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tf changes

Thread title: tf changes
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03-21-2012, 11:36 PM
#11
Lucas is offline Lucas
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Artashes, I do personally understand you're a busy person, and even committed as you are (I've been a long time member of HostingDiscussion.com) it still shows TalkFreelance is been going sooo slow and to be honest it's going to be REALLY hard to get seriously active and skilled people working around here again, as it seems those type of people have mostly moved on to more serious things and people don't really share quality work anymore around these parts. At least not as much as I used to see around here, I mean there were so many talented designers working on so many projects, some beautiful ones, most new contributors seem to be here mostly for the quick buck and just to have somewhere to post.

Also, to be honest I haven't seen any serious changes during all these time since you purchased it, and I could say that maybe someone else with more time would of been better to TF (nothing personal), my point is, people want to see that there is something seriously going on, cause what is the point on busting your ass helping around when you don't have the feeling that things will prosper and you have active leaders trying to promote that quality, that future in the community. I know you post and stuff, but it ain't enough.

I just would really like to see this take off TF has always had so much potential, I mean, if it hadn't been for Rob (I think it was?) the past owner who left this to die for so long, this would probably be one of the biggest and more active freelancing community available.

On the other side, I really hope the upgrade is soon and things appear to move forward, I really will be checking out, I'd like these place to be somewhere to go to all your online developing needs.

And one last request, please, remove the footer which shows "who has been online today", tbh, who cares? The important thing is content, not how many people have been checking, it's just not nice anymore, maybe back in the day to show your site is kinda active, but to be honest at this point, it serves no purpose, in my opinion.

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03-22-2012, 03:51 AM
#12
Artashes is offline Artashes
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Hi Lucas,

Thank you so much for your post. I love reading member's opinions when they are constructive, honest and, more often than not, optimistic.

You've somehow managed to touch on a few subjects that I have thinking about a lot lately. The full-time involvement factor (mine, personally), the visual changes, the participation. I have had thoughts about either partnering up with an able person who can help lead the site forward, or even selling the site to someone else who can try to revive it. But every time I get there in my head, I realize that the potential success of TF does not depend on change in ownership, rather on change in attitude, as well as consistency with the overall strategy (the big picture).

You made an excellent point on that many folks, when they don't see the changes, move on to something else. I do agree on that. However, I'd like to think that I do have a plan regarding this issue (and I actually do have ideas), which we will put into action once we can show something new. But here is the question to you. I've mentioned earlier that some of the community changes and implementations can take place already. However, in order to execute on those, we need to upgrade the forum to the latest version. Following this chain of thought, upgrading the software means we'll have to run the forum in default or temporary basic theme until the one we are working on is ready. We have naturally been waiting for the new theme to be glued together and tested and releasing the whole package as one. However, running this forum in default vBulletin skin for a period of time might prove to be even more annoying to some. So, would you prefer that we just upgrade the forum already, before the new theme is available, in order for us to install a few things, or would you rather wait for the new release and have it after? The staff voted to wait, but if the community says they can handle the whatever look of the site for some time, then most likely we'll do it earlier. Unfortunately, I can't nor do I want to predict when the new theme is going to be done. As you've read in this thread and another one, we've hit some problems and delays in design/coding (this has always happened to me in any project I've worked on!) and I've been working this past week with my team and other candidates on creating an action list of things that need to be done and finished in order to push it forward.

Truth is, I knew that TF have been in really bad shape when I was passionately bidding and convincing the last owners to sell the site to me. But I was looking at the facts of time involvement required, the dedication it takes and the consistency it needs sticking to the game plan, that anyone else taking over the site might give up on it after a while, when they do not see the results. It means that the site would have most likely ended up left behind on all counts. I do have the time (after all, most work that needs done is contracted), the energy and the funds to put up a good fight and give this iconic community a chance to stand up again. I have a game plan that I'm sticking to and I can only hope it works for everyone's benefit. The traffic is definitely still there, which means the interest is still high enough (I know it is because this is still an excellent community compared to other freelance/webmaster forums out there). As we release major updates, we will start the marketing campaigns and we'll see where it takes us.

I'll throw another question out on the table that I've raised before. If anyone has great ideas on how to promote or stimulate the posting of good material in the marketplace, please do tell - I will back up any great ideas!

03-22-2012, 02:20 PM
#13
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Originally Posted by Artashes View Post
If you just look at the visual changes, you are right, we haven't upgraded the new theme yet. What you don't see is the work that has been taking place behind the scenes, most of which has to do with design and coding. The actual designing of the new look kicked off in 2011, not right after I purchased TF. I had a list of other priorities that had to be addressed after the transfer and they took months to accomplish. Additionally, as with any development process, unforeseen delays can (and in my case - always) occur.

