Holy cow! Trying to post to the classifieds is beyond brutal. Not even practical. Where are you guys posting your stufff for sale these days? I have multiple stuff for multiple year cars with various prices. I am not jumping through the thousand or so hoops to get an ad posted here. Clearly there is a better way or something I am missing.

Ok I have an idea and I need your help. I've re-activated the old classifieds in a new subdomain and wondered if you guys could help me determine how we can make the new software behave like the old software.

Old site: Main Index - The Datsun Classifieds

New site: DatsunClassifieds.com

Can you look at both (your login from czcc should still work) and let me know where I can improve the new software? If we decide the new software isn't going to work, I can look to see if we can just bring the old stuff back online. But, I will need your help... too much time and money spent on the new stuff to just give up on it (for now).

Mike

PS: I want something to work for buying/selling Datsun parts. There's no sense in having it if nobody uses it.

The new site is too busy. It's hard to find what you are looking for. Plus, it seems to post really old ads in with new ones, so you may be looking at something that was sold years ago.

The site seems to take forever to load too.

Sorry to hear that it took so much time and expense to create. It is just not usuable in its current form. The old format was cleaner and easier to use.

That's my opinion. Use it as you choose.

Marty

I can't seem to login to the new site. Do I have to re-register?

Nope, you shouldn't have to re-register but the system requires a new password. Try clicking on "remind password" and enter a new one. Remind me of the password to my account

Do you want feedback here, or in PM?

Here is ok.

The new site is too busy. It's hard to find what you are looking for. Plus, it seems to post really old ads in with new ones, so you may be looking at something that was sold years ago.

Yes, I just saw that you can't seem to sort by date if you pick the category from the top (autos, parts, etc). I also noticed that by having an "make/model" I'm kinda making it more confusing. Since all of this is Datsun related I should get rid of "make"... That will help a little more...

The site seems to take forever to load too.

How long is it taking for you?

Sorry to hear that it took so much time and expense to create. It is just not usuable in its current form. The old format was cleaner and easier to use.

Thanks Marty, I like the ideas here. I'll see if I can fix the new site to make it a bit more friendly. The old software was horrible in my opinion, images were constantly being lost and the database always needed maintenance due to fragmented tables and such.... This one has a lot more capability, just need to refine the user experience a bit more.

Update: I made some changes tonight.

- Removed the scrolling new ads on the top (was obnoxious actually).

- Added a front page block for MOST RECENT ads.

- Added the ability to sort by date posted (newest should be newest on top).

- Removed the confusing "quick search" on every category page (search can be done from the top menu bar).

Let me know what you think! Thanks guys.

I think what people need is simplicity. I looked at the old and new site, and I noticed that for placing an ad (which I think is the MAIN complaint), you have 6 steps, instead of 3. I would find a way to compact it down to three steps on the new website.

1. Category

2. Ad information and agreement

3. Images

Post. This is essentially has Craigslist does it, and they're pretty popular.

Secondly, with "my ads," perhaps make just a "my ads" section, and then when you enter there you see all your ads, but there is a drop down to preferentially view "parts," "cars for sale," etc? I know that's getting into a lot of extra coding, but it might help clean up the front page a bit.

I might also remove the "random comments." My opinion is that classifieds target goal-oriented mindsets. Random comments might not be that helpful. Instead, what if you invested that space for something else?

Just me, but I would move "news" to a horizontal content box, move polls to the left column, and make the design with better delineated border/headers. Part of the old site that probably appeals to people is the fact that the design is so well blocked out. With the current design, things get lost because it's all very light/pastel colored. Input buttons on the left could be changed to a color other than the header color to also better delineate categories. I'd also move FAQ to a separate page navigated to by link. Again, most people getting on a classifieds site assume they can post and view, so an FAQ will be applicable to only a small percentage of users.

Finally, I'd lengthen the "most recent" ads content area to include something like 12 or 16 ads.

Let me just be clear: I think the website is fine as is. I think the problem is that it was designed more for younger users. No offense to anyone on the forum, but the demographic of this forum is probably older young adult to late middle age. Perhaps that's totally wrong, but that's my experience on a BMW forum. Visually, I think the classifieds is great, and I think the organization is superb, but for simplicity's sake, it might not meet expectations. To me, the new classifieds is Windows 7, the old is Windows 95. But some people prefer 95.

