Forum Improvements?

[Bill Greenwood]

What would improve this eaa forum? I have my own ideas , but would like to hear what those who create the site, whom we mostly dont hear from, think?

[rwanttaja]

What would improve this eaa forum? I have my own ideas , but would like to hear what those who create the site, whom we mostly dont hear from, think?

As far as Operational Features, EAA is limited by those provided by the forum software. They use vBulletin, a common package. There are features and limits that EAA can enable/set as needed. They've been amenable to changes, for instance, I requested enabling tables and an increase in post size (to allow larger tables) a few months back and they implemented them.

Sometimes a capability is there, but one doesn't really realize it. It helps to poke around the various options. Hitting the "Go Advanced" button brings more stuff into play. Anything beyond vBulletin would probably require a massive overhaul, something along the lines of the EAA365 transition a few years back. We don't want to do THAT again....

As far as Content, I suspect EAA has implemented all the forums they thought of, but I'm sure they'll willing to entertain suggestions. They've added the VFR and IFR clubs, as well as the Solidworks forums.

As far as Policies are concerned, it might be best to engage them directly. Other people tend to kibitz if such discussions are held publicly.

Ron "No ****, Sherlock" Wanttaja

[FlyingRon]

vB is problematic. It’s hardly supported and full of security issues. POA made the jump to xenforo and I’m doing the same on several sites I maintain. At least this site is only one major rev out of date but blimey. AOPA.

[DaleB]

What I'd really love to see is a function to ignore threads started by specific individuals.

[Bill Greenwood]

Dale, I dont know if you are referring to me as 'specific individuals", I hope not, especially in view of the positive, and nice comments that Ive gotten from you, but as for not reading what a person posts, it is easy, just dont open or read it. There are a few people that Ive found most likely to not be writing something positive or responsive to anything I write , so I mostly dont, and mostly dont answer them at length.Ive found some are not really interested in finding a consensus or info, but or even a discussion but have an axe to grind. I know their comments are going to be divisive and often off topic. The site shows the name or at least alias of anyone posting so its easy to see. Some people like me use their real name some use an alias. Some forums require real names, wish this one did.
Youve written a couple of times that you are a low time pilot and its good that you are open to learning. At 200 hours I knew the basics of handling a standard plane pretty well, and most important I was careful , Much of my learning after that came from exposure to other airplanes, T-6 etc, as well as fly to and in other locations. Thats fun and a learnig experince.

[rwanttaja]

vB is problematic. It’s hardly supported and full of security issues. POA made the jump to xenforo and I’m doing the same on several sites I maintain. At least this site is only one major rev out of date but blimey. AOPA.
You've brought up a good point...POA transitioned from vBulletin to xenforo and was able to transfer stuff over without the dual-system angst the EAA forums did a few years back. Since you've got some knowledge the EAA Forum PWB (Powers What Be) don't have, let me quiz you a little bit:

1. Can you give some examples of a couple of security issues? What are the risks to EAA if these are not handled.

As an aside, there are occasional folks who get virus/malware alerts when they come to this site. Could those be related to the vB security holes?

2. As a ballpark, what is the labor effort required for the conversion?

I think the PWB would need #1 to justify the switch over, and #2 to let the EAA budgeteers know how much it'll cost.

Ron Wanttaja

[rwanttaja]

....but as for not reading what a person posts, it is easy, just dont open or read it.

"Ignore User" capabilities are handy when there's a suspected troll at work. Because of the scrolling nature of the presentation, "not reading it" isn't really an option unless you blur your vision and scroll by the person's posts blindly.

Just say there's someone who mostly posts dumb puns, usually including a quotation within their name.

Hypothetical example, of course.

Anyway, if you put that person on your "Ignore" list, you wouldn't see any of the bon mots they added to the thread. The downside is, you'll still see the quotation when anyone else responds to it. It increases the signal to noise ratio. In cases where the troll is a pure idiot who ignores forum etiquette and rules, it also removes the temptation to tell them what a true, unadulterated idiot they are.

