Community Blog

I just wanted to say Thank You so much for those that took the time to complete the site survey. The results confirmed many of the things I had in my own head about the site and also the fact I hadn't communicated other things clearly.

It also pointed out the dilemma web designers face daily...more news/less clutter...more functionality/simplified pages...more news/less text....etc etc....you get what I mean? I've always said that NZMac.com is a work in progress and 5 years on, that's still the case....but I thought I would share the plan for this year and how your feedback helped.

First, I wanted to start with probably the most succinct feedback I got that both summed up what I was thinking about the site and paid a nice compliment (one of many I might add) to me and the site....

"What features would you like added or changes you would like made to this site?

I'd actually suggest identifying what has worked for the site (forums) and focusing on them. Don't try and add stuff that isn't requested - don't try and continue aspects of the site that haven't engendered interest or simply haven't worked.

Are there any other comments you would like to make?

Thanks for all the hard work you've put in Phil - without you I doubt anything like NZMac.com would exist. I am constantly saddened that Apple NZ haven't recognised that by supporting the site more."

I'm really pleased with these and similar comments. There are aspects (the Google map and wiki for example) that I set up simply to see if they would be something that appealed. They haven't worked well....not helped by the fact that there are technical glitches or lack or updates with the systems, so many of these things will disappear fairly soon. They may come back in some form later on (the wiki content is going to be migrated, as I don't want to lose it) but there needs to be a spring clean.....and it's a great time for me to start that process over the next few months.

A lot of what is going to happen on the site this year will focus around Joomla version 1.5...the next iteration of the content management system the site runs on. Version 1.5 is effectively Mac OS X to Joomla's version 1.0 "classic".....if I can use a Mac comparison for a moment. Version 1.5 is a complete re-write of the CMS and radically different. There is a migration tool for content (still causing issues for some people).....but, it has a "legacy" function that you can activate that allows you to run old components designed for version 1.0 under the 1.5 website...a bit like running Classic under OS X. Reports are bit mixed about this migration process at the moment though.

Finding the right time to do that change is something I'm still mulling over. Many of the components are actually able to run under version 1.0 and 1.5 (they're carbon components I guess?) but the underlying structure of the site has to change...and with it, I intend to do a redesign and go to a new look....but the new look will most likely be the last part of a restructure. I don't want to go into too many details, as I like to announce things as they happen...but I'm already working on some new features for sections of the site. Some will appear soon and others will just quietly be worked on.

All of what I have just commented on has always been on the cards (I even have a chart on my desk for each component and whether they work for version 1, version 1.5 or in legacy mode...I like lists!)...but the survey just helped reassure me that I was planning to do the right thing. It did also confirm that the site is overly complex and can be simplified...but that'll be a bit of a challenge to fix, provide news and involve you all in the site more at the same time. It also made me realise that there were easy ways to give more useful aspects of the site greater prominence and the opposite for areas not widely used.

The other aspect that generated a lot of comment was the discussion forum...it is after all the most used section of the site. Some criticised heavily my moderation of it...others praised me strongly for it. One submission even criticised me for the fact that sometimes I'm too busy to devote a great deal of time to responding privately...which I have to say I found quite amusing. A couple of others mentioned the use of moderators in the forum. The fact is that this idea has never been anything I actively discouraged...I just never got around to asking you guys...so I made a call recently for moderators....although (spot the irony folks) so far no-one has come forward to indicate their interest. Oh...and there were a few comments about forum functionality. Unfortunately, what you see is what you get at the moment. I'm no programmer and simply have to wait on those with the skills to update the component with new features...sorry.

What you will also see is a bit of moving around over the next few weeks/months to streamline some areas of the site....removing some of the basic links in the left menu to places that (whilst not immediately obvious) will slim the clutter of the main page. Some people wanted certain sections of the site taken down as they didn't appeal to them, but it is interesting that in many cases, some of the sections mentioned are in fact the most popular on the site.

I should also point out that there are many components out there specifically for version 1.5 of Joomla already....many that I'm keeping an eye on and hope to use once the move is made to that version....so there's new functionality planned already in the future....but (going back to the comment at the beginning) I hope they don't clutter or confuse the site, but bring in things that many have suggested already.

I found the question of annual subscriptions an interesting one to review the responses for. Many people were willing to consider an annual $10 subscription fee, but it was fairly divided over whether this should provide exclusive access to some areas or not. Of course, once you start doing that, it can easily put people off. At this point, the notion of a nominal subscription is on hold until I think about it more...but I do appreciate the number of you that expressed a willingness to consider it.

There were a few comments that I'm not quite sure were actually about the site....a few criticising the loss of the site magazine, when in fact I think they meant Macguide...which has nothing to do with this site. A few others suggested things like not asking users to install plugins to view the site, when the site doesn't? In this instance the user may have simply had an outdated plugin (Flash maybe?) and perhaps a feature on the site triggered the update warning? There are no site-specific plugins at all.

All in all, I'm really pleased with the responses (thanks again) in terms of quantity and depth. You'll see things happen as I respond to your comments and review of the site...ultimately leading to a site that can only grow to help, benefit and support all Mac users in New Zealand.

Cheers, Phil

PS...I'll try and get on to announcing the winners of the prizes as soon as possible