Forum categories

[Passages]

Let me say that I have been an active member of the forum going on 4 years now. Most of these questions were sorted out when we transitioned from EZ Board to our current format.

My personal view is to not fix what is not broken. The forum works in it current form. Perhaps a sticky note should be posted reminding members of posting etiquette. I think that alone would resolve many of the concerns mentioned above.

 

[newinlet]

I have been a member and a hatt owner for four years. I log on this site at least once a day. I find the information on this site and @ sams Marine VERY helpfull. I have at times started a thread or made comments. I have no problem with a non related hatt topic. And I feel this site should go in any direction that Sams Marine or its senior administrators see fit.
That being said, when a member of this site makes several threads in a short period of time and half of the posts are negative comments and the other half are threads apologizing for making negative comments than Maybe the only change that needs to be made is that members attitude'

Newinlet

 

[tomrealest]

I like the new set up. I want to see Hatteras or boating issues. Some of our members like to "visit" or "socialize" with each other. This gives both groups the opporpunity to do this. I checked both sections today and probably will most of the time. When time is an issue, I'll go to the Hatteras technical side.

 

[Freebird]

While I truly didn't think there was anything wrong with the previous format, I like the new one better as well. I just never understood what all the fuss was about especially when cruising threads became the source or irritation for some members. That left the nagging question, why do these guys own a boat?

I realize that some members got a little miffed with me when I came onboard. I posted as if I were sitting around at the marina with a bunch of Hatteras owners who just enjoyed talking about their boats and all the things associated with boaters. Truth is, I didn't know that was improper until I had it pointed out to me. I tried to conform, but I'm just not an all nuts and bolts kind of guy.

The guy who responded before you was obviously one of the miffed members. I was taught to apologize to folks who got upset even if I didn't feel like I had done anything to be sorry for. It's called keeping the peace. I just come from a part of the country where folks are more civil to each other. We pull guys in who have engine problems, we share gas or diesel when they run out, and we'll loan beers to thirsty people. We know our time will come to be on the receiving end of such things as that.

Thanks again Doug for the new playground. Looks like we now can all have our cake and eat it too.

 

[julesallyn]

as much as i dont feel strongly about split the main forum, i feel VERY strongly against stopping non owners from posting (whether starting or replying to threads).

doens't make any sense, no benefits... this is one lousy idea for many reaons but the biggest one simply because dozens of "owners to be" have asked questions here and got great advice from owners helping them in making the right decisions... myself included.

as to splitting forums, looking at some of the recent threads, maybe it's not a bad idea as long as we keep it hatteras related... ex the following recent threads coudl have be posted in that new forum :
-detox
-erie canal
-hatt's off
-best looking
-sinking
-cummins
-stolen boat
although i dont think it shoudl become an anything goes forum... but it woudl unclutter the true hatteras forum.

I realize I am a little late replying to this, but here goes. I am the guilty party that posted "stolen boat" to alert all of you East Coast/Florida members to be on the lookout and possibly help a fellow boater locate his boat (it was found in Brunswick, GA). This is such a great group of folks, and it honestly never crossed my mind that the post was inappropriate for this forum. I apologize if the post violated the forum rules.

That being said, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who are so willing to share your knowledge and experience. I found this site when we began shopping in 2003 (purchased Slow Lane in 2004) and it has been an invaluable source of information. Due to Tim's busy schedule, he is unable to regularly visit the forum, so I print threads for him that pertain to our issues and interests. I have little to contribute (I guess I'm a lurker? ewwww!) but have gained so much from this forum.

And I guess now I'm a hijacker, too! As a non-contributor, I haven't earned the right to voice an opinion on the format, but apparently the new non-tech area is good for people like me.

Thanks to all and hope to meet you someday.

Julie

 

[Pascal]

julie

no need to appologize, there was nothign wrong with that thread... they now have a place where they really belong.

lurker, non contributor... where are these labels coming from any registered user who enjoys reading posts here is welcome...

 

[julesallyn]

Pascal,

The labels are self-imposed - just poking fun at myself.

Thanks for your kind words.

