Ok.... I have been brainstorming, and I just realized this place is REALLY confusing, at least in my eyes.... Im sure some would agree......

At any rate, this is what I think we should do, and you guys let me know what you think of it.....

We get rid of the Northstar/pushrod section, and ALL the models (for now anyway)..... So this is what the forum list would look like.....

FWD vehicles (seville,eldorado,deville,cimarron) from 1982-present
RWD vehicles (fleetwood/brougham, catera, CTS) from 82-present
Classic vehicles UP TO 1981
Cadillac SUVs

Then we could have simply 1 technical INFORMATION, where either a mod or a person can post stuff like writeups and technical information....

I think maybe we could add individual model subforums, but this place isnt NEAR busy enough for that..... We'd probably need AT LEAST twice the traffic here to do that!!!

Let me know what you guys think!!!!

I absolutely agree with reducing the number of forums. I've proposed the same thing in the past but was voted down. Maybe with it coming from a new source the idea will fly. I hope so anyway.
The place IS way too over-blown with all the different forums IMO. I'm constantly getting confused by the chopped up threads left after someone "moderates" and splits, moves, deletes, or whatever a post. That's why I've resigned myself to just checking "new posts". Trying to wade through all the other crap is overwhelming.

Okay. How will be handle the new Seville? It's RWD. Right?

And like this, I guess we'd actually have it work this way with the Fleetwood models:

1982-2004 FWD Vehicles (Seville, Eldorado, DeVille, Cimarron, Fleetwood)
1982-2004 RWD Vehicles (Fleetwood Brougham, Catera, CTS, 04 and up STS, XLR)
Vehicles Through 1981
Sport Utility Vehicles

I'd like to avoid using the term CLASSIC. That would mean every year we'd have to go through all the topics and move the latest Classic-model year out from one forum and into the Classic forum.

More thoughts, please.. I want to get this right the first time. I'm sure there will be a lot of complaints - there always is no matter what you do. But let's seriously think about this.. I don't think it's a bad idea..

Also.. Would it be a bad idea to start-off with SubForums? The main page would be less-cluttered with a whole-lot less forums to choose from - and there would only be a few SubForums in each area...

Anything that would unclutter the home page is okay with me. I never really thought about it until Wes mentioned it, but he's right.

Here are some of my ideas:

First, some applause: Hosting photos here and allowing people to directly upload into threads is a huge plus. Not many forums I've seen allow you to do that. You have to find your own host and write the code to link the URL.

We desperately need to create a new FAQ section for member write-ups, DIY, TSB's, recalls, etc. This should be very prominent on the home page, up near the top with a message to search the FAQ first. After a really good thread wraps up, it should be closed and archived to the FAQ. There are several already out there.

In General Discussion, have the Lounge, Non-model specific, Kill Stories, and Feedback. I think putting the Lounge at the top is a good idea. The "Welcome Center" could be consolidated with the Lounge as a sticky. "Company News" isn't getting a lot of activity, and usually runs in the "non-model specific" section anyway.

Group the Detailing and Infotainment sections with the photo gallery. Maybe even add a restoration section to bring in more of the pre-1981 owners. Also, the gallery should be more prominent. The little button is hard to find. Eye candy and fun stuff should go together.

Classifieds and Vendor Ads should be in their own section. Some forums even allow a sponsor to have their own section where members can communicate with a company rep. Any sponsors out there?

As far as the model-specific stuff and the technical/performance categories go, I'll leave that to people who know better. I do think that Allante and D-Bodies should each have their own sections. They kind of have a cult following.

Another suggestion that might make things a little more concise would be to simplify or remove the fine print descriptions under each section's heading. The more you can get on one screen without having to scroll up or down, the better.

Have a look at Brickboard.com, the Volvo site (I was followed home by a '69 wagon the other day). They divide the forum first by RWD and FWD. Them there is a selection by model series. I admit that they have an advantage because a model change indicates a real change, whereas Fleetwood goes on forever. I suggest we just divide by decades.

Sounds good, easier to navigate, less clutter

First, thanks to Donovan and others who have been so helpful in the past helping some of us who have problems. You have saved me several hundred bucks with great advice and timely updates. Keep up on being helpful to the novices who will one day become the experts, simply because you care enough to educate, instruct, and tolerate less informed :bouncy: drivers like me.

Sounds good, easier to navigate, less clutter
Keep in mind that while you'll have less clutter on the front page, if we don't use SubForums, we'll not only have Eldorado and Seville discussions in one forum - but discussions in regards to ALL front wheel drive vehicles in one spot.. That could amount to more clutter once you're passed the front-page...

If we can do this with SubForums, I think things will be fine.. But let's hear (or see) more from everybody...

Changes sound good to me. The only other suggestion is that we get the same e-mail many times, but, I don't know what to do about it. It's still great to have this Forum.

I'm a player. Whatever is decided is fine with me. If I don't like it - I'll learn to deal with it. It's nice to have a place this good (yes, as it is) for Cadillac-People to come to. The simplified way mentioned herein gets my vote. The most confusing part are the Fleetwoods since the name was applied to two totally different cars, i.e. FWD / RWD DURING THE SAME YEARS, UNLIKE THE DEvILLE WHICH ONCE IT WENT fwd IT STAYED THERE. Now, it's going BACK to RWD, confusion follows.

I really like the idea of these changes, as long as everything is kept easy to read. One of the worst problems on this forum is how confusing it can be. For example, in the Fleetwood/Deville forum, Devilles are talked about, RWD Fleetwoods are talked about, and sometimes FWD Fleetwoods are talked about. It would be much nicer if there was, under the main index of the forum, a topic for each of these models. Like, for instance:
-Deville
-RWD Fleetwood
-FWD Fleetwood
-Seville
-CTS
-Escalade
-SRX
-XLR
-Allante
and so forth...

Then, inside of each of those topics, you might want:
-General Discussion
-Problems and Answers
-Technical Data
etc.....

This is just my idea. As of now, I mainly am only ever in the Fleetwood/Deville forum, but I do not like the way it is arranged. If I want to know or talk about something relating to a RWD Fleetwood, I don't want to have to go through threads about FWD Devilles from the late 80's....you get what I mean? There just needs to be more focus on individual models and not just generalizations.

Hope this helps!

I believe it is always good to review and improve . Keeping it as easy as possible always works for me. Whatever! ....I will adapt to the changes. This is a fine forum.

I wouldn't put the SRX in with SUV's, namely the Escalade. The SRX is essentially a wagon version of the new STS and should therefore be in that forum. On a BMW site they wouldnt put a 5-series wagon in with the X5.

Im not sure about the FWD/RWD. What happens when in the future the STS/Deville have AWD?

Personally, there needs to be some changes, especially with their being new cars(STS,SRX), but I dont like the idea of grouping them that way. The current home page may be cluttered, but at least you can find the forum for the car you own without digging around for it. But hey, you know me, ill adjust either way.

Sal, I think it,s a great idea to take something good and make it better and easer to use. Don,t worry about getting it perfect, take the best of the feed back you get,and go with it. Thanks Trines STS

If Kevin Donovan is for it.............I'm for it........

Paul, Caddyguy TCM :worship:

Trying to improve the forum like this nice place is always very
welcome and I really appreciate these efforts.

