New PLCs.net Site Features and Design

Phil Melore

Administrator
Join Date
Mar 2002
Location
NY state
Posts
608
Happy New Year everyone!

As we enter 2016 I'd like to improve the PLCs.net experience.

As such, we'll do a complete redesign to the site... but don't fear... the forum will continue with its existing functionality. The only forum changes will be the green menu/logo/flashing area at the top and likely a mobile experience for those reading us via phones/tablets. No forum features will be added or subtracted… no font changes, no text color/background changes, no outside advertising, etc.

So, I need your ideas!

What do you want to see/experience? Nothing is too crazy, ‘off the wall' or impossible.

In 2016 you will see:

  • The only forum changes will be the green menu/logo/flashing area at the top and likely a mobile experience for those reading us via phones/tablets.
    No forum features will be added or subtracted… no font changes, no text color/background changes, no outside advertising, etc.

  • Fully responsive website design… in other words, improved mobile access via phones/tablets. A new look and feel to the PLCs.net site.

  • Our free plc program simulator will be re-written outside of Flash so it can be accessed by most any device with a web browser. It will continue to be usable online.

  • Our plc review area will be re-coded and usable again.

  • More and new plc training material will be added to the site.

  • What else do you want to see on the site?? Maybe you've seen a cool function on another website and you thought 'hey that's cool/useful'.
    No idea is ‘too crazy’ as long as its plc related!!
    Please suggest ‘your dream’ PLCs.net website feature below
Enjoy,
 
no font changes, no text color/background changes,

excellent ...

and we'll still be able to easily click to go to the "next unread post" in a thread ??? ...

and we'll still be able to easily Copy-and-Paste to/from Microsoft Word - and Paint - etc. ???

personally, that's all that I really care about ...
 
Two possibilities come to mind.

1. Thread tags. Any user could add a tag (for instance, 'flip-flop', or 'one-shot') to a thread. This would make searching for a particular subject easier.

b. With the sudden influx of OMRON threads maybe it's time to look at manufacturer's subforums.

That said, the site works very well as it is, IMHO. One thing which would detract would be anything in the 'bells and whistles' group which would slow the page loading speed.

Thanks for all you do.
 
My main suggestion would be that whatever you change, please keep everything a defined size, so as the page loads it doesn't jump around. If you tell the browser how big a picture will be, it will account for it in the display. If something like a picture's size comes as a surprise to the browser, then the screen jumps around as things load. It's one of my biggest pet peeves about websites as they go through redesigns.

I like the idea above of thread tags. It can help people categorize things, without limiting what they see.

I'm not in favor of splitting things into subforums. I prefer the current way the site is structured, all the threads in one place. I learn a lot from seeing the threads for which I'm not specifically looking. One of the great things about this site is the breadth of knowledge from all of us. Sectioning it off means less eyeballs on each thread and less potential ideas. I know I COULD go look at sections I'm not "interested" in, but I also know I probably wouldn't do it very often.
 
Originally posted by mk42:

I learn a lot from seeing the threads for which I'm not specifically looking.

I agree with this. It isn't a bad thing to have items in front of you that you don't think are related to what you do. Stuff like that has a funny way of worming its way into your life sooner or later.

Keith
 
Thanks so much for the feedback thus far. Please note that while the suggestions are certainly appreciated, at the present time the forum will stay 'as is' while ONLY the rest of the site will change.

I'm curious what PLC folks would find useful to add to the site while leaving the existing forum as is.

Thanks!
 
For me, this site IS the forum. However, I think the jobs wanted/offered and parts could use a revamp.

I would like to take the opportunity to thank you so much for offering this website, it has saved my *** on more than one occasion.. Thank you Phil!

If I can do anything to help you doing all this, let me know :)
 
Last edited:
I personally like it just the way it is. It has been this way for so long. I would say maybe change the access methods if you start to have a problem with the spammers or start having DDOS attacks. A simple Gotcha filter might be needed for login.
 
I, too, have a problem with manufacturer subforums.

I'm an instrument guy (HART, 4-20mA, instruments) and a Modbus guy. Both instrumentation and Modbus cut across all manufacturer lines.

On the other forum, I rarely if ever take the effort to crack open each manufacturer group - it's just too tedious. On that site, if a thread that deals with instrumentation or Modbus isn't in General group, I miss it.

I prefer the existing Animal Farm global approach - all threads are equal, and we see over time that some threads turn out to be more equal than others by getting bumped by the responses.

Thread Tags make a lot more sense, but given the low experience level of many of the posters as evidenced by their inability to create a decent subject line (which is why the display of the first sentence along with the subject is so important), I'm not sure, long term, how valuable tags will be.
 
one possible improvement might be the ability to edit a post even after the current one-hour grace period has expired ... sometimes I notice a typo - or a spelling error - that I'd like to go back and fix ...
 
Hi,

you need to make it easier so please create a facebook page and youtube channel

regards
Easier? I never saw a forum easier than this one!

Maybe a facebook page and a youtube channel may add some value, but these also create additional (safety) problems and you won't keep full control any more. And it might be a good idea to call these "PLCs for Dummies" as it will keep the lazy posters away from the real forum...
 
If a change to forum is out of the question, then maybe a separate tab/link for a list of tags to forum threads. I do agree that the basic layout of the forum should stay the same. I deal solely with AB products, but I still read the Siemens or Omron stuff just in case my AB only world ever changes.

+1 for a revamp of the PLC Jobs section. It seems to get lost up there.

And I would also like to thank you for having this site at all. I have learned SO much here!


Will.
 
Hi Phil

Great idea to get everyone's input before making the changes. I'm sure if you consult a SEO expert they'll tell you the site is dated and needs a complete revamp, but you will probably find the dated basic look may be what most people like about it. That was the big mistake I made with Ron's forum. It had some bad core database problems so I built a new forum that was a huge improvement and in the process alienated all the users who liked the quirky forum. In hindsight I should have came up with a better way of "patchn" the forum or manually gone through the database to fix it.

BUT my one huge request would be email notifications of new threads. Lots of days I'm too busy to browse the threads and by the time get a chance, discussions I would have liked to participate in have died out. However my email is always up and if I saw an interesting thread come across I would come participate. Make it an unchecked option since I'm sure many people wouldn't want the extra emails.
 

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