The other aspect of this capability is an "Ignore Thread" capability. If a subject completely doesn't interest you, you can use the Ignore Thread feature so it doesn't keep popping up in your "New Posts" feed. I'm not interested in Solidworks or IFR Club posts for example (nothing against the subjects, just not within stuff I care about). So as soon as a longish thread pops up, you can select "Ignore Thread" and it doesn't appear any more.

I do like the way the "Ignore Thread" works on POA. You can select to either just ignore it when the "New Posts" feature are used, or if you manually access that particular subforum. It also has the capability ignore subforums, too, so a guy could opt out of the, for instance, "Ultralight" forum and not see any other postings.

I do not, personally, use Ignore features very often. It's a nice wrench for the toolbox, though.

Ron "The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it" Wanttaja

[DaleB]

I don't use it often either. There is exactly one person on my ignore list.

Ron, I'm not finding the "ignore thread" function anywhere. I've looked. Am I blind or something? That would work almost as well as "ignore threads started by X".

[rwanttaja]

I don't use it often either. There is exactly one person on my ignore list.

Ron, I'm not finding the "ignore thread" function anywhere.
Well, it must not be me, then. :-)

Sorry, Dale, I was using that as an example of the expansion of an Ignore capability. AFAIK, there isn't an Ignore Thread capability on EAA's pages.

Ron "Sowing confusion in his wake" Wanttaja

[Mayhemxpc]

Oh.... There are one or two trolls that pop up on this forum from time to time. No one on this thread...so far. I find it interesting to see how they try to spin us up. And amazed at how willing some forum participants are to rise to the bait.

But it would be a nice feature to have should I get tired of seeing it.

[CarlOrton]

It used to be that if you saw there were new posts in a form (like Hangar Talk), if you opened the forum then closed it, all the unread threads would be marked read. Now, one has to open each topic that has new content, and you even have to open all pages if multiple pages in order to get the thread marked read.

Maybe it's just a setting I need to change to get back to that feature, but I haven't bothered to look, so it's obviously not that of a big deal.

Still, when I open Homebuilders Corner and I see another few hundred pages of "building a WWI replica", I really just want to hit the back button and know that it's all been marked read. Not dissing those posts. They obviously have great content, but it's just not for me, so I don't want to have to wade thru it.

[rwanttaja]

It used to be that if you saw there were new posts in a form (like Hangar Talk), if you opened the forum then closed it, all the unread threads would be marked read. Now, one has to open each topic that has new content, and you even have to open all pages if multiple pages in order to get the thread marked read.

Maybe it's just a setting I need to change to get back to that feature, but I haven't bothered to look, so it's obviously not that of a big deal.

Still, when I open Homebuilders Corner and I see another few hundred pages of "building a WWI replica", I really just want to hit the back button and know that it's all been marked read. Not dissing those posts. They obviously have great content, but it's just not for me, so I don't want to have to wade thru it.
I know it's not exactly what you want, but if you click the "Forum Actions" link on the bar under the tabs, you can select "Mark Forums Read." Read what you want of all the available messages, and hit the "Mark Forums Read" link when you're done. Next visit, only genuinely new posts will appear if you hit the "New Posts" link.

Ron Wanttaja

[DaleB]

Well, it must not be me, then. :-)

Sorry, Dale, I was using that as an example of the expansion of an Ignore capability. AFAIK, there isn't an Ignore Thread capability on EAA's pages.

Ron "Sowing confusion in his wake" Wanttaja
What -- did you say something? Anyone hear that?

:)

[Anymouse]

Emoticons! Need better emoticons!!!!

[Chris In Marshfield]

Like button. When you care just enough to acknowledge the post but not comment :)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Mark van Wyk]

Ability to attach photos.
(Who is Dale B's one person?)

[DaleB]

Emoticons! Need better emoticons!!!!

:thumbsup:

Like button. When you care just enough to acknowledge the post but not comment

:thumbsup:


(Who is Dale B's one person?)

Not you. :)

[Bill Greenwood]

well, folks dont seem to be much interested in this topic. I dont see anything about any subjects or topics that would be of interest and havent heard anything from the people who set up the forum. Maybe it's not prime flying season, or writing about it. I thnk the site could be more.