But I think my opinion on this particular change is somewhat
similar to what Brett said like "but at least you can find the
forum for the car you own without digging around for it."

People may come here to look for some info about the specific
engine or transmission. Or maybe people come here to find
info on the specific model. Once everything is grouped according
to the model name, would it be difficult to find info, which are
common among the same type engine, for example?
(I may be wrong, if so forgive me, please.)

To be honest, I may be too new here to really judge what is
good and bad. So, I am not sure I am the right person to judge.
And yes, I will also adjust either way as Brett said.

I wouldnt put the SRX in with SUV's, namely the Escalade. The SRX is essentially a wagon version of the new STS and should therefore be in that forum. On a BMW site they wouldnt put a 5-series wagon in with the X5.

Im not sure about the FWD/RWD. What happens when in the future the STS/Deville have AWD?

Personally, there needs to be some changes, especially with their being new cars(STS,SRX), but I dont like the idea of grouping them that way. The current home page may be cluttered, but at least you can find the forum for the car you own without digging around for it. But hey, you know me, ill adjust either way.

Sal, I think it,s a great idea to take something good and make it better and easer to use. Don,t worry about getting it perfect, take the best of the feed back you get,and go with it. Thanks Trines STS
I don't know Sal. Everyone that belongs to this forum pretty much knows about Cadillacs, You list your year caddy that you own, i think everyone will know thats its a rwd or fwd.Do you think a change is necessary?

I think a change would cut down a lot of clutter and make navigation easier. If it doesn't work, it can always be changed back.

Right now, I think if we used my method, we would be in good shape........

Think about it...... The northstar, 4.9, 4.5, and 4.1 are essentially the same engine (design), and most problem areas are going to overlap.......

Subforums isnt a bad idea..... I personally dont think its necessary!!!!!

But we do need to have a better FAQ section..... Or rather just have one......

The only objection I have to adding subforums is that, until we get really busy, this isnt going to help de-clutter things up...... It may even add to the madness......

Let me think about this some more, I have been brainstorming and I think I may have thought of something golden.......

i like sepreateing fwd and rear drive , would make sense from a mechanical standpoint , i have more in common with a 89 alante than i do with a 94 fleetwood

as long as we matinain our current/future memebers and there satisfaction with the forums i see no problems

It's about time that the is a Classic Cadillac section for those of us who own older Cadillacs. We'll finally be able to make relevant posts instead of trying to fit in with the new car crowd. I know my grandfather will finally be able to make some good contributions as well since he owns many old Cadillacs. He never really got rid of any that he bought new except for one.

Well, personally I like the way the site is. I also like the new ideas. Im always up for some change and rocking the boat can be an adventure. Just dont close the site and I will be happy. Thanks again.

i'm probably the new kid in the block, but someone asked so ... here is my dream list ...

The way the site is set up, it must be a management nightmare for the moderators / administrators ...

What makes a whole lot of sense to me is to keep these FOUR current main menu forums and move/vaporize the rest from the main/home menu:

“Cadillac Vehicle Discussion” http://www.cadillacforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=1
“Classifieds”
“Site news, feedback and comments”
“Cad Forum Lounge”

Then what I believe a MUST is an FAQ for each model, under the “Cad Vehicle Dis..” as a sub ...

The Pushrod, Suspension, Electrical, etc forums .. if kept, should be a sub-forum of each model .. even if they are similar for other models .. car owners may not know what is similar and us common folks dive into the model specific area ... or simply let all this simply fall under the “cad Vehicle Dis ..” with the threads themselves categorizing this .. but an FAQ per model is a MUST ...

i would NOT touch FWD, RWD .. leave these under the model cars, whatever they are .. too much hair splitting can occur if you start doing that .. ie.. disk brakes, drum brakes, EFI, carbs, laquer, urethanes, yeiks .......

on the "Cad.. Veh... Disc .." forum, add one for "Classic Cadillacs" that do not fit under the present headings of the other models ..
maybe anothe for "Convertibles" .. special need owners there ..
there is a lot of info out there that could be collected for these and a lot of owners that would join if such would be added ...

Assign a adm/mod to build the each FAQ. This will take huge effort at start .. I think the current menu bar FAQ will NOT work ...


At any case, if this site hopes to ever attract the Allanté crowd, do NOT mix it with anything .. this group is a CULT by anyone’s definition .. the owners have specific needs, the cars have special needs and Allanté specific engines (NO-NO-NO-NO , the 4.1 & 4.5 engines from other caddies are NOT the same) , Allanté specific electronics & computer modules & other specific misc ..

Do not attempt to mix Allanté with the XLR like others have suggested .. it will not work ...

And the PICTURES ..
Leave as is .. maybe add more categories, maybe add a “Picture Lounge” forum for a misc of other car items (hood ornaments, misc GM, racing cars, auto memorabilia, wheels, etc ) ...
do not trim down the picture area, it is one of your best assets and it’s growing .. teach members to use the "KEYWORDS" so the spiders can find the pictures and bring in the traffic ...

other requests:
any way we can link several pics to each other? If one u/l’s a set of 4 pics, they get separated as soon as someone writes a comment .. example. i would u/l the seven different '88 Allanté colors and would like to link them together, and so on ...

One little item ... it be nice to “attach” a pic to a post at anyplace in the body of the text and not only at bottom of post ...

It will be so much better!
Go for it.
Jack Frost!

I don't think we should break up forums by fwd, rwd. I think we should do it by model for each models being sold currently. Plus keep a seville and el dorado forum. I am very much in favor of a classic caddy forum also. i think a rwd, fwd forums breakdown will be confuzin'

I say to leave it as it is!!

There is not much in our world that is perfect, and most likely anyone needing or dispensing information will be able to figure out where to go
whether this forum changes or does not.

Presentation will always be most important, right after content.

Not sure what the best way to do this would be. I agree that it probably shouldn't be FWD and RWD as the heading, or even the sub-heading.

If we are going to go to a sub-fourm, then maybe using the model name as the main subject, with years underneath would be best.

Fleetwood
-'93-'96 RWD (Fleetwood/Fleetwood Brougham)
-'9?-'99 FWD

DeVille
'00-'04 FWD (DTS)
'94-'99 FWD
'88-'93 FWD

This is just top of my head and it would take some research to break them down properly by model year. But with all the diverse members here, I'm sure we can get most of these cars properly categorized.

So if we are going to do sub-forums, this seems like the best way to make it easy to navigate.

I'm just going to write as many model names as I can think of...

DeVille, Calais, Eldorado, Seville, Fleetwood, Catera, Escalade, Cimmaron, CTS, STS, DTS, XLR, SRX and Sixty Special. We also do Model 60, 62 and 75 later as demand is there.

I think the problem arises with Cadillacs new 'stupid' alpha-system. An STS and SLS are the same, so how do we properly categorize them? Are they Sevilles? S-series? Is an SRX an S-series too?

When we talk about sub-forums, are we clicking Fleetwood to get to the sub-forums? Because if we use the current devider system, then we can make the Seville, STS and SLS all in that section.

Seville, STS and SLS
-'79-'86 Seville
-'86-'95 Seville
'95-'00 STS/SLS

I know my years are off. But this seems like the only way to do it properly.

