Virtual Dr. seems more than a little sick: "Member Participation Issues"

BJ, I can tell you one of the things I've been hearing about Vdr that has really dropped your member levels down. The ads. The ads are very hard on Dialup users and are a pain in the rump. (This is not my opinion, only what I've been told by many people)

If you could tone down the advertisements so that the page loads are much faster, that would really help things. But, then again they are taking up so much of each of your forums. It really distracts from people asking and giving help.

I know the Politics behind the Ads. Vdr is here to make money in one way or the other. If no money was coming in, then this site would die immediately.

But, there are ways of getting the advertisements without killing peoples bandwith at the same time.


Just a couple of thoughts on this subject.

Hey Dodge old buddy, good to see you, yep im aware of the ad problem, there have been a few that have messed with my super fast cable internet & some of the members also. I have managed to get JM to get rid of them, but as you said this is a free site & we need them to stay in business. We will soon be upgrading to a new version Of V-Bulletin & hopefully the ads will not be as big a problem. BJ

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We will soon be upgrading to a new version Of V-Bulletin & hopefully the ads will not be as big a problem. BJ

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So I take it this is a definate then (the new version of V-Bulletin)?

What kind of timescale are we looking at?

Not pushing, just curious ;) :D

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Originally posted by hongman
So I take it this is a definate then (the new version of V-Bulletin)?

What kind of timescale are we looking at?

Not pushing, just curious ;) :D

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Looks like within the next two weeks. BJ

I have dialup and I am not having problems with the ads.

I would like to stress the importance of the synergy of attracting end-users, system builders, IT professionals, network administrators, System administrators and developers. Instead of maintaining the current level of membership, I fee that it could make a major contribution to growing the membership and providing more diversity of content and issue resolution.

VDR really needs more of a diversity of thread content. Right now, all of the threads listed seem to focus around spyware, virus or crashed systems. This is important but if you are going to attract more people and more posts, then it is mandatory that there be content diversity.

IMO, VDR is the best tech support site on the 'net. Onward and upward.

Cheers,

Linda:D :rolleyes: :D

I had a lot of trouble with the ads too on dial-up. I had to set my firewall to block a lot of them or it just took forever for the page to load. It was worth the wait, tho, because I personally knew the content here. But maybe a newbie wouldn't have the patience to wait? Many times I've abandonded interest in other sites that I'm unfamiliar with due to the long wait for the page to load.

I'm just going to toss these next observations in. I agree with Linda. But I also feel we need to draw the inexperienced users as new members as well. Keeps the board diversified, keeps things humming along. And there are a lot more novices out there than pros, so that will help significantly enhance the membership roster.

So I approached the site as a newbie might. This is what I found:

• Search engine hits. I did some googling, entering search terms a tech savvy and non-techie might use. "computer help message board", 5 pages of google hits, still no VDr. "tech support board" went through 5 pages of hits, still no VDr. "computer help forum" ranked VDr. at the middle of the second page. That really needs to be addressed. A quote from a recent web design class I took, from the chapter called ' Search Engine Strategies'. 'In most cases, the popularity of your Web site will be directly related to its position in the search engine listings...the vast majority of folks never follow the link to the second page of search results. Of the few who do, only a small percentage will bother to investigate any further beyond that second page.' I'd urge that close attention be paid to this issue. There are established techniques and strategies for getting one's web site at the top of the hit list for its particular subject matter. That would draw new members in droves. (As an example, take a look at Garden Web. Of the 3 searches I did above, their site ranked 1st hit in one search, 4th hit in another. GW is a good example of a site that has flourished in growth and has some immensely popular message boards catering to varying interests. From a technical standpoint, they don't utilize a particularly sophisticated board design. But by designing their site and using other tools available so that it consistently ranks among the top hits is a major new member draw. ) There's a lot of folks out there who have had a home PC for years and still don't know the finer points of utilizing a search engine to it's fullest. If we want to see the VDr. member roster continue to grow, then we need to make the search engines work for us so that VDr. can reach out to the novice seeking help, rather than except them to hunt for us, yes?

I also took a look at the Virtual Dr. home page, the 'entry portal' to the boards. I rarely come to VDr. via the home page, http://www.virtualdr.com. 99.9% of the time I have always gone straight to http://discussions.virtualdr.com/index.php?s=
Again, no offense intended, just some observations. What triggered this next one is the observation of lack of new members and the continual remarks by newbies that "every one is so friendly and helpful here!" Some of it comes across as expressed in surprise. So I started to wonder why one would be surprised at our friendly, helpful manner here? One conclusion is because we don't put it out there, right on the home page! So there's some critical items missing on the home page, and space could be utilized better.

