What would you like to see from EHW in 2022

[ENTERPRISE]

Hello all, 

 

So I like to get ahead of things were I can. I am focusing on what is next for EHW for 2022. However I need YOU to help me on this front. What is it you would like to see from us in 2022. This could range from Features, Competitions, Content and more. No idea is a bad idea, so feel free to be radical. I am big advocate on community engagement and making EHW not only an informative place to be but enjoyable as a whole. I am sure you guys can help with that 

 

Let the ideas flow! 

 

All the best,

E

[Avacado]

The site already is enjoyable and where I spend most of my free time. We could stand for a few more active members. You stated that you would be focusing on marketing and such this year so it should self resolve. 

[ENTERPRISE]

3 minutes ago, Avacado said:

The site already is enjoyable and where I spend most of my free time. We could stand for a few more active members. You stated that you would be focusing on marketing and such this year so it should self resolve. 

 

Correct, my main focus for 2022 is to put the name out there and grow the family  Some of this is already underway and some will be worked on throughout the new year.  Looking to build on existing relationships and form new ones as always. I am looking forward to seeing where we are at by the end of 2022 haha.

[UltraMega]

I'd like to see more users and there's a few little things about the layout that I think could be changed to allow for easier browsing and thus better user retention.

 

As it is now with just 5 items from each main category showing by default on the homepage, it makes the site feel small. For the news section, no one ever comments on news that's not in the first 5 threads showing, perhaps because they don't want to bump something back to the top. 

 

Just thinking about the site from the perspective of someone who is new and not coming from OCN with some familiarity already, if I stumbled onto this site for the first time I would probably think it looks really small and move on. If there were more threads showing by default, it would definitely help that. Sure the reveal more option is there but since no one ever comments on news past the reveal more button, it become a limiting factor. 

 

I also still think the podcast section is awkward with it being weighted the same as the other two main categories. I can't think of any other tech site that has nearly as much emphasis on podcast right there on the homepage.

 

Definitely like this site a lot and the work you've put in really shows, however if I'm being completely honest I think the homepage layout is not fully ideal and marketing dollars may be less effective than they could be as a result. 

 

Perhaps it would be useful to conduct a survey to ask people about their thoughts on the overall quality of the site before you get too invested in the marketing. 

 

Edited December 22, 2021 by UltraMega

[Supercrumpet]

Personally I still find that browsing the forum on mobile is a little clunky, but browsing most things on mobile is pretty clunky. I have no idea how to improve that sort of stuff, and I'm rarely on the site on mobile anyways, so I don't think I should complain.

 

That being said, I'll second what Avacado mentioned. I think more than anything, more activity from more users would be great. That's what I miss more than anything from OCN, funnily enough. But, you've already talked about that some and I'm glad you see you've got some plans in place.

 

Always good to have threads and discussions like these. Best of luck with your side of things, E.

[Snakecharmed]

1 hour ago, UltraMega said:

I also still think the podcast section is awkward with it being weighted the same as the other two main categories. I can't think of any other tech site that has nearly as much emphasis on podcast right there on the homepage.

 

If the content isn't updated, the column becomes wasted real estate. I think the third column should either be threads for updated site content beyond podcasts such as new product reviews, or most recent new threads forum-wide.

 

There's a disconnect between new content on ExtremeHW.net and the forums, and nobody's using the comments section of the product review articles. I think the comments section of the article should be a feed of a corresponding forum thread like how it's done on Tom's Hardware. That would also drive forum participation as well, although if nobody is commenting on the reviews now, I doubt there will be significant improvement in new forum activity originating from product review readers.

 

However, there would be a tangible benefit the other way around so forum members can directly comment on the product reviews and drive the activity in the product review articles. It would also increase forum activity because each review would generate a new forum thread.

 

I don't get the sense that forum members notice new product reviews on ExtremeHW.net currently. I know I've been conditioned to ignore the carousel banner at the top of the forums because it looks like ad space (which, technically, it is) and the text usually has very poor contrast with the photo, so I end up not paying attention to it altogether.

Edited December 22, 2021 by Snakecharmed

[Avacado]

1 hour ago, Snakecharmed said:

 

If the content isn't updated, the column becomes wasted real estate. I think the third column should either be threads for updated site content beyond podcasts such as new product reviews, or most recent new threads forum-wide.

