As you know, awhile back I stepped down from moderating the community. I wanted to focus more on being a fan and focus on adding features (or finishing them) on the site instead of babysitting. The experience has been eye opening.
Essentially, I feel reading has moderately become repetitive, argumentative and petty competitions of who penis is bigger. In other words, we are no longer unique as we once were and are no different than any forum I've read since the 90's. This disappoints me because it means I have failed. More specifically, I let software fail you.
Easy example is look all the extra junk tied to a post. Avatar, some useless Rank, Joined date, Applause, and a slew of buttons that no one gives two craps about and we can't forget the absolutely pointless and useless Signature garbage. All of this distracts us from the actual CONTENT of what is being said and focuses more on the WHO said it.
A great (debate that elsewhere) man once said "complaining about a problem without proposing a solution is called whining" and I firmly agree.
The solution is the software needs to be less site, and more people comments. This means, more words on display than all the other garbage.
Mini rant ...
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YetAnotherForum (our forum software) was projected to be mobile friendly end of 2013. We are not there and that's because YAF is down to one developer who's working his ass off to plug bugs and make the masses happy. I wanted to contribute a lot more to the project, but I have a completely different view of where the software should go than the lead developer. I would rather blow it up, barebones it and build it up through modular technologies. YAF has too large of a community for that to be a feasible solution.
It's overloaded with features we don't need and that don't foster discussion. We don't need to make posts so overbloated with colors, font sizes and all that other garbage. Basic stuff is all we need. Its too damn hard to read one person using large Green font and then someone else small purple font. It makes it more about the individual, not the words being said.
Don't get me wrong, YAF is an amazing piece of software that does an insane amount of things, brilliantly. I just feel our direction, for our community to grow to what I envision, a change is needed. YAF is great for a lot of things, but where I want us to go, we must change and adapt to the times.
I want PackerHome to be a place where you find the latest Packers news, rumors, what the hell ever.
I want PackerHome to be a place you can freely discuss said news (or Packers in general) [positive or negative] without worry of suspension for having an unpopular opinion.
I want PackersHome to be empowered by the community, for the community.
I want PackersHome to be where fans have a voice and that voice is heard.
A year ago (almost to the day) you were told change is coming. You cannot make a change for the sake of change, that always blows up in your face. You have to find the root of the problem and formulate a solution, then a plan and execute it.
The forum is going to be stripped down until I finish creating my own discussion board software or I find a better alternative.
The changes start now.
It is time.