• There's a lot going on at the home page and yet there's also a lot of empty space. There's 3 ways that I can see to enter the discussion boards. Two different routes are redundant in that they both lead here to the boards: the grey tabs under "Discussions Home" at the upper left, and then again the "VirtualDR Discussions by Topic" at the center of the screen. Under "VirtualDR Discussions by Topic" is a huge expanse of unused white space before the bottom of the page is reached.
• Also, nowhere on the Home Page is there a clearly defined "mission statement" of who we are and what we have to offer; no "Welcome" greeting (ouch!), and no Invitation to Enter. So from a newbie or computer novice's standpoint, it's almost intimidating. Let's say Jane Q. Public has a problem with Outlook Express. She finds the VDr home page. Jane Q sees tabs at the top of the home page with words like "IT, Development, Networking". Jane Q doesn't even know what some of that stuff means! She looks around the page for some kind of indicator that they'll help her fix her email here and that a hobby user like her is welcome. But she doesn't see one. Just all those big computer words. A summary of Jane Q.'s quick first impression: "This must be a website for really smart people who do stuff like Networking... What the heck is Networking, anyway?... Must be an exclusive kind of place, like a club, probably for people who's job is about computers...I can't really tell what they're about, it doesn't say anywhere here.... So many links, which one are you supposed to pick?...Shoot, I just need someone to help me with my email program...This looks way out of my league..I'm gonna feel stupid if I go in there." So in a matter of seconds Jane Q has come to the home page, glanced it over, chickens out and heads off for everyday user-friendly appearing pastures. No mission statment gives the impression that no mission statement is needed because what lies beyond is a "given", known to people who go there regularly. Like one giant tech savvy clique.

An alternative layout might be

• the greeting a prominent, brief, friendly greeting, top center of the screen, that also includes a brief description of what the site is about and maybe includes the oft seen VDr. motto. Example: 'Welcome To Virtual Dr! This is a friendly community dedicated to solving computer related problems. We have discussion boards that address a wide range of topics. We have members of all skill levels, from beginner to professional. We are just folks from all walks of life who volunteer our time and learn from each other. No problem is too big or too small, so come on in. 'Cause after all, we're just here to help".
• Next a cleary visible "Enter" button below the description.
• Then, below that, have the most active threads section.
• Below that, eliminate the "Topics by Index" section. Use that newly aquired space and the large empty space below it to have a similar index as http://discussions.virtualdr.com/index.php?s= Not identical, but enough to keep the theme flowing for familiarity. Same colors, same discussion board headings. In other words: break the index down. Hardware in a blue background bar. Then below it all the sub-threads to hardware listed as links. (Leave out posts, threads, last post and moderator, since it will be displayed on the next page.) Then continue on to Software done in a blue background bar. List the sub forums and link to them. In the interst of space, this might have to be split up on the home page. Half the forums on the left, half on the right, but it should fit in all that empty white space. And creates a visual continuity for the newbie.

Kind of like this:

Hardware Software
Sub forum(link) sub forum (link)
Sub forum (link) sub forum (link)

Security Windows
Sub forums (links) sub forums (links)

Well, I tried to split it up, but it didn't work. So picture in your mind that
Software above is off further to the right of Hardware . And the next grouping below, Security is on the left, Windows on the right. Hope that gets the idea across. ;)

Also, another effort we can make. Check the new member list every time we visit. Make a pointed effort to look at their post. Try to help if we can. If we can't, keep an eye on the post, and if more than say 12-24 hours has gone by with no reply, post a "Welcome" greeting, just to let them know they've been noticed, and a comment that hopefully someone will come along soon that can answer them.

I'm done musing ;)
I like frebo's idea, BTW, of emailing old members, telling them how much we miss 'em, ask them to drop back when they can. How flattering is that? And they probably don't realize that they're even missed and it always makes us feel good to know we're missed :)

Hey ya BJ. Good to see ya again. I do drop by and check in, I just dont have time to spend anywhere these days. I dont spend the time like I use to at other boards either.

The above hasn't affected me, but others have told me about it. I know of a few people that won't come back due to the ads.

I did notice alot of the ads are gone.

I hope things pick up.

I like KatMacs ideas. I think she is going in the right direction. Those tabs have got to go, and the homepage has to be a lot simpler and user friendly. Much less internetnews.com oriented. The homepage really is a waste.

As for the tabs, I use them as quick references at times, like practical networked at times. The news bit, at times I find quite interesting while others as they have posted, concider it a waste.


Excellent bunch of posts folks! Keep them coming.

Hi KatMac,

I agree with your comments. Several people from my user group went to http://www.virtualdr.com/, based on my recommendation of VDR but they were confused and turned off by the VDR homepage.

I know that VDR have to have ads to support VDR and I have no problem with that. But the homepage is a jumbled mess, where ads and VDR content are mixed together and it is for new visitors to think that a "Search" link is a search link for VDR. There is a search text box just below the "Discussions Home (VDR related) but this search box is for EarthWeb.

