View Full Version : New OnLiveFans.com Feature - Opinions please
OK, this is just a trial, so don't get all bent out of shape. We have added a new feature to the site. As you can see below, there is now a voting button for each forum thread:
http://i52.tinypic.com/k506ma.jpg
Upon clicking the button you will be taken to our new website section "http://onlivefans.com/home" where your vote will be counted. Our new site is seen in the screenshot below:
http://i51.tinypic.com/69fjtu.jpg
This is just a very rough draft of it. Just wanted to get your opinions. Please take time to vote for posts you find noteworthy. We are contemplating using this on all our posts, and news articles, as well as perhaps making it our front page when you enter OnLiveFans.com.
What's your opinions? Good or bad. Also if you have any suggestions, please let us know.
Eddie
I think it might be useful for the guests or members who tend to read more then reply. Maybe it will show more detailed feedback, and i like how it becomes an article on the news page.
i say go with it, see what happens.
Krell2004
04-20-2011, 10:42 PM
so you want to turn this site into another Digg.com clone?
Sir_Josh
04-20-2011, 11:29 PM
so you want to turn this site into another Digg.com clone?
Glad to see I wasn't the only person who had this impression. I dislike this move, but eh, I could just be wrong.
Is this really going to do that? it's just voting, and that's if people even do it.
i prefer the forum and will continue using it. But this new add on isn't really intrusive imo
The Dracula
04-21-2011, 12:00 AM
I don't see a true need for it, to be honest. I think a blog platform (ie Wordpress) would be the best way to go if you're interested in posting news, reviews and features.
I think popular forum threads will stay at the top of each respective forum, so there's little need to have a voting mechanic to essentially do the same thing.
I think popular forum threads will stay at the top of each respective forum, so there's little need to have a voting mechanic to essentially do the same thing.
i like that idea. Should make a tumblr and get people from their gaming community to join
Ultralord
04-21-2011, 01:53 AM
Looks good! I'll sleep on it and if I have any feedback I'll comment =).
so you want to turn this site into another Digg.com clone?
No, thats not what we are doing. Digg is a social news site that allows you to post news from around the internet. Our "Home" site is just for news from our website. Everything else will be deleted. It is just a way to find different news stories and forum threads that others feel are important. Whether it works or not, we are testing now. It won't change our site at all. It will either add to it or not.
I don't see a true need for it, to be honest. I think a blog platform (ie Wordpress) would be the best way to go if you're interested in posting news, reviews and features.
And we will continue using wordpress for our news site.
We have 3 options here. (1) leave the main page of OnLiveFans.com as is (the forum). I personally like this option the most. (2) Make the main page our news site, or (3) Something totally different. We are only added to the site as a whole. We have not changed anything.
Eddie
Sir_Josh
04-21-2011, 12:54 PM
Just seems like it will turn into a popularity contest, IMO. It could still be a cool feature though, may just be my 2 cents.
Thats kinda the hope. A popularity contest for news and forum posts. If you like the article, or thread and find it interesting you should vote for it. Of course there is a strong possibility that not enough people will participate in it and it will not serve any use. However it can't harm OnLiveFans.com only being in a subfolder.
Saieno
04-21-2011, 02:54 PM
You want a popularity contest? Whats with all the change? Why can't you just stick to what you do best: a forum.
You want a popularity contest? Whats with all the change? Why can't you just stick to what you do best: a forum.
The purpose of it is to see if it works. If it doesn't work, than it will fade out. It does absolutely no harm having the new section of our site. Yes, it is a popularity contest of sorts (a popularity contest for news and discussion, not people), so that unworthy threads, and boring news can be filtered out. If you don't like it, than you don't have to use it.
The forum works the same either way, so if you like the forum, then just visit the forum. If you like the news section of our site, than visit that. If you want to utilize the new aspects we add, you are free to do that as well. There is NO CHANGE, except for a little tiny button on the top of threads. I hardly believe that this really affects your experience here :).
Our goal is to remain the most useful OnLive community online.
Eddie
bassrebel
04-21-2011, 07:06 PM
I don't see anything wrong with being diverse (the fact that I'm a mod does not matter). I truly believe OFC has the resources and userbase to be the anyone's first stop for either news, game reviews, articles, forums, etc...
Saieno
04-21-2011, 09:46 PM
The purpose of it is to see if it works. If it doesn't work, than it will fade out. It does absolutely no harm having the new section of our site. Yes, it is a popularity contest of sorts (a popularity contest for news and discussion, not people), so that unworthy threads, and boring news can be filtered out. If you don't like it, than you don't have to use it.
While it might start innocently enough with popularity contest between news and discussion, it will certainly turn into a popularity contest between people. A forum automatically keeps the active discussions at the top and on the front page of the forums for everyone to see, this voting system simply opens more doors for trolling and allows for even more cliques to form.
