Welcome to 2012!

[Caruso]

It's nice to see the maker specific forums back, but is it really 2006 that they were last split out???

[clockace]

i don't think so. there is another synchronar section with all of the up to date posts. up to 2011 i believe. if you hunt enough you may find them peter

[retroleds]

i don't think so. there is another synchronar section with all of the up to date posts. up to 2011 i believe. if you hunt enough you may find them peter

Actually, there should be Synchronar posts up through Jan.7, 2012....don't know where the few hundred posts are. And what is up with the Pulsar area - 66 posts? Come'on, Bruce probably made 2-3 times that many by himself. And the Omega GP area - why on earth would they be grouped together? They have nothing in common as far as construction, manufacturer,etc. It's odd, it's as if the posts beyond when I bought the forum from Tor Kinlock have disappeared.

[retroleds]

Doing a search against "bruce wegmann" I see Bruce posted on well over 2000 PUlsar related topics, which are now dumped into "Vintage LED watches". Lovely.

I understand why nobody has joined in 10 days.

[Phasar66]

I Agree, Pulsar should have its own section just like Synchronar.
Hamilton and Omega I will like for them to be on the same section.
And Bruce back has moderator just the way if was in the good old days

[bucko170]

Give the man a chance

He did state "Please be patient......I am working on it."

[SASM]

I am still working on it. But if you don´t use forums anyway to post such topics (would have been a perfect fit into "Problems and Proposals") so why do you deal with that issue? Anyway, as said I am working on it and I am implementing the categories. And please do me a favour and use either the seach function or look at "website and forum info" first before you start a discussion like that.

[retroleds]

Sorry Hanno, but it is the #1 most challenging and aggravating problem for the forum and explains why it is losing traction as far as members and activity. An effort should have been made to maintain the categories from the beginning. Some people don't want to post because they feel their posts have been lost or at least badly scattered. So what is their incentive to continue? I know it makes me feel very guilty on a certain level, that this place has came to this. All I can do from here is rattle your cage a little in hopes that this issue will be straightened out. I would prefer not to poke and prod you this way, it is a bit disgraceful to both of us.

I've looked into this issue quite a bit, since I had to recently convert over another, older forum (different genre) I own - unless you are going to hire someone who is a mastermind at SQL injection techniques, you will have to restart the forum with categories named the same as old ones, load in the OLD database and then move the posts since January 7, 2012 to their appropriate categories by hand - having a copy of the forum with your current database running on THAT. Then you could change the names of the categories to whatever you want *. Every passing day will make that job larger**. I have declined the idea of starting another forum using the old database I kept on file(mainly for your benefit, in case you "dropped it") - it would just draw me back in, and I really don't want that.

* The old categories made sense for native English speakers, some of the current ones do not.
** Conversely, every passing day is diminishing the value of what you have here.

You can always move this thread to the "Problems & proposals" category. Surprised one of the moderators hasn't already.

[SASM]

Sorry Hanno, but it is the #1 most challenging and aggravating problem for the forum and explains why it is losing traction as far as members and activity. An effort should have been made to maintain the categories from the beginning. Some people don't want to post because they feel their posts have been lost or at least badly scattered. So what is their incentive to continue? I know it makes me feel very guilty on a certain level, that this place has came to this. All I can do from here is rattle your cage a little in hopes that this issue will be straightened out. I would prefer not to poke and prod you this way, it is a bit disgraceful to both of us.

You aren´t happy I know but quite the opposite is the case: We have more new threads per day than ever, the quality is higher (almost everything is watch related) and we also gain quite a lot of new real members. They do not show up at the moment as I´ve changed the registration form manually. The forum is fast, save and I still like the clean appearance.

I do not have anything to hide: It´s true that it lost some ranking on google, but I prefer long term strategy over short term gains. And on the long run this forum will increase its size. Sometimes you have to make one step back to go two forwards and I still have the option to boost the ranking financially.

A few neutral members of this forum would like the categories back. You have seen that I am - probably more than others - open to changes, and I also ask other members for their opinion. I wanted to give it some time as most of the negative comments came from the change of the design and I wasn´t sure if that really has to do with categories. I mean, change any process at work and you will see that no matter if it´s good or bad the employees are usually against it at the beginning.

And please don´t tell me how to deal with SQL databases or php scripts. Did you think I just clicked on a button and changed this totally outdated forum software to the newest realease which makes the forum safer against attacks from outside and also protects members data in a much better way? If somebody is more silent that naturally does not mean the person is doing less [to the community].

[retroleds]

Hanno - the category complaints aren't just a opportunity for people(like me) to complain. We are truly disheartened that people cannot find information on those top ranking brands easily anymore. Some people spent hundreds of hours taking pictures, drawing diagrams, unloading copies of manual and such. THere seems to be very few of those hands-on, helpful threads recently.

As I pointed out before, if one examines the list of more recent members and their emails or website affiliations, it is obvious that about 1/2-2/3 are just spammers.

The old forum WAS outdated software, but understand, you have/had some major security holes too. More than one person has already ripped a complete copy of the forum, including the database. You are currently not protected completely against a higher level SQL injection attack. Even an old asshole like me was able to drive in. Mercifully, I have no malicious intent, I was just curious. At one point I ran continuous downloads from the site for 3 days straight at a brisk pace. I was surprised I wasn't stopped.

All the money in the world can't raise search engine ranking or member activity as much as genuine interest and functionality. I'll rest on the number of site's I've take to page one of search result, in this genre and others. Despite how crappy the sites may look.

Finally, I really do want what is best for this site, long-term...I think I owe that to the people who came here for my time and the people who continue to patronize my other sites currently. And that is where MY guilt comes in - I didn't need the money, I just needed a serious break. Hard to rest when the house is burning.

[SASM]

I will implement the categories again, so there´s no need for further discussion

it is obvious that about 1/2-2/3 are just spammers. .

Not anymore, because the registration has changed.

More than one person has already ripped a complete copy of the forum, including the database. You are currently not protected completely against a higher level SQL injection attack. Even an old asshole like me was able to drive in. Mercifully, I have no malicious intent, I was just curious.

Finally, I really do want what is best for this site, long-term...I think I owe that to the people who came here for my time and the people who continue to patronize my other sites currently. And that is where MY guilt comes in - I didn't need the money, I just needed a serious break.

Of course! See, if you would have given the forum away to another person to maintain it in the old way than this is OK. But you´ve sold it and I don´t think it´s your right to decide what will happen. I think it´s like selling a company but the seller still wants to be the CEO. If you have proposals, then post them in an objective form. Sometimes it takes a bit, but I take every proposal very serious. But if you affront someone, do you really think you can achieve anything?


PS: I will leave you the last word as always :)

[retroleds]

My complaints were not meant to be an affront to you (ok, a little...a softer approuch didn't seem to merit much attention,imo.) Efficient categories are extremely useful, probably more useful than any other feature a forum could have,even "Search". They are like the index of a book or magazine. And I am not the only one who has had this "critique" - primarily it has been some of the hard-core tinkerer's and historian types.. I would like to post useful things myself, but I fear the words will be lost in the mist. I'll bugger off for a few weeks - it's not like I get pleasure from this discourse. I know you have other things to do and these things take time. Guten Tag!

[clockace]

now if we just had a picture of a nice one in the header........peter

[retroleds]

Muchos gracias, Senor Hanno. I can now enter retirement much more gracefully with all my hombres here much more satisfied..