Lost & confused

I still can’t follow the new website, sorry maybe I’m a dinosaur but sometimes change isn’t always a good thing. Look at new coke vs original coke as a example. I can’t be alone with this feeling.

Mark, I’m sure there are others that share your view. I personally think that most of the site is very similar, with functions being located in a few different spots.

I was thinking the same thing at first. Over the last two months thus site has come a long way. The speed is back, I am finding out where look for things, people are starting to reregister and post again. Stick with it and you will come around and see that it isn’t a change for the worst, its just different

I agree, it’s light years ahead of when it rolled out. I just don’t understand why. Everything seemed hunky dory to me but then again i don’t need any fancy stuff to be amused.

I would like the emotions back.

There are a ton of people who like Windows XP to. Why fix it if it aint broke? Much like Microsoft ending user support for Windows XP, the software vendor for the old site no longer supported the software. The old IDO was patched together with bandaids that were falling off so to say. The time and money needed to keep it running no longer made any sense. There will continue to be enhancements to the new IDO. The new software in place now will allow the site to grow and remain the best fishing website on the net.

-J.

Jon Jordan wrote:

There are a ton of people who like Windows XP to. Why fix it if it aint broke? Much like Microsoft ending user support for Windows XP, the software vendor for the old site no longer supported the software. The old IDO was patched together with bandaids that were falling off so to say. The time and money needed to keep it running no longer made any sense. There will continue to be enhancements to the new IDO. The new software in place now will allow the site to grow and remain the best fishing website on the net.

-J.

Figured something like that was the driving force behind the change.

I think most of us end users are just like the little old lady driving her vintage car, to her it works fine and is comfortable,,,,,,,,,,,, to her mechanic it is a nightmare falling apart at every knuckle and joint.

Jon Jordan wrote:

There are a ton of people who like Windows XP to. Why fix it if it aint broke? Much like Microsoft ending user support for Windows XP, the software vendor for the old site no longer supported the software. The old IDO was patched together with bandaids that were falling off so to say. The time and money needed to keep it running no longer made any sense. There will continue to be enhancements to the new IDO. The new software in place now will allow the site to grow and remain the best fishing website on the net.

-J.

JJ’s got it right. We were on the previous platform for a DECADE. It was broke being held together by twine and duct tape that required a growing number of expensive man hours to maintain and secure. We could have stuck with the old platform and run it right into the ground – literally.

As for the traffic being back, right on! I had just finished up an email to Lozier, BK and some of the other guys helping with the design work on the new platform citing current google analytics and our traffic is back strong and the growth trajectory is looking very good.

I know some people don’t like change thus the new site is seen as somehow being less user-friendly or functional that the “old” site. Truth is we saw the same feedback when we switched from our first forum to the “old” site over a decade ago. And from some of the same people that have been here through both transitions. The old site that they hated is now the old site that they love and want back.

We knew going in that some would leave over the changes. I actually anticipated a 25% member loss. Thankfully we’ve not seen anything close to that number come to fruition and it looks like for every member that has moved on to find a new online home we’re picking up new members by two’s and three’s. And this is happening during what is traditionally the slowest time of the year for our traffic. Would I have liked for our transition to have been a smoother one? Of course. But that’s water under the bridge. I greatly appreciate those that stuck with us and gave the new format and lay-out a chance to become familiar. For those that still don’t like the new format, I wish them luck finding a replacement online home. Nobody should spend time talking on a site that doesn’t meet their expectations. Since we’re not going to revert to the old format… I guess its time for those people to find their way to new digs. The rest of us have fishing and hunting to talk about.

Site is nicer in most ways but I sure would like to be able to read old Brad Juaire reports!

tso wrote:

Site is nicer in most ways but I sure would like to be able to read old Brad Juaire reports!

There’s ways to get to all reports using the search here in the forums but Brad has them itemized on his website in a chronological order that is worth mentioning as well. http://www.openwatertrolling.com/Fishing%20Reports

Lots of good reading.

