The Insider

[rob_k]

FIRST AND FOREMOST, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL THOSE MEMBERS AND CONTRIBUTORS WHO GRAFT AWAY BEHIND THE SCENES WRITING UP NEWS ARTICLES AND GOOD STUFF ETC FOR US ALL TO READ …

But …

Right, I’m going to set a ball rolling here because I don’t like it, simple as that . What?

THE INSIDER.[/b]
The content of it is undeniably good but it’s too disjointed from our home as members - the Tnet forums.
We used to have it all to hand at the top of the forum listing when it could be seen and after perusing my favourite forums and read all I wanted to I would see the news forums and go and have a look in there, but now it’s not in front of you as such, you forget about it and don’t bother go looking.
Things like Neil’s diary posts and no longer readable in the main forums where everyone elses are and this isn’t right. Everyone else gets the chance to reply to people’s diary posts but not Neil’s unless you go looking for the thread which has been specifically set up to alert the members that he’s posted his diary in the Insider and this is where you can reply, blah blah, etc, wild-goose chase … I don’t want to be click click clicking all the time, I want it all there in front of me like it used to be, that’s what makes the forums enticing and an enjoyable read, now everything’s all over the place and it’s with a capital B.
Getting all the site admins and mods to put a signature up directing you to go click click clicking on their signatures to go and look at it is rather insulting I find; it’s like you want us to do all the work for you if that makes sense at all , because this is how you want it to be.
I used to enjoy reading the news forums and all the other stuff which is now in this Insider jobbie but now I don’t bother going to the Insider site anymore because it just doesn’t appeal to me on there. I think I’ve only been on the Insider site 4 times since its launch whereas I would have read at least 95% of the topics and news posts if they’d been on Tnet. I don’t know what it is I don’t like exactly, but I feel overall that it’s starting to split the site up. It seems to me you’re trying to group two completely separate audiences into one, those prolific and not so prolific Tnet members from the forums and those from media type backgrounds : the two just don’t go together.
Well I don’t like it, so there . Entitled to my opinion and all that, and you know you’re guaranteed to get that as a minimum from me, so now I’ll disappear and have a whinge at something/someone else, coz that’s what I do best (apparently)

[simon]

I agree, up to a point, with you Rob.

I like the way this index page is set up.

I would prefer we had one forum index, in a similar format to that one, instead of basically having two separate forum indices. I thought there was one, but can’t find it now.
I am sure that I had a look through The Insider, then moved on to the regular forums using that index. When I replied to a post and clicked on the forum title (in here it would be FEEDBACK FORUM - Let Us Know! (INTERACTIVE)) to go back to whatever forum I was in, I found myself back onto the normalty indexed forum page and couldn’t get back to that index.

As you can see people. When you click on a heading eg NEWS, you get a drop down menu of the sub-headings, and they lead into the actual posts. So, we could have a set of titles in ■■? Silver, for The Insider index. Then a set of titles in Blue for the Round Table Forum Index, with drop down menus for The UK PDFs, Ask The Experts etc with their dropdown menus leading to the actual post pages index again.

I hope I’ve explained myself clearly enough here. If not, say so and I’ll try harder next W/E.

[kitkat]

what was that simon

rob shut up moaning ya muppet

[wheel_nut]

I have to agree to a point too, it worries me that he is becoming more ameniable■■?

But, if I understand it correctly, The Insider is being targeted at a different type of customer, who maybe wouldnt, or even shouldnt see all the bull dung we write in the forums.

Posts in The Insider are selectively edited, and there are some good posts from Rob K which could be included.

I can think of a few, that would raise the issues in higher places. like Robs clamping problems. his weekly diaries and problems outside Menzies in Sheffield. I had the same problem this week while I ate my sandwich outside Yorkshire Catering

[rob_k]

Simon:
I agree, up to a point, with you Rob.

I like the way this index page is set up.

I don’t. I don’t like the general appearance of it. The colours are very bland and uninteresting. I wouldn’t say the colour scheme on our forums here are startling but they’re colourful and easy on the key and work well.

The other thing with that page you’re linking to is there’s too much going on at the top. It’s all adverts and big headings with the menu’s off the bottom of the page. I’m no web-wizard but that’s off-putting to me, with scroll bars everywhere and the actual stuff you want out of sight, ie. off the bottom of the screen.

I would prefer we had one forum index, in a similar format to that one, instead of basically having two separate forum indices.

Yes I agree, but layout would need careful consideration and planning.

