LOU Website Update

[BlueEye]

Hi everyone,

I wanted to make a quick announcement about what has been going on “behind the scenes†at LOU for the last year with respect to the website’s core software. We found out last year that the forum software we use to power the LOU website (phpBB) is no longer going to be supporting the version that we use in the near future. After a lot of thought and research, we decided it would be in the best interest of the community to start making some updates to ensure that the software that runs LOU is safe and better positioned for the long term. Since then we have been working on the “new LOU†for over a year now!

My biggest concern (and maybe yours as well) is that I personally don’t like change. I believe in the idea of “LESS IS MORE†and simplicity. That is why we spent the last year working on trying to make the new site look and feel as close as possible to the current website. What you know and enjoy about LOU will not be changing. The only main “change†is that the updated LOU will be supported by much more current software, hopefully translating into a more user friendly experience. At this point I’ve lost track of how many hours I’ve spent each night working on this simple concept, but I do know that today we are closer than ever. I don’t have an exact timeline for the launch of the updated website software as I would rather “get it just right†rather than simply pushing it out there as fast as possible.

With this updated software, you will get to enjoy some new features. One that I am excited about is the option to integrate your LOU account with your Facebook and/or Twitter account. In other words, you can post your report on LOU and have it automatically go to both your Facebook and Twitter pages (PERFECT for Charter Captains and avid anglers who are into social media!). I’m also looking forward to the new and easier ways to post images. We are upgrading the classifieds section to allow for user reviews. Pro Members will also have the convenience of quickly seeing the latest posts from their “friends†on LOU right in the sidebar. Think it would be nice to have the option to subscribe via email to only the specific forums that you are most interested in? Or to have the option to run MULTIPLE polls from a single post (i.e., your own survey)? Both of these will be possible with the updated software! Pro members will also get access to our new lake cams in Wayne and Monroe counties.

The list goes on and on but like I said before, the key is to make the new website look and feel similar to the current website. I am not a big fan of change but I also don’t think letting the site’s software drift into a legacy state is smart either as it puts the community at an unnecessary risk of not functioning the way we want and expect it to.

I also want to assure you that all your usernames/passwords/topics/posts/private messages/etc. will be automatically converted over to the new system so your login information will be the exact same as now.

As always, thank you all for your support! Working on LOU never feels like “work†to me – I love it and will continue to strive to make the site even better now and hopefully for years to come. If you have any questions, please ask as I am more than happy to help.

Happy Holidays to you and your family!

Chad

[Get-A-Way]

Thanks for the update Chad. You are definately "the man" when it comes to this site. And thank you for the continued efforts you put in to make this forum the best around. The best of the holidays to you and your familt also.

[ray koziatek]

hmm speell check wood wrack my post...........thanx for you time ,send the bill to some one...............we all love Merry Christmas to you and yer wiffy and Uncle Jers too.

[panfisher]

Cool..... ! Can't wait 2 C the new deal. But, like many "new and improved" products, Don't blow it . There is a place for "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" thinking. Can't count the many really great things that all loved and then were changed or "improved". Many were changed for the worst and lost forever .... Schlitz beer, that taste of original Genesee beer products that was lost when Upper Falls came into being (the name change back did not bring back the taste....Cream Ale tastes nothing like it used to!)....Duncan Hines brownie mix that was changed in the '80's....Encore beer (also by Schlitz).... Coca-Cola.... I know we are not going to eat or drink LOU....But...just don't throw out the baby with the bath water ...keep the good stuff and build onto it!

[Yankee Troller]

[spoonfed-1]

Thanks for your time and dedication to the site Chad.

We all appreciate what you do.

LOU is by far the best site available.

Glen

[Gator]

Chad,

You do a fantastic job here! I'm sure that whatever changes you make will be well-considered and will only add to the LOU experience. I'll keep fingers crossed that launch day gremlins are few

Gator

[BlueEye]

Thanks guys for the kind words!

