Sneak Peek At The NEW AVSForum!
AVS Members...
As you know changes are afoot here at AVS, and we wanted to make sure the members got a sneak peek at what will be coming very, very, soon. Thanks to some great work by the moderators and some dedicated members, we've been making changes and improvements to the new platform over time and are getting close to the point where we're ready to open the doors! We'll be providing a lot more detail on the new features and ways to interact with them around launch time, but today I just wanted to share a few screenshots. There are certainly some aspects of the platform that are brand-spanking new, but in a lot of ways it's true to the core experience that users have come to know and love. Posting, interaction, help and support.
Home Page: Although most members are eager to jump right in to the forums, we're hoping to make the home page a premiere destination as well with a focus on recent activity and content collection. The strength of AVS lies in the community, and we'll be working on new ways to surface the best content so it can be seen by everyone.
Thread Page: As you can see, the thread list and thread pages aren't too different from what you see today. We're trying to keep the core experience as consistent as possible and at the same time provide entirely new ways to interact around passion for home theater and home entertainment. On the subject of core experience, as you will see in the attachment, there will be a dark skin version as well. You can pick which skin you like more, but users with the dark skin currently will be defaulted to it.
Let me also say this now and that is a big SORRY to those that liked the good old days with the Retro theme as we will not have the Retro Theme. You see, themes are just to hard to maintain I am sorry to say. But we surely needed a Dark Theme for in theater use and the team surely came through. It is my personal favorite.
Reviews: As you all know, member reviews are a key component of AVS and they are done in threads. Now I know we have tried review systems in the past, but they were not up to our needs. We feel that now on the new platform we finely have one that fits very well. Also there will be product pages that aggregate details, reviews, thread discussions, and more about a product all in one place. Threads will always be an important part of the review process, but we can also use the new product taxonomy (the classification of something) to do more. Every Owner's Thread could have a matching product page that shows everything that's happening with that product on AVS, what people think of it, and where to buy it.
Galleries: Along with regular uploads there will be community albums where you can collaborate on albums (think "Coolest Man Caves"). The new platform also has new ways to discuss and share these photos across the site and view galleries by popularity.
A quick word about mobile: We're working on an entirely new HTML5 solution to go with the new site. It won't be live for launch, but you can expect it shortly after. Designed from the ground up with power users in mind, this is definitely something to be excited about. With that said, the dedicated AVSForum app you now may have will no longer function. Please feel free to remove it from your devices once we do convert over. (Trivia...That was my theater on the splash screen.)
HOWEVER...We will support TapaTalk on the new platform, so, well, if you have it, you will be set to go. If not...you may want to install it.
In Closing: There's a lot more, both feature-wise and under the hood, but there's no substitute for playing with the real thing
We'll be posting guides and FAQs to help, as there will certainly be some questions and concerns with the change, but we've put in a lot of work behind the scenes to make sure this is the right fit for the community. Hopefully the new platform and the great users at AVS can take the community to new heights. Stay tuned for more to come as we approach a new level of "calibration".
All in all, people fear change. They like what they have and are content. I get that. But what I also get is we are running on software that is years behind and we fight off hack attempts more that you would want to know. We are stuck with what we have and need to patch it to keep it running. Not a good place to be for a site of this size and reach.
We DID NOT make this move lightly. We looked at several platforms and talked with many. It took over a year to get this this point. But here we are as we not only look back at our journey, but look to the future of a more powerful AVS for both members and industry alike. We look to the members to help continue to drive the industry in the right direction. We look to the industry to hear our needs and help us see where the future of home entertainment is going. And we look to AVS as the place it all happens time and time again and now on a platform with a team looking to help all find what they may be looking for.
Thank you all for taking this large step with us. And thank for being members of AVSForum!
Some screen shots of some of the above referenced items...
AVS Members...
As you know changes are afoot here at AVS, and we wanted to make sure the members got a sneak peek at what will be coming very, very, soon. Thanks to some great work by the moderators and some dedicated members, we've been making changes and improvements to the new platform over time and are getting close to the point where we're ready to open the doors! We'll be providing a lot more detail on the new features and ways to interact with them around launch time, but today I just wanted to share a few screenshots. There are certainly some aspects of the platform that are brand-spanking new, but in a lot of ways it's true to the core experience that users have come to know and love. Posting, interaction, help and support.
Home Page: Although most members are eager to jump right in to the forums, we're hoping to make the home page a premiere destination as well with a focus on recent activity and content collection. The strength of AVS lies in the community, and we'll be working on new ways to surface the best content so it can be seen by everyone.
Thread Page: As you can see, the thread list and thread pages aren't too different from what you see today. We're trying to keep the core experience as consistent as possible and at the same time provide entirely new ways to interact around passion for home theater and home entertainment. On the subject of core experience, as you will see in the attachment, there will be a dark skin version as well. You can pick which skin you like more, but users with the dark skin currently will be defaulted to it.
Let me also say this now and that is a big SORRY to those that liked the good old days with the Retro theme as we will not have the Retro Theme. You see, themes are just to hard to maintain I am sorry to say. But we surely needed a Dark Theme for in theater use and the team surely came through. It is my personal favorite.
Reviews: As you all know, member reviews are a key component of AVS and they are done in threads. Now I know we have tried review systems in the past, but they were not up to our needs. We feel that now on the new platform we finely have one that fits very well. Also there will be product pages that aggregate details, reviews, thread discussions, and more about a product all in one place. Threads will always be an important part of the review process, but we can also use the new product taxonomy (the classification of something) to do more. Every Owner's Thread could have a matching product page that shows everything that's happening with that product on AVS, what people think of it, and where to buy it.
Galleries: Along with regular uploads there will be community albums where you can collaborate on albums (think "Coolest Man Caves"). The new platform also has new ways to discuss and share these photos across the site and view galleries by popularity.
A quick word about mobile: We're working on an entirely new HTML5 solution to go with the new site. It won't be live for launch, but you can expect it shortly after. Designed from the ground up with power users in mind, this is definitely something to be excited about. With that said, the dedicated AVSForum app you now may have will no longer function. Please feel free to remove it from your devices once we do convert over. (Trivia...That was my theater on the splash screen.)
HOWEVER...We will support TapaTalk on the new platform, so, well, if you have it, you will be set to go. If not...you may want to install it.
In Closing: There's a lot more, both feature-wise and under the hood, but there's no substitute for playing with the real thing
We'll be posting guides and FAQs to help, as there will certainly be some questions and concerns with the change, but we've put in a lot of work behind the scenes to make sure this is the right fit for the community. Hopefully the new platform and the great users at AVS can take the community to new heights. Stay tuned for more to come as we approach a new level of "calibration".All in all, people fear change. They like what they have and are content. I get that. But what I also get is we are running on software that is years behind and we fight off hack attempts more that you would want to know. We are stuck with what we have and need to patch it to keep it running. Not a good place to be for a site of this size and reach.
We DID NOT make this move lightly. We looked at several platforms and talked with many. It took over a year to get this this point. But here we are as we not only look back at our journey, but look to the future of a more powerful AVS for both members and industry alike. We look to the members to help continue to drive the industry in the right direction. We look to the industry to hear our needs and help us see where the future of home entertainment is going. And we look to AVS as the place it all happens time and time again and now on a platform with a team looking to help all find what they may be looking for.
Thank you all for taking this large step with us. And thank for being members of AVSForum!
Some screen shots of some of the above referenced items...
