Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum Warning! Warning! - New Forums Software Coming...

Warning, Warning!

I am evaluating new software for the forums. The new program is from the same people
who created the forums we are using now. However, it has more features and flexibility.

One feature that comes to mind is the ability to create sub-forums.

An example would be ... Top level forum = Composers, below that would be sub-forums
for Chopin, Mozart, Beethoven, etc. (Yes, the famous "Just for those totally devoted to Chopin" thread
could finally have its own home).

And yes, it will bring back the printer friendly feature.

It would also give us the ability to exclude specific features from a basic free membership, allowing
us to charge a small yearly fee for "premium" membership. Don't roll your eyes like that. It's getting
expensive supporting the forums, and Piano World is now my primary job.

The majority of what we offer now would remain free, but instead of relying on a few kind hearted members contributing
to our survival, we could charge a small yearly fee for PREMIUM membership (basic membership would remain free) to cover expenses/overhead, etc.

Take the POLL...

Thanks, Frank! I really appreciate the printer-friendly feature and look forward to getting it back.

p.s. But I would also love a bigger/different selection of smilies, if we're putting together a wish list for Santa...

I think it would be fun to try a new format although I have to say that the other place where people talk about everything BUT pianos is kind of slow.

If you switch will I lose all my stored PMs?

Please, the most urgent improvement is to sort out (and perhaps simplify) picture uploading!

Good point about the stored PMs.

I hope the whole thing doesn't get too complicated!

Another feature that would be nice is the ability to store more than 60 PM's. They tend to stack up fast.

Hey Frank, could we have a forum for non-pianos stuff?
What should we call it?
I know.
We could call it The Coffee Room.

A spell check would be really appreciated by the orthographically challenged like myself.

I would like to be able to email pianos to those that want them. (Only in my territory of course)

Can you please add that feature.

Thanks

Hi Frank,

I'm a longtime member and have just recently started posting. I think new forum software is just what this place needs. Many features here are outdated and it's time for an upgrade.

It would be really cool if you could include social networking features too.

-- Edward

P.S. I'd also consider advertising using your small display ads if a new format were adopted.

Fire Fox has it built in...

I would like to see a feature where you don't continue to see posts that you've already read, so when you log in you just see the updated/new posts.

I wish we could have the ability to send PM's to multiple members all in one key stroke!

But regardless of how the new forum appears, I plan on hanging around here for as long as time allows.

Yes, like facebook! I am completely addicted to that place. helps though that the median age is 21 except for all my WTF buddies where the median age is 23.

How about an auto-refresh feature, and prompt when there's new replies on threads we have read before (not by emails). Gotta use some javascript I guess.

Student rebate for premium membership?

I could be for forum expansion, etc... just so long as it's not priced too high ($100/year would be way too much for me, but depending on the features (whether or not I'd use them that is) $20-25/year might be swingable), and most importantly, every individual feature / spec / etc that's currently free remains as such.

"It would also give us the ability to exclude specific features from a basic free membership, allowing
us to charge a small yearly fee for "premium" membership. Don't roll your eyes like that. It's getting
expensive supporting the forums, and Piano World is now my primary job.

The majority of what we offer now would remain free, but instead of relying on a few kind hearted members contributing
to our survival, we could charge a small yearly fee for PREMIUM membership (basic membership would remain free) to cover expenses/overhead, etc."

What would the premium members get that the freebie members don't?

i'm not web-savvy enough to imagine what new and improved features might be available to us, but if you could have a "squabble room" where misbehaving miscreants can be sent to hash it out out of eyesight, that might be a big draw for some.

i like pw the way it is.

i'm sure i'll also like whatever improvements you make, frank.

How about the capability to post the same question on more than one forum with one posting?

I guess it's still alright to revive this one-week-old thread.

As I read some old threads, learning that some knowledgeable posters have left the forum due to the fact that there's a lot of people posting wrong information and/or promoting self products without identifying themselves.

Therefore, is it possible that a rating system get implemented to each post/reply but only selected (well-respected) members can rate the post as useful/not useful (something like Yahoo! Answer)?

Possibly, a warning and banning system as well?

I don't mind paying a small fee if there are genuine value added features but I make a personal pleas for the following:

1 Simplify the top of the home page. There is half a screen of boring clutter that one only reads once, if at all.

2 Clear out the stickies regularly. Some of them seem to have been there forever (e.g. the grand adventure piano book one) and it just takes up space for more current posts

3 I agree that spell check is a modern feature that would be nice

4 Make moderators explain why they have closed or deleted threads. Some moderating is rather high handed.

More sub divisions adds no value at all to me. There are already more than enough. More divisions just makes navigation slower. Complexity for the sake of it.


Sorry to learn that Piano World is now your main job. That does not sound like good news.

Incidentally, I think the poll contains leading questions likely to generate the answer you seek. Not a brilliant basis for decision making,

Adrian