If you're seeing this, we made it to the other side.
We're coming to the end of a three-phase overhaul of NICOclub.com that has taken us almost 6 months to implement. So, what's that mean to you?
STATIC CONTENT:
Since the beginning, we have been running all of NICO's static content (homepage, portal pages, articles, etc) as self-standing, HTML-coded webpages.
A few months ago, all of the static (non-forum) pages on NICO were moved to a WordPress content management system. You can read more about WordPress here: http://wordpress.org/about/
So what? Well, this makes things a TON easier for staff. Managing the homepage and the articles is more or less like posting on the forum, except it's for webpage content (this is why WordPress is the preferred platform for blogs). It simplifies things a LOT since we don't have to write everything as raw HTML, then upload it, then point links to it, etc.
Pages also load faster in WordPress. As an example, our old homepage was 880k. That's been trimmed almost in HALF, which translates to faster load times for you.
It was a HUGE undertaking, but thanks to our badass web design and SEO consultant, it came together nicely. Now, our content is more readily available and visible on the search engines.
We added some additional functionality, in creating an internal linking system that references related articles at the end of any existing article, based on the keywords therein. Again, another opportunity to make the content more accessible.
FORUMS AND COMMUNITY:
Since I took the helm here in early 2003, we've been running the forums on a platform called ZeroForums. At the time, it was an excellent choice, and was being used by the two largest automotive forums on the web. Since we were an upstart community with big dreams but small numbers, the Administrative team decided that if we wanted to BE big, we had to emulate what the big boys do.
Fast-forward to 2010, and not only have we outgrown our servers, we've also outgrown our forum software. For the past 2 months, we've been diligently working on migrating the entire site over to a new, dedicated server. What's under the hood now: Core i7-920 2.66 GHz CPU, 6 GB DDR3-1333 RAM, 750GB HD (with ShadowDrive backup), capacity of traffic up to 4,000GB/month.
Now on to the important part: As you've noticed, we're on a new software platform. I'm already anticipating the moans and groans, as no one likes change. You guys deserve more functionality and a more streamlined (and faster) experience here, so after careful consideration, we decided on the latest iteration of phpBB. It's currently the industry standard, and has more support available than any of the other options we researched.
This was also done to streamline and speed up your surfing experience. For example, under the old template, some forum pages were over 1.1MB, and some thread pages were over 1.7MB. That's a lot of page to load. The forum pages are now over 30% smaller, and we're still "trimming the fat" - our goal is to cut them in half. Of course, this will also help with indexing of content and making all the good information that you guys contribute, accessible to people who are looking for it.
WHAT TO EXPECT:
The forums will look a little bit different, but I ask that everyone bear with us as we take care of our "moving duties". Over the next couple weeks, we'll be adding a LOT of tweaks, adjustments and edits to improve the end-user experience. I'd ask that you help each other find things in the new interface, so that we don't have a ton of threads titled, "where's the reply button?".
Some of you MAY have issues with your account. YOU WILL MOST LIKELY NEED TO RESET YOUR PASSWORD! Your username MAY not work if you have characters (not letters or numbers) that aren't allowed in this forum software. You may need to fix your avatar. Your location might be missing. We'll do our best to help you get it fixed / changed if you email [email protected] - BE PATIENT, since there's gonna be a LOT of these!
There will also be some SIGNIFICANT movement and consolidation of certain areas within the forums, and expansion in others. The main forum listing WILL be revamped to make it significantly shorter and better-organized, but we wanted to get the move done first. This was all based on careful review of the posting statistics we compiled and observed over the past year. If something gets moved - don't panic. If a link doesn't work, let us know. We've got a
LOT of stuff to do, and there's only a handful of us (and a TON of you guys!)
SEARCH function script will be completed later today. Smilies will be edited / added as well.
Lastly, I'd ask that everyone try and help each other out as far as policing your own favorite forum. Our Moderator team does a spectacular job, but they can't be everywhere at once. If you see a fellow member who doesn't quite understand where to post, or how to load pics, or whatever, please help them out.
If you notice a post that's out of line, we'll have a "Report this Post" function. If you have some other type of problem, hit up a Moderator.
As of right now, we've been up a little over 24 hours finalizing the switch - We're exhausted. We're going to grab a bit of rest and then get back at it.
In the meantime, take this opportunity to update your profile (user CP), clean up your signature, or just enjoy the new, streamlined forum!
Thanks for being a member of the best community on the web.
The NICOclub Management
p.s. PMs are available - You can turn it on in your UserCP. Send a thank you note to [email protected]