This site is simply too cumbersome. I wonder if it would be too much to change over to the ZeroForums based interface. Their clean and easy-to-use interface is what makes vwVortex so popular. You should also consider the following changes...

1. Strip of ads at left of screen needs to be reduced in size and the quantity of ads needs to decrease. (Charge more per ad if you are so worried about revenue). It just makes the whole site look cheap.

2. If a registered user logs on to the site, it should instantly recognize that and log him in automatically. Make this happen by default when a new user signs up.

3. Make the page size automatically adjust to the monitor that is viewing it. I can't stand it when the page is bigger than my monitor and I constantly have to scroll side to side to read the posts.

4. Restrict the size and ability to put images in the "signature" column on the left side of the post. It just looks tacky to see everyone putting these silly images of cars and other things that don't contribute to the visual simplicity and quality of the site.

5. Get more people on the site!!! Most people don't want to know how to change the spark plugs on a '83 Eldorado, but there are a lot of people out there that want to talk about cars. The Cadillac Forums Lounge is frustratingly under-attended. By making it a non-cadillac only, you are dividing up your audience into too many small groups. Perhaps a better solution would be a "Car Buffs Lounge" where lots of people discuss anything automotive (Cadillac or not) in a fun, not overly specific or technical manner.

6. Less is more. Reduce feature creep.

7. Benchmark the leaders in the world of automotive forums... clubrsx.com and vwvortex.com.

Good Luck! I look forward to returning more often once the site is improved.

Not adding anything of value, except that I respect all you guys who know more about the forums than I do.

Any change to lessen clutter is welcome; also, this would just be "version 2", and can be again modified after a few months of use.

I like the look, but would prefer you to continue breakouts by model. I have an Allante and don't wish to have to weed thru things regarding all of the other models unless I wish to.

We may all be Caddy lovers, but we love a diverse range of Caddy vehicles and vintages. In order to avoid swimming through posts unrelated to our particular model, I believe we should maintain a separate section for each model. Thus, I prefer the current style or something along the line of caddycruiser's suggestion

I voted for a change. Maybe something like RWD/FWD/CLASSIC then subforums for models, with similar models grouped together like RWD - Deville and Fleetwood/Brougham.

This site is simply too cumbersome. I wonder if it would be too much to change over to the ZeroForums based interface. Their clean and easy-to-use interface is what makes vwVortex so popular.Thanks for taking the time to give us such a detailed analysis of our site. While I don't agree with you on every point I do think you bring up some interesting ideas for thought and discussion. Personally, I much prefer vBulletin over the Boards you mention. Since the program we're using now is a Beta it is not nearly all that it will be. Just wait until it is the Release Version - *then* we can start to make some valid comparisons. Even the vB2 Boards have an advantage over vB3 right now, since there are tons of modifications and enhancements available for it which will not arrive on the scene for vB3 until the RC.1. Strip of ads at left of screen needs to be reduced in size and the quantity of ads needs to decrease. (Charge more per ad if you are so worried about revenue). It just makes the whole site look cheap.Unfortunately, the reality is that this site costs money to operate. The costs are ongoing and increase rapidly as we grow. The revenue from the ads is surprisingly low - far less is generated than is needed to pay for a server and bandwidth adequate for our needs. There are only so many ways to pay the bills - Sal can pay it all out of his pocket, there can be a subscription fee for all members, donations from some members, sponsorships from vendors, or advertising. The first two options are not viable,and the third is so far not nearly large enough to significantly alter the situation. The fourth item is possible, but depends on two things, adequate traffic for the vendor to get the exposure they're looking for, and members showing them a modicum of respect when they post information about their products. That leaves item 5, ads. After the vB program goes RC, we're hoping to implement the "no ads for Supporting Members" feature - when that happens you'll be able to get rid of almost all of the ads - if you support the site by purchasing the Supporting Member subscription.2. If a registered user logs on to the site, it should instantly recognize that and log him in automatically. Make this happen by default when a new user signs up.That should be working for you now. Did you check the checkbox for "Remember username/password?" If so, and it still doesn't work for you it's a problem with your browser not accepting cookies, or a software firewall, security program, or spyware blocker blocking the cookies from being saved on your system.3. Make the page size automatically adjust to the monitor that is viewing it. I can't stand it when the page is bigger than my monitor and I constantly have to scroll side to side to read the posts.This is a function of your browser, not the Forum software AFAIK. Are you aware of some way of controlling this from our end?4. Restrict the size and ability to put images in the "signature" column on the left side of the post. It just looks tacky to see everyone putting these silly images of cars and other things that don't contribute to the visual simplicity and quality of the site.Well, the Avatars are very popular - we'll be keeping them. If you go to the Options tab in your User CP, there is a section called "Thread View Options". Under that is a subsection called "Post Elements". You may elect to uncheck Avatars, attachments, and/or signatures so you don't see them when you browse the Board. vB has many tricks! We are considering size restrictions on various user customizable features though.5. Get more people on the site!!! Most people don't want to know how to change the spark plugs on a '83 Eldorado, but there are a lot of people out there that want to talk about cars. The Cadillac Forums Lounge is frustratingly under-attended. By making it a non-cadillac only, you are dividing up your audience into too many small groups. Perhaps a better solution would be a "Car Buffs Lounge" where lots of people discuss anything automotive (Cadillac or not) in a fun, not overly specific or technical manner.As you know, we are presently discussing many ways of revamping the Forum lineup, and we will definitely include this suggestion in the thought process. As far as growth goes...we are doing really well! :D You just watch us and hang on...6. Less is more. Reduce feature creep.Many of the features of vBulletin are user selectable. Once the Beta is finished and a final product released I think you will be more than pleased with it. It does take some familiarization to get the most out of it though.7. Benchmark the leaders in the world of automotive forums... clubrsx.com and vwvortex.com.I'll be checking those sites out. Thanks!

I stand by my initial comments, except the more I think about it, the more I like the subforum idea.....

It should look like this

FWD cadillacs from 82-present
<each one of these having a SEPERATE subforum) Seville, eldorado, deville, fleetwood/60special, allante, cimarron
RWD cadillacs from 82-present
<each one having a SEPERATE subforum>: Brougham, Fleetwood (93+), CTS, catera, etc.......
Pre-1981 cadillacs (deville, seville, eldorado)
Cadillac SUVs

^^^^^^GOLDEN^^^^^^^^^

im totally unsure....

Okay. How will be handle the new Seville? It's RWD. Right?

And like this, I guess we'd actually have it work this way with the Fleetwood models:

1982-2004 FWD Vehicles (Seville, Eldorado, DeVille, Cimarron, Fleetwood)
1982-2004 RWD Vehicles (Fleetwood Brougham, Catera, CTS, 04 and up STS, XLR)
Vehicles Through 1981
Sport Utility Vehicles

I'd like to avoid using the term CLASSIC. That would mean every year we'd have to go through all the topics and move the latest Classic-model year out from one forum and into the Classic forum.