Yes, I just saw that you can't seem to sort by date if you pick the category from the top (autos, parts, etc). I also noticed that by having an "make/model" I'm kinda making it more confusing. Since all of this is Datsun related I should get rid of "make"... That will help a little more...

How long is it taking for you?

Thanks Marty, I like the ideas here. I'll see if I can fix the new site to make it a bit more friendly. The old software was horrible in my opinion, images were constantly being lost and the database always needed maintenance due to fragmented tables and such.... This one has a lot more capability, just need to refine the user experience a bit more.

Update: I made some changes tonight.

- Removed the scrolling new ads on the top (was obnoxious actually).

- Added a front page block for MOST RECENT ads.

- Added the ability to sort by date posted (newest should be newest on top).

- Removed the confusing "quick search" on every category page (search can be done from the top menu bar).

Let me know what you think! Thanks guys.

I just visited the site again. Your updates are fine, but I don't know that it makes it any easier to use.

It seemed like it loaded faster than I remembered, but still seemed slow, 20+ seconds to move from screen to screen. And I am on T-1 at work.

Personally, I find it annoying to have to search the parts section by category. I prefer to search under PARTS, and then rely on the headers to see if I want to review a posting. The current configuration takes too long to review. Plus, I could be missing something that I might find interesting, just because I may not have clicked on that category. A lot of the time, I don't have a specific thing that I am looking for, but may be interested in buying something unusual that was posted, based upon the header description.

A lot of people seem to be saying that posting an ad is more difficult. I can't comment on that, since I have nothing to post right now. In general, the simpler, the better, in my opinion.

Sorry, but I still like the old set-up better.

Marty

The new site is too busy. It's hard to find what you are looking for. Plus, it seems to post really old ads in with new ones, so you may be looking at something that was sold years ago.

Fixed, I added a filter to the ad listing to place the most recent ads on the top. Old ads are no longer mixed in with the new ones.

The site seems to take forever to load too.

Unfortunately I think this is a result of traffic to our server and the overall server load. Both CZCC and the classifieds seem to be slower. This is a larger scale issue that I'll tackle soon.

Sorry to hear that it took so much time and expense to create. It is just not usuable in its current form. The old format was cleaner and easier to use.

Yea, the old format was easier to use but it sucked arse. Images were always broken and it was always crashing on me.

I think what people need is simplicity. I looked at the old and new site, and I noticed that for placing an ad (which I think is the MAIN complaint), you have 6 steps, instead of 3. I would find a way to compact it down to three steps on the new website.

1. Category

2. Ad information and agreement

3. Images

Post. This is essentially has Craigslist does it, and they're pretty popular.

Got it! Very well said, I am working to minimize the steps necessary to create an ad. You forgot one more from Craigslist, at the end they have a "preview" ad before you approve and post it. Today I made some changes to limit these steps. I am working to eliminate the "Listing type" (free) selector from the process, but, I don't know how to do it yet. The software was designed around charging people for ads and this is the place where you can pick your purchase options. Since I am giving away the ads, this step could be skipped. The only extra step is to add videos. Do you think we should get rid of the video step?

Secondly, with "my ads," perhaps make just a "my ads" section, and then when you enter there you see all your ads, but there is a drop down to preferentially view "parts," "cars for sale," etc? I know that's getting into a lot of extra coding, but it might help clean up the front page a bit.

I agree, this is something I'm adding soon.

I might also remove the "random comments." My opinion is that classifieds target goal-oriented mindsets. Random comments might not be that helpful. Instead, what if you invested that space for something else?

Ok, random comments are gone.

Just me, but I would move "news" to a horizontal content box, move polls to the left column, and make the design with better delineated border/headers. Part of the old site that probably appeals to people is the fact that the design is so well blocked out. With the current design, things get lost because it's all very light/pastel colored. Input buttons on the left could be changed to a color other than the header color to also better delineate categories. I'd also move FAQ to a separate page navigated to by link. Again, most people getting on a classifieds site assume they can post and view, so an FAQ will be applicable to only a small percentage of users.

Good ideas, can you send me a possible layout idea on scratch paper? Or, if you are a software guy you could help by using software called "Balsamiq" (Balsamiq) to create a cool mock up? I did change the FAQ by renaming it to HELP and adding it to the top menu navigation. I'll remove it from the front page.

Finally, I'd lengthen the "most recent" ads content area to include something like 12 or 16 ads.

Done.