Mark Steffes wrote:

I still can’t follow the new website, sorry maybe I’m a dinosaur but sometimes change isn’t always a good thing. Look at new coke vs original coke as a example. I can’t be alone with this feeling.

Mark, once a person gets to the forums, it’s laid out pretty much the same as the old site.

BTW I’ve placed a bookmark on my bookmark bar that takes me right to the forums bypassing the main page. Actually I have a folder that holds…

*Idofishing.com (main page, shows magazine articales
*www.in-depthoutdoors.com/community/forums/forum/fishing/
Fishing Forums
*www.in-depthoutdoors.com/community/forums/forum/fishing/ftlgeneral/
Goes directly to the General Forum
*www.in-depthoutdoors.com/community/forums/forum/fishing/species/cats/
Goes directly to the Catfish/Sturgeon forum

As long as my computer is logged in, it’s one click and I’m to the forums I mostly look at.

I had this set up for the old forums as well.

With a little nosing around the forums are very close to being the same… but the pm system is light years past our old site. I can sent two people the same pm and I know longer have to be the middle man to pass messages along. Not to mention when I get a response from a pm that I sent out months earlier, I know what the guy is talking about because there’s a thread of our conversation.

By checking the notifications when I first come online, it quickly ID’s responses to my posts. We still need full post tracking to highlight threads we haven’t read…and that’s coming.

Mark, if you or anyone else has trouble, shoot me an PM or email and we’ll get you squared away…but like fishing, there’s nothing like time on the water…or in this case time on the site.

AND I’m finding out there is some interesting shtuf on the hunting side.

Thank you James!
I’ll e sure to look and enjoy!

This site is good. Change is good. The old site was good but, as Chinua Achebe wrote, “things fall apart”.

PS but the friend request before sending a pm needs to GO!

LOL! I know it’s being worked on.

DaveG I’m looking for you.

All of a sudden I can’t log in from my PC. Been in all morning. ?????

@justdave

Just now that happened Mike?
Do you have your password saved on your puter?

The first time any of came to the IDO web site we had to take the time to figure it out and we did and enjoyed it. Just think of it as learning a new site that you have found as time goes on it will feel like a old broken in cap that you even hate to take off for a wedding or such.

I love the new site especially now that the speed issues seem to be fixed. Welcome to the 2010s. The other bells and whistles like the articles(magazine) and gallery are a great edition.

Maybe it’s just me, but I’m a fisherman & enjoy the simple things. I’ll try to push thru

Like BK said, just bookmark the forum. I never went to the home page or reports on the old site either. You’ll get used to it. Just Luke you had to get used to the original site.

What I miss is the traffic. We need people to come back and use the site.

Does this new site have the classifieds? I’ve been looking for them for a while but haven’t found anything.

Would you like a link Ihprop or do you just want to look down the forums? LOL!

lhprop1 wrote:

Does this new site have the classifieds? I’ve been looking for them for a while but haven’t found anything.

7th forum down from the top.

Attachments:

1. 

   classifieds.png
   

BK practicing LINKing skills…

By golly I think he’ll find it.

The way one can scroll through the pics is sweeeeet!

Just a suggestion, but if you click on the “community” tab on the top you’ll be brought to the page that has basically the same layout as the old IDO main page. It should feel a lot like what you were used to when you were on the old site. The look of the new main page, the magazine, is cool, but the community page is basically the same as the old version of IDO just with new colors and such. Give it a try.

IDO is getting better as the kinks get ironed out … But Microsoft has not released an operating system yet that’s better than XP

It’s getting better.

I’ve worked on a web site and gone through redesigns. It’s tough.

Ultimately user behavior rules. If people use the site and growth continues that’s a good sign. Personally I don’t like the “get used to it” or leave mantra. You can’t please everyone of course. But hey…work in progress. And I have appreciated the steady work on improvements.

I just realized I don’t have my friends anymore.