More thoughts, please.. I want to get this right the first time. I'm sure there will be a lot of complaints - there always is no matter what you do. But let's seriously think about this.. I don't think it's a bad idea..
I haven't been using the forum that long compared with some of the members. And maybe that's not such a bad thing.
sometimes after a while it's easy to forget what brought you here. Either a love for the cars, or a search for information. Hopefully both.
It seems that many of the older members have Fleetwoods, and that's great. But not all of us do. I've only had Eldorados. And if I were totally new to Cadillacs and here looking for help with a problem, it would help immensely to have a big, bold category listing for Eldorado\Seville. Just like it is. And to lump them in with all FWD models could scare a new viewer away. Using the 82-Pres, all FWD or RWD format requires a good deal of knowledge from the car owner, or lots of time to read through extraneous info. Can you really compare an 82 Eldo to an 03 Eldo ?
The changes that I would like to see really have more to do with the attitudes of the members here. First, when reading through posts sometimes I will reply and ask for related information. I realize that people are busy, but it would be nice to get an answer. How many times do you look at the threads and see that there's been 1 or 2 answers and several dozen views ? Isn't one of the primary purposes of this site to share info ?
Second, I'd really like to see the "supporter" block show up under some more names. It didn't take too long for me to decide this site could help me, so I paid the fee. It's not that much when you think about how much you save in repair costs over a couple of years. It's great to have people posting hundreds of replies, but how about posting a few bucks too ?
And last, just for my information, what's the criteria for naming moderators ?I'm just kind of curious. And if that steps on some toes, that's not how I meant it.
Bob

Ok.... I have been brainstorming, and I just realized this place is REALLY confusing, at least in my eyes.... Im sure some would agree......

Let me know what you guys think!!!!

I like most of your suggestions but love the NORTHSTAR PERFORMANCE section. I'd hate to see that merged into a TECHNICAL FORUM. To me it should stand alone as its not that common one can find a forum dedicated to Cadillac Performance.

Maybe, the more I think about it, I love the Seville/Eldo Forum. I'd hate to wade through all the FWD vehicles just to find Seville stuff.

.... Now if there were ICONs like the thumbs up/thumbs down/smiley face ICONs that one could use to identify a model... Then I wouldn't mind merging all the FWD models together.

Ya' know an ICON representing Sevilles, Eldos, CTS, etc. Heck maybe that's it! Instead of a picture ICON have the model designators, like STS, SLS, ETC, etc. Then when starting a new thread the initiator can select what best represents the vehicle being discussed


OK, that's more than 2-cents worth of my mind. Hope it helps! :)

..rickko..

Great ideas......

I think it is a good idea to have a CADILLAC PERFORMANCE forum...... I never thought of that.......

And the more I think about it, I think we WILL have subforums, so your idea would not be necessary!!!! :thumbsup:

RWD vehicles (fleetwood/brougham, catera, CTS) from 82-present

So now you want to have a seperate 'classic' section AND dump the Catera and CTS in with the Fleetwood/Broughams?? You can't be serious! You think that the pre 1981 cars are so different then the rest of the RWD cars upto 1996 that they deserve their own section yet you don't have a problem putting the Catera and CTS together with another style of car that has nothing to do with them? OK there, that's a great idea :rolleyes:

I think the best way to have it would be to have a section for all older models right upto that mid 80s FWD downsize and also all RWDs upto 1996. All the RWD cars are related anyway, the ones with the biggest difference are the 1993-1996 models and there aren't all that many people posting about them. Have another section for FWD DeVille and Fleetwood upto whenever the new style models started showing up, another section for Eldorado, Seville, etc..., another for Cimmaron and Catera. New models can either go with other cars they relate to or have their own section.

Engines can be split up as all older style engines, then one for the 4.1 or 4.5 or 4.9 and one for the Northstar.

Other forums like gnereal ones that deal with everything Cadillac can fit in as they're needed.

Getting to the way things are now, I think it's a bad idea to split DeVille and Fleetwood apart from eachother the way they are now. The only difference between them are the name and soem different trim.

Great ideas......

I think it is a good idea to have a CADILLAC PERFORMANCE forum...... I never thought of that.......

And the more I think about it, I think we WILL have subforums, so your idea would not be necessary!!!! :thumbsup:
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I think you misunderstood........ Brougham......

Reread my post again.......

^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I think you misunderstood........ Brougham......

Reread my post again.......

Uh... what does my post have to do with that
:confused:

I think it's a bad idea to split DeVille and Fleetwood apart from eachother the way they are now. The only difference between them are the name and soem different trim.

I didn't know the DeVille was RWD and powered by an LT1!

I say don't fix what's not broken! Besides I didn't realize there was any other section than the Deville and Fleetwood one. I think this site is great, then again I only joined in september thanks to Madlac. Whatever
you decide to do I will keep coming to your forum Without a doubt. I think I would go through withdrawl if I didn't. I have sat here and gone through some of the archives and found myself glued to the computer, or laughing my but off. It's a great site do what you gotta do. I'm with ya Sal!

I didn't know the DeVille was RWD and powered by an LT1!


It was the years before 1993 that I was refering to, I assumed the big difference between Fleetwoods and DeVilles for 1993 and 1994-1996 was obvious :D Right now you could have someone asking about something like trouble codes for say a 1991 Sedan DeVille when someone might have already just had the same conversation about 1991 Fleetwoods the day before in the other forum. You'd have the same set of questions and answers for the same cars twice because the name is different. :bonkers:

...........

Engines can be split up as all older style engines, then one for the 4.1 or 4.5 or 4.9 and one for the Northstar.

........



forgot ...

besides the Allanté cult following there is the Northstar cult following, and to make matters more sensitive, how about the '93 Allanté with the 1st Northstar cult following ...

so, i think somewhere the Northstar forum must continue .. it probably brings a healthy level of traffic ...

forgot ...

..., how about the '93 Allanté with the 1st Northstar cult following? ...


Hey! I resemble that remark! :) Thanks for thinking of us.

..rickko..

Personally, so far I don't see much of a problem, but, if you want to do it, I'd recommend main sections, with some subsections

General Discussions: General Cadillac Discussion, Open Lounge

Technical and Site Support: Site support and News, Auto Support(mechanical assistance of a repair nature)

Model Specific Discussion: Eldorado, Seville, Deville, Cimarron, Allante, Escalade, CTS, SRX, XLR... etc

Performance Discussions: Racing(Autocross, Drag, Street), The various motors Northstar, 4.9, 4.1, 5.7, 6.0, Others

Lights, Sound, and Styling: Lighting, Car Audio/Entertainment, Exterior Styling

I think this would cover just about everything we need pretty well, 5 main sections, with various subsections. Yes, I really want a racing section, since I still don't see one. Also can't use my private messages, but ah well.

Anything is fine with me. I'm new anyway, so I'll just adjust.

For what it's worth: It looked appealing enough to me to join in the first place.

Thanks for making it the best!

You all know I'm all for the pre '81 section. I think the layout of how it is right now is good. It's great for newbies, but the people that have been here for a while want to get it so there isn't much clutter. When I first joined, I liked how there was a seperate section for devilles from everything else, that was nice.... too bad barily anyone ever talked about their classics in there.

My view:

General
- New Members
- Cadillac Appearance and Detailing
- Cadillac Classified Advertisements
- Cadillac Kill Stories and Race Videos
- General Cadillac Non-Model Specific Discussion
- Site News/Feedback/Suggestions

Pre 1981
- technical
- sub2
- etc
FWD
- eldo
- Seville
- sub3
- etc
RWD
- fleetwood
- CTS
- etc
Infotainment/electrical

I think the new change to fewer options would be great. It would be easier to find the information one wants.

