SearchEngineWatch about to become a butterfly...

[evilgreenmonkey]

SearchEngineWatch has always been the number one resource for Search Engine Marketing information, although perhaps seen as the ugly duckling in the industry.

Well, the SEW guys will kill me for announcing this first - but we're about to receive a facelift. We've heard the cries of usability issues and cluttered pages on the site, and are addressing this with a new, improved and user tested look to your favourite SEM destination.

I sneaked into the Incisive HQ today and gained an exclusive preview of the new homepage, let me tell you - it's superb. Us forum goers won't be left out in the rain either, with a fully integrated design and forum software upgrade.

To celebrate this milestone, I'll soon be introducing an exciting new array of features on the forums, including status rankings for long-serving members and some awesome prizes to the most helpful and sociable members.

Although a closely guarded secret, I'd estimate the new look going live as soon as next Monday. I can't guarantee that we'll be 100% bug free at launch, although feel free to PM me with any bugs that you find.

:cool:

Rob Kerry (evilgreenmonkey)
SEW Forums Editor

[pleeker]

How can the SEW guys kill the nicest bloke in SEO? :)

Anyway, looking forward to seeing what's new - thanks for whetting the appetite, Rob.

[beu]

I can't wait to see what you guys have up your sleeve! :)

[Mel66]

I (heart) EvilGreenMonkey! ;) Great news! Can't wait to see it.

Melissa

[Discovery]

Nice way to smooze a new status ranking 66!

You're not Evil enough for EvilGreenMonkey

Well it's true! You're semi-evil. You're quasi-evil. You're the margarine of evil. You're the Diet Coke of evil. Just one calorie, not evil enough!

[sportsguy]

Best of luck with the change-over guys and gals. Hope everything goes nice and smooth.

I'll be refreshing like crazy hoping to catch the change-over... ;)

Ah, the e-glee I'll experience will be worth it. :)

Duane

[PPC]

I hope the forum doesn't change much. I like this format a lot - easy navigation, organized, great display of the threads, etc. I find more fancy forums to be less efficient and more prone to spam. I really don't need to see anyone's avatar or care about their signature links that lead to their site(s). This forum is great because it has the most knowledgeable moderators and participants and the majority of contributors here that are driving most of the threads are experts in SEM/SEO. Compare that with the forums over at Digital Point - sure, they might have more traffic over there, but the discussions seem to be driven mostly by affiliates, borderline spammers and black hatters, MFAs, garbitragers, SEM beginners, etc. Even the format at Webmaster World leaves alot to be desired... you would think with all the "webmasters" there, they would be able to design a cleaner format than that.

Keep the forums simple and efficient I say.

[Mel66]

Well, what does everybody think?

[rustybrick]

I like the new software, quick replies rock. :)

[evilgreenmonkey]

I really like it ;)

Please bare in mind that the forum is still undergoing changes. The forum software hadn't been updated for years, so the upgrade wasn't too smooth. I'm fixing some permissions at the moment and the Featured Threads section on the homepage should re-appear soon. I'm also hopefully going to introduce Avatars and member rankings this week, followed by a few new forum changes. If you were expecting something that isn't currently live on the forums, let me know and I'll see if we can add it. :)

[PPC]

It looks much better now than the format I was seeing earlier this morning.

[David Wallace]

The site as a whole definitely looks a lot better and has a much cleaner interface. Although it did detract from the user interface, I will miss having a link in the blogroll that used to exists in the left navigational table on the SEW Blog but is absent from new site.

Any chance on the blog roll that used to exists at blogs.searchenginewatch.com being listed on its own page/section?

[sam890]

I like the look a lot better but I think it is harder to navigate I probaly just have to get used to it :D

[AussieWebmaster]

I (heart) EvilGreenMonkey! ;) Great news! Can't wait to see it.

Melissa

lol.... suck up

[AussieWebmaster]

The site as a whole definitely looks a lot better and has a much cleaner interface. Although it did detract from the user interface, I will miss having a link in the blogroll that used to exists in the left navigational table on the SEW Blog but is absent from new site.

Any chance on the blog roll that used to exists at blogs.searchenginewatch.com being listed on its own page/section?

nice catch Dave I was on there too...

[evilgreenmonkey]

I wasn't in the blogroll, so it was taken down.

Thanks for the ego boost Mel, I was starting to think that DaveN was getting all the SEO love (http://www.seo-blokes.com/16/nicest-bloke-in-seo.html).


His excellence,

evilgreenmonkey

[AussieWebmaster]

I wasn't in the blogroll, so it was taken down.

Thanks for the ego boost Mel, I was starting to think that DaveN was getting all the SEO love (http://www.seo-blokes.com/16/nicest-bloke-in-seo.html).


