Soldato
- Joined
- 4 May 2004
- Posts
- 3,270
But it's not independent from the shop.
Why is PMing disabled?
- Thread starter Snakedoctor
- Start date
But it's not independent from the shop.
Man of Honour
- Joined
- 1 Aug 2004
- Posts
- 12,681
- Location
- Tyneside
OcUK isnt more active, Neowin has a LOAD of American users which are obviously in bed now, OcUK is primarily a UK based forum for a UK shop.
I thought spie paid for the forum out of his own pocket, rather than it being an operating cost of the company?
I don't think it's likely to change here, vBulletin is excellent for what we all use.
PM's are disabled for the reason given in the FAQ.
He does according the FAQ.
PM's are disabled for the reason given in the FAQ.
He does according the FAQ.
I'm a long time member of Neowin.net too, and whilst Invision is great for Neowin, I can't imagine OcUK being improved by moving to it. vBulletin suits OcUK very well and is cheaper to run.
The forum is the main focus of Neowin, whereas for OcUK the forum is an addon to the business. It just needs a clean and functional forum, whereas Neowin has invested time customising and making its own forum skin... something that OcUK doesn't need to do. Neowin also relies on advertising and members' subscriptions. This doesn't happen on OcUK, apart from the OcUK advert in the top right corner.
I don't think PM'ing is really required on this forum. If I want to send a message to a member I do it through Trust.
That's the reason why OcUK is more active, at least during our day time. At times this forum can be very active, whereas on Neowin the activity seems to be more consistent because all the members from across the world. I've seen threads in GD go from the top of the first page to the second page within 15-20 minutes, whereas on Neowin I've never seen threads moving so quickly in their General Discussion forum (like here, it's their most active forum).
Man of Honour
- Joined
- 15 Mar 2004
- Posts
- 28,140
- Location
- Liverpool
Not really taking sides either way (not ...really an issue to me tbh
), but it's so not really as simple as a totally different entity. He runs forum competitions for the store here, Gibbo puts up offers that link to the main store, there's a banner on the top right, these are the 'OcUK Forums' etc. etc., he'd not be running these if he didn't have the shop or if it'd in someway benefit it.
Not really taking sides either way (not ...really an issue to me tbh
He runs forum competitions for the store here, Gibbo puts up offers that link to the main store, there's a banner on the top right, these are the 'OcUK Forums' etc. etc., he'd not be running these if he didn't have the shop or if it'd in someway benefit it.
I agree with what you are saying, but the cost is not paid for by the company directly. So anything that adds load or bandwidth costs would need to be paid for by spie himself, which unless it brings significant benefit it won't happen
I agree with what you are saying, but the cost is not paid for by the company directly. So anything that adds load or bandwidth costs would need to be paid for by spie himself, which unless it brings significant benefit it won't happen
But don't forget that more users on the forum = more loyal customers
What about the server requirements to support all those features? VB can do it just fine, but you just need more and more power to have all these things enabled, and there is a cost/benefit ratio involved.
It isn't a software issue, but an issue of how much it is sensible to spend on hardware to run the software vs the benefits those features may provide to the users.
What possible use is a PM system anyway?
If you want to send a quick message to a user that does not fit into or merit a thread of it's own - use Trust.
If you want a conversation in private - use IM or email.
So tell me, why do we need a PM system again?
If you want to send a quick message to a user that does not fit into or merit a thread of it's own - use Trust.
If you want a conversation in private - use IM or email.
So tell me, why do we need a PM system again?
I bet it's nothing to do with load even though it says so in their faq , probably more likely due to some anal reason they won't tell us
Rose-tinted glasses, or just forgetful? It wasn't all that long ago that this 'ere forum had a multitude of stability issues, most of them simply down to the (admittedly rather old at the time) server hardware. Load most certainly is an issue, though nothing like the issue it was back then.
vBulletin is perfectly capable of running a Neowin-sized forum. It's all down to the resources (hardware and personnel) you're prepared to throw at the problem.
PMs are useful, yes, and I use them at other forums, but they're a long way from being essential.
Really? The forums are not that active that a decent dedicated server couldn't run it.
With the amount of promotions OCUk does (adverts at the top of page, large OCUK logo, sub forums dedicated to deals and regular posting in forums of deals, along with a OCUK only environment, with dedicated forum posters leading to more sales) I would say this forum makes MANY times more than it costs, along with intangible factors such as customer loyalty (look at some members with 90k+ posts) and product recognition (the forums have a reputation
).
Soldato
- Joined
- 3 Jan 2009
- Posts
- 5,593
- Location
- Bedfordshire
I think the trust system is just as good. I used pm's for like a day then thats it, i dont use anymore