**…I continue to be underwhelmed at the “improvements”. Definitely gives a lot of credibility to the old saying “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” **
I agree with the Duds feelings that the new site has not impressed. Yet.
I don’t agree with the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.
While outward appearances may have said that the former site was function without problems, that may not have been the case for what was going on inside. As with any software application, the prevalence of malicious code requires administrators to patch and update software - even when the end-users think “it ain’t broke”. At some point, a “major” upgrade is a necessity, to the shagrin of all users. A necessary evil, it is.
The transition to the new site has come with plenty of problems - that is very well evident. Multiple logins, security failures (ie: porn silicitations), poor initial layout, the loss of the treasured floattube forum along with all it’s pictures, step-by-step instructions, and loquacious discussions of a sesquipedalian nature concerning all things pvs., etc., all suggest that the upgrade plan was not as well thought out and tested as it could have been…
…nonetheless, here we are having a discussion. You mentioned that some members have written BFT off for good. That’s unfortunate. I would dare guess that if they were a valuable asset to the forums, they’ll venture their way back eventually.
I have had the wonderful oppportunity to lead a number of projects involving software upgrades. The largest involved 12 months of work and a bill to the tune of $1,000,000. I’ve heard the very same complaints on every single one of those upgrades that I’ve read concerning BFT’s upgrade. This is natural. It is expected. It is normal human nature. We don’t like change. However, just like in every upgrade project I’ve taken part in, given time, users will begin to accept the changes as “normal”. The new site will become the new normal. The sun will once again rise in the east, and set in the west. We’ll all forget our common enemy (the upgraded site) and start focusing our angst in a different direction. The target will change, and BFT will once again revert to a common place for all of us to partake in infelicitous forms of velitation with one another.
I have to disagree on several points here.
Prior to BFT there was another site (can’t remember the name of it right now). The moderators and site owners unfortunately were unable to meet the needs of the users. Instead of accepting it, the users migrated over to something better. Hence the rise of the Utah forums on BFT, likely some of the most active BFT forums.
While not perfect, it did a good job. The moderators worked to keep the negative out of the site, and it was a good forum where you could enter timely reports. As an example, look at the occasions where someone was stranded and they were able to quickly post on BFT, where BFT members were able to quickly respond. Other instances where someone was getting skunked on a lake and posted, and BFT members gave timely advice to help. Now, if you post a new thread, you have to wait for someone to approve the thread.
Also, while the site looks a lot cleaner, navigating the forums is just as clunky, if not moreso.
I do understand that sometimes what is running in the background severely needs updating. The old site was very clunky, especially with the ads all over the place. However, any well-executed software upgrade project will keep the needs and wants of the end-user in mind first and foremost. So far I really don’t see ANY improvement for the end user experience other than getting rid of all the ads on the sides.
I disagree on the point that “they’ll find their way back eventually”. On a forum like this, where this is not the only option, it is likely that many are now gone for good. Unfortunately the usage of the site had been dwindling already due to Facebook fishing groups, etc.. On the same note, I disagree with the point that users will begin to accept the change as the new normal. While that is true with workplace applications where there is no alternative, that is not true for some internet based forum. A well moderated Facebook group may be the answer, and where many from this forum will likely migrate to as they wean themselves off BFT.
One other point completely missed on these changes is the pride people had in the work they put into the old BFT. As Tubedude mentioned, he spent hours of work on the tubing forum, and hours helping people out. You could see that on every one of his posts where it showed how much he had contributed. I hadn’t put near the hours into it that he had, but it did show that I had been around for 15+ years with a couple thousand posts. Now we are all branded ‘newbies’ and junior members, and the statistics don’t accurately reflect the number of posts anyone put into the old forums. Right now, you can’t easily tell the trolls from the experienced long-term members. If we have to start over, maybe start over somewhere with a much more modern, convenient, and less clunky interface.
The best sign of a truy great software / website update is when the needs of the owner and the end-users are both met to satisfaction, and parties on both ends are happy. I’m afraid this one really failed to meet the end-user needs.
