09-09-2023, 11:06 AM
It's been a while since I've made a round of changes to the board layout 
. However, following the feedback from this thread, I have introduced a round of changes to the board, which focused mainly on the 'Technology and Computers' and 'Online Quizzes' sub-forums:
1. "Technology and Computers" has been re-named to "Tech and Engineering"
The name 'Technology and Computers' always felt a bit redundant - because when one thinks of 'technology', computers are often the first thing that comes to mind . Furthermore, this name makes it clearer that engineering-related threads belong in that part of the board (which had always been true - the board description had always mentioned 'engineering' - but, let's face it: how many of us read those 
?)
2. Tech and Engineering now has a sub-forum, called "Vehicle and Structural Engineering"
Sometimes, I like to post engineering-themed threads. The place for these was always in the now-renamed "Technology and Computers" section... but, I always thought they looked out of place there, since it was dominated by IT and computing (and, in spite of the name change, I expect it still will be). Therefore, I decided there should be a separate sub-section for these threads, to keep them away from all the IT stuff. Because most engineering threads are about: a) some kind of vehicle, or b) some kind of building or structure, I have named this section "Vehicle and Structural Engineering".
3. "Online Quizzes" has been re-named "Quizzes and Trivia", and re-organised
Historically, the 'Online Quizzes' part of the board had been dominated by personality quizzes. However, around 2014, trivia quizzes began to appear - and because these were quite different in character from the personality quizzes (and attracted a different audience), I decided it would be worth adding a separate sub-forum for them. But, fast-forward nine years, and the situation has completely reversed: the trivia quizzes now absolutely dominate that part of the board. It began to look silly, having a sub-forum that contained the overwhelming bulk of the content in that part of the board - so, I flipped it around, so that the trivia quizzes are in the main part of the board, and the personality quizzes are in a sub-forum. And finally, I re-named it to "Quizzes and Trivia", because: a) that's more reflective of how the board is used today, and b) the word 'online' is simply redundant .
4. The "Australia and New Zealand" sub-forum has gone
I don't want the total number of forums and sub-forums to become overwhelming - so, I've adopted a system where, every time I add a new sub-forum, I get rid of an unnecessary or underperforming one. And the "Australia and New Zealand" sub-forum was a pretty low-hanging fruit in this regard: we don't have a large enough user base of Aussies and Kiwis to support it, and the few we do have weren't using it (the last post there was over a month and a half ago). Therefore, it was quite easy to just get rid of it.
I hope these changes make sense to you - and, I hope you enjoy the new/updated sections
!
. However, following the feedback from this thread, I have introduced a round of changes to the board, which focused mainly on the 'Technology and Computers' and 'Online Quizzes' sub-forums:1. "Technology and Computers" has been re-named to "Tech and Engineering"
The name 'Technology and Computers' always felt a bit redundant - because when one thinks of 'technology', computers are often the first thing that comes to mind
. Furthermore, this name makes it clearer that engineering-related threads belong in that part of the board (which had always been true - the board description had always mentioned 'engineering' - but, let's face it: how many of us read those ?)2. Tech and Engineering now has a sub-forum, called "Vehicle and Structural Engineering"
Sometimes, I like to post engineering-themed threads. The place for these was always in the now-renamed "Technology and Computers" section... but, I always thought they looked out of place there, since it was dominated by IT and computing (and, in spite of the name change, I expect it still will be). Therefore, I decided there should be a separate sub-section for these threads, to keep them away from all the IT stuff. Because most engineering threads are about: a) some kind of vehicle, or b) some kind of building or structure, I have named this section "Vehicle and Structural Engineering".
3. "Online Quizzes" has been re-named "Quizzes and Trivia", and re-organised
Historically, the 'Online Quizzes' part of the board had been dominated by personality quizzes. However, around 2014, trivia quizzes began to appear - and because these were quite different in character from the personality quizzes (and attracted a different audience), I decided it would be worth adding a separate sub-forum for them. But, fast-forward nine years, and the situation has completely reversed: the trivia quizzes now absolutely dominate that part of the board. It began to look silly, having a sub-forum that contained the overwhelming bulk of the content in that part of the board - so, I flipped it around, so that the trivia quizzes are in the main part of the board, and the personality quizzes are in a sub-forum. And finally, I re-named it to "Quizzes and Trivia", because: a) that's more reflective of how the board is used today, and b) the word 'online' is simply redundant
. 4. The "Australia and New Zealand" sub-forum has gone
I don't want the total number of forums and sub-forums to become overwhelming - so, I've adopted a system where, every time I add a new sub-forum, I get rid of an unnecessary or underperforming one. And the "Australia and New Zealand" sub-forum was a pretty low-hanging fruit in this regard: we don't have a large enough user base of Aussies and Kiwis to support it, and the few we do have weren't using it (the last post there was over a month and a half ago). Therefore, it was quite easy to just get rid of it.
I hope these changes make sense to you - and, I hope you enjoy the new/updated sections
!