His excellence,

evilgreenmonkey

dropped blogroll = dropped vote

[evilgreenmonkey]

dropped blogroll = dropped vote
I'll look into it, although I'm guessing that it was a PITA to look after with the hundreds of search blogs all wanting to be listed. Plus, how many people actually used the blogroll to find new SEM sites?

[David Wallace]

I'll look into it, although I'm guessing that it was a PITA to look after with the hundreds of search blogs all wanting to be listed. Plus, how many people actually used the blogroll to find new SEM sites?

It was the link juice from such an authority site that I will miss. It is probably one of the crucial factors that has me ranking # 4 for "David Wallace," a very common name with some pretty famous competition. Nevertheless, I have to admit that all the links in the old blogroll did look cumbersome. That's why it would be nice to have a separate page with them listed, kind of like Andy Beal does at Marketing Pilgrim - (http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/blogroll/).

[Marcia]

Lovely looking, but I can't see threads on the list once I've posted in them and like to follow up, which will be nigh impossible to do

http://forums.searchenginewatch.com/search.php?searchid=1053964

They disappear once they've been read once, unless there's been a new reply. And sometimes if there hasn't been a new reply, there needs to be one.

[evilgreenmonkey]

Thanks Marcia, I'll look into that.

[gabs]

Looks no longer like the 1980's hehehehe

Seems to be loading much faster.. Yesterday was a joke for me.. Server looking like its nicely cached now :D

[Mel66]

Overall I like the changes. Two things I miss:

* Links to articles in the SEW forums, that used to be in the left navbar. Those were handy - I liked being able to scan the day's headlines while reading the forum.

* Larger font in the forum. I know most of you youngsters won't notice, but for us "older" folks the small font is hard on the eyes. :D

I still (heart) evilgreenmonkey, though. :D:D

Melissa

[AussieWebmaster]

Mel just hit Ctrl and + and hey presto

[Mel66]

Thanks Aussie, I knew you'd understand. ;):D

[Kevin Newcomb]

Hi David,

The blogroll will be back, and I'm sure we'll still link to your site. They're having a few issues with load times, so they're shutting off some non-core elements until they figure things out. I'll keep on them to put the blog roll and forum roll back.

Overall, things are working pretty well, so I'm glad it didn't hurt too bad.

thanks,
Kevin

[sportsguy]

Nice work so far guys & gals. :)

[David Wallace]

Hi David,

The blogroll will be back, and I'm sure we'll still link to your site. They're having a few issues with load times, so they're shutting off some non-core elements until they figure things out. I'll keep on them to put the blog roll and forum roll back.
Awesome! Oh, and make sure to include Evilgreenmonkey's site. ;)

[rustybrick]

Awesome! Oh, and make sure to include Evilgreenmonkey's site. ;)

Great, how am I suppose to lurk through a forum with an evilgreenmonkey watching me the whole time? :mad:

[evilgreenmonkey]

Great, how am I suppose to lurk through a forum with an evilgreenmonkey watching me the whole time? :mad:The evilgreenmonkey link won't attack you, unless provoked of course. Talking of lurking, I better check Twitter to see what cereal you had for breakfast today. :D

[ciaran]

I have to say that I really like the new look; in fact it's what prompted me to make the leap from voyeur to member.

And nice to see so many familiar faces (if that's the right word for a faceless medium).

Thanks for having me!

[Robert_Charlton]

Definitely easier to look at.

I miss the New Posts panel. Today's Posts could use some more contrast in the display.

I notice that threads now disappear from the Control Panel once I've viewed them. Prior arrangement stored them all, at least for a while after you'd visited.

Best arrangement, IMO, would be for user to select individually when to remove a post from the Control Panel list, so that you could look at a thread and decide which threads you're finished with and which you'd like to revisit and post.

Weird things happen to the Reply to Thread page when it refreshes. The text panel jumps all over the page. Should be a more stable page structure than that.

All in all, very smooth for such a big transition. Congrats to all concerned.

[rustybrick]

Cheerios... :)

[gabs]

The "Re: SearchEngineWatch about to become a butterfly... "

Its a bit repetitive is it not..


Load times are much better now...

[Mel66]

I miss the New Posts panel.
Me too. That is basically the only way I used to read the forum. I'd like to see it return.

Melissa

[evilgreenmonkey]

Me too. That is basically the only way I used to read the forum. I'd like to see it return.There's no pleasing some people! ;) OK, I sacrificed "New Posts" to bring "Today's Posts" back as it's useful for the moderators. I'll try and bring New Posts back by sacrificing "Quick Links" as most of the options on that panel are already accessible elsewhere.

