What would you like to see in the new VolvoXC.com?

[coastal]

Hiya guys,

I got a start on a complete redesign and redevelopment for VolvoXC.com, but then started to think it'd be a good idea to take a step back and see if you guys had any specific requests, additions, features etc. that you want to see on the site.

Seeing as the forums seem to be working well (and to be honest we're somewhat limited as to their functionality since it's a pre-built package), so this would mostly pertain to the content areas of the site such as the news, resources, reviews, gallery areas etc.

Looking for more social networking opportunities? Maybe some more interaction with the existing content? Colour or design concept ideas?

So with that, thanks being part of one of the finest automotive specific communities around and let me know what you'd like to see to make it even better!

Cheers!

Taylor.

[Art]

Hey Taylor,

Not that I can ever recall having any issues with past revisions, but a site refresh sounds like a great idea. I'm sure whatever you come up with will be fine. :) Only thing that I can think of would pertain to the resources section of the site. Is there a means of categorizing the PDFs for members who might have a difficult time when searching for a specific file? ie engine, transmission, brakes....

Expanding the max file size for attachments and photo gallery submissions might also be something to consider but by no means should it be an absolute requirement.

Keep up the great work! [thumbup]

Art

[TrueBlue]

- are very much "impossibles", as they are related to the design of the base package.
Here goes anyway:-

The search feature is very poor. We live in an age of acronyms, and you've set the criteria (quite understandably) to reject short words perhaps you could add short words to the list (e.g. AWD). I guess the search feature isn't much used judging by the frequency that the same basic question is asked...
This one bugs me - at the end of a multi page thread I want to go back to the beginning, or better still, to the list I've selected.
A catalog(ue) index of genuinely (frequently asked) questions would be nice, but I haven't a clue how you'd do it.
An international section, perhaps. Us folks in the UK have largely disappeared, and I think we are often ignored when we post, or perhaps we're fed up with "does my tranny need flushing", rather than more general discussions.

Otherwise I for one am very grateful for this web site, both in the old layout and the current one. If I hadn't found it I might not have continued buying Volvos.

[Forkster]

1. Forums be Smartphone compatible (auto-detect)
2. Ability to link in FaceBook and Twitter with forum posts
3. The How-To: some way to link in all those good PDF's into posts or index it rather than one big list
4. More smilies :D
5. Ability to give reputation points to other forum members, specially when it comes to classified section.
6. BIG/HUGE button for the community forums with a focus on our members. The forum button now looks mute and unimportant. But this site is ALL about the forums which could be the main focus of the redesign - the community.

Thanks for the redesign input Taylor. We appreciate this site and the work you do to give us a place to be curious about our Volvo's.[thumbup]

[John@CdnRockies]

Links to Facebook or Twitter would be nice as well as a clearer path for searching.

This has been a great site Taylor. I bought our Volvo based on the info here and still check it almost daily. Thanks for putting it together (which reminds me that I should send you a little financial contribution to offset your costs).:D

John

[coastal]

Hi guys,

Thanks for the great feedback here. Will definitely consider and likely implement most, if not all, of the reasonably doable suggestions, as I think they're all very much worthwhile.

Art, I've increased the maximum file size upload from 100KB to 2MB, which should help matters :)

Trueblue, Reason for this is that searches are pretty resource intensive processes, and seeing as the resources are fairly limited on this server, I originally had it set to minimum three character searches in order to minimize load. Though it will take a little while for the search index to re-index, I've changed the minimum search word length to two characters which should help matters, we'll see how it goes with respect to server load. :)

Let me know how it goes.

Forkster, as for the smartphone version, though the autodetect mechanism probably isn't up to date, you may already know this but you can also hit it directly via: http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/archive/

John, I've added Facebook and Twitter icons/share tools to the Bookmarks area at the footer of each forum thread, should make it easier me hopes!

Thanks again for the feedback, and more importantly for helping to contribute to the site!

[mrslomo]

I must congratulate you on this great site. The site's community has such a fountain of knowledge and sound advice. Fellow owners like myself who want a great running vehicle but lack the more technical know-how on maintainence are fortunate!

How's about including a sort of map for members to "pin-point" their general location in the their part of the world? Sort of like the Rand-McNally travel maps with the assorted color pins?

Thanks!

[Art]

How's about including a sort of map for members to "pin-point" their general location in the their part of the world? Sort of like the Rand-McNally travel maps with the assorted color pins?

Thanks!

I guess then it might be a good time to revive this poll. :)

Hey, I live here (http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4798&highlight=poll)

[mrslomo]

Great! Clicked my country... USA.

Thanks.

[Ocean Racer]

Having being Admin and moderator to several of these forums over the past 8 years, phpbb based forums are brilliant but they do have their design limitations. However I have seen one that seriously impressed. Needless to say, the guys who made it are damn cleaver.

Check this out.
http:www.jdmstyletuning.com

If the new beta of phpBB is any good, perhaps you could import some more smileys, simplified attachment add-ons and new customised colour schemes. [thumbup]

[XCRansom]

new members intro's would be nice.... post up your name, year make and model of volvo XC. all the other forums im on have them and it just seems logical...

this is my 1st post BTW, i hope this forum isnt a let-down. It was the first XC forum i stumbled upon on google search... :)

[JRL]

Welcome
This is probably not the right place to put this post, you should probably introduce yourself in your appropriate model year forum.
I hope your Volvo ownership is a good one.

There are many Volvo forums; from the good, the bad and the ugly (in no particular order) [sly]

www.swedespeed.com
www.matthewsvolvosite.com
www.volvospeed.com (careful there)!
www.volvoforums.com
www.brickboard.com

and I'm sure a few others I don't even know about!

[Seamus]

maybe a chat option like volvospeed has?