The future E30 Zone - Your input needed !

[Zerotonine]

Make Ratch a mod?

Seriously though, the current layout is good, just do not overcomplicate it, does the Zone really need fancy apps etc? It is awesome in it's simplicity, it is the members that make the zone. You get all the technical help one could ever ask for, all the comedy, a good few arguments, cliques, fools, it is an epic forum which in my opinion is second to none.

[beemerbird]

Seriously though, the current layout is good, just do not overcomplicate it, does the Zone really need fancy apps etc? It is awesome in it's simplicity, it is the members that make the zone. You get all the technical help one could ever ask for, all the comedy, a good few arguments, cliques, fools, it is an epic forum which in my opinion is second to none.

Very well said

[Zerotonine]

But you do not like the making Ratch a mod idea? How about Kos? Either/or really... Could be interesting... But then I reckon if you got them to have a dust up on a pay-per-view that would fund the zone for a year!

[skipunda]

Think about if from a software angle, guys. Not easy I know.

For example, reading this I think only of what the home page looks like. For me I need a better way for people to add to the home page.
For you I think there is room for improvement on that little list on the left side, you know the one? Do you want a bigger list, more specific list, horizontal or vertical list. Should there be one list for normal stuff, one for build thread updates?

I think we should focus on the guy/girl with only half an hour lunch break. Make that home page better with more stuff, more often.

[Rtaylor2208]

One of the common complaints is that when people place an add they dont supply enough details, pictures etc. How about a template screen when placing an add that has fields for,

1. Price (mandatory)
2. Location (mandatory)
3. Description (mandatory)
4. Image Links (mandatory)
6. Payment \ Postage Options (mandatory)
5. Link to Sellers Feedback (optional)

This would not neccessarily stop crap ads but would make people more concious of what details they need to supply.

[Zerotonine]

I used to be a member of a few other forums and none have been close to the zone. Some are glorified runboards, others are extremely fancy/overpopulated. The Zone just seems to 'work'. I would hate to see it become too fancy, too complicated. It's appeal is in its simplicity. I think that many are drawn here/stay here because of the banter, and the fact that it is easy to use. But then I do not know much on the software side, so am probably not much help.

[gooner1]

Seriously though, the current layout is good, just do not overcomplicate it, does the Zone really need fancy apps etc? It is awesome in it's simplicity, it is the members that make the zone. You get all the technical help one could ever ask for, all the comedy, a good few arguments, cliques, fools, it is an epic forum which in my opinion is second to none.

Very well said

I concur.
It mirrors exactly what it's based on.

Easy to work on.
Extremely enjoyable.
Reliable.
It can make you and at times but you'd miss it if
you didn't have it.

[Jesus325iTouring]

The Zone is a bit like an E30,it's a damn good ,ok it might not be perfect in terms of being "in-date" with apps etc,whatever they are, but it runs well and is easy to use and is good fun

[Jesus325iTouring]

We think a like Rob,posting that at the same time

[gooner1]

High Fives, Rog.

[beemerbird]

High Fives, Rog.

Not YOU two now, FFS. There's enough man-love on this site already

[Jesus325iTouring]

Back at ya

Fi,leave it aaaht!

[gooner1]

Says the Lady with, homo - erotic , in her signature.

[boomerm20]

This is one of the best BMW sites on the web.My only complaint is having to do a refresh
in the search mode after reading a thread.

[Kedge]

I don't think there is much wrong with the site at all, despite what you see in some threads it's one of the more welcoming forums out there. I'm a member of quite a few other forums and i just can't get into them.

Taking a few simple ideas from other forums that wouldn't impact how this place functions would be;

Set templates for car sales - Simplest way is just a copy and past thing like on E30Owners, if you don't use or follow the template the add is removed until it's done proparly. Something similar could be done for parts adds but might be a harder due to mulitple items in a simgle add.

Feedback - Someway of displaying a users feedback score on their avatars and a link to their feedback thread. I think this would encourage people to leave feedback, i'm as guilty as anyone at forgetting to get round to leaving a feedback post, and lets be honest most of us only look in there when we hear about an argument.

Quick to Advanced Post Button - This is a little pet hate, you start typing a quick response then realise you want something on the advance post screen, you can't just switch to that screen keeping what you've already typed you have to copy and paste. This is something available on other forums.

Also i think the snitch button is making it a bit too nanny state, arguments are bound to break out but this place self moderates quite well. If anyone does have a problem there ought to be a simple way of sending a broadcast message to all MODs as at least one is bound to be online at the time. This system could be used for all sorts of issues/ideas. Might be worth blocking somepeople from having this feature though if people abuse it and keep flooding the MODs with messages.

Those wanting an Iphone/pod/pad app, there is already an E30Zone icon that links straight to the forum, what more would you need?? Can't remember how you get that link icon though, seem to remember it was a zoner who made i.

[bss325i]

a report function would probably please some people

A nice set of Net Curtains to go with it, would make them
even happier.

A report button is for gays.

[bigwinn]

once its done, an app would be perfect-

I can probably get one of the guys at work to write an android one if you want... apple may be a bridge further though

[Barx325i]

the problem with any app really is security, albeit we're not trying to protect peoples card details, there are authentication layers that apps have to be developed to adhere to, secure connections etc.

