Kiss of life?

[JohnK]

I admit I have never felt any need to look at facebook mainly because I have never enjoyed wasting time trawling through dross before finding what I am looking for and that is how this forum used to be and when I first joined the forum I could quickly find what I was looking for and if not I was confident that if I asked a question then a quick friendly response would be forthcoming.

However I feel that the forum is no longer like that when a newcomer novice fellrunner first opens the forum they are confronted with a bewildering menu that to a novice with quetions to ask the menu offers no starting point just the oppurtunity to randomly click on threads that may offer some answers but more likely than not wil intimidate and confuse them.

As has been said the whole forum requires a shake up and made more welcoming with a much less busy opening menu, so that novice users can feel their way around without trawling through threads they find confusing or intimidating.

Another specialist subject forum I subscribe to achieves this by having a a two tier membership system i.e. a novice registers on the forum and then when they decide they like it then they apply for full membership whereby they are sent an online membership form on which they record their details and then when the form has been processed they are given full membership and a membership number (which is displayed on the thread with their forum name etc therefore if need be the forum administrators should know the true identity of the member even if they are using a pseudonym on the forum). and gain access to the members only section of the forum where there is an even greater centre of knowledge and experience + members discounts for goods from various suppliers of products of interest to the members.

Plus one on no politics or relgion, I really see no point in like buttons etc much nicer and more friendly if you like something to just say thanks.

On the subject of photographs I think a link to photographs would be preferable to cluttering threads up with pictures that may or may not be of interest.