Dedicated Marine Electronics Forum Needed?

[wiley]

As I look forward to make ReelBoating look LESS like the last boating forum I created - I will begin making some changes.

I feel there is more to offering a boating and fishing community then simply having a ton of categories on a forum. In fact, I would like RB forums to just be a part of a bigger online presense.

Does ReelBoating really need a dedicated Marine Electronics Forum? I know it worked on my last site but am debating if it's really necessary, or should these discussions simply be in the boating forum area?

The new site layout debuting in a few weeks will have a search box which is predominantly featured on all pages so finding electronics topics and discussions shouldn't be an issue.

I guess I'm leanning toward ReelBoating being an open offshore community of all types of discussions and not a forum where people bash products all day.

With forums, I tend to like the "less is more" philosophy however am open to suggestions.

Thanks

[emudryj]

As I look forward to make ReelBoating look LESS like the last boating forum I created - I will begin making some changes.

I feel there is more to offering a boating and fishing community then simply having a ton of categories on a forum. In fact, I would like RB forums to just be a part of a bigger online presense.

Does ReelBoating really need a dedicated Marine Electronics Forum? I know it worked on my last site but am debating if it's really necessary, or should these discussions simply be in the boating forum area?

The new site layout debuting in a few weeks will have a search box which is predominantly featured on all pages so finding electronics topics and discussions shouldn't be an issue.

I guess I'm leanning toward ReelBoating being an open offshore community of all types of discussions and not a forum where people bash products all day.

With forums, I tend to like the "less is more" philosophy however am open to suggestions.

Thanks

I liked separate.

personal preference...I'm not really strong on electronics issues, so it's less to sort thru...

[DJWILLIAMS]

I like it seperate as well... but you the man! you pick!

[wiley]

Trying it as a sub forum now but not sure I like how much space it takes up top of the Boating Forums page.

[OReely]

My personal preference would be to have an all-in-one forum for things like general boat questions, electronics, boat repair, projects, etc. To me they just seem to fit together. Having fishing, photos, regions, etc as a separate forums makes sense also. Don't ask me to justify it, because I don't know why I like it that way.

All in all, I guess it's okay either way, just a minor adjustment to the way I view threads.

[one4water]

While I agree to the less is more theory,. I kind of like the electronics forum on its own. I hink there is a lot of electronic talk out there and it clutters the forums sometimes.

[Drailey]

As I look forward to make ReelBoating look LESS like the last boating forum I created - I will begin making some changes.

I feel there is more to offering a boating and fishing community then simply having a ton of categories on a forum. In fact, I would like RB forums to just be a part of a bigger online presense.

Does ReelBoating really need a dedicated Marine Electronics Forum? I know it worked on my last site but am debating if it's really necessary, or should these discussions simply be in the boating forum area?

The new site layout debuting in a few weeks will have a search box which is predominantly featured on all pages so finding electronics topics and discussions shouldn't be an issue.

I guess I'm leanning toward ReelBoating being an open offshore community of all types of discussions and not a forum where people bash products all day.

With forums, I tend to like the "less is more" philosophy however am open to suggestions.

Thanks

Boating, is Boating. I see no need for a seperate catagory. Heck, I think more people would learn about electronics if there wasen't a seperate catagory.

[CaptWill]

Dedicated forums make more sense to me. If I have a question about my engine, or about a sonar, I think it would get more reads and responses if it were placed in an apropriate forum, than being lost in the shuffle of an all-in-one.

What would a newspaper be like if all the articles were randomly scattered throughout? You want to catch up on sports? Good luck. Looking for a truck? Where are the classifieds? Same thing with a supermarket. People want to be able to find something without a lot of searching. Leaves more time to spend when you find it.

Edited October 17, 2009 by CaptWill

[wiley]

Thanks all... will try it as a sub forum for a while. Have a lot of good plans so right now I'm just ironing out some little details.

[pmagrady]

I jump in....

I don't think we need a forum devoted to electronics anymore than we need a forum devoted to plumbing. Here few reasons I turn to the internet; problems, suggestions and social. All the mechanical, electrical and systems issues could go into a "Problems" catagory. If someone is thinking of adding a new wigit to his boat and wants feedback, that could go into "Suggestions". What do you all think about this approach?