[FFarl]

Hey Gang,
It's time to talk. As you have surely noticed, there's been an attack of spam on the site for about the last seven days. As a site gets larger, and shows more traffic, it becomes a target for these sorts of things, and we as a group are very good about keeping the battle out of site from the members for the most part, with the exception of theVOG. The software here has some limitations that are keeping us from operating as we prefer to. Two of the major limitations are the operating speed of the forum itself, and the ability to block certain countries/ IP addresses/Etc from registering and posting spam.

I am fully prepared to hear the argument that "Everything was fine until you came along Aaron!". You'll just have to trust me and my experience when I tell you that this happens on ALL forums that grow to a certain size.

We would like to convert the forum to Vbulletin, which is what we use on most of our sites, but we don't want to do it without discussing it with the members first. Here are some of the benefits:

1. The forum will operate much faster. i don't know about you guys, but it can get pretty laggy for me.
2. Upgraded almost everything. PMs, gallery, graphics, etc
3. It will me much easier to search and navigate. You may disagree with this for the first day, but after that, you'll wonder how you ever got around without it.
4. Selectable skins. Pick from a couple of different skin themes. Keep it all dark like it is, or step into the light. Have it your way.
5. Spam fighting tools! One click sends a spam report to ALL the admins and moderators. From there its one more click for me to send them off to spammer afterlife and ban their IP address.
6. Banned IP address database. keeps known spammers away before they even try.
7. All your data will come over with you. Posts, PM's, pics, all that.
8. It is a vastly more efficient and intuitive way to interact on a forum.

The Downsides...

1. It'll be a little chaotic around here for a couple of days. We'll start a thread for anything that might go missing or wonky, and have our team fix issues as they come up. It's just inherent in a forum conversion that a couple things don't happen automatically.
2. It will look a little different to you. The basic organization and navigation are very similar, you just might have to find a button that's moved a bit.


Ok, there you have it. Discuss!

 

[meeve]

One of the very attractive things about making the switch is that Vbulletin has mobile apps, iOS and Android. As far as stuff going missing, give it a couple of months and no doubt the same things will be discussed again.

 

[Bigfoot]

Dude, this is your site, roll the dice and do what you want.
If we don't like it we will go to another site.
If you turn this site into anything like "VisionRiders" you'll get the same traffic numbers they do.

Using the presently hidden "Report This Post" button (to the right of the "Share" button) would be the simplest solution to the SPAM problem.

Andy basically read EVERY POST to maintain order and I can't blame you for not doing the same.

You haven't changed the HOME PAGE since Andy left and that alone makes me feel that you don't care.
The cute German girls drinking beer and BobbyG's interview are both getting stale. (And I know and like BobbyG)

What made this site "Special" and worthy of a daily visit was the fact that Andy was constantly refreshing the Home Page, and his personable interviews with VOG members.

I've NEVER had a problem with "operation speed" on the VOG.

 

[Heath]

I agree with Bigfoot, I have never had performance issues with theVog.

We all know spam is a problem and I know that vbulletin can and does work. My only concern is as with other forums that run vbulletin that dont have anyone looking after them over the weekend and out of hours and has happened on enough occasions getting a error server unavailalbe and on one forum it has happened so many times that people are going elsewhere.

I know there are no guarantees on uptime due to so many factors been out of our control but I can say despite its limitations theVog is very reliable, I dont know what the reliability is of your other vbulletin based sites but if they are as reliable as theVog I dont see change as an issue.

I dont object to the change I just hope if you choose this path the members especially the "regulars" dont get put off by reliability factors or as Bigfoot pointed out stale content on the homepage.

Just a question, considering theVog works well is it too much development to add antispam features etc?

It is great that the ownership change didnt kick in an instant change of the site and you guys watched and tried to work with what you have, many people I think appreciate that, ALOT.

Perhaps the time has come for an "industry" standard, that decision is yours and its success will be ultimately reflected by current and future members.

Also should the decision to change happen Im sure many members (myself included) would be more than happy to chime in with helping develop layout differences and features we like to keep from the current layout, if you guys want that member input

SUGGESTION Make this Thread a STICKY as it is important!!

