Can we get a little help?

We are going forward with new forum software in the near future and I would appreciate a little help from the community. There are far better minds when it comes to organizing than mine and I’d love some input.

Forum leader Elk and I, along with a handful of others, have been playing with new forum software that we like a lot. It’s the same platform Roon uses, called Discourse. It’s really cool, has many more features, mobile friendly, contains all that this forum software does not. And much that it does.

All the posts will be saved and one day there will just be a new look to the forums. So, don’t worry.

The forums currently organized in two groups: forums and topics. The new discussion forum offers one more layer of organization than we’ve used here. So, the new forum will have categories (same as forums), subcategories, and topics. This greater division will help navigation. If you look atthe existing forum structure you’ll note that some forums (categories) have 1,000 topics. Yikes! How does one figure out what to read from 1,000 topics?

Instead, we want to see a category, like DACs, and under that category, subcategories like DirectStream, DirectStream Junior, Ladder types, FPGA types, etc. We kind of have a start that makes sense on the existing fourms, but fewer categories might be cleaner.

Right now the categories (forums) are:

  • DirectStream DAC
  • Accessories, cables tweaks and tuning
  • AC power
  • Latest ideas
  • General discussion
  • Loudspeakers
  • BHK power and pre
  • Stellar
  • DirectStream Memory player
  • Need help?
  • Music
  • Analog
  • Network audio
  • Sprout
  • PWT transport
  • Forum issues
  • Buy and sell marketplace
  • My system
  • PWD DAC
  • Humor
  • DSD
  • DIY
  • Beta
You can see that what we have is messy and disorganized. How do we want to combine so that it makes more sense for a general category forum? While these forums started out as PS only, they've thankfully grown into one of the more popular general audio forums, something we want to see continue. A tool and resource for the entire audio community.

Some of what I am asking is obvious: all the DAC related forums could be combined into one DAC Category, with subcategories organizing appropriate threads. But, do transports get their own category? Or do we want a more generalized Digital Audio Category?

Better organized minds than mine can and will hopefully jump into the fray.

Your help is much appreciated.

As Paul explains, the new forum software provides for major categories, subcategories, and then individual threads (topics).

It is easy to get carried away with too many categories and subcategories. We currently have categories which contain few posts. On the other hand, we need enough specific categories to guide the reader/poster to the correct spot. This encourages a full sharing of information and ideas. And gives visitors a chance to find what they want to know.

Proof the current organization is not working well is that we tend to have a few active threads which are catch-all discussions. This is great when we are only a small group of active posters, but poor for those who visit the forum occasionally and for those coming to the forum for information.

We need both good organization and some discipline to follow it. The new software provides us with wonderful tools.

There have been some who have expressed constructive criticism of the forum’s organization. Now is your chance to jump in and fix what you see as broken or flawed.

If you are a Roon forum participant, please share what you think we can/should do with the software. Do you like how the Roon forum is organized or not? Why?

We truly need your help. This is an important and challenging task.

I don’t have a phone connected to the internet and don’t use digital files for music so I don’t know about Roon’s architecture and I don’t need to read anything “in a mobile form.” So I’m not that likely to be too much help in some areas and to be honest the current firmware structure suits ME just fine.

I agree with our moderator that too many sub-categories might well be a confusing thing and many will sit twiddling their thumbs with a post here or there placed within. And yet I also see the need for a person coming to the forum with a question or problem to be able to locate information easily. My suggestion: make sub forums for each of the PS Audio products within a general category like DAC, Transport, Power Products, Amplifiers, Pre-Amplifiers, Network Players etc. And then a “General,” non-manufacturer forums for each product type. That would allow someone coming for specific information or help with a PS Audio product to zero in on those areas, and general discussion seekers to populate the other forums and also the PS Audio areas. . . .

Thank you, lonson.

Roon has a forum like ours where people discuss Roon, audio products, etc. They use the forum software to which we are migrating. Thus, if you look at the Roon forum you can see one option as to how our forum will appear and work.

I also never use a mobile device or a tablet to view the forum, but 50% of our visitors and members use a mobile device. We therefor need to be mobile friendly (it is one of the reasons I try to get people to quote only when necessary and to trim their quotes - etc.). The new software has a good mobile format. In addition, users can switch between mobile format and PC format to see what works best on a tablet, for example.

Well, as far as BIG categories go, how about,

Digital Audio

DACs/Transports/Network Audio/File Formats

AC Power

Amps, Preamps and Integrated

Music

Digital/Analog/Music Genres and Subgenres

Support

PS Experts/FAQs

Everything Else

Humor/Acc, Cables, etc…/Systems/Latest/ etc etc etc

Supposedly the new software will have better search capabilities than what we have now (which is pretty awful). If so, that’s another reason not to obsess overly much about subcategories since users will be able to find what they need more easily by searching.

