WEBSITE COMMENTS...
Tue, 13/04/2010 - 18:10
I don't know if many of you have noticed but the comments pages are now wider, moving over into the right side column where the Latest News and Search box have been lost to make room. I think this makes it easier to read and there's less scrolling down, and we have space to make your uploaded pictures larger too.
This does mean though that if you never visit the Home page you won't see if there's anything new in News, and don't forget, also on the home page is the Coming Soon box and below that, the latest features. Worth clicking 'Home' now and again then to see what's new and on the way.
Wed, 14/04/2010 - 20:51
#2
Re: WEBSITE COMMENTS...
Kevin, I'm curious as to why a new thread with no responses doesn't always show in the "recent comments" list viz Davidos' initial post on "Helmet drop", which doesn't appear to have made a showing there.
It'll encourage diversity of comment if new topics are at least as visible as new posts on existing threads. Maybe there's a case for going further and separately highlighting new forum topics on the front page?
Wed, 14/04/2010 - 23:03
#3
Re: WEBSITE COMMENTS...
Unfortunately it's pretty much inherent in the software as it stands. Technically the first post appears to the software as a new page (called a node in geek speak), while the Recent Comments box only reproduces comments made after a node has been created. So the first one is missed, which is why I duplicated the first post in this thread. Best I can do is suggest others do the same - I'll add that instruction on the main forum page. New threads are flagged anyway on the forum page, though it would be better if they also appeared in the Recent Comments box of course.
The software will get a major upgrade later in the year when this will be sorted, but for now there's not a lot we can do about it. I'll think about other ways of making new topics more obvious though, there might be something that can be done.
Thu, 27/05/2010 - 13:14
#4
Re: WEBSITE COMMENTS...
Kevin, something's up with the front page link to the Triumph news story in the Latest News column...one "h" too many in "http://..." by the looks of it.
Thu, 27/05/2010 - 14:42
#5
Re: WEBSITE COMMENTS...
Thanks for that Rocca, don't know where that extra h came from but I've despatched it back again...
Thu, 21/10/2010 - 23:10
#6
Re: WEBSITE COMMENTS...
Can you let me know if you've been finding this site slow to respond at times? Do also say if that's not the case, but if you do, is it at any particular times of day or any other repeatable circumstances? How bad is it, does it put you off using it or is it much the same as other sites you use?
Thank you!
Fri, 22/10/2010 - 08:38
#7
Re: WEBSITE COMMENTS...
From my side I don't have any real issues and I come on to the site typically multiple times every day. I have noticed on occasion when loading it that it first appears in like a text only format and then a few seconds later all the graphics etc seem to catch up and all is well. On maybe two occasions it has frozen up in the initial state and I have had to re-load but it is not a regular occurence by any means.
So in general all is fine from here.
Fri, 22/10/2010 - 09:02
#8
Re: WEBSITE COMMENTS...
Kev,
I've never noticed any problems with the website. I tend to look in most days during the day. I am very glad to see that you are back involved again after the last couple of months hiatus :-) Waiting a month to get the latest news and reviews in paper form isn't quite the same thing...
On a separate note, I wonder if it is worth your while adding a kit/accessories reviews section to the site too. That's something I imagine would have more relevance in an on-line format compared to the magazines, as you could have reviews/comments from all the readers as well as just from you.
Cheers,
Sculler
Fri, 22/10/2010 - 09:41
#9
Re: WEBSITE COMMENTS...
Hello Kevin,
I've never experienced a slow response on this site. In fact, I think it is pretty quick compared to many similar sites.
Glad you've returned. Was beginning to think you'd met with serious misfortune. Am relieved that wasn't the case.
Fri, 22/10/2010 - 10:37
#10
Re: WEBSITE COMMENTS...
The site has the same response time as expected from other sites.
Sometimes things slow down late afternoon, on the web, when the kids get home from school and the entire UK network gets a surge of use - playing football in the Park until your Mum 'shouts dinners on the table'is now replaced by internet Championship Manager after school!
Fri, 22/10/2010 - 10:57
#11
Re: WEBSITE COMMENTS...
On a separate note, I wonder if it is worth your while adding a kit/accessories reviews section to the site too. That's something I imagine would have more relevance in an on-line format compared to the magazines, as you could have reviews/comments from all the readers as well as just from you.
Funny you should say that... I'm going to add a Products section, which will mix news of new stuff that's just become available (ie not reviewed, just saying Arai has a new helmet, Alpinestars has a new winter jacket etc etc), with reviews of products I've used myself.
Partly it's because I'm sure people will be interested, and from a pragmatic point of view, I'm hoping it will pull in some advertising, I'm looking at ramping that up now as the site needs to start paying for itself. I've mentioned this before and promised no ads that expand and cover up what you're reading or looking at, I find those so annoying myself I just don't want them here. But I think most people accept the need for ads, everything has to be paid for in the end.
I'll add an appropriate section in the Forums too, products are chatted about a lot already.
Fri, 22/10/2010 - 11:20
#12
Re: WEBSITE COMMENTS...
