DISQUS

AccMan TalkBack: New threads at AccountingWeb but several steps back

  • Martyn · 6 months ago
    Dennis,

    Used to go to AWeb a lot (thats how I found you!) - now I never bother - a waste of time for me. It isn't even in my feed reader any more

    The forums (fora?) are populated by die-hard ignorants (boring accountants I suppose), the news is 'old' and the comment is usually pretty lame - so there is nothing to pull me in.

    Shame, as I know one of the founding partners personally (he left ages ago) and I believe I'm user number 3 or 4 in their database.

    Martyn
  • Dennis Howlett · 6 months ago
    The problem with great ideas - and AW was certainly a gr8 idea in 97 is that they lose their relevance over time. The problem today is that AW has really put lipstick on a pig. The model hasn't evolved.
  • Martyn · 6 months ago
    Yes - I remember when Ben, Andrew and David started out - AW seemed really radical and cutting edge. I loved 'The Prudent Surfer'.

    Is it really 12 years?
  • Steve · 6 months ago
    Doug,
    I think that you need to check out Drupal again; it has changed massively since D6 came out and is light years ahead of D5 in terms of usability and flexibility. Yes, there is always a balance between flexibility and complexity, but D6 is great in terms of allowing the user (or developer) to determine how far to either side they want to go. It certainly is not tough or a nightmare, as long as you have a modicum of technology related skills. Absolutely no need to delve into any coding at all, unless you *really* want to create custom modules.

    It hasnt been voted as the best CMS for nothing
    http://drupal.org/Drupal-Wins-Best-Overall-2008...

    I do find your comments about the community slightly strange...perhaps not as engaging I would have liked, but certainly never hostile.
  • Dennis Howlett · 6 months ago
    Steve - I don't mind revisiting stuff and maybe that's something I should do. Even so - what put me off time and again was the default answer to almost any question was either: 'Go learn it' or 'Go find it for yourself.' When open source communities work they can be great but when they don't, they're horrible. Drupal is at that 'not good' end of the spectrum for me. I was fortunate to find a few helpful souls from other sources but even they admitted that v.5 was a pig and the community sucked. Memories like that don't fade so easily. And yes - I can write HTML/CSS/PHP/JS reasonably well.
  • David Terrar · 6 months ago
    I haven't had a proper chance to look around yet, but I agree that the new style is an improvement. I also agree that forcing registration to read the content is a MASSIVE step backwards. They do appar to be listening to feedback though, as I see this comment about anonymous comments being looked at:
    http://www.accountingweb.co.uk/topic/making-pos...

    I definitely agree with your sentiments over Drupal, although I'm going to revisit and get some other opinions following Martyn's feedback.
  • David Terrar · 6 months ago
    I was intrgued by your comment about their copyright policy. Like you I haven't found it yet, but one point in their terms and conditions I find very surprizing:

    "You may not create a link to this website from another website or document without AccountingWEB.co.uk's prior written consent."

    That's good for SEO and PR......!
  • Dennis Howlett · 6 months ago
    I didn't spot that - so I've breached their rules already? So much for conversation eh?
  • Emily Coltman · 6 months ago
    Oh, snozzcumbers!

    Are they doing that because they want to get us bloggers to post on their site and not on our own sites? I can't think of any other reason!

    M
  • Dennis Howlett · 6 months ago
    I can't see any independent blogger falling for that one. They want to create content as a driver for page views and ergo more metrics to feed the advertisers.
  • Duane Jackson · 6 months ago
    The thinking behind forcing registration is simple. They want more detailed data about who reads the site as having more info than just the number of eyes makes it more attractice to advertisers.

    I appreciate the logic behind that way of thinking, but I agree with you that it's a mistake.

    I suspect that within a few months it might revert back if the numbers of people that register aren't as high as they hoped.
  • David Terrar · 6 months ago
    I've just spotted another issue with the AccountinWEB revamp and the registration thing. If you look back at comments on old articles, the names of commenters appear to be lost unless they are/were signed in as a member. I happened to be looking at the opinion piece you and I wrote for them on SaaS 2 years ago... apart from me, the identities of all the other commenters (you, Alistair, couple of Davids) has been lost

    http://www.accountingweb.co.uk/item/165822

    It's all hampering the converstion in a big way.