Julie

 

[Hows Hatt]

Randybird, ole buddy, I'm sure there are many things you're good at, but I'm pretty certain keepin' the peace ain't one of 'em! Howard in west Michigan

 

[SCALAWAG]

I liked the forum before and I still like it now. Thanks Sams.. I buy from Sams Marine because of the way they have always treated me. Very understanding and always courteous. We should all conduct ourselves like Sams.

 

[sherrylynne]

And I guess now I'm a hijacker, too! As a non-contributor, I haven't earned the right to voice an opinion on the format, but apparently the new non-tech area is good for people like me.

Thanks to all and hope to meet you someday.

Julie

Welcome aboard Julie (and Tim), just jump in on a thread at the "Sandbar" and have some fun, everyone is welcome, even hijackers! Ask all the questions you want, these guys enjoy sharing. Opinions, oh we never see those at the "Sandbar", come share a few of yours, no doubt you'll see plenty of responses and you might even have a few laughs along the way.

 

[fissioneng]

Wow! A huge amount of discussion on this. My two cents as a new user and new Hatt owner:

1. The forum is absolutely an invaluable resource of information
2. I do not think the search function is robust enough. I have had battery problems recently and the search engine won't let me search for things like 8D or Group 31. Even when it does return results with other terms, there are far too many irrelevant hits.
3. Many of the frequent users are here multiple times a day, and I can understand why they like the forum the way it is because they have the pulse of it in their head. For the newbie or infrequent user, I don't think it works as well. That seems to be the root of the debate; frequent vs infrequent user. Who is the forum for?
4. I think we need to at least try to post more things to the FAQ section. I would have loved to see a "Everything about Batteries" section instead of sifting through hundreds of posts when entering the search term "batteries." There are 2 threads I found that could go there now.

Just some suggestions to help others following my path.

 

[34Hatt]

Wow! A huge amount of discussion on this. My two cents as a new user and new Hatt owner:

1. The forum is absolutely an invaluable resource of information
2. I do not think the search function is robust enough. I have had battery problems recently and the search engine won't let me search for things like 8D or Group 31. Even when it does return results with other terms, there are far too many irrelevant hits.
3. Many of the frequent users are here multiple times a day, and I can understand why they like the forum the way it is because they have the pulse of it in their head. For the newbie or infrequent user, I don't think it works as well. That seems to be the root of the debate; frequent vs infrequent user. Who is the forum for?
4. I think we need to at least try to post more things to the FAQ section. I would have loved to see a "Everything about Batteries" section instead of sifting through hundreds of posts when entering the search term "batteries." There are 2 threads I found that could go there now.

Just some suggestions to help others following my path.

I think you have a GOOD point here. Batteries and fiberglass fuel tanks are two of a few things that come up a lot. Maybe more of these should be moved there. It has two thread on a 53 frig but nothing on batteries and Inverters which come up a least twice a year.
I guess this means a moderator needs to do this so we wait to hear their views.

 

[Pascal]

the FAQ section is more for things like procedures... it's hard to explain... but for instance batteries are often a matter of personal preferences or opinion there isn't a right and a wrong answer. some prefer to stick to 8Ds, others prefer golf cart even for starting. both work.

the search works pretty well but most search engines do not allow using too short word or single characters, for obvious reasons. 8D is hard to search.

one work around is to use google with site:

ex : 8D site:http://www.samsmarine.com

this will return all post on the forums about 8D

i dont' know if doug can tweak the forum search engine to allow shorter keywords, I am guessing there will be server load issues if someone search for a common short keyword...

Threads are moved to the FAA section when we notice some good ones, not always easy... members can also email moderators when they spot one that we may have missed

 

[fissioneng]

I can understand a place for procedures that are complete in a single thread. The current FAQ forum could be for that.

I also think a new forum could be created for each of the "hot" topics so multiple threads could be posted underneath it. In my example, create a forum for "Everything about Batteries" and then collect all the relevant threads there. The differing opinions are exactly what make the collection of threads valuable.

Obviously, we don't want 50 additional forums, but I think everyone could agree on 5 or 10, for starters (common topics from my months here)

Everything about Batteries
Everything about the Head (toilets/holding tanks/waste pumps, etc)
Fuel Tanks
Repowering
Everything about Detroits
Buying a Hatteras