at some point, dilution (as in too many different forums) kills the brand. Whether or not the subforums you list will be the break point I don't know...but I think you run the risk.

There are already a zillion forums on your site. Some don't get a ton of action, in part due to a lack of critical mass necessary. Whether this is because there aren't enough users or becuase of dilution is up for debate. But how about trying to combine some of the existing ones. For instance, why can't the race prep be part of the racing/autocross board?

Diversity of posts is one of the things that keeps this place hopping. Specialization (ie a bunch of sub forums) can result in spreading things too thin. Why not just up the moderator intervention by say 10% to move the OT stuff to the OT board. That would richen the tech content here and might lessen your feeling that you need to partition the content.

Wayne....are you bored?
Leave things as they are. It's working very well as many have noted.

If I want structure and order I'll go to the library. For me, I dislike the sub-forums you already have and like some others, rarely stray from the main Tech Forum even though I have rebuilt 4 911 engines. I like the mix, the comedy, drama, ads about California Classix girls, you name it. Give me nostatic's marriage counseling thread and Leland Pate's Folgers exhaust, oil leak recirculating pump mixed in with how to time your cams any day!
Regards,

I'm a newcomer to Pelican. I've spent the last 2-3 weeks of my life surfing this forum in search of answers to my list of questions. What I have found (besides answers) is community. Do I have specific questions?...yes. Can it be challenging to find answers sometimes?...sure. However, when I'm tracking down one answer, the general forum usually leads me to another question...and that is a beautiful thing. I have found these answers amidts a community of "believers"...people that I have learned a lot from.

Maybe the answer is in improving the search capabilites so folks looking for specific answers may find them. Two things I know to be true so far...1) I found every answer I was looking for in the current state 2) There is real community in here, and I think that needs to be protected.

Thanks Wayne for providing such a great place for all of us to gather. Whatever happens, I don't think I'll ever be able to give this place up.

Wes

There are obviously 2 schools here. Wayne's and those in agreement, and those that are suspicious of a change. I'm going to have to join the suspicious group (or is it gruppe?) in mild protest to any significant breaking up of the 911 Technical BBS. None of the technical forums I have visited stay completely technical. And some have degraded quite a bit, but not this one. Without the mix of banter and humor that goes along with a bunch discussing thier 911's in general, it would become a little dry. If this is cut up into bodywork and paint, suspension (which should include brakes), brakes and then interiors and then sound systems, etc, then I guess Rennlist will get a boost.

Social fabric, I like that. Hard to create, easy to destroy.

Wayne,

does the version of the BBS software support something where you can have threads to appear in multiple forums at the same time? You could post to a satelite forum but users could still see the contents of all satelites in the main forum.

Another idea would be something where each user could pick which satelites will or will not show up in his personal 911 tech forum. Sort of subscribing to an individual subset of satelites.

I for one would like to choose, whether I just want to see the satelite forum limited to just one topic or the broad forum with all the variety.

Tyson has a good point in that the search function sometimes turns up a lot of noise. That's why people want satelites. On the other hand I sometimes find more usefull infos in the main folder than in the satelite.

Ingo

When I first bought my Trooper I was visiting a very active Edmunds.com forum for Troopers. It was much smaller, but same problem - everyone crowded in the same forum talking about everything. That board was split into many different forums (suspension, engine, "cafe", off road, etc).

Recently I went back there most of the "other" topics had dried up with little or no posts. The guy who started the idea of dividing everything (and spent all his time moving posts around) was still very active... in the main forum with everyone else.

I think people will gravitate to where everyone else is. If the active posters use the new forums - the less active will have to follow for the info. One thing that might be useful is an advanced search feature that allowed you to specify which forums (as in search more than one forum for the same info) were to be searched.

I think the great thing about this forum is the element of the unexpected. There's always a little nugget that surprises, that amuses or informs. Most of the posts I enjoy here are things I stumble across, not things I am looking for specifically. The more the posts get broken up into specific interests, the more that quality of discovery is lost.
United we stand, divided we sprawl.
C.W.

100%! DITTO!

I agree that it's working well as-is, Wayne.

Wayne, I'm among those not in favor.

The engine rebuilding sub-forum has been a success, but the other forum-splitting efforts have not been. E.g. regional forums are moribund; the 4 or 5 forums above the Off-Topic forum get very little traffic; even the AX forum was withering before a major effort by Jack O and others.

The success of the engine rebuilding forum might be unique, because (a) rebuilding is such a deep subject, (b) you put such effort into starting it up including providing so many of the initial answers, and (c) it was launched with the Engine Rebuilding book.

I also don't see a compelling reason to sub-divide the 911 Technical Forum. The only problem I see is that of topics moving to page 2 quickly - seems that can be solved by setting vBulletin to display more topics on each page (I think it has that setting?).

I also think the variety of the present 911 Technical Forum is a real plus. Most of the members seem to use this forum like a lively cocktail party - you come here to find lots of interesting conversations to join. (Although the BBS would need about 1000X more women members to be a really good party . . . maybe that's what you should work on?) Compared to Rennlist, where 911 content is scattered among 911, 911 Turbo, Upgrade/Mods, Wheels/Tires, AX/Racing, etc - that's kind of dry, more like picking the quarter's classes from a course catalog.

Therefore, I wouldn't be in a rush to subdivide. If you're determined to do it, I'd at least move slowly, one step at a time. Maybe pick the single deepest topic for subdividing (post a poll?), try making that subforum, see what happens, be ready to backtrack. Or - better yet - launch the new subforum in conjunction with a new 911 book - maybe you happen to have Wayne Dempsey's How To Make Your 911 Handle or 101 Projects To Hot-rod Your Porsche 911 up your sleeve?

Even though I disagree, I will take everyone's opinions and suggestions under advisement...

-Wayne

"le mieux est l' ennemi du bien" - Voltaire

Yep, you created this BBS...and it's yours to kill if you so wish...

I'm thinking a good thing. Specific ? being asked to a specific board. It's nice to have the pro's answer to speciality areas. I know some questions being asked could be overlooked in the general post section. Just my .02C Hey I’m happy to be here and not left out in the dark.

Paul, stop mincing words and let us know how you really feel...

"Les forum de Pelican étaient même populaires avec Voltaire."

- Jack Olsen

"Man braucht es nicht wieder herstellen, wenn es nicht gebrochen ist.":D

"ein gesparter pfennig ist lächerlich"

Klatu, Barrada, Nikto