Poll: Site features I LIKE ...

[rusty]

Ok ... here's your chance to tell us which features you like on the site.

This information will assist us in determining what to do with the site in the future.

Please choose all that apply.

Thanks,
Rusty

[Steve]

All right. From the top. I did vote too.

Discussion Forums - I like them. You might want to consolidate some of the forums. Your not getting many posts, so you could just have one section for repair instead of interior, exterior, etc.

Photo Gallery - Nice feature. Some pretty pictures. Still they are mostly from you.

Product Reviews - This seems like a good idea. I would think it's something people would find valuable. But once again, they are mostly from you so maybe I am wrong.

Events Calendar - Once again this is a strong feature. The challenge is to keep it current and relevant. It appears all the posts have come from you once again.

Classified ads - This seems like a good idea. I don't care much for the format of it. Like the forums, maybe there are just too many categories.

Tide predictor - It's handy. Xtide is fairly common and available in other places. Still, it's a good feature to round out your offerings. Is there a way to incorporate into the site more? So that it looked more like a part of the site?

Weather - I haven't looked much at this, but once again it seems like a natural offering. I'll play around with it and get back to you on that.

Web Links - This one is like the classified ads. Seems like a good feature, but too many categories and is confusing to navigate.

Rusty, all-in-all, I think most of your offerings are spot on. The challenge is getting people used to using this type of site. Most people, I think, go to websites looking for information. You have got to get them used to providing information. The value of the site is that everyone can participate.

- steve

[rusty]

Steve, thanks for the feedback!

I am often guilty of over-engineering. I designed the forums, classified, etc. as I thought they ought to be when I envisioned the site. In hindsight, I should have started with just a couple of sections and expanded as needed. That would have made the site a bit less daunting and it would have looked better to have 100 posts in a forum rather that 3 or 4 in 10 forums.

I'll spend some time next week consolidating and re-arranging things. Maybe that will help.

Your right about the overall nature of the site. I think people are used to going to a site to obtain information, not necessarily to provide it. The interactive aspect of this site may require a bit of a shift in mindset for many. Younger people are more used to this format, but probably don't yet own boats. And of course I would like to think that most people are out enjoying their boats and don't have time to surf this site.

Keep an eye on things and I'll see if I can make the right changes.

Thanks again,
Rusty

[Rob D]

I'll stick my first 2 cents worth in.
Discussion forums, thats why we came here, isn't it

Photos, Super feature and It will grow with more contributors in time.

Product reviews, It's interesting to get others opinions on a product, as long as they arn't promoting the product.

Events calander, YES! a NW calander thats easy to follow and keep up with. for someone who's 180 miles from the Sound this is important.

Classified adds. yes we want to reach the people who might be interested in somthing we have to sell or trade.


Tide predictor, we all plan our cruising around the tides don't we? Quite usefull for planning I would like to think

Weather, we will see on this one

Web links, I haven't checked this but they are usually helpful, I've noticed on other boards that the Businesses who advertise on the web links usually are most helpful when dealing with them.

I'll have to second Steve's motion. Rusty ya done good with this!

[rusty]

Rob D ... Thanks for the input!

The forums are the important part. Communication with other boaters. That's the goal.

The Photo Gallery is a kind of a nice feature. I like the ability to share boating experiences with others.

We want the Product Reviews to be a valuable component of the site. Boating is expensive and when it comes to selecting the right gizmo or doo-dad, it is nice to have some input about other people's experiences.

We have no intention of allowing the reviews section to become a shill for the manufacturers.

The calendar is a great feature. The challenge for me has been that I have to seek out the events. I would love to get to the point where people are posting THEIR events here.

The classifieds just need more ads. I suppose I shoud go and clean out the garage. :(

Tides and weather. Both are handy features. The weather comes from official government sources and like all weather info can be questionable. It's a new feature so we really don't have enough experience with it to tell just how worthwhile it really is.

The weblinks are contributed from a variety of sources.

It would be nice to get a few sponsors and advertisers. That's the next step. The challenge is to balanace the qulity of information for the boating community.

We just want the site be a happy place for boaters to talk with each other and share information and experiences.

Thanks again,
Rusty