[Chris In Marshfield]

This forum does pretty much what every other forum does. An OP starts a discussion and we discuss it.

What are you thinking it should do that is different from what we're currently experiencing? Are you looking for features or content?

[rwanttaja]

well, folks dont seem to be much interested in this topic. I dont see anything about any subjects or topics that would be of interest and havent heard anything from the people who set up the forum. Maybe it's not prime flying season, or writing about it. I thnk the site could be more.

Eighteen posts in a day and a half; it's not Hitler-Hello-Kitty active, but not bad.

I'm sorry you're not getting the specific types of suggestions you wanted. Next time, be more specific. Your first post was pretty generic.

Ron Wanttaja

[Bill Greenwood]

Chris Owens. I think both subject and amount. For instance if one was at Airventure there are forums of many kinds and all sorts of things to hear, more than you can do But. Of the 16 topics on the fourum 11 don't have anything current ,some from months ago. some are good but very limited. One is 31 posts total since started one is 230 total I think, solidworks may be a strong interst for a few people. Very little applies to anythng for all of us.. Some big topics from the past were ATC privatization, FAA charges to EAA etc, discussions of night air show, etc.Whats the best topic you see today? Ill best Frank's on building a Nueport 11 is pretty good.
If 20 pilots sat down at the bar at Hilton what would you talk about? Which is the best cotter key? Did you know if you use 1/2 cotter keys instead of 9/16 in your homebuilt it can be 11 ounces lighter and climb an inch per minute faster?

[FlyingRon]

vB immensely prone to insertion attacks. I've not been following the EAAFORUMS woes too much, but some of the other big vB boards were hit hard (to the point of loosing the membership information/passwords).

I talked to Jesse at POA about XenForo before I started my conversion. It should be a pretty much no brainer here because this forum doesn't have much customization it would appear which is the big issue in the conversino.

[Bill Barker]

One thing that would help me, as a reader is if people would use the spellcheck option.

[Floatsflyer]

One thing that would help me, as a reader is if people would use the spellcheck option.

Agreed, and new options for those that require them that ensure proper sentence structure, good grammar and the use of caps and periods.

[rwanttaja]

Agreed, and new options for those that require them that ensure proper sentence structure, good grammar and the use of caps and periods.
And an occasional paragraph break. 50 lines without a break makes my eyes water....

Ron"

" Wanttaja

[Bill Greenwood]

Bill Barber, if you chek yur punktoatshun, with a reel schol techer, I think ya knead another coma aftr "reader".
And thanks for your suggestion, I used to teach spelling in school, once used to spell pretty well, but I'm not good at typing and the computer often hangs up, and I don't take the time to edit, sort of like some posters who don't capitalize even proper nouns.
Do you have any suggestions about aviation, that is perhaps ideas of substance over form?

[Floatsflyer]

And an occasional paragraph break. 50 lines without a break makes my eyes water....

Ron"

" Wanttaja

You have much more patience than I do. I just don't read long winded ongoing narratives with no paragraphing.

But your point is well taken. Those that do this, please stop. Please compile your thoughts in short stroke paragraphs that are easier to consume and comprehend. You'll receive much more attention and therefore more responses.

[Floatsflyer]

I used to teach spelling in school, once used to spell pretty well, but I'm not good at typing and the computer often hangs up, and I don't take the time to edit, sort of like some posters who don't capitalize even proper nouns.

Here's the thing. If you don't/won't take the few extra moments of time to review what you write and edit and correct accordingly, why should we take the longer time to read your posts?

[Chris In Marshfield]

Chris Ownens. I think both subject and amount. For instance if one was at Airventuere there are fourms of many kinds and all sorts of things to hear, more than you can do But. Of the 16 topics on the fourum 11 dont have anytghikn current ,some from months ago. some are good but very limited. One is 31 posts total since started one is 230 total I think, solidworks may be a strong interst for a few people. Very little applies to anythng for all of us.. Some big topics from the past were ATC privitation, FAA charges to EAA etc, discussios of night air show, etc.Whats the best topic you see today? Ill best Franks on building a Nueport 11 is pretty good.
If 20 pilots sat down at the bar at Hilton what would you talk about? Which is the best cotter key? Did you know if you use 1/2 cotter keys instead of 9/16 in your homebulit it can be 11 ounces lighter and climb an inch per minute faster?