Big Jake

A section for caddy BIG BLOCK v8's would be nice:).. Maybe one just for 500-CID'S:D I like the idea of a classic section:thumbsup: I'm happy either way ( change or no change) just so theirs still a spot for the older caddy's.
later 500-CID:burn:

What Wes suggests is fine, as well as Caddy Cruiser's opinion, I like. No, I don't think the Lounge is unsupervised or unmonitored, you may as well mean censored, and censorship in a lounge sucks. It is a place to discuss anything under the sun (in good taste) IMO. What's next, altering personal opinion??!!

I don't mind the forum as it is. The last time it was altered, we lost our photo section for a very long time.................remember?

I don't mind the forum as it is. The last time it was altered, we lost our photo section for a very long time...remember?We "lost" the Photopost section when we upgraded from vB2 to vB3 Beta. That *should* not happen again. It's not related to adding, deleting, changing, or moving Forums within the site.

Sal will be glad to hear you don't want to lose it again! :D

Will less sub forums speed up the loading of the site? If so, then I'm all for it. This site loads way too slow. And what takes so long to load seems to be the ads, at least according to my status bar. It's always waiting for this ad or that ad to load the page. I still do not like the ads on the side, as it does make this place look very cheap. And if you have a caddy, you don't want your hangout to look cheap. I think you should lose the side ads and just go with banners if you need to continue with the ads. At least they integrate with the site better. And please NO FLASHING ADS! This is NOT yahoo...

/end rant

I really think the site works well how it is. I do like the idea of haveing separate FWD and RWD sections, with sub forums for each model. I really don't like reading about FWD DeVille's when I'm looking for info on RWD Fleetwoods. I think the lounge and non specific cadillac sub forums should be merged. And I like the idea of the classic section.

But, it looks like if we try to rearrange the site to what you guys are talking about, it'll be about the same it is now. There will still be a lot of sections, and still not everyone will be happy. I'm on the fence, and it really doesn't matter to me either way. The only thing I check 99.9% of the time is the "Active Topics" arrow button. Then I just pick what I want to read through there. Otherwise I'd be pulling out my hair trying to find the new stuff...

And what's with all the new posts flags disappearing after you've read a couple new topics??? :confused:

I also think there should be a third option on the poll. Something like "It really doesn't matter to me either way. Whatever is done, I'll still be here" Ya know, for those of us who are on the fence and don't feel strongly enough to vote one way or the other. Then you'd probably get a more accurate view of how everyone here feels. I know I didn't vote because my true feelings were not a choice and I'm sure there are others who feel the same...

The ads aren't what slows us down. We've always got a lot of people browsing around here and that's where the bandwidth goes. Check out another site of mine: http://www.80sxchange.com/forums - there's twice the amount of ads and twice the amount of loading-speed. There's popunders ads, ads that slide across the screen, skyscrapers and several different banner ads.. There's just less people browsing that site at every given time... We need a more powerful server...

Ok.... I have been brainstorming, and I just realized this place is REALLY confusing, at least in my eyes.... Im sure some would agree......

At any rate, this is what I think we should do, and you guys let me know what you think of it.....

We get rid of the Northstar/pushrod section, and ALL the models (for now anyway)..... So this is what the forum list would look like.....

FWD vehicles (seville,eldorado,deville,cimarron) from 1982-present
RWD vehicles (fleetwood/brougham, catera, CTS) from 82-present
Classic vehicles UP TO 1981
Cadillac SUVs

Then we could have simply 1 technical INFORMATION, where either a mod or a person can post stuff like writeups and technical information....

I think maybe we could add individual model subforums, but this place isnt NEAR busy enough for that..... We'd probably need AT LEAST twice the traffic here to do that!!!

Let me know what you guys think!!!!



I AGREE. KEEP IS SIMPLE (KISS)

SEARIDER

Hey! I resemble that remark! :) Thanks for thinking of us.

..rickko..

no problem ...

it occurred to me that maybe most around here don't know that:

1. the '93 Allanté is and will always remain a unique car,
2. the '93 Allanté introduced the VERY 1st Norhtstar,
3. AND introduction took place at the 1992 Indy 500,

for those that don't get it, go to the PICTURE section and see
the pictures i posted there.

so u see, this '93 model year Allanté, with all it's shortcomings does deserve a spot in history .. and a spot in the forums ...

after reading all these posts, i can only think of one thing:

yikes!!!!!

some of the posters must have worked on voicemail system designs ...
YIKES!!!!


KEEP IT SIMPLE !!!!



better keep it simple, that's only way to make it succesfull...

make it complicated, and you will fail ...



for my part, i don't really care if a car is in a forum by FWD, RWD to find it .. what i care is when i login, i can find it in less than 5 seconds WITHOUT having to jump around through several layers ..

do NOT layer to find models .. do NOT .. you will loose many possbile members if you do that .. we just don't have the patience to figure out where we have to go to find our models .. specially those that arrive via a Google spider .. we simply will click "BACK" .

THAT is why i recommended listing by model .. SIMPLE .. REDUCE the layers, keep it simple .. do not make it like voice mail ...

the way the models are listed now is GOOD , it is easy to find them .. just could use a couple more slots for classics and convertibles ..
if you go the RWD, FWD, ETC .. YIKES !!! YIKES !!!.
and i am only speaking of the section for listing models ...

you wanna layer something? layer the technical as subforums to the models or don't bother at all .. and like i said, keep in touch with the need of "cult followin" cars .. that need WILL be different ...

============================


i hope the picture section does NOT get vaporized again ... THAT keeps me coming here ...

==============

as cumbersome as the site is right now, one can find the MODELS easy. IF i knew that a voicemail type layering was being considered, i would change my vote to :

DO NOT CHANGE IT!!!

you see, once i get to the model of choice, i don't mind looking around and seeing what else can be found, but if i can't find my model in 5 seconds, i click BACK to Google and i am out and gonne ...

ladies and gents, no one drives lounges, engines, kiil-stories, axles, FWD, RWD, etc .. we drive cars models .. that is why we are all here ...

put on the front window what we drive (models) and we will walk in ...
then we will browse the other stuff ...

and i was really trying to stay out of it ...
what was i thinking ...

Ok.... I have been brainstorming, and I just realized this place is REALLY confusing, at least in my eyes.... Im sure some would agree......

At any rate, this is what I think we should do, and you guys let me know what you think of it.....

We get rid of the Northstar/pushrod section, and ALL the models (for now anyway)..... So this is what the forum list would look like.....

FWD vehicles (seville,eldorado,deville,cimarron) from 1982-present
RWD vehicles (fleetwood/brougham, catera, CTS) from 82-present
Classic vehicles UP TO 1981
Cadillac SUVs

Then we could have simply 1 technical INFORMATION, where either a mod or a person can post stuff like writeups and technical information....

I think maybe we could add individual model subforums, but this place isnt NEAR busy enough for that..... We'd probably need AT LEAST twice the traffic here to do that!!!

