.Board as well as vBulletin.

7) In general, I would try and keep the total number of forums to a minimum – the more there are, the more daunting it is for a new member to get involved. Although it's a much bigger forum, Talkbass is a little OTT in this regards in my opinion.

In general, you're doing a great job and the forum is pretty damn good the way it is. I wouldn't be too worried about making major changes for the sake of it. The old proverb stands, and doesn't need repeated. That, of course, is not to discourage you from making changes where appropriate.

Hope this was helpful, I'll add more if I can think of anything.

[josh3184]

[quote name='~tl' post='469130' date='Apr 21 2009, 10:58 PM']6) The "Market Place" is great, but there are some areas that could be improved. The "Recycling Unwanted Items" forum has a "Completed" sub-forum – why not extend this section wide. You wouldn't need to have separate sub-forums in each forum really, one forum for the whole lot would probably do. Over at the [url="http://forums.ilounge.com/"]iLounge forums[/url] (which I help moderate) we let people lock their own topics in the "Classifieds" forum (the equivalent of the "Market Place" here) and all locked topics are automatically moved in to the "Archived Classifieds" forum. Threads that haven't been posted in in a month (from memory, it could be a slightly different period of time) are also moved in to the archive to keep the main forum for listings that are likely to still be relevant. I would think that should be possible in IP.Board as well as vBulletin.[/quote]

I like the sound of that! Would make things much clearer.

[Kiwi]

[quote name='~tl' post='469130' date='Apr 21 2009, 10:58 PM']A few points, having read through this thread...

...
Hope this was helpful, I'll add more if I can think of anything.[/quote]
Very helpful tl, thanks for that. I'll raise the points with the others and see what happens.