Let me just be clear: I think the website is fine as is. I think the problem is that it was designed more for younger users. No offense to anyone on the forum, but the demographic of this forum is probably older young adult to late middle age. Perhaps that's totally wrong, but that's my experience on a BMW forum. Visually, I think the classifieds is great, and I think the organization is superb, but for simplicity's sake, it might not meet expectations. To me, the new classifieds is Windows 7, the old is Windows 95. But some people prefer 95.

Completely agree, it's all in what the users are accustomed to. Age isn't as relevant as familiarity and simplicity. A GUI design can be extremely complex, and users love it. But, when you change the interface to make it more "simple" even the most tedious tasks could be observed as a major problem. Regarding this site, I think we can take the new software and adjust it to meet our needs. I just need constructive feedback like this to make sure we are going in the right direction.

I just visited the site again. Your updates are fine, but I don't know that it makes it any easier to use. It seemed like it loaded faster than I remembered, but still seemed slow, 20+ seconds to move from screen to screen. And I am on T-1 at work.

Speed goes up and down. Trying to make it easier.. Mock ups are good if you think of a new layout idea.

Personally, I find it annoying to have to search the parts section by category. I prefer to search under PARTS, and then rely on the headers to see if I want to review a posting. The current configuration takes too long to review. Plus, I could be missing something that I might find interesting, just because I may not have clicked on that category. A lot of the time, I don't have a specific thing that I am looking for, but may be interested in buying something unusual that was posted, based upon the header description.

I'm trying to get my arms around this one. Are you saying that you would like to see a page with ALL parts on it rather than seeing the parts divided into categories?

A lot of people seem to be saying that posting an ad is more difficult. I can't comment on that, since I have nothing to post right now. In general, the simpler, the better, in my opinion.

Yes, working on the process to post an ad... making it simpler.

Sorry, but I still like the old set-up better.

I will bet, if you were asked to start using the old software, you would see how much worse it is. In fact, can you try to create a new ad in the old site ? Main Index - The Datsun Classifieds

Real world tests are my thing...

m

Guys I did add some more features over the last week.

Everyone now has their own personalized address. If you have multiple things to sell, you now have your own page to show all of the ads at a single time. This is much like Ebay's "More ads from this seller"... thing. Except this one you get your own URL: Personal Page « Owners

Ad Comparison - We now have the capability to select and compare ads. This will come in handy if you are searching for a new car and want to compare the differences between them. The compare feature appears on the right side of your browser in a mini pop up window.

Listing Preview - Previously we did not have a method to preview your ad before it was posted. With this new feature, you can perfect the look of your ad before it is published.

Rating System - As with comments, we can now rate ads based on a scale of 1-10.

Remote Ads - If you are interested in showing a small ad block on your site, this feature will give you the ability to show content from our site directly on yours. Send me a message if you are interested.

Report Broken Listing - If an ad is broken, please use this feature to let us know that it is no longer working.

Coming soon.....

Less steps to post an ad. Will be removing the "Listing Type" (free ad) choice.

Sold Ads. Instead of deleting your ad, we will be adding the ability to mark your ad as SOLD. This has been a request for quite some time.

New Layout. Constantly working on the layout to make things easier to understand and use.

Stay in touch!!!

Mike

I'm trying to get my arms around this one. Are you saying that you would like to see a page with ALL parts on it rather than seeing the parts divided into categories?

Yes. I like to see everthing people are selling, but I think it takes too long to go in an out of each category. I am less inclined to look at everything.

I will bet, if you were asked to start using the old software, you would see how much worse it is. In fact, can you try to create a new ad in the old site ? Main Index - The Datsun Classifieds

I am not suggesting that you go back to the old software. Hopefully, you can use the new software to give the look and feel of the old website, as much as reasonably possible.

m

I'd like to see a page with all parts listed on it. There really aren't that many current ads to look through. As a seller I'd rather not have to create 10 different ads for 10 different parts in 10 different catagories. I understand doing that in ebay because there are so many items for sale.

Chuck

I'm trying to get my arms around this one. Are you saying that you would like to see a page with ALL parts on it rather than seeing the parts divided into categories?

Yes. I like to see everthing people are selling, but I think it takes too long to go in an out of each category. I am less inclined to look at everything.

Ok, here's the page you are looking for. It's actually a page called "ALL Datsun/Nissan" under the PARTS category (on the top menu). Datsun/Nissan

Ok, here's the page you are looking for. It's actually a page called "ALL Datsun/Nissan" under the PARTS category (on the top menu). Datsun/Nissan

I must have missed that. Cool, that helps.

Thanks.