The Garage Journal V3

[Ryan]

So a new Garage Journal has been in the works for forever now... It's one of those things where I make some progress, something comes up, I have to divert my attention, and...


To read the rest of this blog entry from The Garage Journal, click here.

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[theoldwizard1]

I hope this version has a few more editing features. Things like

• strikethrough
• tables
• image sizing controlled by the poster
• list that don't "eat" the previous blank line (like this one)

 

[CombatNinja]

This crowd will hate that interface. Some of my other preferred forums have gone that route and I find myself going there less and less now.

I'm sure it "tests" well with the desirable demographics but I can't stand it.

 

[vavet]

Let’s cover the important thing: Will this new version allow the judge to have his old avatar picture back?

 

[sz0k30]

My car websites have gone in that direction & I hate it. The previous versions were much better.

I'm a car guy. As far as I'm concerned "Summit" had the greatest website for searching and funneling your search to find exactly what you were looking for ever designed. They thought they had to "improve it" yeah, right. Nowhere near as easy or intuitive as it used to be.

Have you had users just complaining endlessly about how bad the current layout is? If not - if it ain't broke, don't fix it!!!

 

[Ryan]

I hope this version has a few more editing features. Things like

• strikethrough
• tables
• image sizing controlled by the poster
• list that don't "eat" the previous blank line (like this one)

Yes.

This crowd will hate that interface. Some of my other preferred forums have gone that route and I find myself going there less and less now.

I'm sure it "tests" well with the desirable demographics but I can't stand it.

You haven’t seen it yet. Already hate it. I’ve been through a redesign or two and expect stuff like this. Still not fun though.

Give it a chance. If you hate it, just stop using the forum.

Either way, it has to happen. There’s a reason most privately held forums have moved away from VB. There’s also a reason there aren’t many privately held forums anymore.

Let’s cover the important thing: Will this new version allow the judge to have his old avatar picture back?

Hahaha

 

[ajchien]

Biggest annoyance with that style is the ads. Sometimes the ads try to do something that crashes my iOS browser repeatedly. I’ll usually have to switch to Tapatalk for a few days and then things seem to work again.

Otherwise it seems fine. Porting over all the prior info seems to be a big task.

 

[APEowner]

I'm looking forward to seeing the results of your labor.

 

[coljar]

I know you have no other choice, because it's getting antiquated, but it seemed like every time we upgraded to a new analytical program at the plant, it was worse and more buggy than the last. The overall worst program we used by far was SAP. Good luck and I hope it's a smooth transition for you Ryan.

 

[CoogarXR]

I have been a member of other forums that switched over to Xenforo. It's not THAT different of an interface. You can change your settings to make it look similar to the old site if it matters that much to you. It behaves on mobile devices much better too, in my opinion. Bring it!

 

[hilld]

Biggest annoyance with that style is the ads. Sometimes the ads try to do something that crashes my iOS browser repeatedly. I’ll usually have to switch to Tapatalk for a few days and then things seem to work again.

Otherwise it seems fine. Porting over all the prior info seems to be a big task.

Just run an ad-blocking VPN on your iOS device, actually do that everywhere.....good riddance ads.

 

[Ryan]

Biggest annoyance I have with that style of forum is the ads. Every once in a while (twice a month?), the loading of ads start crashing my iOS browser. The moderators have attributed it to some poorly made ads trying to use flash or Java or something like that. They used the term “malware/adware”, but I don’t keep up with whatever they need to do to keep the forum running. Usually I just switch to Tapatalk for a few days to get rid of the ads, and someone seems to make it work again in about a week.

I don't display ads to users that are logged in. The only exception to that is the free parking forum and header ad in general discussion... None of those are dynamic, so you should not have that issue.

I'm looking forward to seeing the results of your labor.

Man... Me too... I have to admit though, I have a pit in my stomach thinking about all of the people that hate change and can't wait to yell at me before giving it a chance. Comes with the territory I guess.

I did this same move about 6 or 7 years ago on jalopyjournal.com. The first 4 weeks or so were miserable. Ughhh... Once folks settled in though, it went really well... So well, that I started to move garagejournal.com but ran out of money for development. I wish I had pushed through then.

 

[HaiKarate]

This crowd will hate that interface. Some of my other preferred forums have gone that route and I find myself going there less and less now.

I'm sure it "tests" well with the desirable demographics but I can't stand it.

