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annk

Administrator
Staff member
Apr 18, 2004
15,109
9,175
Somewhere over the rainbow
So why do you think this particular thread doesn't fit in Mac Peripherals? The Airport Extreme at least is still a Mac Peripheral.

B

It fits the current forum, but I figure that since the user is having the issue with several products, that it could better fit a more generic forum. Especially since the error that is preventing him from using his non-Apple peripherals relates to UPnP, being a Microsoft protocol.

I thought this thread was a good example to use for the promotion of adding this potential new forum. :)

There's no reason members can't post about non-Apple peripherals in the Mac Peripherals section. We've always allowed discussions of and questions about competing products in the most closely-related forum. So any issue with a peripheral is fine in that forum, as I see it.

I'm not for or against a change in the forum, but as has already been mentioned we do have a specific forum for networking - Mac OS X Server, Xserve, and Networking. Do some members not post their networking issues there because they don't read the whole title of the subforum, do you think? Do they just miss the word 'networking', or do they think it refers to something else? Would the issue be solved by an info campaign of sorts, to get members to use the "correct" forum? We've seen it before, where members just need to be directed to/reminded about which forum is appropriate. Other members report threads that need to be moved, and for a while it's extra work, but eventually it calms down into a routine.

Like I said, I'm not for or against a change in the forum structure. I just feel that since new forums make the front forum page more or a challenge to navigate, we should be sure the need isn't already covered by an existing subforum before we add a new category.
 

BreakGuy

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Nov 23, 2009
817
0
NZ, South Pacific
I'm not for or against a change in the forum, but as has already been mentioned we do have a specific forum for networking - Mac OS X Server, Xserve, and Networking. Do some members not post their networking issues there because they don't read the whole title of the subforum, do you think? Do they just miss the word 'networking', or do they think it refers to something else? Would the issue be solved by an info campaign of sorts, to get members to use the "correct" forum? We've seen it before, where members just need to be directed to/reminded about which forum is appropriate. Other members report threads that need to be moved, and for a while it's extra work, but eventually it calms down into a routine.

Like I said, I'm not for or against a change in the forum structure. I just feel that since new forums make the front forum page more or a challenge to navigate, we should be sure the need isn't already covered by an existing subforum before we add a new category.
You definitely raise an excellent point about the challenges adding additional forums incurs. However, I strongly feel that the Mac OS X Server, Xserve, and Networking subforum is not appropriate for a couple of reasons.
  • Generally speaking, networking issues involve hardware and devices, not the operating system and thus giving the impression the aforementioned subforum is for networking issues regarding the Mac operating system and not the modems/routers and other hardware components of a network.
  • Secondly, the "Mac OS X Server, Xserve" piece of the subforum title drastically misguides people. More often that not people don't use OS X Server or Xserve in their homes and as a result, people through no fault of their own, are all too frequently misled to believe the networking aspect is reserved for professional (for lack of a better word) networks as OS X Server as Xserve would be.
If a new forum exclusively for networking problems is not an appropriate resolution to this issue, perhaps removing the "Networking" from the title of Mac OS X Server, Xserve, and Networking subforum and adding a subforum to the Mac Peripherals forum for these networking issues would be a better proposition. Doing this would see a more organised board, not to mention a more easily contained and searchable area for these threads to be housed within as opposed to the scattered threads that seem to be in almost every forum.
 

SandboxGeneral

Moderator emeritus
Sep 8, 2010
26,482
10,050
Detroit
Do some members not post their networking issues there because they don't read the whole title of the subforum, do you think? Do they just miss the word 'networking', or do they think it refers to something else?

That's a hard one to answer and certainly debatable. I suppose if I didn't notice the existing forum under the main forum of 'Mac OS X,' I would probably post a networking question in the 'Mac Basics and Help' forum as a catch all.

Would the issue be solved by an info campaign of sorts, to get members to use the "correct" forum?

I assume you mean by campaign, to post a note at the top of the forum page and Spy page like was done when iOS 5 was released to get folks to move all related content there. That would be an idea, but I doubt it would be readily worth doing that for just a simple networking forum which won't ever see the amount of traffic that iOS or a new version of OS X would get.