Let me know what you guys think!!!!


hi i think its great idea it will be easier set up.

Sounds like a good idea. I'm happy either way. I'm just a circling vulture waiting for one of you to total your car. I need a 4.5L pushrod engine for my fiero.

Stealth.. You like it the way it is now then.. I do as well. When you walk in the front door, you see every model there is. You pick which model you want to talk about, and open the door - and then you're there.

I know there are a lot of forums right now - but there are a lot of different types of cars.. I do agree that the less clicks to get in, the better.. Even SubForums, while I like them, require an extra click - which also requires Google to make an extra click. Google only goes 2 clicks in...

You know..... I never really looked at the page as a whole...... Im sorta withdrawing my statements.. I kinda like it how it is...... But we do need to add a pre 81 section.... No doubt about it......!

Ok....... I have been enlightened.... This is how I think it should work...... NOW....

General discussion..... Everything remains the same

Technical discussion
I think the northstar/pushrod tech/info section should be for TECHNICAL INFORMATION and PERFORMANCE related issues, not mechanical issues (like something going wrong)...... Leave discussion for vehicle problems for the models.....

Then we rename the suspension forum to handles brakes/tires/steering/suspension.......

Do this, and well, we are......

Golden! I don't see the image, though.. I'm liking how this is sounding even better now.. Wes.. How do you propose we seperate the technical information the way you're saying.. I'm guessing we could just state the rules and hope all goes well.. The Northstar Tech forum would be for performance related issues - but not mechanical issues.. That might be a bit confusing... How should be go about this?

Holy crap, I got other people saying it too!!!!! GOLDEN!!!!!!

My idea is that stuff like write ups, technical information (like stuff about oil consuption, for example), and performance related stuff (nos, forced induction, etc) go here......

Just put there this is for talk about the northstar engine, technical information about it, and performance related information/discussion......

Same thing applies to the pushrod section......

We also do need a better base for suspension/brakes/tires/etc for this place....
From a moderator stand point, obviously noobs are gonna mess this up, so we're gonna have to have a frequent mod move stuff around as need be.......

I thought the Northstar Performance section was supposed to be used the way you're stating from the beginning. If it hasn't, then it's not been being used correctly..

Otherwise.. Maybe we should just rename the Suspension section to incorporate brakes and tires.. That would be a start. Right? It's just the MOVING of things that'll be trouble. I'm guessing there will be a lot of topics in the General Non-Model Specific section that get moved...

But we do need to add a pre 81 section.... No doubt about it......!

Oh I have a doubt about it, A HUGE one :annoyed:

I like the idea Sal said in the topic from last week 100%

If 4 or 5 of you want a Classic area - why don't I just make a subforum called "The Classic Club" and you guys post pictures and threads about your cars? I'm having trouble with the idea of seperating everything for a few people who don't want to be a part of everything else.

As far as the models section goes, other then that and the DeVille/Fleetwood thing I like the way it is now.

I thought the Northstar Performance section was supposed to be used the way you're stating from the beginning. If it hasn't, then it's not been being used correctly..

Otherwise.. Maybe we should just rename the Suspension section to incorporate brakes and tires.. That would be a start. Right? It's just the MOVING of things that'll be trouble. I'm guessing there will be a lot of topics in the General Non-Model Specific section that get moved...
That sounds good......

Stealth.. You like it the way it is now then.. I do as well. When you walk in the front door, you see every model there is. You pick which model you want to talk about, and open the door - and then you're there.

I know there are a lot of forums right now - but there are a lot of different types of cars.. I do agree that the less clicks to get in, the better.. Even SubForums, while I like them, require an extra click - which also requires Google to make an extra click. Google only goes 2 clicks in...

THAT is it - "When you walk in the front door, you see every model there is. You pick which model you want to talk about, and open the door - and then you're there..."
then add whatever forums are missing and remove deadwood & irrevalent forums .. i still VOTE for two added forums:
(1) convertibles (all in one forum) & (2) classics (non Deville, ElDorado, etc..) other than the listed models on the front door ....


=================

Originally Posted by elwesso
"Ok.... I have been brainstorming, and I just realized this place is REALLY confusing, at least in my eyes.... Im sure some would agree......"

not sure who started the "brainstorming, but in general, the
commander-in-chief starts the discussion, then keeps distance, gets lost, and does not try to influence the others to buy-into his/her phylosophy until the brainstoming is done .. just a thought ...


=============


that is it for me .. i am done ....

I like the fact that we are evaluating the Forum and considering changes. Eliminating clutter and improving navigation are important goals for me. Dividing into FWD and RWD categories won't be that helpful in my case. I would prefer to have categories assigned by each model in the Cadillac line, since I am tracking information by specific models. When I come to the formum, it is to track specific information on this model and I will benefit from a subforum that aggregates all the information related to it in one string of messages.

Thanks for everyone's efforts to improve this Forum. As they said in that Kevin Costner film--"Build it and they will come!"

Right now, I think if we used my method, we would be in good shape........

Think about it...... The northstar, 4.9, 4.5, and 4.1 are essentially the same engine (design), and most problem areas are going to overlap.......

Subforums isnt a bad idea..... I personally dont think its necessary!!!!!

But we do need to have a better FAQ section..... Or rather just have one......

The only objection I have to adding subforums is that, until we get really busy, this isnt going to help de-clutter things up...... It may even add to the madness......

Let me think about this some more, I have been brainstorming and I think I may have thought of something golden.......

Right now, I think if we used my method, we would be in good shape........

Think about it...... The northstar, 4.9, 4.5, and 4.1 are essentially the same engine (design), and most problem areas are going to overlap.......

Subforums isnt a bad idea..... I personally dont think its necessary!!!!!

But we do need to have a better FAQ section..... Or rather just have one......

The only objection I have to adding subforums is that, until we get really busy, this isnt going to help de-clutter things up...... It may even add to the madness......

Let me think about this some more, I have been brainstorming and I think I may have thought of something golden.......


I don't like the idea of FWD / RWD forums.

Maybe add a forum for each engine type?

I do like most of the car stuff you have now (models), but some forums seem not usefull. I really like the models in the front page.

Maybe add sub-forums with instructions to do engine disussions on the engine forums.

I think that your idea of the breakdown of classic, SUVs, fwd and rwd cars is cool, but I think the subforums will be necessary for the different models for the fwd and rwd cars so that you don't have to read forever through other models.
:burn:

Oh I have a doubt about it, A HUGE one :annoyed:

What differance would it make if there was a classics section? Why would you care?

I think he's just jealous because his doesn't fit into the category and he's all butt hurt about it. Everyone else liked it, even Wes with his INFINITY. He says who cares about what kind of engine the caddys have, but that's a HUGE part of the car.

What differance would it make if there was a classics section? Why would you care?

Well if you followed your own advice and PAID ATTENTION you'd already know the answer to both those questions :rolleyes: but as a recap, why I care is because your idea of a split falls inbetween changes for all the models. IF there has to be a classic section I have no problem with having it for DeVilles and Fleetwoods upto 1976, Eldorados upto 1978 and SeVilles upto 1979 although since the cars are all so similar anyway I still don't see the point when there's already a split for RWDs.