One problem I have with the Roon forum when on iPad is that I can never get used to the swipe function. I tend to swipe my thumb over the nested date field on the right hand side of the screen and then the Discourse YABB jumps to a complete other posting. I hope this annoyance can be avoided one way or another.

Also, I only want one e-mail saying that one of my subscribed threads has got new posts. I then have to visit the PSA forum to see the remaining unread posts. As it works today I am mailbombed with numerous PSA posts every morning.

What I really like with Simple:Press is the listing of unread posts, where your browser jumps directly to the first unread post in the chain. I have never seen this elsewhere and want to keep it!

I completely agree about the third item that Frode mentions.

Frode said

One problem I have with the Roon forum when on iPad is that I can never get used to the swipe function. I tend to swipe my thumb over the nested date field . . .


Easy, keep your thumb off of the date field. :slight_smile:

By the way, do you use the mobile viewing option or the desktop option when reading the Roon forum on your tablet? Have you tried both? Which works best?

Also, I only want one e-mail saying that one of my subscribed threads has got new posts. I then have to visit the PSA forum to see the remaining unread posts. As it works today I am mailbombed with numerous PSA posts every morning.
If you are mail bombed every morning, you know you always have new posts to read. Turn off your subscriptions and simply log into the forum every day, and review those new posts in the threads in which you are interested. I have zero subscriptions and just log in when it is convenient for me to do so. The new posts are always kind enough to wait for me to show up.
What I really like with Simple:Press is the listing of unread posts, where your browser jumps directly to the first unread post in the chain. I have never seen this elsewhere and want to keep it!
Many/most (all?) forums have a "jump to first unread post" function. I am not currently a member of any forum which does not have this feature.

The new software has this and it works well. Perhaps the Roon forum has this turned off, although I cannot imagine why one would disable this feature.

In the upper right of the Roon forum, try clicking on the hamburger menu (the three horizontal lines), there should be an option to click “New” close to the “Latest.” This should give you a list of threads which have new posts. When you click on the number next to one of the threads - which represents the number of new posts in that thread - you are brought directly to the first post you have not yet read.

Most forums lists unread posts that you subscribe to, but they do not automatically jumps to the first unread post within the thread itself (?). Anyway, I will try what you suggest, Elk, and report back.

I also understand that the way we members browse the forums will vary, however I want the features to adapt to my preferences instead of that I have to adapt to suboptimal or limited features.

It is interesting you have run into forums without this feature. This has not been my experience.

Please let us know whether my suggestion works on the Roon forum. The forum software supports it. My guess is you simply have not noticed the feature.

I want the features to adapt to my preferences . . .
If only the world were so compliant. :)

As you are familiar with the software from using it while visiting the Roon forum, what topics would you suggest for the new PSA forum?

My $0.02 on directory organization (Main Headings in no particular order):

PS Audio Products

  • Amplifier Components
    • Preamplifiers
      • BHK Signature Preamplifier
      • Other (Legacy Products)
    • Integrated Amplifiers
      • Sprout Integrated Amplifier
      • Other (Legacy Products)
    • Amplifiers
      • BHK Signature 300 Monoblock Amplifier
      • BHK Signature 250 Stereo Amplifier
      • Stellar M700 Monoblock Amplifier
      • Stellar S300 Stereo Amplifier
      • Other (Legacy Products)
  • Source Components
    • Digital to Analog Converters
      • DirectStream DAC
      • DirectStream Junior
      • Stellar Gain Cell DAC
      • Other (Legacy Products)
    • Disc Players
      • DirectStream Memory Player
      • PerfectWave Transport
      • Other (Legacy Products)
  • Loudspeakers
    • PS Audio Loudspeaker Project
  • Power Components
    • Power Cables
      • PerfectWave AC12
      • PerfectWave AC5
      • PerfectWave AC3
      • Other (Legacy Products)
    • Power Conditioners
      • Dectet Power Center
      • Other (Legacy Products)
    • Power Regenerators
      • PerfectWave Power Plant 10
      • PerfectWave Power Plant 5
      • Other (Legacy Products)
    • Accessories
      • Power Port Classic AC Receptacle
      • Noise Harvester
      • Other (Legacy Products)
  • Music [optional since only one recording has been launched thus far]
General Discussion
  • Humor
  • Miscellany
  • Other?
Forum Matters
  • Community Expectations
  • Help Desk
PS Audio Beta Projects