May just be a sign of the times. I belong to several type clubs, and one of those forums sees almost no traffic. A couple of the others a bit more, but not much.

Social media plays a pretty large role in today's communications. I see more traffic in one community that I frequent on social media than in their representative forum. Those platforms (whether it be Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or others) are much easier to contribute image-based content than almost any forum. To link an image to this post on this forum platform, for example, can take as many as a half dozen steps using different tools for each step. To quote a popular phrase, "Ain't nobody got time for that!". I love to see photos of other folks' progress on projects or flight experiences, and I'm technical enough to jump through those hoops -- and will -- if I'm serving those things to a community that I think would benefit or enjoy them. But many aren't.

As for discussions, I enjoy a good discussion on something that piques my interest, and will gladly participate in it, until someone brings an attitude into the discussion. Then I lose interest and will find someplace else to be. I haven't seen a lot of technical discussions here as I do on another similar site. They do come up on occasion, but not as often. But this community is much larger than homebuilding, so the diversity of content is greater. That may lean out the mix a bit in comparison if you're looking for a specific type of conversation. Also, there tends to be type-specific communities out there that many will spend their time in, where this forum seems more generic. Everything is competition for time these days.

Thanks for bringing up the topic. It's a tough nut to crack. Even my type-specific communities aren't seeing as much traffic as there was only a few years ago.

~Chris

[Chris In Marshfield]

Chris Ownens. I think both subject and amount. For instance if one was at Airventuere there are fourms of many kinds and all sorts of things to hear, more than you can do But. Of the 16 topics on the fourum 11 dont have anytghikn current ,some from months ago. some are good but very limited. One is 31 posts total since started one is 230 total I think, solidworks may be a strong interst for a few people. Very little applies to anythng for all of us.. Some big topics from the past were ATC privitation, FAA charges to EAA etc, discussios of night air show, etc.Whats the best topic you see today? Ill best Franks on building a Nueport 11 is pretty good.
If 20 pilots sat down at the bar at Hilton what would you talk about? Which is the best cotter key? Did you know if you use 1/2 cotter keys instead of 9/16 in your homebulit it can be 11 ounces lighter and climb an inch per minute faster?

Also, I tend to be a "spontaneous poster". If it's on my mind now, I like to discuss it. If I'm at Airventure, for example, I'll share things that I notice on social media as soon as I see it. However, I really have to want to be on a forum at that point. And by the time I get settled to the point that I would have the capacity to post something with substance, the moment has passed. Granted, I could post spur-of-the-moment things to this forum via Tapatalk from my mobile device. But if I want to have a thorough and meaningful discussion, then I have find decent wifi on the grounds, crank up my laptop, etc. Not many folks (in my age bracket, anyway) like to type out long, wordy diatribes on a mobile keyboard.

Another sign-of-the-times moment, I reckon. I don't technically qualify as a Millennial type, but I sure do have those tendencies :)

[Frank Giger]

More stuff on building and flying WWI type airplanes.

(running away, laughing)

[DaleB]

Hey, I’m with you Frank. And I don’t even have one.







Yet.

[CarlOrton]

More stuff on building and flying WWI type airplanes.

(running away, laughing)

Touche' !! ;-)

[rwanttaja]

More stuff on building and flying WWI type airplanes.
Actually, your series on building your Nieuport, with its wit, detail, and candor, is what SHOULD be posted here.

A lot.

I'm sure there are members who love to read all about the latest turbine-powered whatsis, and are fascinated by tales of the big checks written for panel installation and custom paint on the newest JAFTHA*.

Me, I like to hear from the guys who AREN'T building with a massive customer-support organization behind them. The guys with jobs, the guys with young families, the guys in holes burned in dirty blue work shirts. The guys with skinned knuckles leaving smears of blood on precious plans, building a plane that won't end up on the cover of a magazine but represents a lifelong dream.

