MacRumors Forum Reorganization

[Doctor Q]

MacRumors has made a number of changes to its forum layout. These changes were made to reflect changing user habits, add new forums where the most interest was, group logically related forums, retire little-used forums, and shrink the overall height of the forum home page. Most changes involved a tradeoff between competing interests, so we made these changes based on what best served our overall membership and our site visitors.

Please take a look around. We think you'll get used to the new layout and find it useful.

For those of you who like details, the following posts summarize the specific changes made. We also provide guidelines about where to post, although the "most closely matched forum" principal is the simplest guide.

Knowing where to post also tells you the best place to look for a thread on a given topic. When a thread matches more than one forum, we suggest using the best match or the more specific forum. If it's a toss-up, either is fine. You can start a thread for any technical question in the catch-all Mac Basics and Help forum.


Where did the Macs go?

It's surprising to find our mainstay Mac hardware forums almost halfway down the forum list, lower than in the past, but this reflects the faster paced and more frequent news and the increased forum activity related to Apple's handheld devices compared with Apple's computers.

As always, MacRumors covers all areas of Apple's business, plus major news about Apple's rivals, important third party vendors and products, and industry developments.

 

[Doctor Q]

New forums

1. We added the iPad Accessories and iPad Hacks subforums to the iPad forum.

Where to post

• For devices that attach or connect to an iPad, connection issues between iPads and other devices, carrying cases, keyboards, and mice, use the iPad Accessories forum.
• For jailbreaking, tethering, ssh access, and custom software or hardware modifications to iPads, use the iPad Hacks forum. (Asking for or providing links for bootlegging commercial software is still against forum rules.)
• For all other iPad threads, use the main iPad forum.

2. We added the PowerPC-based Macs forum for the previous Mac generation (1994 to 2005). The forums in the Desktops and Notebooks sections are now specific to Intel-based Macs (2006 to present). This change was made because the issues that concern users of older Macs are so often related to older versions of Mac OS, older software, and connections based on the ports supported by earlier Mac models, rather than on the computer's form factor.

At the same time, we've expanded the scope of the Apple Collectors forum to cover not only collectibles but 680x0-based Macs (1984-1994).

We've moved recently active threads into the appropriate forums.

Where to post

• Intel-based iMac, Mac mini, Mac Pro, MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air: in the forum of the same name
• PowerPC-based iMac, Mac mini, eMac, Power Mac, PowerBook, etc.: PowerPC Macs
• 680x0-based iMac G3/G4/G5, Mac Cube, early PowerBooks, Performa, Mac II, etc.: Apple Collectors
• Any Macs or Apple products you collect: Apple Collectors
• If you make a mistake, it's not a big deal. It's just less likely for the users with the same model to see your thread.

 

[Doctor Q]

The Apple Applications category

MacRumors now allows iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and Mac OS X software developers to start threads about their own software. This is an exception to the ad-free promotion-free policy in the rest of the forums. Details are in today's Mac Software Developers Welcome announcement. The forums in which developers have promotional privileges have been consolidated into the Apple Applications category, which covers application software for Apple products.

The former App Store forum has been split into the iPhone and iPod touch Apps forum and the iPad Apps forum so that iPad owners can discuss apps specific to iPads.

To accommodate both App Store codes and giveaways of Mac applications, the Code Sharing forum has been renamed to Code Sharing and Software Promos.

Where to post

• When an App Store app runs on both iPhones and iPads, use the thread for the device you have or are interested in. There is no forum rule about it; use common sense.
• The iPad Apps forum is ideal for "Universal" or iPad-only apps that take advantage of the iPad's screen size.
• Phone-related apps belong in the iPhone and iPod touch Apps forum.
• Apps not yet adapted for the iPad are most appropriate in the iPhone and iPod touch Apps forum, even through most of them technically run on the iPad.
• Discuss applications by Apple (e.g., iTunes, iWork, Final Cut Pro, etc.) and by other vendors (Adobe, Microsoft, etc.) in the Mac Applications forum.
• Threads for sharing friend and family codes belong in the Code Sharing and Software Promos forum.