I thought there was one, but can’t find it now.
I am sure that I had a look through The Insider, then moved on to the regular forums using that index. When I replied to a post and clicked on the forum title (in here it would be FEEDBACK FORUM - Let Us Know! (INTERACTIVE)) to go back to whatever forum I was in, I found myself back onto the normalty indexed forum page and couldn’t get back to that index.

As you can see people. When you click on a heading eg NEWS, you get a drop down menu of the sub-headings, and they lead into the actual posts. So, we could have a set of titles in ■■? Silver, for The Insider index. Then a set of titles in Blue for the Round Table Forum Index, with drop down menus for The UK PDFs, Ask The Experts etc with their dropdown menus leading to the actual post pages index again.

Not sure about this. Drop down menu’s are bad in my opinion - too much click click clicking again which is tedious and annoying. The old news forum was perfect I reckon. One click on ‘NEWS’ forum took you straight to the topic menu where you could see all the different news items and read at your leisure.

Using a wild mixture of colours often makes a page look very ‘busy’ with the effect that more is going on than there actually is and again, without careful use, can also add an off-putting factor in that readers can’t see where they want to be for all the contrasting colours.

I hope I’ve explained myself clearly enough here. If not, say so and I’ll try harder next W/E.

[kitkat]

I had the same problem this week while I ate my sandwich outside Yorkshire Catering

did you pay for the sandwich

[tc]

while I am sure you all are happy with the effort that people make, All of which do it for the love of TN, GET off your arse and help! the news people spend hours looking. Each member helping can reduce another’s so to improve is to help! Rikki, Lucy, Neil are., in my experience always available to talk to members who want to help.

As am I with regards to the news! TN is built by drivers and driven by drivers always will be.

To be a member is to be involved, all involvement is encouraged!

[rob_k]

TC:
while I am sure you all are happy with the effort that people make, All of which do it for the love of TN, GET off your arse and help![/b] the news people spend hours looking. Each member helping can reduce another’s so to improve is to help! Rikki, Lucy, Neil are., in my experience always available to talk to members who want to help.
As am I with regards to the news! TN is built by drivers and driven by drivers always will be.
To be a member is to be involved, all involvement is encouraged!
[/quote]
Sorry Ian, I don’t contribute enough already then across all the forums
The last time I looked this was labelled as being the Feedback[/b] forum where members are asked for their opinions and suggestions on how to improve the site overall and that’s exactly what I’ve done. Correct me if I’m wrong here.

[kitkat]

TC:
while I am sure you all are happy with the effort that people make, All of which do it for the love of TN, GET off your arse and help! the news people spend hours looking. Each member helping can reduce another’s so to improve is to help! Rikki, Lucy, Neil are., in my experience always available to talk to members who want to help.

As am I with regards to the news! TN is built by drivers and driven by drivers always will be.

To be a member is to be involved, all involvement is encouraged!

people are entitled to criticize tc,weather it’s good or bad.i’m sure rikki/lucy will welcome the comment’s from across the boards. personnally i don’t care what they look like,as i ain’t the one that need’s to sit behind a p.c. and modify it all day.

[brit_pete]

To counter Robs K little critic,the answer rob is that with out these sponsers who advertise we the members would lose out, YES okay the colour scheme is not brilliant unfortunatly but the INSIDER is a welcome
addition with all those added forums,and yes lets have some of the posts that relate to drivers safety and working conditions posted here as well.Why because this INSIDER page is a well informened site that caters
for all those intrested in the well being of the driver & transport, Also we
will reach those whoare browseing the site better as they wil see a well laid out site with upto date information, This all being due to those who
do the researching and posting,etc whoever they may be from the
lowest to the highest ,they all make this site THE BEST IN THE WEB

SO THANK YOU ONE AND ALL from a grateful member,

[rikki-uk]

Firstly thanks to everybody who has recognised the hard work that the Team put into this site.

I’m very short of time, so unfortunately this reply will be pretty brief…

The Insider was formed to cater for the majority of the people who use this site
It may come as a shock but the majority of people who use this site do not post on these forums. They come to this site because they enjoy a read about transport. 40,000 visitors a month approx 2.5 thousand registered members on the forums, many of whom have never posted.

The content of the forums has been the reason they have come here to read. With The Insider we have taken that one step further, pulling out the best of the best from the forums and combining that wih specially written articles by TruckNet staff members and outside freelance journalists.
In doing this we’re enabling people to find high quality reading material quickly and easily.