The other search text box is at the bottom of the page and it is for JupiterMedia. So if Kat's newbie was looking to see if this site had any help for Outlook Express users, there is no way that she could search the VDR website to find out.

Now let's talk about the whole homepage.

At the top we have "Sponsored Links".

Below that we have the VDR banner heading in the shape of an "L", which has been rotated 180 degrees. The shank part of the "L" includes the Discussions Home section. Below the Discussions Home section is the text box for Search Earthweb.

The VDR banner also covers two other columns of ads from internetnews.com and Intel - HP. Below the Internetnews.com listing is the Free Tech Newsletters and how to subscribe.

Then we have the VirtualDR high-tech help threads.... This section is divided into two sections, which are "The most recent threads" and "The most active threads". I think that it is important that this content be kept up to date, like every hour. If I do not have a problem, I go to the VDR homepage, to see if there are any threads in either of these sections that I need to check out.

When I have a problem, then I go to that particular conference. If I don't find anything listed, that seems even close, then I will do a search and if necessary create a new thread. I no longer have the time to check out all the new threads that have been created in my favorite conferences.

Having diversity and substantive content in these featured threads in "the most recent threads" and "the most active threads", is the way to keep old-time members coming back and to attract new members. Over the last 6 months or so (could be longer), the only threads being featured pertain to spyware, AV or OT, so I haven't been drilling down. I wonder how many other people have been affected in a similar way.

To the left of this content is the "Get Free Whitepapers at the HP Office Productivity Showcase."

Below that is the number of Registered users and Online users. This is important information and should be featured for all to see.
Below this is the VirtualDR Discussions by Topic. I think that this is an important area that needs to be kept, although as I have suggested before, the number of conferences need to be expanded.

One note the list of conferences in the "Discussions Home" does not correspond to the list of conferences in the "VirtualDR Discussions by Topic.

Maybe these links are not mapped to the same places in these two lists. There really needs to be one integrated list, not two that point to different webpages. I also noticed that there are additional conferences listed in "Discussions Home", which are not listed on the other list. Maybe these additional conferences need to be recognized as separate conferences. Maybe not, I don't know. What I can say is that there is some good old fashion organizational work, which needs to take place.

One of the things that I really like about VDR is that you have an excellent search engine. This should be on the homepage and the other two search text boxes should be at the bottom of the page. Likewise, the free tech newsletters should be at the bottom.

Based on VDR's homepage design, what VDR is attempting to do is to hook visitors to subscribe to tech newsletters before they have become acquainted with the VDR website and what it has to offer. This correlates to a fisherman putting a line in the water with no hook and no bait.

IMO, VDR is the best techsupport site on the web but VDR is not putting it best foot forward. If necessary, hire someone who understands how to design a homepage that is attractive, user friendly and intuitive.

If you make people work too hard to find out how to use VDR, then they will just go elsewhere.

In addition to the suggestions that Kat made, you might consider having a link on the homepage of success stories - comments from registered VDR users, listing their names and city.

Just some thoughts.

Cheers,

Linda

;) :rolleyes: ;)

We are discussing ways to revamp the homepage as we speak in our private mod forum. :D BJ

If any of you web design guru's would like to have a go at designing a Home Page for VDr, all ideas would be gratefully received. You can PM or email me, and I will pass them on.

The final decision on will rest with Jupitermedia, of course.

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Originally posted by Train
As for the tabs, I use them as quick references at times, like practical networked at times. The news bit, at times I find quite interesting while others as they have posted, concider it a waste.


Excellent bunch of posts folks! Keep them coming.

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I myself like to read some of the internetnews.com articles when I have some spare time. And for the experienced user, it could be nice. But we are looking for ways to attract new (and newbie) users, and the internetnews.com is not the way, nor are the tabs.

SuperSparks,

Is everything on the homepage up for review or are there some ad placements that cannot be moved? Anyone attempting to do a redesign needs to know whether or not everything is up for review?

One other comment pertaining to search engines. On VDR's succeeding pages there is this ad:


Internet News
Viruses Gearing up For The Smart Set
It's Degrading: VoIP Firms Urge More FCC Action
Bloggers Can't Shield Sources
Yahoo's Little Ad Gap
Spamhaus Lauds Spam Fighters



Search VirtualDr:

This is not a search of the VDR website, because some of my members have tried it and have been frustrated. When I brought this up in another feedback thread, I was told that the only search of the VDR website is in the list of buttons below this ad. The horizontal list of buttons are:

user cp
register
clendar
members
f.a.q.
search
home

The tech support software is excellent and the tech support site is excellent. Unfortunately, VDR has been conflicting pieces of information on this website, which need to be corrected.

Linda

Good question Linda, let me find out and I'll get back to you on that.