For software developers:

• App Store developers should follow the same common sense approach when posting threads about their apps in either the iPhone and iPod touch Apps forum or the iPad Apps forum.
• Mac software developers should use the Mac Applications forum to discuss their applications.
• Threads for software giveaways belong in the Code Sharing and Software Promos forum.

Tip for iPad app shoppers:

• If you don't mind using an iPhone app in its original size or with pixel doubling, look in both App forums.

 

[Doctor Q]

The iPod/iTunes split

The iPod and iTunes forum has become the iPod forum and moved from the Apple Hardware section into the iPhone, iPod, iPad section.

iPods, iTunes, and the iTunes Store were originally focused on music. These days iTunes and the iTunes Store cover much more territory so it makes less sense to tie their discussion to iPods. iTunes is an important application but so are other Mac OS X applications like iPhoto. We'll use the Mac Applications for them all, so we've moved threads about iTunes into that forum.

Where to post

• For discussions of iPods (nano, shuffle, mini, classic) and iPod accessories, use the iPod forum.
• For discussions of iTunes and the iTunes Store, use the Mac Applications forum.
• When in doubt, take your best guess as to where others would look for your thread. We know that some threads will fall into the grey area, e.g., questions about syncing an iPod to iTunes.

 

[Doctor Q]

Moved, renamed, and removed forums

1. The iPhone News Discussion forum is now in the first forum category, News and Article Discussion. This consolidates the forums in which threads are started only by MacRumors.

2. The Daily Tunes Site Discussion and Feedback was removed because it is no longer used.

3. The MacPolls.com Discussion forum is no longer displayed since Mac Polls are infrequent and usually link directly to a thread in the appropriate forum.

4. There is no longer an iPhone category (with subforums but no threads). Instead, the iPhone forum now contains the 3 iPhone subforums.

If you have a bookmark to the old iPhone category, please update it to point to the iPhone forum.
​

5. There is no longer a Mac OS X category (with subforums but no threads). Instead, the Mac OS X forum now contains the Mac OS X subforums.

If you have a bookmark to the old Mac OS X category, please update it to point to the Mac OS X forum.
​

6. The Apple Games forum has been renamed to Mac and PC Games, to make it clear that it covers both platforms and help distinguish it from the Console Games forum.

7. The iPhone/iPad Programming and Mac Programming forums have been grouped under a Programming category.

8. The forums for design, photography, video, and web design have been consolidated under a new Visual Media category. They should be easier to spot now and they use less space on the forum home page.

9. The Apple, Industry and Internet Discussion and Current Events forums were moved into the Community Discussion forum, to combine forums that often cover non-Apple topics and to shorten the forum home page. We decided not to split discussion of Apple Inc. (Apple as a business) from other computer industry discussions since Apple Inc. threads aren't numerous.

10. We have archived the Music Discussion forum because it was used infrequently compared to other forums. Music still interests most of us, of course. General music-related threads now reside in the Community Discussion forum, along with movie discussions, TV discussions, sports discussions, automobile discussions, etc. We've moved active Music Discussion threads there.

Where to post

• For technical questions about music on your Mac or Apple gadgets, use one of the specific forums, e.g, Mac Applications for an iTunes issue, iPhone for an iPhone issue.
• For technical discussions among audio hobbyists or professionals, continue to use the Digital Audio forum.
• For other threads about music, e.g., musical artists, concerts, music shopping, use the Community Discussion forum.

11. The Mac Guides forum is now under Site and Forum Feedback since they are related and to shorten the forum home page.


* - * - * - * - * - * - *


We welcome your comments on our new forum organization and will try to answer your questions. We've got a few loose ends still to take care of, including moving additional sets of threads into the appropriate forums and relocating some of the Mac Guides links you see at the tops of forum sections.

 

[Simgar988]

Awesome doc! Thanks MR

 

[MacDawg]

As long as the Spy still works, I am good to go...