Agree 100%

At least I will have more time to spend in my garage if i'm not here lol

 

[ajchien]

I don't display ads to users that are logged in. The only exception to that is the free parking forum and header ad in general discussion... None of those are dynamic, so you should not have that issue.

Thank you for being proactive and thinking ahead!

 

[Ryan]

I know you have no other choice, because it's getting antiquated, but it seemed like every time we upgraded to a new analytical program at the plant, it was worse and more buggy than the last. The overall worst program we used by far was SAP. Good luck and I hope it's a smooth transition for you Ryan.

Oh man... SAP is the worst...

As for bugs, I'm not all that great at testing... And I don't have the budget to hire testers... So, there will be bugs initially. Thankfully, however, I am pretty good at fixing bugs and ironing stuff out.

I expect the first week or so to be filled with complaints, sleepless nights, and lots of coding to fix **** that I screwed up.

However, I am super confident I can get this running smoother and with FAR less bugs than we currently have in due time. For a testament of this, just check out jalopyjournal.com - it's super smooth, far busier than garagejournal.com, and runs like a clock.

I have been a member of other forums that switched over to Xenforo. It's not THAT different of an interface. You can change your settings to make it look similar to the old site if it matters that much to you. It behaves on mobile devices much better too, in my opinion. Bring it!

Thank you for standing up man. I sincerely appreciate it.

 

[bradpac]

Looks like it will be similar to HAMB? I prefer the UBB layout for sure, as it is compact, less pretty, but you get more content. The older stuff is harder to maintain and keep free of spam, so I understand the change. Lets hope it works well for daily users that love subscriptions.

I know Pirate4x4 switched over to Xenforo and thread subscriptions and trying to follow with posts never worked right. That board is pretty much dead since they switched, I hope this board does not end up the same.

 

[mike93lx]

I am sure you have put in a ton of hard work.

People will ***** and some will leave, but such is life. People that want to be here will stay and it will likely bring in new people

Although I enjoy waking up and reporting spam. That will be sorely missed /s

 

[larry4406]

Ryan - thanks for what you do and giving us the best place to hang out, learn, and share knowledge

I surf Jalopy Journal occasionally and although the format is different, I get along fine.

One thing I hope that returns is showing me only the new posts since my last visit. With GJ I have to mark all threads as read when I leave; didn't use to be this way (3-4 years ago?). I don't do the "subscribe to threads" thing. I read it all daily each morning with my coffee; my digital newspaper with a feed for me.

Thanks again!

 

[83VillageRepair]

If its easier to upload pictures I am all for it. We will adapt to the new format. If you listened to the don't change it ever crowd we would all still be in Yahoo Groups or some such...

Wade

 

[dogdog]

This new version and layout looks exactly like the vwvortex one they upgraded last month or so? Lots more social media integrations etc... still trying to get used to it there and it's at least over a month.

 

[American Locomotive]

Guys, you can can make XenForo look like anything you want. Check out this site, for example.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/

I trust that Ryan took the time to tweak the style to something fitting and somewhat familiar to existing users.

You haven’t seen it yet. Already hate it. I’ve been through a redesign or two and expect stuff like this. Still not fun though.

Give it a chance. If you hate it, just stop using the forum.

It's because VerticalScope just migrated their literally 1000+ forums over to XenForo using an absolutely dreadful cookie-cutter style on every single one of their sites. Their style/layout is awful. As a result, they've honestly pretty much poisoned the "XenForo" brand, and a ton of people associate XenForo with looking terrible, even though it's infinitely customizable.

 

[NUTTSGT]

If it works like the link you sent me, its not that bad. I wish the font was just one size bigger and a different style but in the end, change has to happen....the spam lately has been F'ing crazy.

 

[Old Man Roger]

I’m skuurd

 

[Ryan]

Ryan - thanks for what you do and giving us the best place to hang out, learn, and share knowledge

I surf Jalopy Journal occasionally and although the format is different, I get along fine.

One thing I hope that returns is showing me only the new posts since my last visit. With GJ I have to mark all threads as read when I leave; didn't use to be this way (3-4 years ago?). I don't do the "subscribe to threads" thing. I read it all daily each morning with my coffee; my digital newspaper with a feed for me.

Thanks again!

Yes... that is disabled currently because of a bug within this old version of VB. In xenforo, it will just work.

If its easier to upload pictures I am all for it. We will adapt to the new format. If you listened to the don't change it ever crowd we would all still be in Yahoo Groups or some such...

Wade

Much.

