Poll: Revamping 6x6world

[Moderator Bob]

It's no surprise that 6x6world is currently operating on an old version of vBulletin forum software. This is simply because the aftermarket photo gallery has been abandoned by its creators, and has not received necessary updates to keep it compatible with new versions of vBulletin.

At the time of the software's release in 2011 it was cutting edge. Now, many users find the mechanics of 6x6world very clunky and hard to use.

If we update to the latest version of vBulletin, the community photo gallery will be lost. Rather than having a section for photos such as Argo, Attex, etc users would have to post their photos directly in threads.

Pros of updating:
-Easy to upload photos in threads. We can have threads specifically for categorized photos (such as Argo, Attex) which can promote discussion on the forum.
-Overall easier experience for posting
-Modern software that works easier on our administrative side

Cons of updating:
-No more community photo gallery
-We will have to archive the current website as-is. All the threads, photos, and links will still work when visiting the "old" forum. All future posts will be done on a "new" 6x6world website. It will be two different websites entirely. We can make them look very similar to keep the classic appearance.

This is a discussion for all of you to decide what's best. We see both the pros and cons of each decision. Please feel free to share your views in this thread.

[ARGOJIM]

Personally I would hate to see the current site change, posting pictures is something we will have to figure out individually maybe and Mikes thread may be the go to place for people experiences.
I know I personally have directed an uncountable number of people here and directed them towards forums for knowledge on their machines or problems, it does take some a while to navigate but once figured users learn a ton.
As far as the gallery, that would be a sad loss. If the members gallery number is total pictures to lose near 27,000 pictures of amphibious vehicles would be a major downfall of the site, if that is only parts of the number then even worse as I'm sure visitors head there after the initial time out as you do not need to be a member to view them and this may lead to the visitor becoming a new member which has continued to grow even as the posting has dropped. The instant info mindset on FB has contributed to that but it is not the same feeling and the archives there are near impossible to navigate in my opinion, many people on facebook have been directed here from the people in the groups on fb and the site still grows.

But hey what do I know? I'm just a dinosaur in an electronic world, hell I still got 8 tracks.

[Moderator Bob]

As far as the gallery, that would be a sad loss. If the members gallery number is total pictures to lose near 27,000 pictures of amphibious vehicles would be a major downfall of the site

The gallery would be archived alongside the old website. Everything would still be viewable. The new website will not work with the gallery, which is why we would create an entire new site to prevent losing all the information from the old one.

[AndyL]

The gallery would be archived alongside the old website. Everything would still be viewable. The new website will not work with the gallery, which is why we would create an entire new site to prevent losing all the information from the old one.

Why couldn't the photo galleries be exported from the server and make the galleries into a second site. Then update the current form. So rather than separating site by a new 6x6world and old 6x6world, separate it as 6x6world and 6x6 galleries.

I'm sure a developer could also integrate the two somehow once they are separated and the existing 6x6world site is updated to the newest version of vbulletin.

[allwheeldrive]

Personally I've always found the steps needed to find or post images on this site take more time than it's worth. When I look up anything on google it gives results of forum post with the images as part of the conversation.

Images such as in our gallery are missed by google because they exist devoid of context in key words. Thus they are lost to the rest of the internet for all intents and purposes. (Even on our own forum, the context for such photos are lost as there is no timeline of why or what some of them are outside of a thread)

I can still search topics or images I've posted 10 years ago on other forums on google and get a direct link to the thread with the pictures. Not so much here.
Honestly this is a dieing website and I feel the only people who are making use of the gallery are the vets who have been with the site for over a decade. New users to this site find a bland pictureless format and likely lose interest. I can't count how many post I've read about people wanting or or asking others to post pics and those pictures are never posted. I'm sure more pictures have been lost never being uploaded to the threads in the first place than we'd lose from migrating to a new site.

[onlyonce]

Moderator Bob,
If the pro's and con's are to be what you say, then I opt for leaving the site as is at least for the time being.

[Moderator Bob]

Why couldn't the photo galleries be exported from the server and make the galleries into a second site. Then update the current form. So rather than separating site by a new 6x6world and old 6x6world, separate it as 6x6world and 6x6 galleries.

I'm sure a developer could also integrate the two somehow once they are separated and the existing 6x6world site is updated to the newest version of vbulletin.

Your suggestion is very interesting, and we are looking into a solution for it. We have tested linking 6x6world gallery photos to various forums, both new and old, and the photos display perfectly on all.

6x6world's photo gallery is a 3rd party plugin made by PhotoPost. Unfortunately it's very common for developers to abandon their software and halt all future development, which is the case with PhotoPost. It requires an old version of php to operate, and new vBulletin requires a newer version. The two can never operate on the same website together. Posting 6x6world photos on another website works because 6x6world is hosting them on old technology, and they're simply linked to the new forums.

Our difficulties lie within the integration of PhotoPost with vBulletin on 6x6world. When creating an account on 6x6world, it automatically works with the gallery. One user for both. Splitting the two could be disastrous in this aspect.

I can't count how many post I've read about people wanting or or asking others to post pics and those pictures are never posted. I'm sure more pictures have been lost never being uploaded to the threads in the first place than we'd lose from migrating to a new site.

We have noticed this as well. Users often do not post photos because it is time consuming. If we could integrate the old gallery onto modern vBulletin software, users would have the choice between posting quickly into the thread, or jumping through the hoops of the gallery.

Forum communities in general are a dying breed. With instant posting and gratification of social media, it deters users from taking the time to post on a forum. However, the quality of discussions on forums and the ability to find old posts are far superior to social media. Each has its place in the modern world.

[john swenson]

i'm not a very savy computer guy at all ... whatever is decided by other , more knowledgable members is great with me . i do really enjoy this site . thanks , johnboy va.