Panfisher - I couldn't agree more!! I've seen and experienced what you talked about too many times. Been working on the new site now for over a year to hopefully avoid that exact situation. We haven't changed the website in 7 years now (if it ain't broke don't fix it idea) and the only reason we decided to take these steps now is because our forum software version is no longer going to be supported/updated.

It's like owning a truck with 200,000 miles on it and then someone telling you that you can't make oil changes any more on it. While the truck isn't broken now, it is probably a good time to start looking at other options (i.e., maybe a new truck that looks and feels exactly like old truck?).

Cheers

Chad

[LongLine]

Chad - Thanx for all your efforts. It must be quite a task to maintain and keep everything up to date. Double thanx for keeping it in English so we can understand it.

Have a good holiday.

Tom B.

(LongLine)

[Shade]

Great Job as Always Chad....

Happy and Safe Holidays to you and yours.

Shade

[BlueEye]

Thanks again guys for kind words!

I'd like to get your thoughts/opinions on a PHOTOGALLERY option we have with the new software. Is this something you think you would use? Is it a waste of space and we should just post pictures to forum? Just want to try and wrap my head around what you think about this.

The idea would be to basically have two galleries (for simplicity) - A Fishing Gallery & A Hunting Gallery. Members could post pictures to these galleries with descriptions. Other members would be able to comment on pictures (similar to how forum would work). The main advantage of the gallery vs. forum is obviously the ability to see all the pictures at once.

Let me know!!

Thanks,

Chad

[troubles]

Hey Chad Merry Christmas,

I do appreciate the hard work you put in to this great site that lets us communicate,express opinions,buy,sell,brag,joke,and you know just enjoy it.

[randy111]

Merry Christmas Chad. Though we've never met I want to thank you for all your hard work. We all enjoy this website. Its the best run website I've.come across. I'm not sure I've ever seen a web administrator give a fishing report before. Have a great holiday and cheers to next year

[ Post made via Android ]

[LongLine]

Gallery is fine AS LONG AS you don't put my 15 Lb'r next to Gambler's 25 Lb'r. (just playing)

Tom B.

(LongLine)

How about a "Trophy Gallery" for 25 Lbs & up? or a "Take the Kids Fishing Gallery" ?

[Richard]

I just wanted to thank you for such a great site.

[panfisher]

A gallery could be awesome, especially when I can get my hands on some decent pic equipment.... ! Seriously, it might take this forum to another, higher level. What would be the downside....money or space or un-reversability ??

[BlueEye]

Greg, Randy, Tom, Richard - thanks for kind words and feedback

Panfisher, that's a great question and the reason I posted this idea for discussion before moving forward with it. You are correct in that a photogallery will cost more money for us in terms of space and the use of a CDN (Content Distribution Network) to ensure the images are served up FAST. IMHO I think the biggest risk here still comes back to that idea of SIMPLICITY. If we put out a gallery that is hard to use or confusing then we are just wasting everyone's time along with money and resources that could be better spent elsewhere.

HCI and other usability factors are ultimately what makes or breaks "great new features" as I am sure everyone on this board has seen over the years. Keeping it simple is the hard part, change in itself is the risk. You can mitigate the risk of change by keeping it simple and intuitive to the end user. Money/Space - Yes (but of no worry to you), un-reversability - No, we can always switch the gallery feature off and use current way of simply posting to images forum.

One of the nice things about the photogallery is that if you upload an image to it, then you can use that image any other time you want to post it in the forum easily and without having to re-upload the same image again. Another cool feature is the ability to add "notes" to posts to explain exactly what the photo is displaying - in other words you could draw a box around someone's face and label it with their name, or draw box around spoon and label the name of the spoon, or maybe point out certain parts of an engine, etc. It's easy to get caught up with all the "cool" features of new software, but my main focus still remains on keeping it simple

Cheers

Chad

[Iceman]

The KISS principle rules, Chad, you are spot on as usual!

[PennYan20]

An awesome job on this website,Chad! Keep up the great work! Merry Christmas to ya and your family! Steve..........................

[BlueEye]

Steve, Iceman - thank you both! Hope you both have a great holiday and happy new year

[panfisher]

Chad, how are the new web site developments going?