The news etc. logically sits within this new section which is only one click of the mouse away. The Insider is only the beginning of the evolution of TruckNet UK, in time it is hoped that it will become a true online interactive magazine.

As a business (and yes, we are a business) we have seen this as a gap in the market and wish to explore it. If people do not like the Insider they are perfectly at liberty not to go there. However, I hope they do go there and utilise that part of the site.

TruckNet UK is not just a set of forums. About 10% of our hits come from Driver Recruiting, and it is hoped that The Insider will help raise the number of visitors each month. The Insider, Driver Recruiting, Forums and Main Listings are all TruckNet UK, not separate. Just different parts of the same thing. If you enjoy the forums that is great, if you enjoy The Insider that is great too. The point is, different people are enjoying different parts of TruckNet UK. Surely that’s a good thing for everyone if it helps us grow.

As a sidenote, the Mods and Admins were not told, they were not even asked to put The Insider in there signatures. As far as I know they have all done this off their own back, and for that we thank them.

Rikki.

[bones]

I’ve also got to agree a little with Rob on this one. Like as been said the content and postings on the insider are excellent but i do find myself not visiting nearly as much as it warrants.

The reason for this is it just seems a bit disjointed and after reading all the posts here on the main forums and replying or whatever to the ones that interest you you simply forget about the insider.

I always browse this site using the “View posts since last visit” tab and will read the vast majority of things that have been put up.

It would be good either if we could get the News forum back onto the main forums also. or even get something like the rolling “headline” banner ad that is on the insider to alert us of the new items on there.

Again like as been said before this is only feedback.

Cheers,

[marcustandy]

I don’t read the news as much as I used to but I do see the benefitts of The Insider, especially after Rikki has explained a few more relevent details.

I can also see Rob’s point but if I want to read the news I won’t let a couple of extra clicks put me off.

[rob_k]

Rob K:
…SNIP…

Simon:
I agree, up to a point, with you Rob.

Wheel Nut:
I have to agree to a point too

Bones:
I’ve also got to agree a little with Rob on this one.

marcustandy:
I can also see Rob’s point

Well like I said, it is the feedback forum after all. Whether you choose to take on board the comments and suggestions and do anything about it is of course entirely your call .

[wheel_nut]

Another winge about the insider although it could be just me this time

Why cant I see any photos in any of the posts? I get the adverts at the top of the page with pictures ok.

Like Lucys truckfest post, there isnt a picture to be seen

[coffeeholic]

Couple of points. First I put the link to the insider in my sig of my own free will, i was bored with the one I had and when I get bored with The Insider one I will change it.

Second, I find it slightly amazing that people are complaing about having to click more than once or having more than one browser open at once. Is that not the nature of the Net? Surely the whole idea is about exploring topics of interest, finding new stuff and learning. I often visit a site while looking for something, spot a link that catches my interest and and before I know it I am several sites away looking and learning. I wouldn’t think it was a hardship to have a second browser open to another part of TruckNet, such as The Insider, while also haveing the forums open. I usually have 5 or 6 browsers on the go at once, any less than that and I’m not even trying. I don’t pick up a magazine or newspaper and only ever turn to one page, I check them all out, so why would the Net be different?

[bully]

Coffeeholic:
Couple of points. First I put the link to the insider in my sig of my own free will, i was bored with the one I had and when I get board with The Insider one I will change it.

Second, I find it slightly amazing that people are complaing about having to click more than once or having more than one browser open at once. Is that not the nature of the Net? Surely the whole idea is about exploring topics of interest, finding new stuff and learning. I often visit a site while looking for something, spot a link that catches my interest and and before I know it I am several sites away looking and learning. I wouldn’t think it was a hardship to have a second browser open to another part of TruckNet, such as The Insider, while also haveing the forums open. I usually have 5 or 6 browsers on the go at once, any less than that and I’m not even trying. I don’t pick up a magazine or newspaper and only ever turn to one page, I check them all out, so why would the Net be different?

Well put Coff.

Bully

[denis_f]

Coffeeholic:
First I put the link to the insider in my sig of my own free will, i was bored with the one I had and when I get board with The Insider one I will change it.

I changed my sig for similar reasons - I wasn’t asked, it wasn’t discussed!

( even if it does look very similar, and we both did on the same day - welcome to the twilight zone !!)

[tc]

I changed my sig 1st! I think, and no one asked me! I was just sick of answering the same question

“where’s the news gone”