Has anyone got a problem with that? (Guess the sitcom reference)

:D

[Mel66]

Works for me. Today's Posts is sometimes useful too. I agree, Quick Links can go.

But do whatever's best for you as the forum mod. You'll never please everybody. Just remember,

I (Heart) EvilGreenMonkey ;)

Melissa

[Robert_Charlton]

I'm seeing this message in white on the left side of the dark blue bar the runs across the top of the page, just beneath the banner ad and just above the left nav menu. I think it's on every single page in the site....

You are here: SEW Home

[beu]

You all have done a grrrrreat job with the new site design.

Thanks for bringing back "Today's Post".

If I was going to change anything I'd get rid of "Quick Reply" either way, it's still OK. Just my two cents!

Have a fantabulous day and keep up the excellent work.:)

[Robert_Charlton]

You are here: SEW Home

It just hit me that that's the beginning of the bread crumb navigation that needs some fleshing out. ;)

[AnthonyCea]

SEW gives contributors no signature privileges, that equals no real progress or hope for the forum's activity to grow substantially, members do not tend to contribute to such forums.

This policy offers little incentive for members to contribute content when they can post on forums offering signatures in return for contributions.

This is one reason this forum has been a flop as far as active members posting here, sorry to say it, but it is simple the truth.

[evilgreenmonkey]

Hi Anthony,

I would disagree that signatures help a forum, if anything they make a forum feel cheap and nasty. It's just link spamming and no better than auto-submitting comments to blogs. SEW members use the forum as they love their industry and discussing related topics. If signatures were allowed, people would only post for the linkback and that's not a real community. Incentive ideas are currently being developed, although allowing signatures or self-promo will not be amongst them.

Just my opinion.

Rob

[AnthonyCea]

I respectfully disagree with you, when Sitepoint took signatures down I went out and put an enormous amount of pressure on them by exposing this lunacy, they lost a ton of traffic and member contributions.

Then all of a sudden they decided to put them back up after making the terrible decision to take them down to drum up sales, thinking that they would sell more ads in their marketplace by removing signatures.

So members value signatures, it is up to moderators and administrators to reward members worthy of a signature, if they are being misused or sold off as they are on other forums they should take signatures away from members who abuse this privilege, not deny them to valued members.

[Nintendo]

At some forums, people just use the signature links to rent out and make money!! :D:D Heck, I started doing that last year on one webmaster forum!! :D:D

[AussieWebmaster]

I respectfully disagree with you, when Sitepoint took signatures down I went out and put an enormous amount of pressure on them by exposing this lunacy, they lost a ton of traffic and member contributions.

Then all of a sudden they decided to put them back up after making the terrible decision to take them down to drum up sales, thinking that they would sell more ads in their marketplace by removing signatures.

So members value signatures, it is up to moderators and administrators to reward members worthy of a signature, if they are being misused or sold off as they are on other forums they should take signatures away from members who abuse this privilege, not deny them to valued members.

This is a discussion that has merit on both sides. True some forums give links but I think the engines are not giving serious weight to them.

[AnthonyCea]

Most forums are going to no follow in live links within posts because of comment spammers and the risk they pose to the page's PR, in addition signature links on many forums are all no follow by default.

Members just need this as a tool to expose their pet projects, they are not going to spend time here when they can go to other forums offering signatures.

[Marcia]

they are not going to spend time here when they can go to other forums offering signatures.If that's the reason they're spending time at forums, IMHO it's no loss.

Members just need this as a tool to expose their pet projectsNo, they most certainly do not need this as a tool for exposure. And if some do need promotion for their projects here, no doubt they're more than welcome to contact Incisive to inquire about advertising opportunities.

As the forum title indicates, these forums are for discussions about SEO and search marketing. This is not a link directory.

[AnthonyCea]

So after two years or so online, this forum has as much traffic as a forum started a month ago, while all the discussion is taking place else where.

Great philosophy indeed !! :rolleyes:

PS: Your post editing window seems wide open, I was able to edit this post many hours later, it should be closed down to 15 minutes to eliminate people coming in later and editing to save face when caught on the wrong side of an argument.

[evilgreenmonkey]

Which SEO forums are you currently an active member of Anthony?

[AnthonyCea]

Well, when I'm not banned for exposing idiot members on Digital Point and exposing bad management tactics there, that is one place I'm active on, I run forumpostersunion.com and have posted on tons of forums over the years.

Anyone can run a search on my user name and find this data.

Marcia is wrong about her stance, since most forums are now going with no follow on signatures, again, managers can decide on a member by member basis who is worthy of signature slots and who is not, if abused or sold, they can be taken away easy by moving that member into a custom user group.

[evilgreenmonkey]

Thank you for your opinion, we will bare it in mind.