The Library (Share Publications of, and Links to, Reference Materials and Information)

Music

  • General Discussion
  • Analog
  • Digital
Marketplace (Buy, Sell & Swap)
  • Music
    • Subcategories..?
  • Equipment
    • Subcategories..?
Member Systems (Show Off Your Kit with Images and a Description)

Network Audio

  • General Discussion
  • Networked Audio and Streaming
    • Music Servers
    • Software
    • File Formats and Storage
    • Networking (Hardware, Software, Set Up, etc.)
    • Music Downloads and Streaming
Amplification
  • General Discussion
  • Preamplifiers
  • Integrated Amplifiers
  • Monoblock and Stereo Amplifiers
Loudspeakers
  • General Discussion
  • Headphones
  • Powered Speakers
  • Subwoofers
  • Dynamic Speakers
  • Planar Magnetic (Ribbon) Speakers
  • Electrostatic Speakers
Source Components
  • Analog
    • Tape Players
    • Record Players
    • AM/FM Tuners
  • Digital
    • Digital to Analog Converters
    • Transporters
    • Disc Players
Power Cables, Interconnects & Speaker Cables
  • Power Cables
  • Interconnects
  • Speaker Cables
Power Supply
  • General Discussion
  • Mains
  • Wiring
  • Conditioners
  • Regenerators
Acoustics
  • General Discussion
  • Room Tuning
  • Digital Signal Processing
  • Other?
Do it Yourself (DIY Projects and Tips)

Well done!

Lots to think about here.

I think we need to add a specific sub-category for off-topic to invite friendly chatter on anything (wise to make it politics-free however).

Do we want this level of detail? I see the appeal as I like organized, but would we be policing too much?

Thanks! You put a good amount of effort into this.

Elk said

…Do we want this level of detail? I see the appeal as I like organized, but would we be policing too much? …


Thank you.

Maybe too much…but I think its helpful to start down in the weeds with organizational structure and then pare back - might end up with less orphan subjects and dead ends this way.

Good luck with the project.

magister said

Supposedly the new software will have better search capabilities than what we have now (which is pretty awful). If so, that’s another reason not to obsess overly much about subcategories since users will be able to find what they need more easily by searching.


Totally agree…Awful is an understatement… A great search function would be a great asset for all.

It would take little to improve upon what we have.

While we have been playing with the software, what we have created as a test forum is too small to truly judge the search function. It works great on the little bit we have. :slight_smile:

However, I have played with the search function on established fora using the same software and have found the search function works well.

In the meantime, remember we can use Google, with searches such as: site:psaudio.com powerplant fuse

Elk said Do we want this level of detail? I see the appeal as I like organized, but would we be policing too much?
Per Elk's suggestion on the beta forum, here's a slightly condensed version of Scotte1's list:
  1. General:
Subforums: problems, general discussions, music, buy-sell, humor, forum issues, Off-topic
  1. Audio Basics
Knowledge, analog, network audio, streaming, (accessories cables, tweaks, tuning), latest ideas, my system, DIY, legacy PS products
  1. AC Power
Subforums: P3, P5, P10, P12, legacy regenerators
  1. BHK (dream systems)
Subforums: Speakers, preamps, cables, amps, DACs, Transports, Turntables, Phono stage, How-To’s (Updates, fuses)
  1. Sprout/Stellar (affordable systems)
Subforums: Speakers, preamps, cables, amps, DACs, Transports, Turntables, Phono stage, How-To’s (Updates, fuses)
  1. Portables
DAPs, Headphones, Earbuds, Headphone amps, Standalone DAC

I’d suggest that each forum have a subforum for “other topics” that don’t seem to really fit anywhere else.

In the upper right of the Roon forum, try clicking on the hamburger menu (the three horizontal lines), there should be an option to click "New" close to the "Latest." This should give you a list of threads which have new posts. When you click on the number next to one of the threads - which represents the number of new posts in that thread - you are brought directly to the first post you have not yet read.
Frode, have you tried this to see if this works for you on the Roon forum?

Not yet, but I have a suspicion that using a pad opposed to a laptop (with different OS and net browser) may have an impact.

Will try it tonight and revert.

However, this is not what I am after (I think…?). I want this to apply ONLY for my subscribed threads and I want it to jump to my first unread post after selecting the subscribed thread in question. Are you saying that when clicking on the number with the ‘Replies’ heading I get where I want?

Edit:

Here is what I see in my IOS web browser (Safari & Chrome):

AF5411FE-9A63-4764-9FE0-4C7EE63816EE.jpeg