Impressive forum (Thanks to matthew1)

Post by **cn90** » 14 Apr 2010, 10:06

By posting this, you can tell that I am an old timer LOL.

Back in the mid-1990s, some 15 years ago, I participated in different forums:
- Volvospeed.com: lots of pros in there but the software is far behind.
- Brickboard.com (I don't go there any more; awkward software, difficult to post pictures).
- Volvo-forums.com
- Volvoforums.com (no "hyphen" LOL)
- https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com

I have to admit back in 1995 or so, Matthew Volvo site was OK so I did not pay any attention.

Fast forward 15 years later, when coming back and look at this website, my hat off to Matthew.
He changed all the software, it looks nice, easy to use and easy to post pics, insert pics etc.
The layout is very nice.

You can tell Matthew is a computer programmer!

By far, from the I.T. standpoint, this is the best forum out there.

Congrats on a good job!

Post by **wheelsup** » 14 Apr 2010, 10:21

I like the atmosphere of this forum and volvo-forums.com. Much more friendly than the volvospeed forums.

That being said there is some real talent @ Volvospeed, and tech over on volvo-forums.com is a good resource; I wish we could combine all the volvo forums into one. It's not like there are that many volvo folks out there, unlike a Honda or Toyota forum.

I think this forum is the new version of the free PHP Bulletin Board software, and I believe Volvospeed is the pay-for-it forums.

The repair database is a really good feature and needs some tweaking (some have mentioned it as well) but that is a really important part of this site. It's a little confusing the way it's set up. Maybe it needs to be broken down more like the Haynes manual...Engine, Brakes, Drivetrain, etc. etc.

Post by **cn90** » 14 Apr 2010, 10:37

wheelsup wrote:...The repair database is a really good feature and needs some tweaking (some have mentioned it as well) but that is a really important part of this site. It's a little confusing the way it's set up. Maybe it needs to be broken down more like the Haynes manual...Engine, Brakes, Drivetrain, etc. etc.

Well,

Sometimes it is better not to break it down at all and list them DIY by DIY such as Bimmerforums (I also own a BMW):
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/fo ... .php?f=240

There are only 4 pages of DIYs in bimmerforums, so going over it is pretty fast as there are only that many DIYs in any car.

The key thing is to have the Title of the thread that "says it all" so you can glance through it quickly and know right away it suits your need or not.

Post by **jblackburn** » 14 Apr 2010, 13:56

Wow, internet in 1995! My family had just invested in cable TV haha. I didn't have any experience with the web until about 1999 or so, over the squawking dial-up modems.

The repair database is a really good feature and needs some tweaking (some have mentioned it as well) but that is a really important part of this site. It's a little confusing the way it's set up. Maybe it needs to be broken down more like the Haynes manual...Engine, Brakes, Drivetrain, etc. etc.

We're working on organizing the repair database better (it's sort of a mess at the moment) and a sort of a general troubleshooting thing, I promise. The big part for us right now is trying to figure out how to organize everything into useful categories and repairs.

Post by **matthew1** » 14 Apr 2010, 14:28

Thanks CN! Like you, I used Brickboard for a time but grew really frustrated with its design (searching especially). Then I made MVS to do it my way.

This forum is powered by phpBB forum software (free, open-source) and has been since 2002. See the history here. The Repair Database is powered by WordPress (also free, also open-source, not to be confused with its sister, the WordPress.com blog service). That's been handling 99% of the non-forum pages since 2005.

I put it all on a fast Linux (Debian) virtual private server at Slicehost last summer.

And yes, I'm a web developer and have an advantage in that regard vs. the other forums. If I can think it, or if you can suggest it, I can do it. It's just programming, so theoretically anything is possible. Whether it's good cost/benefit for me to do is another question

. But I listen to everyone, and consider each suggestion on its merits.

Because of you guys using MVS sponsors (THANK YOU) and your Donations/Google/Amazon ad revenue (THANK YOU), I've been able to spend way more time working on MVS in the last year, so what you see is a result of years of Want-To-Do's I've had in my head, and suggestions by members.

As for organization, I don't want to put too many "walls" up around groups of data, which is what categorization does. I've done some categorization, but I don't want to overdo it.

Instead I've tagged almost everything in the VRD, and when new items come in almost daily, I tag those. By using those tags you can really open up to all 900-something VRD entries. See the tag clouds at the bottom of all VRD pages.

: Volvo Repair Database tag cloud; tag-cloud.gif (37.71 KiB) Viewed 2936 times

Getting back to categories, see the VRD Home page... that's a "10,000 foot view" of the VRD. From there you can go into Category by Volvo Model, Category List, or the Whole Enchilada of all 900-something repairs. But again, I'm not too hot on categories. That model tried and failed vs. good searching. For proof, see how Yahoo! started as a directory (categorization), but quickly found itself being overrun by competitors who just did search really well. (Anyone think of a company whose name starts with a "G"?)

Also, I just added a Search the VRD box at the top right of VRD pages when you've drilled down to a Category by Volvo Model or just Category List. That will soon be on all VRD pages.

: New search bar; search-the-repair-database.gif (50.64 KiB) Viewed 2936 times

I'm so big on search that I added three methods to search MVS:

forum search*
VRD search on VRD pages
Google search of MVS at the top of every page

* forum search is restricted currently due to heavy resource demand... you must be logged in + there's a minimum interval

CN when you said you came from VS to MVS it was the highest compliment possible. Thank you. Attracting VS people is no easy task because of the high level of knowledge over there.

Wow, I wrote a book. I'll have to use this on the Help page.

Post by **cn90** » 14 Apr 2010, 14:30

jablackburn,

My advice is don't organize it, sometimes these DIYs have overlap between different parts (engine, trans etc.)
Just do it like bimmerforums (see my link above):
- Just list them all.

- Or you can do it this way: list them all in one page but categorize them. This way you see everything in 1 page instead of clicking back and forth (I hate clicking LMAO!):
http://www.e38.org/

The reason I say this is because people who use Internet know how to "search".