2012 Website and Forum Changes

[jeffthrow6892]

That was indeed an excellent "tip of the day", I can't say I'd ever noticed the "Mark forums read" thing before, thanks StubbornPuppet!! Like I said, I do appreciate the work you're doing, Ted........

[fairweather_fan]

That was indeed an excellent "tip of the day", I can't say I'd ever noticed the "Mark forums read" thing before, thanks StubbornPuppet!! Like I said, I do appreciate the work you're doing, Ted........

yep, ol' StubbornPuppet's full of good ideas! thanks also for the 'props', jeff...do people still say that- 'props'?

anyway- if anyone else has handy tips/tricks, workarounds, or ideas to enhance our message board-ing pleasure, please share them here or start a thread in this forum!

thanks
ted

[fairweather_fan]

i've made some changes and tweaks to the main site layout so that everything is functional and looks a little nicer no matter what browser you choose to use. if anyone notices something funky, or that something doesn't seem to be working like it should, please post it up in here or PM/email me.

i've also added a bunch of polls to the right margin (below the sponsor links) that will cycle through randomly, so be sure to check them out and cast your vote! if anyone has an idea or suggestion for a poll let me know...

i'm going to 'stand pat' on the forum changes for a bit, unless something obviously needs to be moved or changed. if anyone has any suggestions or criticisms about the forum's structure or organization, post it here or PM me...

thanks!
ted

[fairweather_fan]

i was able to spend a little time working on the main site and forums over the weekend. here's a rundown of some of the 'improvements' that were made.

Main Site:
*made some changes that should reduce the time it takes to load certain pages (particularly the courses page)
*fixed a linking issue on the courses page Google map that was hindering its usability in IE (unfortunately, the links from the google map are still opening in a new tab/window despite my efforts to clear that up)
*added many more pictures to the slideshow on the front page
*added a bunch more polls to the right margin- they'll cycle through randomly, so refresh your browser like mad and cast your vote in all of them!
*fixed some general linking issues and broken links (thanks to those who brought these to my attention)
*uploaded a newly revised 2012 STLDGC schedule to the events page. look for the newly re-designed, fully functional events page to come online within a week or so.

Forums:
*upped the maximum size for attachments, which should make it easier for those posting flyers/promos or pictures. let me know if you're having trouble attaching a pic or document and i'll see what i can do.
*changed the topics per page default setting to 15 to clear up a bit of the cluttered look
*archived an additional year of STL tourney threads (all pre-2011 tourney threads are now in the archive)
*coded a link to the Courses Page of our website in each Course Forum to help folks get the basic info for each course a little more easily.
*changed the logo in the upper left corner (thanks go to daniel doss/stubborn puppet for the graphic work)
*username's may now be changed by the user. if this causes some sort of unforeseen problems, i will change the settings back.

Misc:
*checked the main site and the forums using the opera browser. looks fine and functional.
*checked the main site and the forums using a mobile phone browser...eh. i'll look into ways i can make the site a bit more 'phone-friendly' over the next months. any mobile-users of the site, don't hesitate to tell me what would make the main site or forums easier to use for you and i'll see what can be done.

Coming Soon:
*new graphics and banners on the main site and the forums (again courtesy of d.doss/stubborn puppet)
*the option to change the look of the forums, and potentially a new 'default' setting to the forum style.
*a link to a photo slideshow for most area courses on the courses page
*the new 2012-ready events page

again, don't hesitate to let me know what you think of the changes going down- good, bad, or otherwise i'd appreciate the feedback. if people are having issues/problems with the site, or don't agree with or dislike the changes being made, there's just nothing i can do about it if i don't hear from you, so let me know!

thanks
ted spies

[Chris K]

Ted, when I am reading a thread and want to reply, I get sent to the main forum page. Can you work it so I come back to the thread I want to reply to?
BTW, I absolutely love the fact that I can click on the RCF logo and get back to the main home page!
You are doing great work with the site, thank you!

[fairweather_fan]

what's up, chris. i'm taking this to mean that: you're reading a thread while not logged in and decide you want to reply. so, you hit "post reply" and it takes you to the login screen. then once you login, the redirect takes you to the main index of the board instead of the thread you wanted to reply to, yes? this is the problem?

i'd noticed this login redirect behavior in the past (and cursed it), but it hadn't crossed my mind recently...thanks for the heads up!

i'll look into it and post the results in this thread.

thanks!
ted

[fairweather_fan]

one thing folks could do to get around the redirect issue is, of course, to check the "log me on automatically each visit" box below your login fields the next time you login.

that way, when you want to reply you're already signed in!

i'll look into recoding the redirect still, but no promises.

thanks
ted

[pjohnmeyer]

any mobile-users of the site, don't hesitate to tell me what would make the main site or forums easier to use for you and i'll see what can be done.

There are some themes for phpbb that enable better mobile browsing when a mobile browser is detected.

There are also some mods like forumrunner and tapatalk that go a step further and enable device-specific dedicated apps. I don't know much about them but I'd be willing to help research and/or test anything you would like to try out.

Some links for your perusal:

http://www.phpbb.com/customise/db/style ... ver_mobile (a mobile style)
http://www.forumrunner.net/
http://www.tapatalk.com/

[fairweather_fan]

hey, pjohnmeyer- thanks for the links and resources, and for the offer to test and consult on the mobile issue.

do you regularly check the forums or website from a mobile device? do you often post from your mobile device?

i'm going to look further into the mobile style you linked to (it looks totally do-able), and check out tapatalk and forumrunner, over the next week or so. ideally i'd like to have a mobile-friendly forum solution without asking folks to pony up some cash for the tapatalk or forumrunner apps, but we'll see what can be done.

thanks again for the heads up and the offer to help...i'll get back with you on this, and keep everyone posted on whatever fixes we can come up with!
ted

[jeffthrow6892]

Just wanted to say I've been enjoying the "quick question" polls on the home page. Doesn't look like too many others are voting so far, but I like it. Some of the questions I wished I could comment on somehow though.......especially the one about at what distance should a hole perhaps stop being a par 3......while there are sometimes more factors involved than just distance, none of the multiple answers on that one were usable, I thought. I think 500 ft. is a good barometer, there are plenty of 450ft holes that are certainly par three's still !!


Anyway...........Merry Christmas to everyone!!!