 

[aurelius]

You're probably not thinking about the idea that you just told everybody on this site they should go out and buy a Harley. Maybe most people don't realize that's what you told them, but they'll see it when the change comes. Yes it looks like every other bike on the road but there are plenty of dealerships so you should shut up and be happy.
By going to VBulletin you're saying hey we're going to make it just like a ton of other forum sites so we can make it easier for the site managers to manage. VBulletiin is proprietary software written in PHP used by a ton of forums whereas the VOG is probably a cute little Java driven site under GPL. Amirite? So now instead of quaint little ads on the side and site features like Events, videos, interviews, Andy's wisdom, etc., we can all look forward to static banner ads, inline thread ads and probably interstitial ads too.
Dude, this is your site, roll the dice and do what you want.

 

[Steele11b]

I like this site because it is not like every other forum.

 

[FFarl]

Thanks for your input fellas. A few notes.

I did forget to mention the mobile functionality of Vbulletin, which is a major advantage if you ask me. Thank you for the reminder.

To say that I don't care about this site hits me particularly hard today. I spent a lot of "could have been riding" time this weekend trying to sort out our spam problem, which on the surface probably seems run of the mill. Everyone has particular things that they pay attention to, and I am certainly no Andy. To be honest, I left it alone because I didn't want to uproot things unneccesarily. I'll do better.

There is a certain amount of "It's what we use everywhere else so it's nice to keep things uniform", but a better way of putting it is that we're REALLY good at making sure Vbulletin is running consistantly, quickly and safely. We're not the types to sleep through down time, weekend or not.

Opening this up for discussion is a far cry from telling everyone to buy a Harley, for several reasons, not the least of which is that I can't stand Harleys.
You're right, the program used here is not as common as Vbulletin, and I've got a lot of time in learning how to get around. I no longer hate it's quirkyness, and am kind of attached to the relief of the dark screen, especially staring at white all day long. That said, it IS unfortunately limited in several ways that you won't have noticed yet, but I am here to attest to.

Fellas, we're just talking here for now. Lets talk.

 

[satxron]

Then make it so spellcheck is set to default "on"

I don't think you read the post at all.

Its your site do what you wan't

 

[PJRo]

Not slow for me either ...... And I do like that it is different from the other sites..... For me.... In present form the 'search' function is quirky ...... ...and I do experience problems posting pics from my I-pad , where as from my pc is a snap. But as others have stated ..... Do what you have to do. Peter

 

[tonygiotta]

No performance issues for me either and the reliability has been great. That being said, I am more comfortable with the Vbulletin format and FAR prefer it's search function. I can never find anything on here using the search feature. Maybe I'm doing it wrong? I vote for no inline ads as well (hate those things) and would like to see some home page variation as well.

 

[Sonic]

Good morning from a rather dull and cloudy Auvergne. Thanks for posting this for discussion.
I'm a relatively new member to The VOG having joined last September so not long at all before Andy retired and looking at the videos and threads that he posted he was obviously very committed and enthusiastic about the site and it's members and looking at people's comments it's clear that he is going to be a very hard act to follow. I really like the look of the website allthough I have experienced a few issues for example at the moment when I log on the dashboard banner with the scrolling pictures dissapears and the gallery pictures change to a smaller size but when I look at the site without logging on there's no problem. I'm an average computer user at best so don't know much about the technical side of the different software types and operating systems but the list of benefits for Vbulletin looks quite good but as I said I'm no expert! Something certainly needs to be done to minimise the spam problem that is blighting the site at the moment and ruining it for it's members. It would be a great shame to see members leaving in thier droves after all the work that Andy has put in, therefore if by converting the site improves things I'm all for it but would like to echo what other people have said with regard to advertising. Let's not replace one lot annoying spam with another.
regards,
Sonic.

 

[oldsarge]

but would like to echo what other people have said with regard to advertising. Let's not replace one lot annoying spam with another.
regards,
Sonic.

Its my experience with business that changes are normally precipitated by monetary concerns. That being said, tell us what change in advertising would we see after this software "upgrade"

 

[Oldman47]

This is the best performing and least frustrating Victory forum that I know of. One of the other ones is a vBulletin based forum where I must sit through long periods of advertising loading before I can navigate. That place is a real PITA and is the last one I go to. theVOG.net operates smoothly with its present system and seems to bring in the ads after the content. I can tolerate that.
I have also worked as a mod on other forums so I know that vBulletin sites can be made smooth, unlike what one of your competitors does. We ran that site without ads so I don't know what ad options exist for that system. When you are designing skins, very few of the built in skins on a vBulletin site are acceptable and we ended up buying skins from other sources that suited us better on that other forum.

