Garage Journal Deserves Better

[disston]

I don't wish to upset people that obviously have put a lot of effort into bringing this great forum to so many. But this forum has problems. I'm not a computer geek but I think it would be called the Software. I know there are other formats that work much better because I belong to one at least. I also belong to other groups that are not any better than GJ but they have only a few dozen members. Garage Journal is large. It is maybe one of the biggest things going, I think.

Search doesn't work.

I have to hunt for my place in long threads because the software always takes me back to post #1.

On a positive note, I can load pics directly up to GJ instead of having to link to another site to host pics. That's a great feature.

I think there are other issues but those are the ones that I notice. Can't we do better? In a group this big there should be somebody who knows how to do this sort of thing.

Or if I'm out of line just tell me to mind my own business and I'll tuck my tail between my legs and slink away.

 

[HOTFR8]

Be patient. Once Ryan (Admin) has the issues sorted out on the H.A.M.B. forum the GJ will go over to the same format as the H.A.M.B. If you have not seen how the H.A.M.B. looks now I suggest you do so you are ready for the shock when the GJ changes.

 

[gungatim]

ILGR!

 

[disston]

I am most used to and more frequently on the Adventure Rider forum. One of the if not the biggest motorcyclist forums on the Web. We went thru a software change only a year or so ago and whereas we did lose some features riders complained about it is overall much better. I've forgotten now what features those were we lost.

http://advrider.com/index.php

The biggest difference I notice when I'm here is that if I click on a thread I've been following I'm only taken to the OP, page #1. So I have to go to the last page and scroll backwards to see what I'm missing. Hard to follow any train of thought when reading in reverse order.

But I guess I can live with it. I've been much more active here than I thought I would ever be. I love this forum and the info that is available from very knowledgeable members. I have even found a passion for vises I didn't know I had.

Thanks for the info about comming change. What is H.A.M.B.?

My name on AdvRider is the same as my name here. I'm an old fashioned sort of guy. Probably because I'm an older guy.

 

[rlitman]

To the left of the link to a thread is a button that takes you to the first unread post:

 

[disston]

Joila, I did think this may be the case. That there was some operation I didn't know or understand about. But of course I thought I had tried everything so again I assumed I knew what I was talking about. (boy what a mouthful).

Thanks.

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

To the left of the link to a thread is a button that takes you to the first unread post:

Also on the advanced search, there is a checkbox to 'display posts' I think which makes the results take you to a post in a thread rather than 2000 posts back at the start of the thread.

 

[HOTFR8]

Thanks for the info about comming change. What is H.A.M.B.?

You can find links to the other forums run by Ryan here on the GJ.

WWW.JALOPYJOURNAL.COM (The H.A.M.B.)
WWW.GARAGEJOURNAL.COM
WWW.GEARJOURNAL.COM
WWW.FORDBARN.COM
WWW.DOGFIGHTMAG.COM

 

[Ryan]

I hope like hell to have TGJ on Xenforo this year.

 

[-Brent-]

I hope like hell to have TGJ on Xenforo this year.

That's cool to hear!

 

[Git]

For searching, try the Google Advanced Search

https://www.google.com/advanced_search

Type in your search term and then skip down to 'site or domain' and type in:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/

 

[firworks]

For searching, try the Google Advanced Search

https://www.google.com/advanced_search

Type in your search term and then skip down to 'site or domain' and type in:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/

Or, when searching on Bing or Google just use site:garagejournal.com as the start of your search.

site:garagejournal.com pvc airlines

Also if you think this forum is bad, it runs like a race horse compared to the atrocious Honda Ridgeline Owners Club forum. That is the slowest worst performing forum I have ever seen, and it runs on the same software as the GJ. Slow servers coupled with intense amounts of ads being served.

 

[sed6]

We definately need a better mobile version. This forum is way too hard to use on my Android phone. I just checked out HAMB's forum and while better formatted to fit my phone it still needs some polishing.

 

[HOTFR8]

I expect Ryan will know all the faults before he puts the GJ into the same format as the HAMB.

 

[pedrodagr8]

We definately need a better mobile version. This forum is way too hard to use on my Android phone. I just checked out HAMB's forum and while better formatted to fit my phone it still needs some polishing.

I use Tapatalk exclusively on mobile. Smooths a LOT of the issues that mobile forum pages have.

 

[American Locomotive]

I hope like hell to have TGJ on Xenforo this year.

XenForo is made by the old VBulliten guys right? Hopefully InternetBrands doesn't gobble XenForo up and destroy them like they did vB.

 

[sed6]

Honestly there's no excuse for the lack of functionality of this site on a mobile device. EVERYONE has mobile friendly pages now days. NONE of the drop downs work up top, I can't access Quick Links, Community, Search, nada. A revamp to the HAMB format sounds fine (but I don't like the look or the functionality of that forum, it looks like a blog page created on AOL), but I'd think making what they have now work on a mobile device would yield better results, and faster.

 

[rlitman]

Have you tried Tapatalk on mobile? This site is there, and it works much better than the website on a mobile browser. Mark-forums-read even works in there.