Sounds like a good plan. If you can create a space for people to add their own reviews/comments under your own reviews then I guess it could grow into a pretty useful resource.
For ads, no problem for me except the pop-up ones which I also hate. I agree that most people will understand the need for you to generate some income in return for the excellent content created and available for free on the site.
Fri, 22/10/2010 - 16:41
#13
Re: WEBSITE COMMENTS...
Hi Kevin, no I've never experienced any slow loading or crashing - and I too have become quite addicted to popping in for a cuppa a couple of times a day.
(Better than working.)
As to advertising, it seems like a sensible move (nice idea, generate a club audience first and then attract revenue to it!) as long as, like you say, the advertising is to the quality and standard of the people you have attracted, being intelligent, articulate, witty, knowledgable, passionate, devastatingly handsome ..........
Pete
Fri, 22/10/2010 - 16:46
#14
Re: WEBSITE COMMENTS...
.....to another plankton
Sat, 23/10/2010 - 09:21
#15
Re: WEBSITE COMMENTS...
Hey young Cub, that's enough discriminatory implicit slurs on us Planktons.
We may be a simple life form with very little brain but we are a discerning bunch of single cells (and we know what sort of advertising attracts us and our purchasing power - and it ain't the stuff you see between the ends of Coronation Street or one of thos ghastly cheap to produce audience run show things).
PP
Sun, 24/10/2010 - 22:24
#16
Re: WEBSITE COMMENTS...
Okay, thanks for the feedback, no need to change the web host just yet then...
Sun, 24/10/2010 - 23:13
#17
Re: WEBSITE COMMENTS...
Nope Kevin - it is obviously the perceived wisdom of the participants of this here territory that as organisms (sic. journalisms) go, you're one of the best of the journalistic protozoa.
P
Sun, 24/10/2010 - 23:41
#18
Re: WEBSITE COMMENTS...
Ah, but that is a bit like going up someone's nose and asking the cold viruses if they're happy there. I mean, they would be, or they wouldn't be there...
Plankton aren't racist about viruses are they? Or speciesist?
There are two reasons I was asking about the website speed in fact, one is that the response times I'm getting have slowed, although now I think it's my service provider, not the web host. The other is, the site's getting pretty busy now. Copy 'Ducati MTS1200 Multistrada' into Google and... amazing, this site gets not just a podium, but all three podium positions!
Okay, the Mutley's caught on here especially well, but plenty of other recent tests do very well too, like 'Triumph Sprint GT' review', 'Ducati Monster 796' review, 'Kawasaki Versys 2010' and lots of others. Variations on these do well too, eg just 'Kawasaki Versys' gets the front page.
What's interesting, and maybe some webbie types can shed light on this, but sites claiming considerably more traffic than I'm getting (as in, with an extra nought...), including some very well known UK ones, are regularly behind this one in Google listings. MCN I understand as many of their pages are just teasers or smaller news items, but not other sites with full reviews on and alleged far bigger audiences. So is this site especially search engine friendly? I don't do any of the SEO stuff, so if it is, it's just pure chance.
Or are they perhaps not being entirely honest in their claims? Oh surely not!
PS Sadly 'Mutley' alone gets ashonbikes nowhere in Google, although Ducati Mutley puts it in second place behind the Ducatisti forum...
Mon, 25/10/2010 - 01:18
#19
Re: WEBSITE COMMENTS...
Kev, good to hear of the positive google rankings. I'm far from expert in the field, but my understanding is that the more often content changes within a heading that google's engine 'crawls' regularly, the more likely it is to move up the leaderboard.
Your site, and the Mutley thread have proved a classic example of this in action as I doubt there has been a day since launch that the thread has stayed the same.
The hard work you've invested, not only in the site set up but in controlling the quality of contributions, should be a lesson in marketing to those with a low budget.
Congratulations.
Mon, 25/10/2010 - 01:31
#20
Re: WEBSITE COMMENTS...
"PS Sadly 'Mutley' alone gets ashonbikes nowhere in Google"
... Yes but 'Tall-Rounder' gets top slot! Honestly my late mother would be so proud of me, she'd have a tear in her eye for sure! ;-D
Unofficially I've just heard that Honda are calling their new larger of the V4 Adventure bikes the TR1200XC. Hhmm, I might of made that last bit up! :-D
Mon, 25/10/2010 - 09:40
#21
Re: WEBSITE COMMENTS...
'Tall-Rounder' gets top slot! Honestly my late mother would be so proud of me, she'd have a tear in her eye for sure! ;-D
My bottom lip is quivering as I read this...
Unofficially I've just heard that Honda are calling their new larger of the V4 Adventure bikes the TR1200XC. Hhmm, I might of made that last bit up! :-D
We'll be seeing at least one adventury V4 Honda for 2011, I'd heard about an 800 from a very reliable source a while ago but couldn't say as he/she would have got into trouble! The 1200 I don't know about for certain, but given that they're thinking on four-cylinder adventure bike lines, and that the 1200 motor must have been hugely expensive to develop, they'll want as much value out of it as they can get and I'd say it's very likely.
Tue, 26/10/2010 - 22:50
#22
Re: WEBSITE COMMENTS...
An 800 V4 sounds great (and apparently on the cards I hear from multiple sources) but if it's got the VFR800 engine then surely it will be too heavy and will lack torque against the new Tiger 800?
Honda seem to be becoming like Kawasaki in the late eighties to early nineties. I.e. Bringing out great models, just two years too late all the time. A great shame as it's long overdue that they showed everyone who is boss again. I'll never forget the scrumptious after-taste of my first rides on a '92 hole faired Blade or VFR750F, but since then they've lost their mojo on a frequent basis.
Their all killer no filler app that everyone is eager to download in the VFR1200T-Pan European. But still nothing announced. What do they expect Pan owners to upgrade to within their own ranges, the decade old Goldwing? Owners of that still very capable bike are probably holding out for a touch screen headlight tilting two litre newer version of that one too.
Oh and whilst Im in early hours of the morning rant mode about the big H - where's my Evo 6 proto made real mista Honda? With BMW apparently not entertaining the equally lushable (a new word I've invented for hacks to steal!) Concept 6 from going into production, Honda could have made a killing there long before the Diavel was a twinkle in the Vmax's eye. Still in the interim, they did give the Deauville a 50cc hike, yep, that's a keeper alright...
Tue, 26/10/2010 - 14:42
#23
Re: WEBSITE COMMENTS...
Okay, the site (esp. the forum) is running pretty slowly for me at the moment. As in my general experience it does do from time to time. No rhyme or reason to it that I can discern. I access over a few different networks but only ever using Macs, or iPhone/ iPad, all running Safari, if that's in any way a useful data point.
Tue, 26/10/2010 - 16:44
#24
Re: WEBSITE COMMENTS...
We'll be seeing at least one adventury V4 Honda for 2011, I'd heard about an 800 from a very reliable source a while ago but couldn't say as he/she would have got into trouble! The 1200 I don't know about for certain, but given that they're thinking on four-cylinder adventure bike lines, and that the 1200 motor must have been hugely expensive to develop, they'll want as much value out of it as they can get and I'd say it's very likely.
Kev, are you surprised that there is no new Pan on Honda's horizon?
Tue, 26/10/2010 - 18:10
#25
Re: WEBSITE COMMENTS...
rocca: okay, thanks, I generally Safari on a Mac too and get the same, I wonder if it's that rather than something to do with the server. Safari's usually pretty fast though. well if the site grows much more and gets some additional advertising I'll move it somewhere faster anyway.
playlord: yes I am surprised! It was like the VFR750/800, almost a brand in its own right, and they seem to have just let it fade away, so much so it's almost off a lot of touring riders' radar these days, especially as BMW has come on so much in the last few years.
Fri, 29/10/2010 - 18:40
#26
Re: WEBSITE COMMENTS...
I've posted comments twice after logging on post arrival from an email link. On both these occasions I have seen my post disappear. The header appearing on the page "You Are Not Authorised To Post Comment" Actually that shouldn't be in quotation marks as it's not verbatim.
As I will probably log in separately in future, this is for general benefit.
Not just installed some electronic quality control on comments have you?
Sat, 30/10/2010 - 11:11
#27
Re: WEBSITE COMMENTS...
I've no idea what's happening there, except it seems that somewhere between you writing the comment then posting it, the site thinks you've logged off. Other than logging off deliberately then on again after you've come to the site via the link, I'm not sure what we can do about that, but I'll put it to the technical guru zzrwood and see if he has any thoughts on this.
If any forum doesn't need electronic quality control on comments, it's this one!
Wed, 10/11/2010 - 15:37
#28
Re: WEBSITE COMMENTS...
Just a general comment about the site Kev. Any chance you could change it such that if we click on a link to another site in someones post that it opens in a new window? There have been a few times where I have followed a link and it takes over the Ashonbikes window, which is generally a bit of a pain as I always tend to want to come back here.
Wed, 10/11/2010 - 18:30
#29
Re: WEBSITE COMMENTS...
Yes, I'd love it to do that but with the existing software I have to do it manually with every new link. At the moment I don't think it's possible without other things becoming a pain, but it should be when we have a big revamp, although that might not be for a few months. I'm aware of it anyway and would also like that to change...
Thu, 11/11/2010 - 00:37
#30
Re: WEBSITE COMMENTS...
Just a general comment about the site Kev. Any chance you could change it such that if we click on a link to another site in someones post that it opens in a new window? There have been a few times where I have followed a link and it takes over the Ashonbikes window, which is generally a bit of a pain as I always tend to want to come back here.
Why not right-click the link and choose 'open in new window' (or new tab)?
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I don't know if many of you have noticed but the comments pages are now wider, moving over into the right side column where the Latest News and Search box have been lost to make room. I think this makes it easier to read and there's less scrolling down, and we have space to make your uploaded pictures larger too.
This does mean though that if you never visit the Home page you won't see if there's anything new in News, and don't forget, also on the home page is the Coming Soon box and below that, the latest features. Worth clicking 'Home' now and again then to see what's new and on the way.