 

There's a disconnect between new content on ExtremeHW.net and the forums, and nobody's using the comments section of the product review articles. I think the comments section of the article should be a feed of a corresponding forum thread like how it's done on Tom's Hardware. That would also drive forum participation as well, although if nobody is commenting on the reviews now, I doubt there will be significant improvement in new forum activity originating from product review readers.

 

However, there would be a tangible benefit the other way around so forum members can directly comment on the product reviews and drive the activity in the product review articles. It would also increase forum activity because each review would generate a new forum thread.

 

I don't get the sense that forum members notice new product reviews on ExtremeHW.net currently. I know I've been conditioned to ignore the carousel banner at the top of the forums because it looks like ad space (which, technically, it is) and the text usually has very poor contrast with the photo, so I end up not paying attention to it altogether.

Very keen observation. I think you are right about that point. There is for sure no content generated on the forums by reviews. The color, font and size of the article text is generated by us, so it should be able to be tweaked. I agree that the high contrast red often clashes with the background images. 

Edited December 22, 2021 by Avacado

[UltraMega]

Just want to add:

 

Though I think the homepage needs a few minor tweaks, I think just about everything else is damn near perfect. The layout of the threads, the seller section, feedback system and solution system are all great. Beyond a few homepage tweaks I can't think of anything I'd like to see added or changed off the top of my head. 

 

I agree that the banner gets filtered out by my eyes since it looks a lot like banner ad, but also because it's not active. I figure when there are game reviews and other more interesting articles down the line they will get posted there.

[ENTERPRISE]

4 hours ago, UltraMega said:

I'd like to see more users and there's a few little things about the layout that I think could be changed to allow for easier browsing and thus better user retention.

 

As it is now with just 5 items from each main category showing by default on the homepage, it makes the site feel small. For the news section, no one ever comments on news that's not in the first 5 threads showing, perhaps because they don't want to bump something back to the top. 

 

Just thinking about the site from the perspective of someone who is new and not coming from OCN with some familiarity already, if I stumbled onto this site for the first time I would probably think it looks really small and move on. If there were more threads showing by default, it would definitely help that. Sure the reveal more option is there but since no one ever comments on news past the reveal more button, it become a limiting factor. 

 

I also still think the podcast section is awkward with it being weighted the same as the other two main categories. I can't think of any other tech site that has nearly as much emphasis on podcast right there on the homepage.

 

Definitely like this site a lot and the work you've put in really shows, however if I'm being completely honest I think the homepage layout is not fully ideal and marketing dollars may be less effective than they could be as a result. 

 

Perhaps it would be useful to conduct a survey to ask people about their thoughts on the overall quality of the site before you get too invested in the marketing. 

 

 

Thanks for all the comments thus far guys. 

 

@UltraMega Indeed. The podcast was weighted the same as at that point in time the Podcasts were flowing well, but due to peoples time constraints and life, these have all but stopped for now. So my goal is to change the Podcast block to something else, such as possibly showing a list of the latest product reviews. Will require some dev work but I know it can be done

 

As for the Latest posts and News blocks, by default I only had 5 showing, but I can change these settings to show more by default prior to having to hit the "Reveal More" button. I stuck with 5 initially to try and avoid additional scrolling...which is always hard with forum sites due to the nature of the index. 

 

I like the idea to integrate the review site more closely with the forums. I am aware that you can have comments come through from the review site to the forums or possibly in a two way relation (Comments on Wordpress come to the forums and comments on the forum back to Wordpress). That is doable. I would have to have a think as to how this can be best achieved.

[The Pook]

ban @Avacadoand it'd be the best Christmas ever 

 

surely getting more people to join should be priority number one? you can develop new/better features til you're blue in the face but if there's only a dozen people to use them then ... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

 

[pio]

Something not mentioned yet......

Recommendation guides!

On some *cough* other forums *cough cough*, there used to be AMD VRM guides, PSU guides, keyboard guides, audio guides, all SORTS of good content that would help people that were in the market to buy something tech related.  I think buyers guides with reviews of stuff would be fantastic.  I'd venture to say it'd probably be something useful if stickied in every sub forum.  I'd even be willing to offer to help as best I can, but sadly I don't get too much new stuff in these days anymore so I'm probably not the best of choice for it lol.  I'm usually moreso looking for used junk sales.