Everybody that has flown their own aircraft has a story. Everybody.

Ron Wanttaja

* JAFTHA: Just Another F***** Tin Homebuilt Airplane

[CarlOrton]

Since I might have precipitated the last few comments, let me clarify my original intentions.

And, for the record, I am AMAZED at the workmanship, thought, design, etc that goes into a superbly-built non-turbine, non-electric airplane. I ogle them every chance I get to be in the proximity of one. However, that's not me, because I don't have anywhere near the skills to attempt it. And I have read a lot, not all, of the posts related to Frank's project.

Since Frank's project is so popular (justifiably so), some days there are multiple pages of comments. All I want to do is mark 'em read if I don't have the time that day to go thru them all.

Carl "short on time" (since Ron didn't include a clever identifier this time....)

[rwanttaja]

Certainly didn't mean to direct anything towards you and your airplane, Carl...always enjoy your posts. My apologies, even if you weren't offended. I just like the "JAFTHA" acronym too much. :-)

I tend to think scratch/plans builders get kind of short shrift in the EAA community. It's not deliberate. It's understandable; there are lots more RVs, Sonexes, Glastars, etc. out there, and it's natural for like-minded folks to drive the conversation into something they're interested in.

Back when I started as a flywriter, no one knew me and I couldn't get assignments to cover the "big" homebuilts. So, to keep being able to buy little chips of coal to keep my mighty Commodore 64 running, I wrote articles about the homebuilts in my chapter. All were scratch or plans built; the first four didn't have electrical systems. One of them even featured a shot of the plane on its back in a landing accident.

What was interesting is that these guys would go to a Fly-In later, and they'd be rock stars..."Hey, wasn't there an article about your airplane?" Made me feel pretty good.

It ain't THAT far from Oshkosh to the swamps of Arkansas, Missouri, or whatever southern state Frank lives in. EAA oughta send someone down to shoot pictures and write an article....

Ron "Ready for your close-up, Frank?" Wanttaja

[Frank Giger]

I was just poking fun; I got the point he was trying to make about a handy "mark forums read" button. :)

I would like to see more detailed build threads, though. Having someone walk through either a wood or composite plane in particular would be fascinating.

There are a couple there, but alas, the steel fuselage one is another WWI representation.

Maybe it's a function of the WWI community, but it's the only group that seems to take pleasure and pride in showing the screw-ups as a warning...

[L16 Pilot]

I suppose articles on various covering systems would be nice. Example: Poly Fiber, Superflite, Stewart, plain old dope, etc. All have their advantages and disadvantages

[CarlOrton]

<snip> Maybe it's a function of the WWI community, but it's the only group that seems to take pleasure and pride in showing the screw-ups as a warning...

Ron, Frank, I wasn't upset. I got Frank's humor about "running away, laughing". I just wanted to clarify my position on marking threads read.

And even though not a WW1 builder, I always enjoyed putting humorous self-deprecating notes in my online build log for the things that drove me batty. Perhaps as a warning to others, but I've had several other builders mention them to me, so I felt good that *someone* read my stuff.

[Frank Giger]

That's because you're helpful. I've run into a couple folks who won't say much about the build process or problems they had, as if their airplane just one day emerged from the foam of the sea, held in a giant shell.

[L16 Pilot]

I seem to have a lot of trouble typing as after a minute or two (I'm a slow typer) it takes a while for the letters to appear or I don't get a space from the space bar. Also, there is something spinning around by the "quick reply" heading which I suspect is slowing things down. Unsure what that's all about.

[rwanttaja]

I seem to have a lot of trouble typing as after a minute or two (I'm a slow typer) it takes a while for the letters to appear or I don't get a space from the space bar. Also, there is something spinning around by the "quick reply" heading which I suspect is slowing things down. Unsure what that's all about.

Look at the second half of my response to Robert, here:

http://eaaforums.org/showthread.php?7910-Copy-and-paste&p=66907&viewfull=1#post66907

Ron Wanttaja