Future development of CertForums

Discussion in 'The Lounge - Off Topic' started by Asterix, Oct 8, 2010.

  1. Asterix

    Asterix Megabyte Poster

    515
    11
    52
    I have been knocking around these forums for a couple of years now and it must be the most appreciated/Respected site there is on the internet and there is no way you can knock the forums............ Although :oops:
    Surely there is more for CF than just a forum! Moving forwards is there any plans to bring greater functionality/features to the site? Possibly:
    1)Exam guides, although there are a few on the forums an edited compilation, with further in depth information, labs and (original) questions would be great.
    2)Videos (video of the day) linked/created
    3)Events schedule? for meetups, whether that be 5 people with limited Cisco knowledge sitting round a table of kit scratching their heads together or something a bit more structured
    4)Certification (tricky one I know......... getting dry on ideas) :twisted:

    1 thing i would love to see is a visual roadmap of certifications and career paths, which would help a lot of newbies
     
  2. LukeP

    LukeP Gigabyte Poster

    1,194
    41
    90
    I'd love to see the expansion of the News section.

    Other than that it's not as easy. Someone has to create that content. This requires time, and time is money. As it is now, website pretty much runs itself. Not sure if the owners want to commit time and resources.

    If you have an idea how to expand the website (and make it more profitable/bigger) I would suggest contacting the admins directly. If the idea is good they may take you on it.

    As much as I love CertForums I would not be able to take any voluntary responsibilities due to other commitments.
    I'm sure there will be a few people in similar situation here.
     
    WIP: Uhmm... not sure
  3. Asterix

    Asterix Megabyte Poster

    515
    11
    52

    I understand exactly what your saying, I don't have much free time either! The site has a lot of ad's and the revenue must cover more that the hosting costs, maybe they could employ someone to assist in further development.
     
  4. dales

    dales Terabyte Poster

    2,005
    51
    142
    Yes now you mention it, I've never thought of it before (possibly because I'm happy with the way it is). I joined in 2006 I know GBL was here then and BM plus a few others. I dont recall any major changes to the forums in that time. I guess there could be a section for video's etc (I've done a few basic ones on my blog with camstudio). Other than that I think that this was set up as a forum and probably cannot really evolve too much further than that.

    I dont know about ad's (thanks to ad-blocker plus and firefox) :)
     
    Certifications: vExpert 2014+2015+2016,VCP-DT,CCE-V, CCE-AD, CCP-AD, CCEE, CCAA XenApp, CCA Netscaler, XenApp 6.5, XenDesktop 5 & Xenserver 6,VCP3+5,VTSP,MCSA MCDST MCP A+ ITIL F
    WIP: Nothing
  5. Bluerinse
    Honorary Member

    Bluerinse Exabyte Poster

    8,878
    181
    256
    The forum works quite well as it is, the reason it has kept it's original format, is that it works :) Also, the staff are busy people and just reading the threads to moderate takes up a lot of time.

    Your suggestions are always welcome and they will be given due consideration.

    Thanks for your input 8)
     
    Certifications: C&G Electronics - MCSA (W2K) MCSE (W2K)
  6. greenbrucelee
    Highly Decorated Member Award

    greenbrucelee Zettabyte Poster

    14,292
    265
    329
    I joined here in March 2006 and the site has remained the same apart from the odd update to v bulletin and the premium members section. I think the reason CF does so well in regards to how it is because everything has been kept simple and easy to use. So I don't really think much needs to be added. There are already stickies which point people in the right direction its just a case of telling them if they don't think to use the search feature.
     
    Last edited: Oct 9, 2010
    Certifications: A+, N+, MCDST, Security+, 70-270
    WIP: 70-620 or 70-680?
  7. Asterix

    Asterix Megabyte Poster

    515
    11
    52
    Looks like I may be asking too much and my thoughts are not agreed :cry:
     
  8. simongrahamuk
    Honorary Member

    simongrahamuk Hmmmmmmm?

    6,205
    136
    199
    You're not asking too much at all, simply trying to get a place that you love to develop itself.

    All members ideas are always looked at, but as has been said already the site is run voluntarily and people do have real lives to get on with.

    If you have the time then why not look to try and implement some of these things yourself? I'm sure the staff would be glad to help you out.

    8)

    1st post in ages BTW!
     
  9. Asterix

    Asterix Megabyte Poster

    515
    11
    52
    Who 'Owns' CF anyway?
    I really think that a vendor neutral roadmap of certifications and career paths would help a lot of newbies and save a lot of repeated threads asking for advice on how to get 'into' IT. In not sure how this could be designed tho :blink
     
  10. Fergal1982

    Fergal1982 Petabyte Poster

    4,196
    172
    211
    *cough* 2007 *cough* Check the joined date in the top right of your post.

    SimonV actually owns the site, although he hasnt been particularly active for the last few years (due to other committments I believe).

    In terms of the ad revenue/membership revenue generating more money than hosting requires, you have to consider a number of points:


    • CF gets a LOT of hits every day. The required bandwidth to sustain that will necessitate quite a large payment to the hosting company.
    • Ad Revenue is only generated if you click on the links, and its not a lot of cash per click. Tell me, how often do you click on the ads?
    • Even if it does generate a profit, do you grudge the owner making a profit from his venture? Not every penny generated by the forum must be spent back into the site. Development resources are expensive, and I'm willing to bet it would eat every penny of profit and then some, just for a single year.
    Various things have been tried over the years. We had a weekly chatroom for a while, and there is a site calendar (under the community menu).

    However, I agree with others that the reason CF is so successful is that it has maintained itself around a core, and not tried to stretch itself too far beyond that. This is a Certification Advice forum. If it tried to branch out too far, it could end in failure.

    That said, no suggestion that benefits the core function of the site is a bad one. But you have to consider money, time, etc, to weigh up whether it is a viable one.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 2, 2015
    Certifications: ITIL Foundation; MCTS: Visual Studio Team Foundation Server 2010, Administration
    WIP: None at present
  11. greenbrucelee
    Highly Decorated Member Award

    greenbrucelee Zettabyte Poster

    14,292
    265
    329
    That was a typo :oops:
     
    Certifications: A+, N+, MCDST, Security+, 70-270
    WIP: 70-620 or 70-680?

Share This Page

Loading...
  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.