 

[miles01110]

Looks good!

 

[stridemat]

As long as the Spy still works, I am good to go...

Agreed! Without the Spy I would be lost......

 

[tigres]

Why don't you put a big Mroogle at the top of the MR page? Just wondering...

 

[flopticalcube]

Looks good. Much better than the first attempt.

 

[4JNA]

two thumbs up.

i say great job, and hats off to all involved as that had to be a bunch of work.

only thing i found missing was a PPC forum, and that was fixed. already loved the rest of the overhaul.

thanks to the Mods/Gods/etc for taking the time to get feedback when making a change of this scale. happy users = happy community.

 

[Doctor Q]

Why don't you put a big Mroogle at the top of the MR page? Just wondering...

MRoogle is operated by a forum user, not by MacRumors.

See the MRoogle thread for details.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

It does look good, and I have to say well done, it does seem "cleaner" and more intuitive in many ways. However, as I had been away from the forums for over a month, I blinked and wondered where "everything" was on my return and did not think of prowling here until this evening, which provided me with both directions and an explanation of the changes.

One slight regret though; I loved the separate "Music Discussion" forum, and always dropped in when I visited the forums as it is one of my major interests; putting it in "Current Affairs" (also an interest) changes the ambience of music discussions somehow.

That is my only quibble though, and I appreciate that not everyone can be pleased with everything when changes are made.

Cheers

 

[tigres]

MRoogle is operated by a forum user, not by MacRumors.

See the MRoogle thread for details.

And so it is, my apologies for missing that. I hereby recant my request.

 

[Doctor Q]

Based on a suggestion and an analysis of thread counts we have separated the forums for the iMac and Mac mini. Please use the iMac forum for issues specific to iMacs and the Mac mini forum for issues specific to Mac minis. If your topic applies to both, use the forum for the type of Mac you are using.

When threads aren't related to the type of Mac, there are often more appropriate forums, e.g., Mac Applications, Mac Peripherals, Mac OS X, Networking, and the all-purpose Mac Basics and Help forum.

 

[4JNA]

...we have separated the forums for the iMac and Mac mini

didn't think it would matter, but after a day of watching, it's a good move.

it's much easier to find what matters related to the subject. good job.

 

[applesupergeek]

Congradulations for the new categories for the forums, they are awful.

Most forums put such types of things as changing lay out and categories up for a public vote, you chose to decide it yourselves. And you shouldn't have, because you messed them up. You 've done a godawful job that defies common sense and logic.

What's the point of separate ppc subforum?

What's the point of splitting up applications and "system and services"? Just put them in software subforum.

And ok, you did split them up, why not have them listed successively, and instead stick in the hardware subforum in between. This defies any understanding, why is the hardware subforum sticking out like a sore thumb in between subforums dealing with software?

Why are the i-devices sub forums above everything else but news? What's the rationale in this hierarchy?

In what sense is there a separate distributed computing sub forum? Huh? There are tens of cs applications, why choose distributed computing? And how come it's lumped together in "special interests"? And how special an interest are games? They are the most mainstream interest, what's special about it? And what the heck is "digital" audio? Why not just name it audio, why's there a need to specify it's digital, do you think anyone would mistake it for a phonograph subforum?

And under what sense does windows on a mac fall under the apple systems and services category? In what sense is windows an apple systems and services category? Mind boggling...

At least this whole mess is consistent with the way the forums are moderated and run: ineptly.

I know what types frequent the feedback forums, so let the flaming begin...