I usually just google that stuff anymore, but honestly I don't trust half the click bait pages that end up popping up.  Good, honest, tech interested people would make 1000x better buyers guides than what's available with simple web searches.

Edited December 23, 2021 by pioneerisloud

[ENTERPRISE]

7 hours ago, The Pook said:

ban @Avacadoand it'd be the best Christmas ever 

 

surely getting more people to join should be priority number one? you can develop new/better features til you're blue in the face but if there's only a dozen people to use them then ... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

 

Exactly. This is why I am focusing on marketing in the new year :). But wanted to see what other insights you guys may have as there is always room for improvement 

44 minutes ago, pioneerisloud said:

Something not mentioned yet......

Recommendation guides!

On some *cough* other forums *cough cough*, there used to be AMD VRM guides, PSU guides, keyboard guides, audio guides, all SORTS of good content that would help people that were in the market to buy something tech related.  I think buyers guides with reviews of stuff would be fantastic.  I'd venture to say it'd probably be something useful if stickied in every sub forum.  I'd even be willing to offer to help as best I can, but sadly I don't get too much new stuff in these days anymore so I'm probably not the best of choice for it lol.  I'm usually moreso looking for used junk sales.

I usually just google that stuff anymore, but honestly I don't trust half the click bait pages that end up popping up.  Good, honest, tech interested people would make 1000x better buyers guides than what's available with simple web searches.

100% . Guides by actual users/enthusiasts will always hold more weight. I would love to have more guides for sure and its something I want to work on. However I think some of this comes hand in hand with having more active users too. Lots of guides come from you joe blogs enthusiasts that have an area of specific interest/knowledge.

[UltraMega]

Yea definitely more users will help grow the site more than anything, I just think there are still a few small issues that can have a major impact on user retention that should be ironed out ASAP if the site is going too be advertised. Like for example the titles of threads still cut off pretty early, at least for me. I don't think it's going to be good for user retention if people have to open every other thread just to see what it's about. 

Edited December 23, 2021 by UltraMega

[pio]

1 hour ago, UltraMega said:

Yea definitely more users will help grow the site more than anything, I just think there are still a few small issues that can have a major impact on user retention that should be ironed out ASAP if the site is going too be advertised. Like for example the titles of threads still cut off pretty early, at least for me. I don't think it's going to be good for user retention if people have to open every other thread just to see what it's about. 

I just hover my mouse over them and it shows the full title, but yes they are a little short here too.

[ENTERPRISE]

1 hour ago, UltraMega said:

Yea definitely more users will help grow the site more than anything, I just think there are still a few small issues that can have a major impact on user retention that should be ironed out ASAP if the site is going too be advertised. Like for example the titles of threads still cut off pretty early, at least for me. I don't think it's going to be good for user retention if people have to open every other thread just to see what it's about. 

Thread title cut off, is this on the "Latest" blocks on the homepage or Thread titles in the forum index ? Mind taking a screenshot of the issue. Just so I better understand and see if anything can be done

[Avacado]

5 hours ago, pioneerisloud said:

Something not mentioned yet......

Recommendation guides!

On some *cough* other forums *cough cough*, there used to be AMD VRM guides, PSU guides, keyboard guides, audio guides, all SORTS of good content that would help people that were in the market to buy something tech related.  I think buyers guides with reviews of stuff would be fantastic.  I'd venture to say it'd probably be something useful if stickied in every sub forum.  I'd even be willing to offer to help as best I can, but sadly I don't get too much new stuff in these days anymore so I'm probably not the best of choice for it lol.  I'm usually moreso looking for used junk sales.

I usually just google that stuff anymore, but honestly I don't trust half the click bait pages that end up popping up.  Good, honest, tech interested people would make 1000x better buyers guides than what's available with simple web searches.

This is a good idea. Those people who made those guides have to be lured here to make them. Problem is they are driven by people asking for them and no one is here. Catch 22. Most of us here don't need guides. 

 

@ENTERPRISE Will make a $100 quid donation to the site if you ban @The Pook

Edited December 23, 2021 by Avacado

[ENTERPRISE]

1 hour ago, Avacado said:

This is a good idea. Those people who made those guides have to be lured here to make them. Problem is they are driven by people asking for them and no one is here. Catch 22. Most of us here don't need guides. 

