20 replies to this topic

[tyguy94920]

There use to be a time where typing in airsoft-barracks.com took you to the site homepage where you could navigate from. Now it takes you to the online store where it's the dickens to get to the forums. Sure it's easy for us regulars to bookmark it, or add /home or /forums to the end of the url. But how is a newcomer to the site for the first time supposed to figure that out? How many people have ordered online without ever realizing that there is a whole 'nother site hiding behind the first page?

As a chat regular, I've noticed that this is a concern for most of us, and it wasn't until today that Dragon told us where the link to the homepage was, and even THEN some of us couldn't find it. The button looks just like an ad along with the free shipping next to it, and if WE missed it, how many others will?

So in my mind I have a few solutions.

1) Make the store consistent with the homepage. Have the tabs along the top for easy navigation to whatever part you want

2) Make the link to the homepage more prominent

3) I ran out of ideas, sorry D:

Anyways, I think solution 1 would be the best, can we plz get a reach around here?

[G36fanatic...]

uh, theres a giant button on the store page to take you to the forums... not that big of a deal

[kavurcen]

To be honest, I didn't even notice it until I was actually looking at the store page. When I was looking for the forums themselves it made it much harder.
Not to mention it strikes me as sort of dumb that as longstanding community, Airsoft Barracks is putting itself predominantly in the position of a retailer.
Airsoft-Barracks' old home page was a perfectly nice web portal, and I don't see why it could possibly be difficult for ASB to just use the online store link there. Even Evike, which started exclusively as a retailer and just very recently tacked on a community feature does it that way.

[Dragon M.]

G36fanatic..., on 20 September 2011 - 09:00 PM, said:

uh, theres a giant button on the store page to take you to the forums... not that big of a deal

I MUST ask, did you even READ the post?!

[G36fanatic...]

while the forum is a big part of what Airsoft Barracks is, they are a company now. Their main priority is to make sales in order to keep not only the forum running at the best it can, but the store and their actual lives in good shape. Most airsofters DO NOT get involved with forums. Most of them spend internet time on airsoft retailers, and most of them won't take the time to scroll through a forum or even the home page to find the store. I know it sounds stupid, but the easier people have access to the store, the better their sales will be.

If anything is to be done, I think a "Forum" tab should be added to the top of the retail store in addition to the huge "forums and airsoft community" button smack in the middle of the page.


I think ASB has a good thing going and they know what their doing. Your a long term member, and you managed to find the forums just fine. I don't think its an issue, and we sure don't have any issues with new members....


If you REALLY have a problem finding the forum page, then bookmark it....

EDIT:

Yes dragon, I did read it... I honestly don't see why its so hard to read the flippin buttons, but if we need a giant "FORUM HERE" sign, then go ahead and make one like I mentioned above

Edited by G36fanatic..., 20 September 2011 - 09:39 PM.

[paranoiddroid]

g36 you are a tard but anyway moving on, I've been using asb for about a year and I had to ask on another forum because I couldnt find the dam link and have since resorted to typing in /forums at the end of the web address, I think we need something akin to the evike page or hell go back to the old homepage with the store link on the top.

[judkinsa]

I'm not complaining, but I will admit it took me like 3 days to find the forums button. I am so used to websites using a tab of some sorts to indicate where the forum is that I never thought to read the ad-like icons on the storefront.

[kavurcen]

G36fanatic..., on 20 September 2011 - 09:35 PM, said:

*snip*

Even if this were a debate of whether ASB should pursue community or retail as its primary goal, you'd still be making a completely moot and somewhat poorly reasoned point, if any. Look at Evike: http://www.evike.com/
Evike is a long running retailer with a forum tacked on as an afterthought, yet they have a page with a clear and equal division between the retail and community sections of their website. Airsoft Barracks, despite whatever direction the staff wish to take it, is and always has been a firmly placed community website. So if a retailer is giving a more public space to their little community than an ACTUAL forum is, then there is clearly something wrong with the thought process behind this layout.

[J0KER]

This is pretty damn hard to miss, folks. Not ASB's fault if you can't take 2 seconds to look at a page before declaring it too clumsy/unorganized to find your way.

[kavurcen]

> Disregards entire thread and original post, calls people dumb for not reading over a page fully.

Edited by kavurcen, 21 September 2011 - 06:51 PM.

[Pickles]

Yeah, kav, that is typical joker. Most of us have gotten used to it by now.

But anyways, im seconding that the homepage should at least be evike-styled, with 2 options, forums and store

[G36fanatic...]

I wouldn't mind having a page like Evike has, but calling me "tard" because I'm better at wheres waldo than you is just stupid.(more like, wheres the giant waldo on the small page)

I even said...

G36fanatic..., on 20 September 2011 - 09:35 PM, said:

I think a "Forum" tab should be added to the top of the retail store

You can say what you want Kav but where on the same page. I just don't see why this is such a crisis.

[J0KER]

The topic of this thread is "The button isn't clear enough, make it more clear". The button can't get much clearer, considering it says "FORUM HERE! CONNECT WITH THE COMMUNITY!" If you aren't smart enough to read then you sure as hell shouldn't be posting in a forum.

Edited by J0KER, 22 September 2011 - 12:01 AM.

[paranoiddroid]

I was calling you a tard for other comments fnot just for the "wheres waldo" bit, was more a reference to your grasp of airsofting internet culture etc.

[FNH]

Let's not call each other names and get in an argument.

My opinion is they replace that space with another picture with a product or something. The ASB link should be located to the left of Airsoft Basics. This would be an easier place to locate and more obvious. It should take you to the community home page.

[Jakobie1086]

It's fine. Bookmark the fourms and stop complaining. Also I second FNH, chill out.

[greatwatermelon]

I've talked to the owner Jon about the store not highlighting the forum itself. It's still in the process. This is the image I made and sent to Jon for approval. So... it's still pending.

[Dragon M.]

So I understand airsoft-barracks.net is open. This is just an idea but how would you guys think of moving the ASB forums to .net instead of .com?

[kavurcen]

That would work nicely.

[tyguy94920]

greatwatermelon, on 25 September 2011 - 08:53 PM, said:

I've talked to the owner Jon about the store not highlighting the forum itself. It's still in the process. This is the image I made and sent to Jon for approval. So... it's still pending.

I still think that this looks like a "click here for KWA MP7" button

Make one that says "FORUMS, CLICK HERE BIZNATCH"

Lul

[greatwatermelon]

tyguy94920, on 01 October 2011 - 09:26 PM, said:

I still think that this looks like a "click here for KWA MP7" button

Make one that says "FORUMS, CLICK HERE BIZNATCH"

Lul

It's a TM MP7. But either way, whatever gives people the wet dream. In fact, in April, I should just make one that says, FREE GUN, CLICK HERE. And it just brings them into the Airsoft-Barracks forum.