 

[Hellhammer]

Mods know what they are doing and by splitting and creating more, they make it easier for us to read so one forum isn't flooded by threads. Doctor Q made a sense making post about Mac Mini forum:

How we decide when to add a forum:

Adding new forums always involves a tradeoff:

Advantage: more precision when looking for threads about a specific topic
Advantage: getting threads for one topic out of the forum where people discuss another topic
Advantages: the ability to exclude one or the other in your preferences
Disadvantage: more forums to browse when you are interested in both
Disadvantage: more places to look or decisions to make when you aren't sure which forum applies
Disadvantage: contributing to "forum bloat", the ever-increasing size of the main forum page

Decisions are not based on counting votes in polls like the one in this thread because people who want a new forum vote Yes and people who are fine with the status quo are likely to ignore the thread rather than voting at all. The most important factor is the level of activity a new forum would have. In this case Mac mini threads were about 15% of the threads in the formerly combined forum, not an overwhelming number. However, new subforums contribute less to forum bloat than top-level forums, and that was the deciding factor.

 

[-aggie-]

You might have had some good points, but then you had to go and insult the moderators. Perhaps they’ll address your points, perhaps not. Anyway, if the site was that bad, I wouldn’t bother coming here. You can always try Apple Discussions at the Apple site.

Oh, and in case you didn’t know, the mods aren’t paid. They do this job voluntarily.

 

[applesupergeek]

You might have had some good points, but then you had to go and insult the moderators. Perhaps they’ll address your points, perhaps not. Anyway, if the site was that bad, I wouldn’t bother coming here. You can always try Apple Discussions at the Apple site.

Oh, and in case you didn’t know, the mods aren’t paid. They do this job voluntarily.

Might have had, or did have? You read my points, are you still undecided or just replying for effect? I think its the latter. And spare me the holier than thou attitude of "don't bother coming here", fyi I don't come here for the moderating, I come here because there are still some very helpful and interesting to read posters. And also fyi it's the feedback forum, and I am doing just that, leaving feedback. Negative feedback. But they are not called the "say something critical and we 'll tell you to get out" forums, it's a minor detail.

Of course I did not insult the moderators, an insult is an attack on someone's character and personality, I was only critical of their actions. That's not an insult. It's criticism. I thought that was the point of feedback. If I think they are doing their job ineptly, I should say so and I did.

It's not my problem that they are not paid, that's arn's business, most forums nowadays pay for their moderators, I can't see how a forum with an average of 2,000 people viewing it (members only, not counting non members) can't afford paid moderators.

In any case I am not aiming for a reply by the moderators, with the exception of a Norwegian girl (or lady) moderating here who is considerate and polite, I wouldn't see the point in conversing with most of the others.

My aim is to have the lay out of the forums fixed so myself and others can make efficient use of them, because as with every forum on the web, these forums belong as much to the community as they do to the moderators. And I would say they belong more to the community of users which actually post, than to those that police it.

 

[applesupergeek]

+1

Mods know what they are doing and by splitting and creating more, they make it easier for us to read so one forum isn't flooded by threads. Doctor Q made a sense making post about Mac Mini forum:

made sense, and "making (sic)" a post. Wait, you are the guy I was talking to a few months ago from Norway where I could hardly make sense of what you were writing whilst you were flaming me. I thought by now you would have made some progress with indefinite article use, that's like english 101, lesson 1. Still it's nice to see you finding me again to flame me.

As for the quote for Dr. Q, ok I read it, so what? It's bunch of debatable blah blah, but the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and all that theorizing about why a public vote is not useful falls flat, when the implementation of the forum categories without the public vote is rubbish.

What a piece of work both of you guys are, I couldn't read miles's post but you spoiled it for me by quoting him and +1 it. I know the types that frequent the feedback forums, and I said it upfront that I was expecting flaming. Great to see replies of the type "if you don't like it leave, no one is going to miss you".

They are hilarious in a feedback subforum.

It's hey give us your feedback and we 'll flame you because no matter how we mess up, we are always right, and well, we don't actually want critical feedback...precious....that's how the forums ended up being structured as applications software, then hardware, then system software and how "windows on mac" ended up being an "apple system and service".

 

[xUKHCx]

Lots of questions little solutions.

If you think they are bad please offer advise on an alternative layout that you think would serve the forums (as a whole) better.

What's the point of separate ppc subforum?