We've seen it before, where members just need to be directed to/reminded about which forum is appropriate. Other members report threads that need to be moved, and for a while it's extra work, but eventually it calms down into a routine.

Like I said, I'm not for or against a change in the forum structure. I just feel that since new forums make the front forum page more or a challenge to navigate, we should be sure the need isn't already covered by an existing subforum before we add a new category.

I'm not about trying to create more work for admins/mods and as a minimalist at heart, I fully understand not wanting to further complicate and clutter the main forum page.

With the demise of the Xserve last year, I doubt there will be a lot of generated discussion regarding it as time goes on. I did a quick search of 'Xserve' and found the following number of posts in 2011:

Xserve posts by category:
4 - In News Discussion (Regarding the announcement of it's demise)
5 - In the Marketplace
15 - In the current forum in question
9 - Throughout other various forums

With that said, perhaps Xserve could be broken off separately and moved under the Apple Hardware --> Desktops sub-forum. Then under Apple Systems and Services --> Mac OS X forum could be:

  • Mac OS X 10.7 Lion
  • Mac OS X Server
  • Computer Networking

Looking at the main forum page, there isn't any real easy way to accomplish a change, and keep it from getting overly complicated, but I edited a screenshot of what it could look like.

forum.jpg
 

BreakGuy

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Nov 23, 2009
817
0
NZ, South Pacific
Here are my intentions in a visual format. It's still a very clean look. And not a lot of additional, if any work for the moderators/administrators.
1z5m7td.png


As you can see, a new subforum under Mac Peripherals for the networking threads and secondly, the removal of the 'Networking' mentioning in the subforum title leaving just Mac OS X Server and Xserve.
 

840quadra

Moderator
Staff member
Feb 1, 2005
9,253
5,966
Twin Cities Minnesota
IMO as a user not a moderator, I think a dedicated area for the various types of networking to Apple / Macintosh products could be useful. In addition to what others have stated, these networking topics are often orphaned inside of other nested forums, related to the core product one is using.

For instance, someone with a Macbook Pro VPN question, will often place their thread in the MacBook Pro forum, or someone with an iMac, may place it in that products area. In the current format, they aren't really wrong in doing so, but they may not get the attention of people in the Mac Pro Forum that may have some more information on that subject.

I don't know how it would fit into the Hierarchy overall, but perhaps a forum that could encompass many of the IT heavy discussions over networking MAC products could be a useful space, especially if it dissolves one or 2 current forums or sub-forums.

Macintosh LAN / WAN / VPN and Wireless Discussions
 

mvmanolov

macrumors 6502a
Aug 27, 2013
858
5
Bump:

Perhaps there is more space for discussion/poling user base... It appears from this thread that most replies to it are either in favour of the idea or ambivalent... Maybe it's time to get back on that horse again...?

I think with the increased dependence on WiFi - not that 2012 was much different i acknowledge that - and the increased number of alternatives (non apple products) which many people depend on to have their apple products function it would be nice to have a dedicated section where someone could ask about speeding up their network, or what a jumbo frame is, or it ipv6 is something they should get into, or how their asus/netgear/cisco etc. router should be configured so that they are safe on the net....

There are a number of forums out there, which deal with these kinds of issues but information about the various scenarios with an :apple: product at the end of the line are quite scattered and difficult to find.

One of the best things about Macrumors, i find is that i can google most issues and have a MR thread pop up, so i used the service and finally decided to join... (as many of us have) So would it not be nice to have a more centralized space to the Networking sids of things, after all how many Apple product consumers/users are not part of some work/home network over which they have some control/influence?

For those of us who are enthusiast we could benefit from a centralized space to ask difficult questions that people with expertise can help out with, and for the experts it could be a nice space to hang out in... ;) And also easily follow new threads, for new ideas to improve our own networks...

I think what was said in regards to the "Networking" being appended to xserv category has some merit, however i'd suggest that one would see a lot more traffic through a dedicated category and more traffic = more solutions to peoples problems/questions/challanges...

One last thing, as i was pointed to tho thread for indication that this is "not going to happen", and i mean this in the most respectful way possible, there is no indication in this thread as to "why?" its not going to happen. So, back to my previous suggestion, perhaps its time for a "admin-sponsored" poll?
 
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