Link to this forum is buried, why???

[mucknort]

I don't understand why a direct button link to this forum does not exist at the top of the newly designed main page, as there was previously. Seems ACA would want to make it prominent to internet users there is a discussion forum, instead of "hiding" the link down at the bottom of the page.

[jimbo]

I agree 100%. The web designer did a great job making the Forum link difficult to find.

[DU]

I agree also, thanks for bringing it up. I noticed that the Forums were hard to find initially and that there seemed to be less activity but hadn't put the two together.  I hope something is done to repair this and hopefully bring the forums back to the level they once were.

[indyfabz]

The "Forum" link used to have its own button. Wish it still did to get more traffic.

Maybe things appear differently on your machine, but on mine the "Forum" button is still its own. Scroll to tbe bottom of the home page. Under the heading "Resources" there is a direct link for "Forum."

[indyfabz]

Hundreds of buttons? Try 32 or so. You don't have to click on the vague heading of Resources if you are industrious enough to spend a few seconds scrolling through the entire page. I am one of the least e-savy people I know and I managed to find the fourm with ease when the web site was redesigned.

[MidSouth]

I only had to find the forum link once.  Saved to my favorites.  Have a folder with links to all my favorite forums in one place.

[jimbo]

My first reaction after the web change was that the Forum must not be all that important to ACA. Of course it can be found, but it is somewhat buried and 1 of 32 links. I used to visit the Forum as often as CGOAB ( 3xweek). But after the new entries seemed to drop off there was not much " news" for frequent checking.
 I was surprised and disappointed to come back after a month or longer and see the lack of participation. Maybe the Board and staff have decided it is not a critical feature of the org. I think the attention newbies get when they post questions here is worth a lot, and  I vote for putting the Forum in the headliner on the web site.

[Pat Lamb]

My overall reaction to the new site is that some new "graphics design" graduate got to play around and they took it live, but AC is not the only site that does stupid stuff like that.  I was able to bookmark the forum link, and that's how I find Adventure Cycling now; I can click on the link at the top of the forum page if I want to find anything else.

Having said that, it seems like the forum response time has increased quite a bit in the last month.  That'll turn me off faster than anything else.  It needs to be something quick, like a second or two to display the page.  Straight html / text for speed.  If I have to watch the spinner for 3-5 seconds every time I click a link, I'll lost interest pretty quickly.  (Geezer alert! That was always the advantage newsgroups had over web-based forums; you could download lots of headers or messages, skim through them and respond quickly.)

[Timberhack]

I agree. It should be in a prominent, obvious location.

On another note, I was already signed in and I went to respond to this thread and I was required to re-sign in before I posted. Not a big deal but another irritation that puts a question mark over my head as to why?

[jsieber]

I agree. It should be in a prominent, obvious location.

On another note, I was already signed in and I went to respond to this thread and I was required to re-sign in before I posted. Not a big deal but another irritation that puts a question mark over my head as to why?

The validation you mentioned is only required until your post count passes a certain threshold. This helps slow the 1000's of daily attempts to post spam messages to the forum.

[indyfabz]

If you are an A/C staffer, indyfabz, your response comes across as arrogant/unappreciative to feedback.

Well I am not. I am merely a person who did not find it the least bit difficult to find the forum after the re-design and who expressed that opinion. Your comment is dimissive of the voicing of differing opinions.  Perhaps you are upset with me for pointing out that your original assertions that "the new main page has 'Forum' buried under a vague link button called 'Resources'" and that the Forum link no longer has its own button are not correct.

[johnsondasw]

I have to agree with Indyfabz here.  It's not that hard to find the forums, and I have them on my favorites so they open right up there.  Maybe it's not designed as well as could be, but modern technology seems to often not comply with my "best wishes/case" scenario. Some of the previous posts seem to come from an anger a little out of proportion to the level of the problem, almost like the ACA folks are purposely trying to frustrate us users.  I don't think there is any such malicious intent.  I have met many of the staffers on a ride and in the office and appreciate their work, friendliness and commitment to the advancement of bike travel.  So, fix this little problem, keep up the good work, and move on.

Disclosure:  I do not work for ACA, nor do I have any relatives who do.  I do, however, often ride in an ACA jersey, which I like for its visibility, durability, and fit. I bought it at the ACA office in Missoula on the end of Ride Montana in 2009, where I was invited in and given a nice tour of the facilities and met some of the staff there.  I guess I therefore do consider them to be friends, although I'm sure none of them remember me!

[jsieber]

I have to agree with Indyfabz here.  It's not that hard to find the forums, and I have them on my favorites so they open right up there.  Maybe it's not designed as well as could be, but modern technology seems to often not comply with my "best wishes/case" scenario. Some of the previous posts seem to come from an anger a little out of proportion to the level of the problem, almost like the ACA folks are purposely trying to frustrate us users.  I don't think there is any such malicious intent.  I have met many of the staffers on a ride and in the office and appreciate their work, friendliness and commitment to the advancement of bike travel.  So, fix this little problem, keep up the good work, and move on.

Disclosure:  I do not work for ACA, nor do I have any relatives who do.  I do, however, often ride in an ACA jersey, which I like for its visibility, durability, and fit. I bought it at the ACA office in Missoula on the end of Ride Montana in 2009, where I was invited in and given a nice tour of the facilities and met some of the staff there.  I guess I therefore do consider them to be friends, although I'm sure none of them remember me!

Thanks johnsondasw. We definitely are not trying to frustrate users or lower the traffic in the forums. We do many different things at Adventure Cycling Association and each of those items has to be considered when deciding what is placed on the homepage. The forums are one of our resources and that is why the link to it is located in that section of the site navigation. We do promote the forums in many other ways as well.

Overall, traffic on the forums has been pretty consistent over the last few years. Page views are actually at an all time high. The drop in new threads and posts occurred two to three years ago when other forms of social media really took off. There is plenty of competition these days between personal blogs, facebook, twitter, tumblr, instagram, etc... There is a wealth of information contained in these forums and often people can find what they need by searching instead of starting a new thread.

The big thing that makes a forum successful is the community that participates in it, so I would like to thank everyone for participating in this forum and for helping to share information about bicycle travel.