Because there are people who use PPC based computers. However going forwards their issues are crowded by newer computers and issues not associated with their hardware/software.

What's the point of splitting up applications and "system and services"? Just put them in software subforum.

Because that section includes items that aren't application specific or serve a different target user.

And ok, you did split them up, why not have them listed successively, and instead stick in the hardware subforum in between. This defies any understanding, why is the hardware subforum sticking out like a sore thumb in between subforums dealing with software?

See above.

Why are the i-devices sub forums above everything else but news?

This was where they were chosen to be. You can always collapse sections by the loozen shaped button in the top right of the sections.

In what sense is there a separate distributed computing sub forum? Huh? There are tens of cs applications, why choose distributed computing?

In the sense there is one. The distributed computing sub forum is a hold over from the past. It serves the community that are interested in that well.

And how come it's lumped together in "special interests"?

Because it is a special interest. It is not like everyone who owns a mac is interested in distributed computing.

And how special an interest are games?They are the most mainstream interest, what's special about it?

Special as in Specialist. Not everyone who owns a mac is into games. If it were dumped in the mac applications it would be diluted to those who weren't interest in talking about games and gaming. It is a place where people who are interested in a special category of mac use can talk about their special interests.

And what the heck is "digital" audio? Why not just name it audio, why's there a need to specify it's digital, do you think anyone would mistake it for a phonograph subforum?

This is not a new name.

And under what sense does windows on a mac fall under the apple systems and services category? In what sense is windows an apple systems and services category? Mind boggling...

In the sense that is an apple service offering us the ability to run windows on our apple system.

As I said before feel free to offer alternatives. When we first changed things, people spoke up and we made changes. We are well aware of the fact that we can't get everything right or indeed please everyone but please be mindful of the fact that we aren't mind readers.

Edit:

See these threads for further points of reference

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/916182/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/913517/

 

[Hellhammer]

Ha, ha, what a piece of work both of you guys are, I couldn't read miles's post but you spoiled it for me by quoting him and +1 it. I know the types that frequent the feedback forums, and I said it upfront that I was expecting flaming. Great to see replies of the type "if you don't like it leave, no one is going to miss you".

They are hilarious in a feedback subforum.

It's hey give us your feedback and we 'll flame you because no matter how we mess up, we are always right, and well, we don't actually want critical feedback...precious....that's how the forums ended up being structured as applications software, then hardware, then system software and how "windows on mac" ended up being an "apple system and service".

If you had expressed them in mature way, mods and others could have addressed them but you are giving a picture like "screw you this place and mods suck". In your opinion it would be better that we had single forum which would hold all posts.

Usually when you ask for improvements, in FREE services, you don't walk in and start whining and complaining, you do it quietly, politely and in developing way so someone who is doing it voluntarily may spend his/her free time to improve it.

Oh and by the way, that is just YOUR opinion. It doesn't matter any more than mine or miles' does. You can't expect them to do everything you say. This site has what, nearly 500k users, you are just one of them. Doctor Q clearly states in the post I quoted that they don't make changes based on polls or users' opinions.

I'm not saying it's perfect now and I admit you made some valid points but in awful way. (@mods: Sorry if I jumped too much on your toes, please edit and remind me if I did)

 

[miles01110]

You might have had some good points...

Where are the good points? All I see are a bunch of complaints based off of "I don't like this." This kind of garbage pops up time after time and the response is almost always the same: deal with it, make a reasoned argument for your point of view, or leave if you don't like it.

Select examples of "deal with it":
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/913517/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/850087/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/827894/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/782582/

Select example of "Make a reasoned argument":
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/880703/

Select example of "leave if you don't like it":
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/754873/

applesupergeek clearly does not deign to pursue option #2, so I don't see what the point of debating this any further is (especially given that the administration has already spoken to complaints about forum reorganization).

FFS, if I started a thread about everything I didn't like about how these forums were run I'd hit the character limit. I guess I'm just intelligent enough to realize that others might not hold the same opinion.