 

[leem]

I have both embraced change and fought it throughout my life. There are several other sites that I can only assume use this software since they all look and operate the same, all are littered with ads and an irritant to use. If that is the plan, count me out. It is like the dealerships all using powersport or whatever it's called and the web sites are all identical. If I was a guy who enjoyed uniformity I would be driving a four door sedan, riding a HD, and shopping at Sears,after all isn't that what "Americans" do? I enjoy the people here, the site navigation is not my main focus. However, in the event this becomes like the news paper in my town and is simply a pile of ads, I will do what I did with that subscription and let it go. I understand it is all about revenue, but if you will read Half Crazy's recent post about our behavior as a society, you will see that this bunch doesn't appreciate the profit at all cost mentality of today's business. Proceed with caution, as my only complaint today is the amount of spam, and lacking of new information on the home board (But the beer drinking girls are cute). Both issues could be resolved without creating an advertising riddled mess that ends up being "just another site I used to enjoy".

 

[FFarl]

Then make it so spellcheck is set to default "on"

I don't think you read the post at all.

Its your site do what you wan't

I'm not at all sure what you meant by this. Please point out any errors and I'll have them fixed immediately.

 

[FFarl]

I assure you guys, there is no monetary gain to be had by doing this conversion, and there is no secret advertising agenda. Check out AceForums.net for a good example. Our supporting vendors will get small banners in the upper right. No videos, no "wait for this thing to get out of your way".

Trust me, we've seen the sites you're talking about. That ain't us.

 

[satxron]

I'm not at all sure what you meant by this. Please point out any errors and I'll have them fixed immediately.

Been trying to get you guys to do it since October.

Search spellcheck like above.

 

[Bigfoot]

I assure you guys, there is no monetary gain to be had by doing this conversion, and there is no secret advertising agenda. Check out AceForums.net for a good example. Our supporting vendors will get small banners in the upper right. No videos, no "wait for this thing to get out of your way".

Trust me, we've seen the sites you're talking about. That ain't us.

1. Do you presently have another motorcycle forum or automobile forum up and running that we can check out with the features you want to install here?

2. I just created a poll as to whether Spell Check should be "ON" by default or remain "OFF" by default.

3. I'm still not sure why you haven't utilized the hidden "REPORT THIS POST" button that is next to the "LIKE" & "SHARE" buttons?
Hover your cursor over that spot and click on it.

4. When viewing the forum using the "NEW POSTS" tab, it would be nice to know what specific sub forum it originated from.
Sometimes I'll mistakenly submit an answer to a question and then find out that the OP was talking about a Vegas and I thought he was talking about a Vision.

5. We all understand that you need to be profitable.

 

[FFarl]

1. Do you presently have another motorcycle forum or automobile forum up and running that we can check out with the features you want to install here?

2. I just created a poll as to whether Spell Check should be "ON" by default or remain "OFF" by default.

3. I'm still not sure why you haven't utilized the hidden "REPORT THIS POST" button that is next to the "LIKE" & "SHARE" buttons?
Hover your cursor over that spot and click on it.

4. When viewing the forum using the "NEW POSTS" tab, it would be nice to know what specific sub forum it originated from.
Sometimes I'll mistakenly submit an answer to a question and then find out that the OP was talking about a Vegas and I thought he was talking about a Vision.

5. We all understand that you need to be profitable.

Bigfoot:

1. Yep, try Hondatwins.net
2. After a good long search, the spell check is "on by default". It's just not working.
3. The "report this post" button does work, but not in a way that's anymore helpful than the manual check I perform every day now. It reports to the site itself, not to ME, like I want it to.
4. I fully agree with that. I'll see if we can make it happen. Yet another case for vBulletin though.
5. The checks don't come to me either way, so I just want to make life easier.

Thanks!

 

[Bigfoot]

http://www.aceforums.net/index.php?pageid=active_topics

This style of forum would be acceptable to me as long as downloading pictures is as easy as it is now on the VOG. (CHOOSE FILE)

I don't want to have to resize my photos or post my photos/videos to another site first.

Am I to understand that all past postings, photos, and videos will be lost if you go to the new format?
If that's the case, then it won't sit well with the old timers on this forum.