Suggestions for IPS forum changes

[sparc]

Now that support is dropped from the IPS forums, it would be nice to see more focus on company and product feedback.

Personally i think the Community forums should be discontinued in favor of the one's on IPS Beyond. And the General Chat area on IPS Beyond opened up to customers who have expired licenses.

Two benefits there, it gets more IPS employees active on IPS beyond and it might get IPS customers more interested in paying for support. Translates to more activity on IPS beyond.

Once the community forums are dropped, i'd love to see that category replaced with a full main forum page category for feedback: "IPS Company and Product Feedback". The forums inside that category would be what you already have.

Basically, the layout i'm proposing would be more like this:
_______________________________________

Invision Power Services, Inc.

Pre-Sales Questions (link)Support (link)Bug Tracker (link)Test Posting Messages

Company News and Updates

IPS Company and Product Feedback

IP.BoardIP.GalleryIP.BlogIP.ConvergeIP.Downloads

IPS Company Feedback

_______________________________________

[elj]

No thanks. That would pretty much kill the community that is here.

[wickedfpoop]

^ My thoughts exactly. Not everyone comes to these forums looking for mods or addons either. If anyone does, or opens tickets about it, or asks on the phone, I always direct them to IPS Beyond with the highest regards. Most anything a user is asking about that we can't handle, we direct over there anyway.

Now, that may sound contradictory to my first sentence, but that clears out the clutter and confusion. Your archtecture for the proposed forum looks good but when someone wants to find out specific company news, via forum, they'll want to go to an address that IS the company and has the company name.

[The Clash]

Horrible idea. The main purpose of these forums (I think) is to give an example of a live installation of IP.Board, IP.Gallery, and IP.Blog. If you're going to do that, then just restrict these forums to licensed users only, and eliminate IPSBeyond altogether.

[sparc]

That would pretty much kill the community that is here.

I guess i don't see how much of the community would be lost if everyone just started participating on IPS beyond general chat.

^ My thoughts exactly. Not everyone comes to these forums looking for mods or addons either. If anyone does, or opens tickets about it, or asks on the phone, I always direct them to IPS Beyond with the highest regards. Most anything a user is asking about that we can't handle, we direct over there anyway.

Now, that may sound contradictory to my first sentence, but that clears out the clutter and confusion. Your archtecture for the proposed forum looks good but when someone wants to find out specific company news, via forum, they'll want to go to an address that IS the company and has the company name.

who's coming to forums.invisionpower.com for mods or addons? who's suggesting that company news would migrate away from forums.invisionpower.com? definitely not me.

The main purpose of these forums (I think) is to give an example of a live installation of IP.Board, IP.Gallery, and IP.Blog. If you're going to do that, then just restrict these forums to licensed users only, and eliminate IPSBeyond altogether.

Yeah, i do see the point about the live installation, but it still would be an active live installation of the forum.

I'd personally love to see more expansion of the feedback on the IPS forums to move the products and company forward. It seems like the focus of half this forum is the off topic area, which definitely doesn't right to me.

anyways, maybe there's some happy medium that IPS can dream up.....
(IPS doesn't have to do anything if that's what they think is appropriate for their forums.)

[sandraa]

I agree and we need programs(hack) for ipb from experts

[The Clash]

Yeah, i do see the point about the live installation, but it still would be an active live installation of the forum.

The thing is, what about everyone without IPB licenses who wish to preview IPB - IPSBeyond would be a live installation, but only for those with active/expired licenses.

[Working4computers]

Isn't IP.Board a community based piece of software?

So what would be the point of removing the community from the software - that wouldn't prove what IP.Board can and does.

How about the suggestion of just strengthening feedback here on the Corporate Forums?

[elj]

I guess i don't see how much of the community would be lost if everyone just started participating on IPS beyond general chat.

You are assuming:
- That everyone has a license. There are many helpful and well-known users of this community that are not IPS license holders.
- That everyone actually wants to visit IPS Beyond, and doesn't prefer this community to the one there.

[Antony]

I visit IPSBeyond around once a month. I don't need support, modifications, themes, or anything else IPSBeyond offers. I don't usually offer support due to a lack of time (though I may consider doing so in the future).

Thus, the community forums here I find quite enjoyable, at least for a read. It is correct that many forum members here don't have a license, as I may not in a few months. I'll still visit and, very occasionally post on these forums.