Its obvious the news section and the rest of the site isn't the main focus, otherwise you would re-direct OnLiveFans.com to http://onlivefans.com/news/ instead of http://onlivefans.com/forum.php which you have yet to do.
There is NO CHANGE, except for a little tiny button on the top of threads. I hardly believe that this really affects your experience here :).
Then why do it at all? If there's no change except for a button then why even implement it? Because it's not just a button that does nothing, its a button that makes threads into 'news' and everyone vying for that 'privilege'. Next thing you know we'll have people making threads and mass messaging people to "Please vote for my thread! It's good!".
Our goal is to remain the most useful OnLive community online.
Useful in what way? Half the news that is posted is taken from other sites, announced by OnLive themselves, or just opinion articles that would do much better just being threads on the forums. Other than that I don't see what use there is in OnLiveFans.com except that its a nice place to hold discussion about OnLive.
I get more 'news' reading threads on games people are excited about, and what people are having problems with, rather than the 'news' section of the site. Its cool to see what articles people find about OnLive from other sites, but don't take those articles, re-write them, and pretend its new and unique to OnLiveFans.
My two cents.
Thanks for your opinion, and your two cents. I think you are making more of the new changes then there should be made. Right now the forum is certainly the main focus, since there is not enough OnLive News to make a news site the main focus yet. We are just preparing for the future when OnLive becomes more widely used. 1/2 the news is not taken from other sites. The majority of our news is either from OnLive directly, released from OnLive, or things our writers find by themselves. OnLive is rather private in their dealings with the media. They release press releases to tech publications including us, but there are very few interviews given. Until the company grows, I'm sure it will remain that way for quite some time.
Sure we could put the News section on our main page but then the forum would not receive as much attention. Right now, there is much more need for community discussion than there is for news.
The Voting section is not meant as a popularity contest for members. If this problem arises, we will be ready to handle it with warnings, and bannings. I have run other similar websites, and have never had this issue before. Most people aren't obsessed with the amount of views their threads receive. Perhaps you are one of the few that are. It's only running in a trial mode right now, and so far not too many people (if any are utilizing it). No harm, No Foul. We have many plans for the future of this site, and the voting section may or may not fit into the future plans.
Lord Xenu
04-21-2011, 10:36 PM
There is no change in that there the forums will still be the forums. They will not be undergoing a huge change. Just a small addition. If it isn't used then it isn't and it won't matter. It's not that big of a deal. It's not like we are getting rid of the forums, getting rid of the community, or selling out to be a NEWS SITE. Seriously, look at the other sites. They have at least SOME area for their news. We have nothing but the forums. It would be nice to have a cover page for our news. Makes it easier to read. If you don't like it you can always just enter the forums and still read it that way. Also, if we begin to bring out some news, it can benefit us later on when it comes to more possible events, contests, and what not. The button goes along with that. You read the news story, you like it, you click it, the story stays fresh. While we have had some REALLY good topics, some people don't care about others. There have been a couple duds. Those will slowly begin to move out and keep the trending topics. A good move I say.
Saieno
04-21-2011, 10:38 PM
I have run other similar websites, and have never had this issue before. Most people aren't obsessed with the amount of views their threads receive. Perhaps you are one of the few that are. It's only running in a trial mode right now, and so far not too many people (if any are utilizing it). No harm, No Foul. We have many plans for the future of this site, and the voting section may or may not fit into the future plans.
No I'm not obsessed with it, but its not my site so not my problem. I too have ran many sites before, and moderated even more forums, and based on those experiences these things hardly ever end well. I'll just let you do your thing, and I'll keep my opinions/suggestions to my self.
No, I appreciate your opinions and suggestions, and thank you for them.
Eddie
Krell2004
04-22-2011, 06:57 AM
I would welcome the change to a news page as the landing page for onlivefans.com however implementing a vote button may not be the best option.
Just my 2 cents
Lord Xenu
04-22-2011, 07:01 AM
And that is why we ask for feedback. :) Good job guys, keep it comin.
The Dracula
04-23-2011, 12:01 AM
No, thats not what we are doing. Digg is a social news site that allows you to post news from around the internet. Our "Home" site is just for news from our website. Everything else will be deleted. It is just a way to find different news stories and forum threads that others feel are important. Whether it works or not, we are testing now. It won't change our site at all. It will either add to it or not.
And we will continue using wordpress for our news site.
We have 3 options here. (1) leave the main page of OnLiveFans.com as is (the forum). I personally like this option the most. (2) Make the main page our news site, or (3) Something totally different. We are only added to the site as a whole. We have not changed anything.
Eddie
I like option 2, personally. Have the main site a news blog, but try to push traffic to the forums as much as possible.
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