I think he's just jealous because his doesn't fit into the category and he's all butt hurt about it. Everyone else liked it, even Wes with his INFINITY. He says who cares about what kind of engine the caddys have, but that's a HUGE part of the car.
I hate to burst your bubble mr. smartass, but I couldn't care less if my car fits into your classic section or not. As much as you'd like to imagine that everyone else liked the idea, that's not true too- when you actually read what people are saying the ones that have replied who have anything to do with these RWDs you want no part of seem to be thinking the same way I am. And now that Fleetwood is splitup between FWD and RWD there's less and less of a reason to have a classic section anyway- all the posts in there that are specific to a certain year of car say something about it in the title so you wouldn't be opening up posts just to see that it's something you don't know or care about anymore anyway. The ones that are left are general enough that they could be about any year. There are hardly any posts that are specific to the engine in there anyway. And like "Wes with his INFINITY" said in the other thread "Remember we are trying to CONSOLODATE!!!!!! Not make MORE fourms!!!!!"

your idea of a split falls inbetween changes for all the models
So... radically changing the engine is not a change in the car? Are you Sure you want that as your arugment?


As much as you'd like to imagine that everyone else liked the idea, that's not true too-
Maybe you're right maybe you're wrong. We will find out:

http://cadillacforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4285

Ok, I don't have a fleetwood, so why would i be going in there anyways?

im starting to think the change is a bad idea , like the FWD/RWD arguements this is getting everybodys airbags in a bunch

if a few people have there way it will be 4 members in each section , everyone will have there own section because there car is so special and that wont be good for people who have some car that no one else on the board owns.. or people wont even bother to look at asection cuz its for a car they dont own ie:

"Gold 1994 Sedan Deville section "

"red 88 alante section "

"well im not going to either , dont need to , i own a red northstar Deville with a starskey and hucth stripe"....problem here is this guy might know something about a place that has tons of "pinnafarina" emblems or something but wont show up in there cuz he dosent own one

speaking of the only group that should be split off is the allante' if what that one dude said is right then that car shares nothing with any other production cadillac and none of us can help them in any way shape or form (kinda makes me want one even more)

beyond that id say seperate us by front or rear drive , my only reason for this is to eliminate the constant stupid fights when a front drive guy cant get help and gets pissed when he sees a fleetwood owners get all advice they need .or its just the "whats beatter" but everyone has been behaveing the past few weeks so we may not need that either

in other words leave the damn thing alone , the guys are starting to fight over this too


edit : also , this thing with WES and his INFINITI has got to stop , the kid is a valuable resouce for us , he does a good job moderateing and has a genuine love for the cadillac brand , but a few people here have to give him crap all the time because he drives a Infiniti and is on a cadillac board , so what , get over it .....I happen to have owned a infiniti too , and i drive a caddy right now to , ive enjoyed them boath to no end , i do enjoy the Infiniti more due to the fact i can go deeper and harder into the corners than the deville , but i sure have a hard time finding a japanses car that give me the level of comfort the caddy provides , the caddy is he right car for me right now with my back and neck injurise i sustained in the military and after my crash in the infiniti

we should have a hot rod/high performance section

im starting to think the change is a bad idea , like the FWD/RWD arguements this is getting everybodys airbags in a bunch

if a few people have there way it will be 4 members in each section , everyone will have there own section because there car is so special and that wont be good for people who have some car that no one else on the board owns.. or people wont even bother to look at asection cuz its for a car they dont own ie:

"Gold 1994 Sedan Deville section "

"red 88 alante section "

"well im not going to either , dont need to , i own a red northstar Deville with a starskey and hucth stripe"....problem here is this guy might know something about a place that has tons of "pinnafarina" emblems or something but wont show up in there cuz he dosent own one

speaking of the only group that should be split off is the allante' if what that one dude said is right then that car shares nothing with any other production cadillac and none of us can help them in any way shape or form (kinda makes me want one even more)

beyond that id say seperate us by front or rear drive , my only reason for this is to eliminate the constant stupid fights when a front drive guy cant get help and gets pissed when he sees a fleetwood owners get all advice they need .or its just the "whats beatter" but everyone has been behaveing the past few weeks so we may not need that either

in other words leave the damn thing alone , the guys are starting to fight over this too


edit : also , this thing with WES and his INFINITI has got to stop , the kid is a valuable resouce for us , he does a good job moderateing and has a genuine love for the cadillac brand , but a few people here have to give him crap all the time because he drives a Infiniti and is on a cadillac board , so what , get over it .....I happen to have owned a infiniti too , and i drive a caddy right now to , ive enjoyed them boath to no end , i do enjoy the Infiniti more due to the fact i can go deeper and harder into the corners than the deville , but i sure have a hard time finding a japanses car that give me the level of comfort the caddy provides , the caddy is he right car for me right now with my back and neck injurise i sustained in the military and after my crash in the infiniti
I already gave my opinion about the forum changes, I want what's going to work best though. Because that gives this forum the best chance to survive. These days DotComs are dying faster than old time comedians. So I'm leaving that all up to the guys that do this stuff for a living.
What I wanted to talk real breifly about is Wes. He doesn't own a Caddy. And ?
Does it really matter if he owns a Caddy, Q, skateboard or a federation transporter ? He likes Cadillacs, that's obvious. And he knows more about them than a lot of us here. And I'm over twice his age.
He's also willing to help anyone that asks, even if they've been an ass in the past.
If people need to crap on someone, I volunteer. Leave the nice guys alone.
Bob

Wes has been taking it on the chin about the Infiniti since Day 1 - it's *usually* said in fun and he takes it that way. As long as the comments don't turn into flames we'll be OK. Wes isn't shy - he'll let you know if it goes too far... :D

Now, let's not lose sight of what this Thread is about - we're exchanging ideas about revamping the Board. Nothing is carved in stone. The changes that have been made so far are mainly organizational - they will make it easier to implement whatever is finally decided. Sal is extremely talented when it comes to taking all of your input into account and making the right moves. So don't get frustrated or impatient - this is a major project and I'm confident that when all is said and done it will be a very good thing.

I dont really care what you guys think...... I appreciate the words, though....... I understood and prepared myself for what was going to happen when I got the Q and stayed here...... But you wont get rid of me and Ill still impart my knowledge of the cadillac brand to you all....... THATS IT!!!!!

But, the inevitable fact is, the Q is a much better choice for my finances..... Parts are cheaper (I have a wholesale resource, Joe is GOLDEN!), and I can DIY almost everything..... I dont think I could say that with a cadillac......

Also, if your gonna talk about INFINITI, SPELL IT RIGHT!!!!!!

Infinit***I***

Sorry Sandman..... Got a little sidetracked........ :D

Anyway, I think we should close this and start a new thread, as we have had some good ideas, but this thread is slightly confusing......

Wes, your Grandpa owns a Fleetwood, that's close enough to home to stay. :thumbsup:

Thats really the reason I came here in the first place....... :D

Thats really the reason I came here in the first place....... :D Elweeso, Patience paid off today on the 94 Sts Seat Warmer Control. I found a good one for $20.00 & it felt good to have a "hot Seat". I want to thank you & others that have gotten involved in my problem. Thanks for helping. Hope I can help you folks in the future. God Bless

Congratulations!!!! Im glad you found it, and coincedentally, I didnt get to go to the junkyard.... :( The guys there are really spooky......