This new version and layout looks exactly like the vwvortex one they upgraded last month or so? Lots more social media integrations etc... still trying to get used to it there and it's at least over a month.

Is VW Vortex a vertical scope property? If so, that's why... I went to look and couldn't get it to load.

Edit: Got it to load... That's a vertical scope property... which explains why you are having issues... I don't want to rag on anyone that isn't here to defend themselves, but VS has some issues. I'm sure they are doing their best, but I can't imagine running 100's of forums even with a large staff is very sustainable.

 

[mike93lx]

If it works like the link you sent me, its not that bad. I wish the font was just one size bigger and a different style but in the end, change has to happen....the spam lately has been F'ing crazy.

Can always zoom in within your browser

 

[dogdog]

........



Is VW Vortex a vertical scope property? If so, that's why... I went to look and couldn't get it to load.

Edit: Got it to load... That's a vertical scope property... which explains why you are having issues... I don't want to rag on anyone that isn't here to defend themselves, but VS has some issues. I'm sure they are doing their best, but I can't imagine running 100's of forums even with a large staff is very sustainable.

Not sure if I notice issues, I wasn't digging for those, but the new flashy look / Layout seems to distract my attention from reading posts ... is what I mean... sort of a distracting flashy UI design... and some button placement to get used to. Just commenting about the looks seems to be the same as your v3 preview that is all.

 

[loganb]

Ryan-thanks in advance for the work to get to this point and the work that's still upcoming to give this community a place to gather in the future.

Any significant changes to the GJ App as a result of this move? I end up spending more time on the app than the website so curious what/if any changes may come there?

Sent from The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[bob15]

If its easier to upload pictures I am all for it. We will adapt to the new format. If you listened to the don't change it ever crowd we would all still be in Yahoo Groups or some such...

Wade

Easier? I find GJ the easiest site out there to upload pictures

 

[Ryan]

I trust that Ryan took the time to tweak the style to something fitting and somewhat familiar to existing users.

Is it similar to what we have now? From a graphical standpoint, it's entirely different... but it shares some similarities from a front-end usability standpoint.

Also... just got asked over pm about testing with current users. I actually did some of that. A few of you have farted around with it and have been sworn to secrecy for months. I've made some changes due to that feedback... Font size and type as mentioned by Nutts is changing a bit... and a few other things.

Something else to remember - a lot of sites you go to are built to profit. Mine are not. I have to make money, yes... I mean, I have kids, a future to look after, etc... But ultimately, I do this stuff because I enjoy it. I also have a passion for design and I really, really like building interfaces.

This can be good and bad. For one, design is subjective. What I might think is awesome, you might absolutely HATE. But on the other hand, you can take comfort in the fact I'm not doing anything to separate you from your money.

I mean, a HUGE part of this upgrade is ensuring user privacy. The garage journal drops a cookie to track whether you are logged in or not... But, check our TOS - we don't track you, we don't sell your browsing history to anyone, and we don't allow anyone to access your private data. If you know anything about how the internet works these days, you know garagejournal.com is kind of a unicorn from that standpoint.

 

[Ryan]

Ryan-thanks in advance for the work to get to this point and the work that's still upcoming to give this community a place to gather in the future.

Any significant changes to the GJ App as a result of this move? I end up spending more time on the app than the website so curious what/if any changes may come there?

Sent from The Garage Journal mobile app

I don't run the app... That's Tapatalk... So I can't imagine any changes as a result of the upgrade.

Easier? I find GJ the easiest site out there to upload pictures

Where have you been the last 15 years? I literally field at least one or two complaints a day on that one...

 

[American Locomotive]

Not sure if I notice issues, I wasn't digging for those, but the new flashy look / Layout seems to distract my attention from reading posts ... is what I mean... sort of a distracting flashy UI design... and some button placement to get used to. Just commenting about the looks seems to be the same as your v3 preview that is all.

Those are some of the "issues". VerticalScope is hemorrhaging money, and they're desperately trying to reduce their overhead. They're attempting to do that by decreasing their operational costs to an absolute minimum, and maximizing income. So they're rolling out the exact same layout to nearly 1,000 forum properties they own, ditching the "site" content and use a custom style that promotes advertisements and social-media stuff for SEO (search engine optimization). But many of their forums are dying, and their cookie-cutter-ness is not helping.

Forums take a lot of time and dedication to run well and stay alive.

While specific elements are no doubt going to look similar, if you look carefully you'll see that the GJ preview photo is actually very different than VWVortex. About the only thing similar is they use a two-column layout.

