Changes to Reef Graffiti

[Josh]

As many people already know, we have made some changes to the Reef Graffiti system.

Most notably, RG is no longer on the main homepage.

The reason behind this change relates to the general consensus that RG was detracting from the core focus of the site. Also, many members felt that having these sorts of discussions on the homepage did not give our community the proper positioning needed now that we are the largest reef community in the tri-state area.

Reef Graffiti is not gone. It now has its own dedicated page, which actually makes it easier for those of us that like to leave it open while we "work".

Reef Graffiti

On a side note, the posting delays have been cut in half, messages should show up in RG twice as fast as they used to.

We hope that this allows the site to grow even further. The RG addicts have their own area and people that are here for our growing reef content can focus on the topics that they are interested in.

We have many exciting changes planned for the site over the next few months, stay tuned.

-Josh

 

[TimberTDI]

Josh,

Can we get a an RG link in the header tab, maybe next to User CP? This way we don't have to keep going back to the homepage to get to the RG.

Thanks,
Steven

 

[bad coffee]

Also, we can post url links in RG now and it doesn't mess up the format.

B

 

[Josh]

I don't see why not.

 

[Craig]

Will Pager Messages be enabled?

 

[leoskee]

I have to say, Ive been on MR for the last year and one of the things that has made the site interesting to me is the RG. It makes the site feel alive due to the down to earth nature of the posts on RG. It allows the site to distinguish itself from other places.

I haven't posted much on RG but I have to say that taking it off of the home page is the same as pulling the heart out of the site. It is stated above that it was a consensus that RG was a distraction to the site's mission. Well, who are the people that made this decision? I have not seen a post on this and if I missed it I appologize.

If the intent is on making the site "friendlier" with the idea of making money with the masses then I think someone needs to take a closer look at what they have created. Responsibility for ones actions is a pain in the a$$.

This is a community! There is no way that you can keep a community in place worrying about what others think!

This is just my opinion.

 

[Tonyscoots84]

I have to say, Ive been on MR for the last year and one of the things that has made the site interesting to me is the RG. It makes the site feel alive due to the down to earth nature of the posts on RG. It allows the site to distinguish itself from other places.

I haven't posted much on RG but I have to say that taking it off of the home page is the same as pulling the heart out of the site. It is stated above that it was a consensus that RG was a distraction to the site's mission. Well, who are the people that made this decision? I have not seen a post on this and if I missed it I appologize.

If the intent is on making the site "friendlier" with the idea of making money with the masses then I think someone needs to take a closer look at what they have created. Responsibility for ones actions is a pain in the a$$.

This is a community! There is no way that you can keep a community in place worrying about what others think!

This is just my opinion.

now stand up and take a bow

:hug:

 

[nanoreefer22]

I have to say, Ive been on MR for the last year and one of the things that has made the site interesting to me is the RG. It makes the site feel alive due to the down to earth nature of the posts on RG. It allows the site to distinguish itself from other places.

I haven't posted much on RG but I have to say that taking it off of the home page is the same as pulling the heart out of the site. It is stated above that it was a consensus that RG was a distraction to the site's mission. Well, who are the people that made this decision? I have not seen a post on this and if I missed it I appologize.

If the intent is on making the site "friendlier" with the idea of making money with the masses then I think someone needs to take a closer look at what they have created. Responsibility for ones actions is a pain in the a$$.

This is a community! There is no way that you can keep a community in place worrying about what others think!

This is just my opinion.

Very well said .

EDIT: Except for the money part, I kind of read past that.

 

[jhale]

Will Pager Messages be enabled?

yes they are being worked on.

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

Josh the upgrades have been great thanks I was wondering about a couple of hings tho.
1. Is there any way to make the location field in your profile
2. There are times when I click on pics in the random reefs window and it advises me I am not allowed to view them because my account is limited or I need to log out and log back in. Is this common from other members as well?


Thanks for everything again. RG looks nice!

 

[leoskee]

TY Nanoreefer22

 

[jhale]

Yes change is tough. But better things are to come.

Having RG one click away is not as tragic as your making it out to be.

Rg outgrew what it was intended as and it was time to make a change.

As for making money from the site I think that's pretty
presumptuous to say. If the site makes even a little bit of profit that
would not begin to cover the expense and hard work it has taken to get to
this point.
Instead of complaining why not give it chance and see how it works.

 

[SlamaJama]

complaining is fun..

 

[Josh]

While I agree with you almost entirely, I want to make a few things clear.

It is not realistic for a site this large to have an automatically updating chat room on the homepage. From a resource perspective, that is about 90% of the load on the server.

Also, there is no way to keep people from engaging in fairly ridiculous conversation and have it broadcast to everyone who browses the site. In the past, we have seen some graphic conversations, derogatory terms, and even a few fights in RG. We don't have people just sitting there watching the conversation 24/7. Something gets out of hand and it is sitting there for anyone who visits to see.

RG makes new visitors uncomfortable. It makes the site extremely localized and clique-ish. While that is extremely important for building community, at a certain point in time it starts to hurt the chances of this group being taken seriously as an educated group of hobbyists.

If there was any sort of financial consideration in our thoughts to move RG, it would never have been done. This is not a moneymaking site, everything is circular and goes right back to services. If we wanted to make money we would charge a fee to use RG and make a killing off the addicts. Everything here is entirely free and all we do is the occasional nudge to donate. This past year we did some extensive upgrades to the server and software which are now reaching completion.

RG is one of my favorite parts of the site. It adds more to the community than is possible elsewhere, so the decision to move it was a very long process and was done in preparation for several new developments we are working on. This decision was not taken lightly.

We received the same sort of comments when the Nudibar was split out from the general discussion and moved to its own part of the site. That area has flourished since then.

So in total, it is my personal feeling that this community is not just about a chat room. We can certainly grow the RG system more effectively if has its own home, and we can better represent the entire group by developing interesting content that has a permanent place in the forums and articles on this site.

-Josh

 

[nanoreefer22]

If we wanted to make money we would charge a fee to use RG and make a killing off the addicts.

:lol2: Too true.

 

[clamcrazy]

i like it more on the homepage myself. just my one cent

 

[masterswimmer]

Josh, it was very convenient and nice to have RG on the home page. However, our MR community has grown in such leaps and bounds that some of the conversations most definitely should have been held privately. It became an impossible feat to monitor and moving it to a more remote location is absolutely appropriate.

I'll miss it on the home page, but applaud the mods decision.

swimmer

PS - Having a link at the top of each page is a great idea

 

[Dace]

Josh,

Can we get a an RG link in the header tab, maybe next to User CP? This way we don't have to keep going back to the homepage to get to the RG.

Thanks,
Steven

i think this will be the best way to meet everyone's concerns in the middle. It won't be on the home page, but it will always be just one Click (for the crackers) away

 

[Josh]

The link to RG will be on the top of the page soon, and we will also have a version of the page for the RG addicts that looks just like the old front page. It will be exactly the same only you will have to bookmark it or click to get to it.

 

[prattreef]

This sounds like the perfect compromise. RD