Thanks for taking the time to give us such a detailed analysis of our site. While I don't agree with you on every point I do think you bring up some interesting ideas for thought and discussion. Personally, I much prefer vBulletin over the Boards you mention. Since the program we're using now is a Beta it is not nearly all that it will be. Just wait until it is the Release Version - *then* we can start to make some valid comparisons. Even the vB2 Boards have an advantage over vB3 right now, since there are tons of modifications and enhancements available for it which will not arrive on the scene for vB3 until the RC.Unfortunately, the reality is that this site costs money to operate. The costs are ongoing and increase rapidly as we grow. The revenue from the ads is surprisingly low - far less is generated than is needed to pay for a server and bandwidth adequate for our needs. There are only so many ways to pay the bills - Sal can pay it all out of his pocket, there can be a subscription fee for all members, donations from some members, sponsorships from vendors, or advertising. The first two options are not viable,and the third is so far not nearly large enough to significantly alter the situation. The fourth item is possible, but depends on two things, adequate traffic for the vendor to get the exposure they're looking for, and members showing them a modicum of respect when they post information about their products. That leaves item 5, ads. After the vB program goes RC, we're hoping to implement the "no ads for Supporting Members" feature - when that happens you'll be able to get rid of almost all of the ads - if you support the site by purchasing the Supporting Member subscription.That should be working for you now. Did you check the checkbox for "Remember username/password?" If so, and it still doesn't work for you it's a problem with your browser not accepting cookies, or a software firewall, security program, or spyware blocker blocking the cookies from being saved on your system.This is a function of your browser, not the Forum software AFAIK. Are you aware of some way of controlling this from our end?Well, the Avatars are very popular - we'll be keeping them. If you go to the Options tab in your User CP, there is a section called "Thread View Options". Under that is a subsection called "Post Elements". You may elect to uncheck Avatars, attachments, and/or signatures so you don't see them when you browse the Board. vB has many tricks! We are considering size restrictions on various user customizable features though.As you know, we are presently discussing many ways of revamping the Forum lineup, and we will definitely include this suggestion in the thought process. As far as growth goes...we are doing really well! :D You just watch us and hang on...Many of the features of vBulletin are user selectable. Once the Beta is finished and a final product released I think you will be more than pleased with it. It does take some familiarization to get the most out of it though.I'll be checking those sites out. Thanks!


Sandman,

I just wanted to let you know that I really appreciate the manner in which you addressed my concerns. That's what I call customer service! Your attitude alone makes me want to make whatever positive contributions I can to your site.

Thanks!

P.S. Sure you can't reduce the size of the ads to the left;)

im starting to think the change is a bad idea , like the FWD/RWD arguements this is getting everybodys airbags in a bunch

if a few people have there way it will be 4 members in each section , everyone will have there own section because there car is so special and that wont be good for people who have some car that no one else on the board owns.. or people wont even bother to look at asection cuz its for a car they dont own ie:

"Gold 1994 Sedan Deville section "

"red 88 alante section "

"well im not going to either , dont need to , i own a red northstar Deville with a starskey and hucth stripe"....problem here is this guy might know something about a place that has tons of "pinnafarina" emblems or something but wont show up in there cuz he dosent own one

speaking of the only group that should be split off is the allante' if what that one dude said is right then that car shares nothing with any other production cadillac and none of us can help them in any way shape or form (kinda makes me want one even more)

...............




Stoneage, Wes,

now i am getting a wanting to have a section for 1988 Black Allanté 4100 .. since those were not made in ANY other year, they are unique in my book .. just kidding about the special forum .. but not about being the only year made .. there are no '87 Blacks and in '89 Allanté went to the 4500 .. the same also applies ONLY three colors: BLACK, RED, GRAY Metallic ...

the Allanté does have something in common with ElDorado, the floors, the chassis were "cut ElDorado" .. and 1993 Allanté shared ElDorado trani ..

Allanté 4100 & 4500 engines (i think trani also) are all unique ...

emissions .. ahhhhh .. NOW, there we go something to share?
i been on a quest to ID this issue with no avail here and elsewhere .. in So CA cars go to the salvage yard due to emissions issues too often ...

if only the aftermarket would come up with a "Emissions overhaul kit" to do an exchange on ALL the parts in one sweep with a "core" charge .. Allanté or any cadillac ...

AND since most GM/Caddy emissions are same or similar in design .. shouldnt we have an emissions forum to share and rescue each other???

think about it .. what really goes wrong with an engine itself?
next to nothing? emissions !!!!!!


= = = = =

Sal, Wes, etc ...

no joking ...
really really think about an emissions technical section regardless of what you do or don't do ...

"AND since most GM/Caddy emissions are same or similar in design .. shouldnt we have an emissions forum to share and rescue each other???"

THIS IS A GREAT IDEA!!! im willing to bet 80% of our fwd caddy owners have had emission issues at some point , wither its passing or just getting the car to run right

I second the idea....... Or 3rd rather....

I second the idea....... Or 3rd rather....

4th it

Stoneage, Wes,

....
....
....
....
....

emissions .. ahhhhh .. NOW, there we go something to share?
i been on a quest to ID this issue with no avail here and elsewhere .. in So CA cars go to the salvage yard due to emissions issues too often ...

if only the aftermarket would come up with a "Emissions overhaul kit" to do an exchange on ALL the parts in one sweep with a "core" charge .. Allanté or any cadillac ...

AND since most GM/Caddy emissions are same or similar in design .. shouldnt we have an emissions forum to share and rescue each other???

think about it .. what really goes wrong with an engine itself?
next to nothing? emissions !!!!!!


= = = = =

Sal, Wes, etc ...

no joking ...
really really think about an emissions technical section regardless of what you do or don't do ...


Sal,

an emissions area could be the Golden Gates .. i don't know any other site that has that .. hell, i could use that myself after going through some very rough time AND expensive repairs with emissions on three vehicles this year alone ...

one car, repairs $650 .. culprit were several $20 sensors
2nd car, repairs $325 .. culprit was a $40 connector
3rd car, repairs $400+ and ongoing .. culprit continues to be elusive ...

i am not sure about all other states in the Union, but we have to run our cars either once a year or every two years through the $$$$$ eating smog machines, after the cars are 4 yrs old (i think) .. applicable to ALL cars from 1973 to 1999? here we have the: no pass, NO GO !!!

maybe the question should be: when can we expect this EMISSIONS FORUM to be on-line????

ok

phpBB is more simple, but much less powerful. The email you recieved should have contained the link to your discussion.

How about Cadillac from Decades. . . .
Pre- 1970's Cadillacs
70's Production Cadillacs

80's Production
Sub group Cimmeron :cookoo:
90's Production Cadillacs
Then move to generations. . . so that you cover all late model 90's to 2005 cars that have not been converted like 2001-2004 STS/SLS and 2001-2005 Deville's and the Catera
and then Current Generations Cadillacs (All The squared off Caddy's)
2002-current CTS
2004-current SRX
2005-current STS
2006-current DTS
2002-current Escalade
2004-current XLR
And then to Finish off models Future/concept Vehicles
Actually now that I think about that. . .
this might be worse. . . . .:histeric: