Message Board

[Moonraker]

Personally I wonder if we need so many showing, as there are only about a dozen there at the moment and they already seem to dominate the Home Page. Perhaps 10 or so would be enough.

I think that ten is ample, Anita. Maybe, there could be a link to show previous comments in a new window for people who may wish to see more of the previous points. Another point, to encourage more people to register on the Forums proper, how about a large link at the top for the Forums, the one on the Home Page is quite small and could well be missed. I notice, too, that the News section has gone? Is this meant to have happened?

[Anita Bensoussane]

[Nigel:] rake: noun; old use - a fashionable man who lives a dissolute and immoral life.

I suppose at your time of life you would favour the "old use" of the word!

Anita

[Tony Summerfield]

I think you have all summed this up very nicely. As Keith said in his initial post, we are planning a few cosmetic alterations to the site, and one of the reasons why we added the message board now was so that we might pick up suggestions from people that don't want to use the forums.

It will never replace the forums, which are still the obvious place for any discussions, but it is nice, for example, to read a comment about the Journal from someone who isn't registered on the forums. By and large the only praise that this website ever gets is from faithful regulars like yourselves and it would be good to have some different suggestions.

I recently had an email from someone who said that she found the Journal disappointing and wouldn't be resubscribing and gave me the reasons why. To me this is helpful (though I didn't agree with her in this particular case) as I would much rather hear something rather than silence.

I do agree with your point about the single posters, Nigel, and funnily enough I did my own count up yesterday - we have had 77 new members to the forums this year, but only 32 have ever posted. Most of these haven't even logged on again since they registered.

My one reservation about the message board was that we might get inundated by 'preteenybopper groupies' who would post endless messages of 'i think u r cool enid blyton', but actually very few children visit this site (I don't count you, Ming, as you are 13 going on 30! ) so this may never become a problem - time will tell.

[Rob Houghton]

My only reservation regards the message board is that it makes the home page look a little messy, for want of a better word. I also don't like the way it comes before the 'latest posts' section, which I often check on when I first come on the site. I have to scroll down the message board before reaching the latest posts and this is a little annoying.

Couldnt the message board be placed AFTER the latest posts section?

[Lucky Star]

My only reservation regards the message board is that it makes the home page look a little messy, for want of a better word. I also don't like the way it comes before the 'latest posts' section, which I often check on when I first come on the site. I have to scroll down the message board before reaching the latest posts and this is a little annoying.

Couldnt the message board be placed AFTER the latest posts section?

I agree. I think 10 posts is the maximum that should be allowed there as it is becoming alarmingly long. I too use the home page as my daily entry to the site and generally begin by clicking on what looks to be the most interesting of the 10 most recent posts. It is up to us, the regulars, to ensure that the MB does not replace the forums. I doubt that will be a problem as the kind of discussions we hold on the forums would be impossible on the MB.

we might get inundated by 'preteenybopper groupies'

Well Nigel has posted there. Does he count?

[Viking Star]

First of all thanks to Keith for investing some time and thought as to how the EBS might be improved, especially as his time seems to be at a premium at the moment. Although I can't say I was that keen when I first saw the MB, if Keith's experience tells him that it's a useful addition to the web site then I'm happy to trust his judgement.

I agree with most of the comments made in recent posts ie. the MB isn't perhaps the most attractive welcome to the site; that it might be better placed beneath the recent posts section (incidentally like Lucky Star I tend to first look at the ten most recent posts and click on the one(s) that look interesting, before clicking on 'Forums' and 'View new posts') and that perhaps there should be a maximum of 10 MB messages on the front page, with a link to older posts. Actually I agree even more with Ming's suggestion of a maximum of 7 , but if the MB is a good idea then maybe 10 would be an appropriate number. Time will tell! Changes can always be made in the light of experience.

[Tony Summerfield]

First of all thanks to Keith for investing some time and thought as to how the EBS might be improved, especially as his time seems to be at a premium at the moment. Although I can't say I was that keen when I first saw the MB, if Keith's experience tells him that it's a useful addition to the web site then I'm happy to trust his judgement.

I think I must hold my hand up on this one, instead of letting poor Keith face the 'firing squad'! Putting a message board on the Home Page is entirely my idea, but it was not an overnight whim, I have been discussing it with both Keith and Anita for several weeks. I appreciate that if you suddenly rearrange the furniture there are always going to be those who are resistant to change - just remember the hostile reception that these forums received when Matt first uploaded the current board that we are now all happy and familiar with.

As Keith said in his initial post on the message board, we are planning a number of cosmetic changes to the website. This will mostly effect the Home Page and the front page of the Book Listing. I thought it would be a good idea before any major changes were made, to just see how well a Message Board worked, so I asked Keith if he was able to find the time to add the Message Board sooner rather than later, so that we could discuss it when the time came to implement the other changes. It is therefore very much on trial and is not set in stone.

I won't repeat the reasons I have already given for wanting a message board, but it is worth stressing that at present we are getting over a thousand visits a day and a large number of our visitors don't go anywhere near the forums. As I have spent hundreds of hours constantly adding things to try and improve the main website, it would be quite nice to know if I am just wasting my time by adding things that people have no interest in! Any constructive feedback on that message board would be helpful, particularly from people who do not use the forums.

[Moonraker]

Yes, I think you've more or less said it all, Tony. I believe we are getting in the region of a thousand hits a day on the website, and in the main, a solid half-a-dozen or so stalwarts post on the Forums! In my view we have to try to get input from the 988 other people who enter the site!

Enter enid blyton into Google and we come up in third place. Keith's enidblyton.net is at the top and Wikipedia is in second! For goodness sake, we are the official society website and we come behind Wikipedia! I can understand it when you ask, "Am I wasting my time?" Tony! You most certainly are not, I hasten to reply, but it does make you think.

I enter the site by clicking on one of my links which takes me straight to View new posts, so I don't look at the Home Page very frequently. I read all posts, so I don't see the need in looking at the Home Page to access the Forums. I always check it when I see there has been an update, and now I need to look daily at least, to keep an eye on the Message Board! I must say, full marks to Barney for getting his paw out and updating the board frequently. I know Keith has many strings to his bow and many demands on his time, but it can be several days after posting on his message board before it appears. Maybe Barney has a canine friend in Georgia who may lend a paw?

In all events, it is re-assuring that the need to improve is being given such thought. Full marks Tony for the conception of the Message Board. Once the dust has settled the Home Page can be tweeked and perfected to make the site the doyen of all things Blyton, and hopefully, at the top of the Google list!

Exciting times!

[Tony Summerfield]

You know me, Nigel, I don't really understand these terms, but as far as 'hits' is concerned, the statistics pages tell me that we average 26 thousand hits a day at present (for March).

You are correct about Google, but that is just the UK version. I have done my homework on this and checked out a number of worldwide Googles, and although Keith is top on the UK one, Wikipedia is top on all the others. This is a major beef with me as it is a mine of misinformation, but I have had my say on this in my reply to Pete in the Introduce Yourself section. Our statistics are very similar to Keith's apart from in one area, he gets three times as many people visiting his site from Google - it is a major influence.

I don't think that Keith is helping to put things onto our Message board, the poor fellow is kept quite busy enough with his own (and Talk about Blyton), where he has to cope with the numerous messages from the likes of Mimsy and George, he is a very patient person!

Two other things that I didn't mention earlier on the subject of an untidy Home Page - yes, we have temporarily shelved the News section as it mostly contained site updates and when they had their own bit added, News became somewhat superfluous. Anything important will always be mentioned on either the Message Board or the forums - probably both. Also we intend to prune the Forum Updates on the Home Page. For example if there are ten posts about the New Message Board, it should be sufficient, just to see that once, without it appearing ten times. We have already removed both the Games section and the non Blyton sections as we felt that they made the Home Page untidy.

In conclusion I realise that both the Society and Website are something of a dictatorship, I wasn't elected and I am not directly answerable to anyone, but I do listen to everything, it would be foolish not to as everybody is entitled to vote with their feet (or their fingers)! Many years ago I attended an annual general meeting of a Society and the committee spent the first twenty minutes debating as to whether there should have been a full stop or a comma in the minutes of the previous meeting! Life is too short!

[Lucky Star]

Any constructive feedback on that message board would be helpful, particularly from people who do not use the forums.

I am a computer dunce and so have really no idea what I am talking about but would it be possible to put some sort of Feedback Questionnaire on the homepage? Or a link to a Feedback Questionnaire? We who visit the site and forums regularly do indeed tend to love the place and find no fault with anything, Tony is right to suggest that it is the opinions of the casual visitor which may throw up new suggestions. Therefore it may be an idea to provide either a questionnaire or a "suggestion box" which people can use. No doubt 90% of suggestions would be wild and unworkable but a couple of diamonds might emerge from the dross.

[Anita Bensoussane]

[Tony:] In conclusion I realise that both the Society and Website are something of a dictatorship, I wasn't elected and I am not directly answerable to anyone, but I do listen to everything, it would be foolish not to as everybody is entitled to vote with their feet (or their fingers)!

I don't think anyone regards the Society as "something of a dictatorship." It's only natural that, as you set up the Society and do the hard graft Tony, you get the final say when decisions have to be taken. As you said, you're always ready to listen to suggestions and the fact that people feel happy to speak up and air their views is a sign that you're doing a great job!

Anita

[Lucky Star]

I don't think anyone regards the Society as "something of a dictatorship." It's only natural that, as you set up the Society and do the hard graft Tony, you get the final say when decisions have to be taken. As you said, you're always ready to listen to suggestions and the fact that people feel happy to speak up and air their views is a sign that you're doing a great job!

Anita

Agreed. It is in any case difficult to see how it could be otherwise. Most societies are run either by one person or by a committee. I dont see how, with our wide geographical spread of members, a commottee would be practical. I mean where and when would it meet? It is inevitable that the society has evolved into a one man show and, as Anita said, it does not feel dictatorial at all. Quite the opposite. It all feels very democratic.

[Moonraker]

but as far as 'hits' is concerned, the statistics pages tell me that we average 26 thousand hits a day at present (for March).

Amazing - I thought it was only one thousand hits! That is absolutely incredible.

In conclusion I realise that both the Society and Website are something of a dictatorship, I wasn't elected......

I was kidding with my heading above! I certainly don't see the Society and Website being run as a dictatorship. On the contrary, I have always found you amenable and open to suggestions! You have proved your worth a trillion times over, if anyone isn't happy with the way the Society and Website are run, I would suggest they start up their own society!



PS: And another thought on the Message Board, I just hope it doesn't end up with the kind of childish bickering that is going on under Keith's Talk About Blyton at the moment. There are a couple of kids there that remind me of the trials we suffered last year with a few certain individuals!

[Rob Houghton]

I have absolutely nothing against the MB in itself, just think it would be better re-arranged so that the 'latest posts' come first. Other than that I quite like the idea of the MB and I'm glad to see it's being used well!

[Tony Summerfield]

I have absolutely nothing against the MB in itself, just think it would be better re-arranged so that the 'latest posts' come first.

They do come first, Rob! Have another look. I guess what you are saying is that you want the Forums before the Message Board.