Your Comments Needed - Revision to InspectionNews

[Brian Hannigan]

Thank you for the input and please keep the ideas coming.

Phase 1 has begun but there will be a lot of work before the site is launched. I'm hoping for 30 days until a soft/beta launch and hopefully it will become the main site not long after that.

The more ideas you send my way the better the site will be for you.

[Raymond Wand]

You last visited: Yesterday at 08:14 AM

Upper right corner.

In my view this item could be deleted in the revised site. Why would anyone want to know when the last visited?

Bottom left 'posting rules' could be taken out and put into control panel.

[Vern Heiler]

Help page with detailed instructions on things like: how to post pictures, how to quote only a small part of a post, how to reference a previous post with a link (that one got me), multiple quotes, how to make donation to IN , etc.

[Rick Swiman]

About the $10 fee.
Not speaking for Brian, but thinking like a web host

The website generates money from advertisers.
Advertisers look for web sites that:
Has a large membership base
High ranking (lots of post)
Targeted audience (HI, home repairs, home owners)

The membership numbers will most certainly drop if not free.
No home owners,
no one timers,
few part timers,
and just a few HIs
The number of post will drop with fewer members.
The target group would be HI only.

The web site will likely make less money from advertisers being a paid subscription than it does as an open to all membership.

The idea of a web site is to:
Get as many people to sign up as you can
Have those people return as often as you can
Have as many post as you can
So that advertisers will buy space.

Just my opinion.

This is so true!! And sometimes outsiders have some good things to say and can add to the information that we are all looking for.

[John Kogel]

For first time posters, a tab they can click to get:

a pic resizer utility they could download and use to post their pics.

A few posting instructions for people who read instructions.
"optimum pic size = 640 X 480"
"please display your location so we can help you better"
"if you are just here to sell something, your post will be deleted"

A glossary of inspection terms,
What's a purlin? What's a bracket? What do you call an electrical panel in a submarine?
What Canadian town has the best hockey team in the league?

[Ken Rowe]

I also like the idea of a $10/year fee so people can't hide behind aliases. However, you could also make a section of the site for confirmed members. These members would pay and be confirmed in order to access that portion of the site. This new, fee based section could be a mirror image of the original site with all the same sections. This would keep the site free for the majority of the users but those of us who want to keep the discussions on a professional level would be in the paid (members) area.

On other idea. Since there isn't much for moderation on the site I think if we choose to "ignore" a member our posts should not be visible to the ignored member as well as us not being able to see their posts.

[Rick Cantrell]

"I think if we choose to "ignore" a member our posts should not be visible to the ignored member as well as us not being able to see their posts."

That sounds like a good idea.

[Brian Hannigan]

Just an update for all of you.

The new site is coming along well and if I don't break it by adding in all the suggested features you will love it!

There is still a lot of work ahead but I am excited about the possibilities.

[Patrick McCaffery]

I think keeping the site free will keep members coming to it. There are too many fees for inspectors now, especially in this ecomomic enviroment. This site has always been informative and a great source of information. I think that it is up to the individuals posting to keep their answers professional.

Thank you Brian for providing such an informative site.

[Brian Hannigan]

I hope you are all as excited about this as I am.

So far all the testing is going very well (fingers crossed).

Many of the suggestions will come to life! I won't say which ones, that will be a secret... unless I start blabbing about it.

Have a great weekend!

[Brian Hannigan]

OK, back on topic.

[C.Johnson]

New Idea, I Think
How about the idea of uploading small videos? Keep it limited to the size and length of video, I have not seen this on any forums i have been to. I think it could be very valuable for a visual example of a defect to show or share with others, such as a gas furnace flame or the such. I think the information provided by a video could be invaluable for someone looking for info on an item. With cameras and phones taking such good quality videos now.
Just a thought...

[Marc M]

Brian...whats up with the little "S" under your join date etc....?

[Rick Hurst]

Skype

You can talk back and forth to someone while seeing them on your computer if you have a camera feature.

rick

[Garry Sorrells]

Brian,
In total the site is pretty good.
Please do not make changes that are just geeky or glitzy.
Microsoft keeps making changes for the sake of change. Programmers/designers justifying their jobs.

Maintain simplicity in what changes you make, please.

[Raymond Wand]

Brian

I didn't see this mentioned as being a pointless feature that seems to have no relevance? At bottom of listings of report software there is a Sub-Categories listing.

Home Inspection Report Software

http://www.inspectionnews.net/home-i...software2.html

Thank you.

[Raymond Wand]

Also another suggestion. In addition to the links at the top of each page how about putting the same links at the bottom of each page. When the thread has dozens of replies the page is very long and in order to get back to the links one must scroll all the way back to the top. Its a minor annoyance but, thought I would mention it anyway.

User CP FAQ Members List .. . .. New Posts Search Quick Links Log Out
Thank you.

[H.G. Watson, Sr.]

Dear Brian Hannigan,

A while back there was a thread which went on for a while and although I can't locate it at the moment, frequently similar contributions are made, and I think it would make a good topic area.

I believe one of the threads I'm remembering was called something like "finds of the week", Rick Hurst may have started it. Many return visits from the originator and others posting pictures. Might have been something about a DIYer striking again, or some such reference. Perhaps I'm remembering several such threads and mixing them all together. "Look Ma its fixed" I recall also a PA member, might have been Vern or John, posting DIY "art" discoveries, miss those too, its been a while.

Brought to mind by a recent post - pictures just to share of an inappropriate DV location by Bruce B.

Might call it something like
"Finds of the week",
"Just sharing"
"caught this"
"This is why we do what we do"
"Things that make you go Hmmmm"
"Headsmackers"
"Groaners of the Month"
"The picture speaks for itself"
"Lookie what I saw...(or saw me)"
"Worst of the week"
etc.

Maybe we could make it a contest with a voting poll at the end of each month for a nomination for the top each month to compete for a prize at the end of the year? Maybe the confences would sponsor - a coupon or something.

Perhaps you might come up with something more creative,"catchy", and marketable (click, click).

Anyway, thought it would make for a non-technical topic area/forum and then folks could add on or start a new topic thread, and it would be understood it was to share, not that there was a technical question, etc.

IIRC the threads I'm trying so hard to remember (haven't searched the right words yet to find them again) had high counts.

If the topic area is titled right I'd bet it would make good counts and hit the emails regularly.

Hope you're still monitoring this discussion thread, and that you'll consider adding such a section with a good catchy forum area title.

[Eric Shuman]

May be too late for posting suggestions but I have always thought that a section or library for sharing installation guides or other useful PDFS, etc might be helpful. Barring any copyright issues of course. I have found some great reference guides on this site.

[JB Thompson]

Not sure if it's too late or not, but I really like the feature of "no pages". I can scroll to the bottom without having to go to a certain page. Please don't remove that feature.