And while we talk about forum successes, triadink, how is FreelanceFirst doing?
It has been 2 years, there are no excuses!

As far as freelancefirst i sold it on flippa long ago LOL so your plug has no meaning to me whatever your intentions. There is also a difference in a startup forum and a forum that already had a huge member base that you managed to lose.

I had offered my thoughts in the past so don't say I only give criticism...and criticism is given where it is deserved and should serve as motivation for you to do something other than point the finger at me for being disruptive.

You can make excuse after excuse but it would take 2 days max to port that theme into vbulletin, you have waited so long now that that design is out of style with design today. It is not only the design its the fact nothing here has changed since the day you purchased tf except change of ownership, mods, google ads placed for your benefit and the decline of members.

Now tell me there is no truth to what I am saying! You have been kicking rocks around for 2 years and when brought to attention you speak a big game and say things are going to happen then it all dies out again.

There is really no use in saying anything is there? you will just make more excuse or more promises that never materialize.

03-22-2012, 10:46 PM
#14
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Ok, after reading all this, I think its time to share something.

Everyone should seriously stop nit-picking on things that don't satisfy one self. Perhaps you are trying to form a spark of motivation to the owner (Artashes), but unknowingly not having any light on what he's been doing all this time.

Motivation is there, dedication is there, honesty, advice and helpfulness is also there. My question to you triadink, where's yours?

Anyone can nit-pick about the community being dead, but who's fault is that? Is it the owners fault? NO! Its ours.

"WE" the "MEMBERS", of this forum, are the one's that drive this community. Something, somewhere, along the lines over the past few years, drove people away. Which in fact when I think about it, when particular members of the 'community' decided to take over the forum and tried to seek contact of the owner at the time, and failed to do so, when word got out, thats when the community started to fade. People of this forum just lost the heart, people were not patient enough.

I was a member back then. Still am today. I have been patient. I have continued to post. Now i'll admit, for the past few months i've only really posted in the marketplace, but why is that.. the reason being I know that if I post anywhere else, no one else will step up. Perhaps i'll give it a try, and see what happens - but I get nothing out of it, I have to do it from what I have left in my heart for the community.

So people, please, before flowering your agression against someone who is actually 'trying' to make a difference, why don't you ask yourself this; What am I bringing to this community? Why haven't I contributed for all these years / months? Where is my heart?

Ask yourself those, then do what you need to do.

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03-23-2012, 12:58 AM
#15
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i have asked myself that creativejen, it is what it is brother to say its something else is just a lie and you are fooling yourself. You can tell your members you are doing this and doing that but nothing has materialized in 2 years so its all her say.

You are correct that this site is its members, but the owner has to offer something to us for us to continue to be the backbone of this community and it has not been done hence all the people leaving.

Im trying to stay on his ass to get him motivated and open his eyes to whats going on, and have offered constructive ideas in the past via pm. If he were devoted that design would take no more than 2 days to port into vbulletin, a 30 min upgrade to v4 and that pluging should be mind blowing to take 2 years to develop. As it stands right now web design changes and that 2 year old design is obsolete now.

I hope he proves me wrong but as it stands its been so long and there has been zero change here!

03-23-2012, 01:06 AM
#16
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Originally Posted by triadink View Post
If he were devoted that design would take no more than 2 days to port into vbulletin
Is that just a criticism or an offer? If you can get the skin done in 2 business days, or know of someone who will, by all means give Artashes a PM.

03-23-2012, 01:31 AM
#17
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In any case, this thread has served no positive purpose and I don't see any potential for this to change. If anyone has something helpful to say, such as a suggestion or even an offer to help us out, we are all ears. Simply coming on and saying how you feel things will never get better is not helpful for anyone and is not a subject we should dwell on.

To end this thread on a positive note I want to make it clear that things have been done and a lot more than a new design is being planned. As far as implemented things we have stopped a major shilling operation which had nearly reduced our webhosting section to nothing, implemented an anti-spam measure that has proven extremely effective at stopping automated spam and done other small modifications such as the paid post add-on. In a realm of planned action there is the skin, the blog, some marketplace ideas and more. The admins have reviewed sites and software to see if we want to invest in them for their functionality. I've also developed a hack that we strongly believe will drastically improve the quality of discussion here, it will be implemented once we upgrade. There is motion going on behind the curtain, the skin is taking a lot longer than we had hoped but do not think for a second that we are doomed to failure.

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