 

[dogdog]

Is it similar to what we have now? From a graphical standpoint, it's entirely different... but it shares some similarities from a front-end usability standpoint.

Also... just got asked over pm about testing with current users. I actually did some of that. A few of you have farted around with it and have been sworn to secrecy for months. I've made some changes due to that feedback... Font size and type as mentioned by Nutts is changing a bit... and a few other things.

Something else to remember - a lot of sites you go to are built to profit. Mine are not. I have to make money, yes... I mean, I have kids, a future to look after, etc... But ultimately, I do this stuff because I enjoy it. I also have a passion for design and I really, really like building interfaces.

This can be good and bad. For one, design is subjective. What I might think is awesome, you might absolutely HATE. But on the other hand, you can take comfort in the fact I'm not doing anything to separate you from your money.

I mean, a HUGE part of this upgrade is ensuring user privacy. The garage journal drops a cookie to track whether you are logged in or not... But, check our TOS - we don't track you, we don't sell your browsing history to anyone, and we don't allow anyone to access your private data. If you know anything about how the internet works these days, you know garagejournal.com is kind of a unicorn from that standpoint.

Thanks Ryan

Yea design it is subjective, probably why I haven't owned a mac or runs hackintosh

 

[Ryan]

I just had a thought.

Imagine the garage journal is your toothpaste. You like your toothpaste alright... and as far as you know, it's working fine. But then, your dentist tells you that there are problems with your teeth and you have to use something else. That first morning *****... it tastes like **** and you just want your old tooth paste back. Then, you get used to it... and don't remember your old toothpaste. Plus, your teeth don't fall out.

Now, I'm not as smart as a dentist... And I don't like changing my toothpaste either. So, I get it... and that's the reason for this post.

But, we gotta keep our teeth clean.

 

[mike93lx]

I just had a thought.

Imagine the garage journal is your toothpaste. You like your toothpaste alright... and as far as you know, it's working fine. But then, your dentist tells you that there are problems with your teeth and you have to use something else. That first morning *****... it tastes like **** and you just want your old tooth paste back. Then, you get used to it... and don't remember your old toothpaste. Plus, your teeth don't fall out.

Now, I'm not as smart as a dentist... And I don't like changing my toothpaste either. So, I get it... and that's the reason for this post.

But, we gotta keep our teeth clean.

People that are going to ***** and whine won't change. I wouldn't try so hard to appease them or justify this change that is happening no matter what.

The world will not end, despite what someone want to make it feel like

 

[Ryan]

People that are going to ***** and whine won't change. I wouldn't try so hard to appease them or justify this change that is happening no matter what.

The world will not end, despite what someone want to make it feel like

I know this... But I also think it's my responsibility to make an effort...

Plus, I think I owe it to the user base that supports this joint to let them know why changes are happening and that they aren't done just for shits and giggles.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I know this... But I also think it's my responsibility to make an effort...

Plus, I think I owe it to the user base that supports this joint to let them know why changes are happening and that they aren't done just for shits and giggles.

I've made it a Sticky as well.

I'll link something from FP and Gen Tool to this thread also.


Stickys in Free Parking and General Tool Discussion are done for those that come to this section often.

 

[bctexas]

My parents taught me - when you play in someone else's sandbox, you play by their rules. Ryan, having been in IT, I understand what you are up against, and appreciate the risk/reward side of it. I hope it doesn't present you with too many issues and late nights.

Thanks for providing this to us. I enjoy it immensely!

 

[L5wolvesf]

I just had a thought.

Imagine the garage journal is your toothpaste. You like your toothpaste alright... and as far as you know, it's working fine. But then, your dentist tells you that there are problems with your teeth and you have to use something else. That first morning *****... it tastes like **** and you just want your old tooth paste back. Then, you get used to it... and don't remember your old toothpaste. Plus, your teeth don't fall out.

Now, I'm not as smart as a dentist... And I don't like changing my toothpaste either. So, I get it... and that's the reason for this post.

But, we gotta keep our teeth clean.

Sooo, we're gonna have a toothpaste section too?

 

[Strouty]

Change? No way, that's it, I am done.... Reset my post count to zero, there is no way I can make it to 30k posts now.....








I will try the **** flavored toothpaste, but I am not promising anything.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Change? No way, that's it, I am done.... Reset my post count to zero, there is no way I can make it to 30k posts now.....








I will try the **** flavored toothpaste, but I am not promising anything.

Consider it done. . . . .