Well a few. please take all this as constructive criticism.
Ok, I have tried to give the new ownership the benefit of the doubt, but I feel I have to get this out, as I am sure I am not the only one feeling this way.
1. PMs (PTs) are STILL missing, I am not the only one looking for them. And there has been little to no response lately regarding this.
2. I receive notification that threads I am subscribed to have new posts, however when I go to my user control panel, it shows all topics as read, even if I haven't been online in a day or two. It's the same for the forums, Topics are marked as read, I haven't read them.
3. POSTING PICTURES, I went to review a post I made some time ago
Help installing convertible inner rockers on a 65 Mustang Coupe there were 3 pictures of an issue I was having with an inner rocker, they are gone now! They were in the "Gallery Forum" and I linked back to them in the post. All that is left is the big red X. Where are the pictures? This is why I feel that pictures that help describe what we are working on should be attached in the post, NOT linked to an outside source. While that is nice for the forums bandwidth, it makes for a poor archive of information. If I close my photo hosting account, ALL the photos I have posted in the many forums are now reduced to a
X. Nothing is more frustrating then reading a post that says, "if you see in my 2nd picture, that is how the widget is supposed to be installed" And all that is there is a
X. And I am sorry $120 a year for the right to attach in a post is not worth it. Show me where other forums are doing this. At least in the old forum we could post a picture in the Gallery forum without subscribing, and link to it! Having all the info in one place keep continuity. Having to depend on other sites is not wise.
4. Commercialization. What has happened here? VMF was about one Mustang enthusiast helping another. The information was shared freely, with the understanding that someday it would help someone else. Now we have to PAY to get basic features. What is the 25 PM limit, and you can pay to get more space... To get any features, that are remotely what users would want is $60 a year. I stopped buying Car magazines to get away from the commercialization. Now they are in MY forums. When I say 'MY' I mean all users of VMF. Without us VMF would not exist! The ADs are annoying, but I understand they are needed to keep the site afloat, but they need to be trimmed a little. (And not by me paying to turn them off). I also think the subscriptions prices are outrageous!
What set VMF off from some of the others (AllfordMustangs.com, mustangforums.com, Stangnet.com, etc...) was the way we all felt at home, ADs were not banging you in your face, no one hounded you to subscribe, or cut features, the place was friendly, warm, home like, and I give great credit to the former owner/admin, he made it feel like it was run from his living room (I mean that in a good way) You felt like you could stop in and get a cup of coffee, or a cold one, and talk Mustangs all night. I don't get that feeling anymore
Maybe it is the bright white sterile background, or the fact that it seems that the new owners are more interested in the income, (how many forums do they own??) then if Someone finds out what the right paint code for a '65 289 is. Please, I beg the admins, please bring this site back to the way it was. I/We all love VMF, but it is not what it once was
I am not going to stop visiting, but I hope the admins read this and take it to heart.
Sorry
[rant off]
Rusty