More pertinently, Steve, I'm sure you've researched it but there were major flaws when using tapatalk with phpbb communities, and as much as it would be great to have an 'app' or at least integration with a pre fab'd 3rd party mobile portal, using foreign hardware to route traffic is a bit dubious, and leaves me feeling uneasy for one

[deanocool]

the zone is nigh on perfect the way it is on everyday use for me, the general use of it is very simple and i love the layout, although if we're crunching everything about it there are a few little niggles.

if anything the search could do with a little bit more narrowing down as anything i look for seems to bring up every topic on just about everything regardless of subject specification etc lol.

memberlist could do with its own dedicated name search rather than using the general search or skipping through the million and one members listed by alphabet, distance order etc.

the mobile phone thing doesnt bother me as i have access to about 6 computers in total and have a phone with ahem - 'buttons' on so isnt all that net friendly regardless, counting the amount of people with smartphones now having a mobile friendly webpage is a must. a company rang us up the other month asking if we wanted our web page optimising for mobile use and said they had a special offer on to do it for £100! thats seems cheap!

[craigieeb]

New emoticons

[craigieeb]

New emoticons

[Simon13]

i don't think the layout is broken as everyone has said, i'm no geek but can it be modernised but essentially kept the same?

[ah]

[quote="Grrrmachine"]I know it might cost a bomb in terms of bandwidth, but allowing users to upload images to the Zone itself rather than third-party sites would be useful.

+3,other than that I think the zone is fine like it is, but I don't know a whole lot about band width and all that malarkey.

O and the M3 on the home page,could that be added to with 2-3 different E3Os i.e. Touring,Cab,Sport etc, just to give the zone a more varied fill.

[Jim320i]

O and the M3 on the home page,could that be added to with 2-3 different E3Os i.e. Touring,Cab,Sport etc, just to give the zone a more varied fill.

+1 - I dont have an M3 so I feel left out when looking at the top of the screen...


Also, The home page 'Latest' threads, could this be made larger by a click of a button to see the last 50 threads in the same kinda style it is now?

[snakebrain]

I'd suggest:

- a dedicated and visible Newbies page with some info on the E30 model (not too technical please!) and a good buyer's guide to make it easy for newcomers and save everyone else endlessly rhyming off the likely rust spots...

- a feedback score displayed below the post count on every users post (obviously only if they've bought or sold something!).

- contrary to whoever said we should leave the chat function to facebook, I'd like to see the site become a kind of mini social network with a page for each member, connnections (or 'friends' or whatever you want to call them), comment features and so on. I'm convinced this is the future of the net - facebook or whatever replaces it will end up being like the phone book, where anyone can find you - specialist interest sites with the functionality of a social network built around a common interest are much more tightly knit, focussed and useful!

Obviously I've no idea of how to code any of the above and will just hope someone who does comes along!

[kman82]

I love the layout of the zone as it currently is.

The message box size could be bigger though, its really annoying sending someone a PM and it sits in your outbox coz they're inbox is full.

Probably not really to do with your update but I also find it frustrating when the zone logs me out on my iphone. I have no secure info on here so I dont need my login to expire.

other than that you're doing a fine job!

[lyricalnut02]

ive never had issues with the layout and find it very easy to use, would be nice to have an iphone app for the zone however.

[clarko74]

what's the problem with using external image hosting sites?

As I mentioned; those photos disappear. If you don't log into your photobucket account regularly, they will delete your photos. So people who documented their suspension rebuild or their common rust spots or all the different M20 crank shafts (and yes, these photos used to exist) find their images gone a year later, so that when people search for that info, they get a thread filled with "Image Could Not Be Found".

I admit though, the cost to the Zone may make this untenable.

TBH I missed this point, and yes it is very annoying when you finally find an old post that is useful but then discover all the images are missing.

I concur.
It mirrors exactly what it's based on.

Easy to work on.
Extremely enjoyable.
Reliable.

And from what Steve says in his first post a little rusty underneath too, like many E30's.

[brettski]

Would it be possible to make it easier to load pictures up? I'm bloody hopeless with computers and e bay or pistonheads make it simple even for me!

[sean_318i]

I think an improved search function would be a great addition.

Maybe additional fields like "Only search for terms in authors post" or "Only search for authors with more than 200 posts".

A set of clear instructions on how to use the search function effectively would also help us use the wealth of information that is on the zone.

[petchy]

what do people think about a "was it you" section? I am always tooting or giving/getting thumbs up from passing e30's and always wonder if they are from the forum.

I know some people might not like them but ive seen them on other forums and think they're a good idea.

[Grrrmachine]

what do people think about a "was it you" section? I am always tooting or giving/getting thumbs up from passing e30's and always wonder if they are from the forum.

I know some people might not like them but ive seen them on other forums and think they're a good idea.

That's what the Zone Registers are for:

http://www.e30zone.net/e30zonewiki/inde ... :Registers

Unfortunately it needs people to update their info on it regularly, and I feel guilty spamming the board with it too often.

[Jim320i]

what do people think about a "was it you" section? I am always tooting or giving/getting thumbs up from passing e30's and always wonder if they are from the forum.

I know some people might not like them but ive seen them on other forums and think they're a good idea.

That's what the Zone Registers are for:

http://www.e30zone.net/e30zonewiki/inde ... :Registers

Unfortunately it needs people to update their info on it regularly, and I feel guilty spamming the board with it too often.

Dont feel guilty dude. Your doing an amzing job