 

@ENTERPRISE Will make a $100 quid donation to the site if you ban @The Pook

 

I hear that Mr Pook is hard to ban. With his gentle trolling here and there he gets away with it

[pio]

How about removing the starting date and last updated counters from the "latest" part of the page, and instead put them down a line when you highlight, under what's already there?  For example, this thread, if you hover your mouse over it would say:
 

Quote

View the topic What would you like to see from EHW in 2022

Started Yesterday at 00:42
Last Updated 1 hour ago

This would save almost half of the vertical space of each item in the latest items sections to the naked eye.  And those particular dates and times aren't exactly relevant since they're being shown in the "latest" sections in order of bump as is.

Just another idea, not sure if it'd be supported by everyone else or not.  It might end up feeling like "too much" when you highlight too, so not sure without actually seeing it in action anyway.

[ENTERPRISE]

44 minutes ago, pioneerisloud said:

How about removing the starting date and last updated counters from the "latest" part of the page, and instead put them down a line when you highlight, under what's already there?  For example, this thread, if you hover your mouse over it would say:
 

This would save almost half of the vertical space of each item in the latest items sections to the naked eye.  And those particular dates and times aren't exactly relevant since they're being shown in the "latest" sections in order of bump as is.

Just another idea, not sure if it'd be supported by everyone else or not.  It might end up feeling like "too much" when you highlight too, so not sure without actually seeing it in action anyway.

I had considered removing those elements before and it may be sensible to. What do others think ? 

 

To be clear we are considering doing away with the highlighted text in the below screenshot. 

 

[Avacado]

At least the "Started XY hours ago" part for sure.  I don't really care when a thread was created as much as I care when it was last updated or commented on. 

Edited December 23, 2021 by Avacado

[UltraMega]

6 hours ago, ENTERPRISE said:

 

I hear that Mr Pook is hard to ban. With his gentle trolling here and there he gets away with it

Gentle trolling.. dude is directly and seriously rude to me over the tiniest things. 

 

 

Anyway here is a pic from my phone. I'll take a pic from my computer later on. It's worse on mobile but an issue either way. 

 

 

[The Pook]

3 hours ago, Avacado said:

At least the "Started XY hours ago" part for sure.  I don't really care when a thread was created as much as I care when it was last updated or commented on. 

 

is that new? never noticed it before 

 

I think the "last updated at XX:XX" should still show on threads without replies too (just show the time/date of the OP). Otherwise it makes the latest posts/news/podcasts look janky since it makes the columns different heights. 

 

 

 

 

[cscoder4ever]

The Pook Trolls? I never noticed, he must be THAT good.

 

I think another thing I'd like to see is a more full blown linux section but that's just me.

[iamjanco]

bant for oops, this isn't the ban thread.

 

I'd like to see a section for technically inclined old people, one that only allows entry to those who are at least 65 years of age.

 

 

That way my peers could ask me things like who's that guy in the spoon, and why is he upside down?

/sarc

Note: also see 45 Older People Failing At Technology So Terribly It’s Hard Not To Laugh

Edited December 24, 2021 by iamjanco

[ENTERPRISE]

22 hours ago, UltraMega said:

Gentle trolling.. dude is directly and seriously rude to me over the tiniest things. 

 

 

Anyway here is a pic from my phone. I'll take a pic from my computer later on. It's worse on mobile but an issue either way. 

 

 

Thanks for the feedback. As for mobile views and text being truncated, that is difficult as the largest factor is the screen size. I avoid text wrapping as it increases the scrolling even more so. I will see if there are any other avenues but it is possible that what we have now so far as mobile, is as good as it gets. 

22 hours ago, The Pook said:

 

is that new? never noticed it before 

 

I think the "last updated at XX:XX" should still show on threads without replies too (just show the time/date of the OP). Otherwise it makes the latest posts/news/podcasts look janky since it makes the columns different heights. 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the feedback !

21 hours ago, cscoder4ever said:

The Pook Trolls? I never noticed, he must be THAT good.

 

I think another thing I'd like to see is a more full blown linux section but that's just me.

 

When the site grows, I have no issues in having a Windows and Linux section subforum 

 

On an unrelated note. I cleaned up the thread. Seems like I touched on a touchy subject without knowing, my bad. Lets keep it positive. 

 

Thanks all for all the invaluable feedback, it is all good food for thought.