Some recent discussion in the Discord and in the Discord/IRC thread has sparked, for me at least, a recognition that there are some issues with the site as a whole.

The site's load times have been consistently slow since the last host change. This is an improvement over the previous hosting (where stuff just went down without warning and wouldn't come back for days because tech support was apparently unreliable) but the fact that it takes so long to refresh or switch between pages makes the site as a whole cumbersome to use.

The front page hasn't been updated in over a year. The gallery hasn't been updated in five years. The efforts to turn the non-forums part of the site into a repository of knowledge about Warcraft have never materialized.

The lack of integration for the chat mediums that some users have gotten into (the IRC is a classic example but the Discord is the more recent and IMHO more relevant one) means there's something of a split between folks who want to interact exclusively via the forums and those interacting in the Discord in real time.

I have some ideas about things I'd want to see on the site (things I'd be willing to contribute myself, natch), but I wanted to start a thread here to get a discussion going about whether these problems are actually problems or if everyone is fine with the state of things.

In other words, if folks are OK with how things are going at SoL, there's no need to change anything. But if we're going to change things, let's figure out what we can do to really get into the present and make this site a destination for fans of the franchise.

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Expect nothing and anything will surprise you.

Have daily Discord roundups on the forums and I'm okay with everything

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I know Jiffy was offering this as a joke, but do you think this would work as a solution? And you don't think there's a need to address the site performance issues?

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Expect nothing and anything will surprise you.

Was he?

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0.05 (1/20) seconds to load a thread 3-4 to get after clicking reply to here.

Eh we have this discussion often but nothing ever seems to happen so I will only drop some cliffnotes off the top of my head:

-Get more people, the forums feels to be dying and we need some new faces to keep things lively.

-Maybe kill the Discord, I feel it saps attention from the actual forum

-Diversify topics. Add gaming, movies, shows, science and other nerdy things as new subforums. Warcraft is on the decline so while it should remain the main thing maybe roll up some of the Warcraft subforums and reduce redundancy.

-Work on eliminating drama, we've lost too many good members already. Do this by talking or forcing people into ending the petty feuds. Also sensible moderation that is light, unbiased and commensurate.

Half.



Another thing that came up on the discord based on Handclaw's question of what made using SoL worthwhile and how to convey that to first-time visitors was a 'featured posts' feature.

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The antique website and sluggish loading times are going to keep the vast majority of newcomers away. Fixing the site is, IMO, the number one priority. Doesn't matter how fun or interesting the community is (and it really isn't right now [sorry]), no one wants to use a broken, slow-ass website. This technology is like 20 years old now. I think a big part of the attachment for those here is the years and years worth of discussions being stored on these forums and that's probably one of the main reasons there hasn't been a true exodus to a new site or forum or whatever. Otherwise I might suggest the outright heresy of starting a brand new site and forum from the ground up on a more modern platform/host. Alas,I know nothing of web dev so I am less than useful here. The general inaccessibility of Warlock is a tremendous roadblock to making improvements.

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Now imagine a music, dear readers, heavy with cellos at a rapid staccato. Cellos held between thighs in a dark room. The little room of Harry's chest as he walks with his teammates to the opening gate of his first Test of Cribbage. They are a rag-tag group of champions, this bunch, and with Harry, the near-perfect new god, they know they will dominate the day. Harry is a world laced with rivers of wizardly blood. He is ready.

This is a very good idea that nobody's going to want to actually take responsibility for, but the loading times are still pretty bullshit.

We should also update the 'main' page so that it at least reflects the modern state of the site.

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This is not a terrible idea.

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I've said it before, I'll say it again. If you want big changes, we need folks willing to put the time in who are capable WebDevs. If you've got the resume, we'll consider it. If not, drop your suggestions in here anyway, but be prepared for some disappointments (because there are always limitations on technical/financial feasibility).

As comfortable as I am personally doing frontend work, that's not where we're really hurting, so it's mostly folks who have both the time and skills to do back-end service.

And, as always, there's the following disclaimer. Everything proposed requires Warlock's "Okay" before it's done. He's usually pretty amenable, but just keep it in mind.

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Rationalizing the irrational since 2005.

There were in-depth plans to revamp the site a while back, but no one has access to the back-end.

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^Ignored again.

Okay. It is cool.

No one has access to the back-end? Or no one has enough experience to modify the back-end?

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Expect nothing and anything will surprise you.

Only Warlock has access to the backend. Bolvar is the only other person currently on staff with experience there, but neither have an abundance of time.

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Rationalizing the irrational since 2005.

So it kinda sounds like if we want something to happen, we need to find someone with time to work on the backend (or secure funds so we can pay someone to do it) and ask Warlock if he'll grant access to that person in order to let the work occur.

If Warlock's happy with the state of the site then this whole discussion is moot.

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Expect nothing and anything will surprise you.

I can guarantee one thing. No one (Warlock, Staff,or Users) is happy with the fact we're out of date.

In terms of funding, I can't drop half a G on a dime, but we're not strapped for cash enough that we can't afford the software. Non-volunteer time, however, is costly. Thus the call for people who both know the ropes and are willing/able to give us the generosity of their time. And, of course, be trustworthy (since they'd be able to access databases that include user info).

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Rationalizing the irrational since 2005.