 

[American Locomotive]

Honestly there's no excuse for the lack of functionality of this site on a mobile device. EVERYONE has mobile friendly pages now days. NONE of the drop downs work up top, I can't access Quick Links, Community, Search, nada. A revamp to the HAMB format sounds fine (but I don't like the look or the functionality of that forum, it looks like a blog page created on AOL), but I'd think making what they have now work on a mobile device would yield better results, and faster.

Everything you mentioned works just fine on my phone.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Honestly there's no excuse for the lack of functionality of this site on a mobile device. EVERYONE has mobile friendly pages now days. NONE of the drop downs work up top, I can't access Quick Links, Community, Search, nada. A revamp to the HAMB format sounds fine (but I don't like the look or the functionality of that forum, it looks like a blog page created on AOL), but I'd think making what they have now work on a mobile device would yield better results, and faster.

They also work on my phone. . . . unless I try to maximize what I see and expand it.

 

[Rick B.]

If you have not seen how the H.A.M.B. looks now I suggest you do so you are ready for the shock when the GJ changes.

I don't like the way the H.A.M.B. looks. I like the way this place is set up better. Oh well. I guess the only constant in life is change.

 

[HOTFR8]

I don't like the way the H.A.M.B. looks. I like the way this place is set up better. Oh well. I guess the only constant in life is change.

Some times change has to be made for many reasons. In this case you need to consider it may also protect you as a member of the forum.

 

[cash68]

One thing I really like here is no signature pictures. Those are cancer.

 

[Philpug]

I hope like hell to have TGJ on Xenforo this year.

How is this going? Is it still on the table? I run a forum (Pugski.com) on Xenforo and it is fantastic. If you need a developer suggestion, let me know, I can put you in touch with the company that upgraded our site. But Xenforo is a great forum software.

 

[nafterclifen]

I hope like hell to have TGJ on Xenforo this year.

How is this going? Is it still on the table? I run a forum (Pugski.com) on Xenforo and it is fantastic. If you need a developer suggestion, let me know, I can put you in touch with the company that upgraded our site. But Xenforo is a great forum software.

Please, PLEASE don't convert to XenForo. I would gladly pay a membership fee to stay on vBulletin rather than switching to XenForo. I'm 100% serious.

I regularly visit (4) forums and (3) of them have converted from vBulletin to XenForo. At first, I hated it. HATED IT. It's tolerable now but I still don't like it. When I come to GJ, I feel at home. Like I'm in my own garage and I know where everything is.

If you convert to XenForo, it's like being in someone else's garage looking for tools and can't easily find them. It's frustrating and discouraging. For this reason, I spend more time on GJ than I do any of the other (3) XenForo forums.

 

[HOTFR8]

Please, PLEASE don't convert to XenForo. I would gladly pay a membership fee to stay on vBulletin rather than switching to XenForo. I'm 100% serious.

I regularly visit (4) forums and (3) of them have converted from vBulletin to XenForo. At first, I hated it. HATED IT. It's tolerable now but I still don't like it. When I come to GJ, I feel at home. Like I'm in my own garage and I know where everything is.

If you convert to XenForo, it's like being in someone else's garage looking for tools and can't easily find them. It's frustrating and discouraging. For this reason, I spend more time on GJ than I do any of the other (3) XenForo forums.

It will have to happen at some point in time as this system is getting out of date. Dealing with spam posters for one will be much easier. I hear you though as when the HAMB went over I was like you until I worked out how to use the new system.

 

[Philpug]

Please, PLEASE don't convert to XenForo. I would gladly pay a membership fee to stay on vBulletin rather than switching to XenForo. I'm 100% serious.

I regularly visit (4) forums and (3) of them have converted from vBulletin to XenForo. At first, I hated it. HATED IT. It's tolerable now but I still don't like it. When I come to GJ, I feel at home. Like I'm in my own garage and I know where everything is.

If you convert to XenForo, it's like being in someone else's garage looking for tools and can't easily find them. It's frustrating and discouraging. For this reason, I spend more time on GJ than I do any of the other (3) XenForo forums.

How is that Betamax and VCR for recording shows....comfortable, I am sure, Boomer (I can say that because I too am a boomer) There are a couple of forums I still go to that are still on VB besides this one and these are actually painful. The non existent notifications is extremely frustrating, not knowing if a post (like this) is quoted.

As far as knowing where everything it, that is up to the admins here, they can make it look identical to what is current plus many added features bringing Garage Journal into this century. Think of it as a resto mod.

When you have one of the largest community admin sites, where forum owners and admins go...on Xenforo, that right there tells you it is the best platform running now.

 

[Philpug]

You are getting a lot of Korean spam lately. Xenforo can help with that. Just saying.

 

[HOTFR8]

You are getting a lot of Korean spam lately. Xenforo can help with that. Just saying.

I know that for a fact. With the new format once a spam post is reported twice by a member it will vanish from the forum until deleted by Admin of a Mod.

 

[Ryan]

Trust me fellas... I've been trying to convert to Xenforo for over a year now... Time and tech challenges keep getting in the way. It's gonna happen though.

 

[HOTFR8]

When it does we will see less of this Korean SPAM.