I keep seeing fly-ins posted to forum but not the Community -> Events page.

This a better mechanism than the forum because:

1. It appears on the Base/homepage and the Feed page you see when first logging in (or any other page on the website that makes sense.)
2. It's directly linked from the main menu
3. If it's important to have synchronization with the forum, we can do that too.
4. It can show on a calendar or map.
5. It can keep track of attendees.
6. It can have a cool image.
7. It can have files/photos associated with it. Here's a good specimen.
8. The list of events is sorted by most recent forthcoming event.
9. If there are many, you can search within a radius of a zip code.

It's suited to events with an actual date, unlike informal fly-outs which may be decided last minute, so the forum is definitely better for that.

How to create an event?

1. From the main menu, hover (or tap on touchscreen) COMMUNITY. Click/tap Events and Fly-ins.
2. In the horizontal menu, click/tap the link that says "Create Event." (you must be logged in)
3. Fill in the appropriate info, select the date range. The date controls are a little wonky, but they'll be fixed soon.
4. Save the event. It's subject to approval to avoid duplicates, but once it's approved you'll be notified and you can add images if you like.

I can't help but think your jumping up and down and screaming at me when you ask this.
But that's probably because I've been in trouble so many times in the past (teachers, principals, boss's,....)

But seriously, you know what a computer let down I am to you and all the technical types.
I have the latest topics programmed into my favorites button. [b]One click[b] and I can see what's going on with all my favorite peeps. Then me butt gets tired from sittin in front of the computer and I got to go do something.
I probably miss a lot of good stuff cause I don't poke around too much. But as always, I like what you do and am thankful for all the work you put into this site.
Thanks again, and I hope we can meet up on a local thing before the winter sets in.
Tom

haha... I'm not screaming or jumping up and down. These features have been developed to fulfill a purpose, and I'm just trying to better understand how our users, who maybe aren't "pencil neck nerds" as FloatFlyer would say, like me, are using the system, or expecting to use it.

The forum has its place, for discussions. We have a better tool though for event posting and I'm looking for feedback as to why users are opting to not use it in lieu of just posting in the forum.

I also understand that I've never drawn up a help document for features intro, and everyone has been expected to find these features on their own.

Z

Simple (and smart ass ) answer is because I'm not planning any events!

I do like the purpose and functionality of the system though. One day I'll plan a fly in and use the crap out of it!

Now that I understand how it works I will use it next time. The last time I didn't realize how it worked and I didn't want to spend the time figuring it out.

Cheers

If you know of a fly-in that has a fixed date, it's wide open for anyone who wants to post it. As soon as it's confirmed it's not a duplicate, it will be approved and the owner/poster can add images.

I got some feedback via PM that since we are pretty forum-focused, it might be off the radar for some people to visit those sections of the site. I could add a sidebar in the forums that shows relevant info like upcoming events or active groups to put that stuff more within our focus.

Zzz, not being a computer operater, the new site is difficult to navigate/operate.
For instance, each time I merely click on "Post Reply" it gives me the runaround back through logging in but shows that I am logged in.
The Old site was simple comparatively. I definitely respect the 'thing' you are building, but one button simple attracts me more than being lost in a maze at each entry.

maules.com wrote:Zzz, not being a computer operater, the new site is difficult to navigate/operate.
For instance, each time I merely click on "Post Reply" it gives me the runaround back through logging in but shows that I am logged in.
The Old site was simple comparatively. I definitely respect the 'thing' you are building, but one button simple attracts me more than being lost in a maze at each entry.

I ran into this prob too, but if you log in and then bookmark (favorites) the "Latest Forum Topics" page, you should be logged in the next time you click your BCP link in your bookmarks (favorites)

That would be a cool feature on the right side a list of upcoming events.

" I ran into this prob too, but if you log in and then bookmark (favorites) the "Latest Forum Topics" page, you should be logged in the next time you click your BCP link in your bookmarks (favorites) "

Bookmarks are bent page corners and favourites are Guinness, Maules, LandRovers etc.
Then I'm told to get rid of my cookies (oreos?) and do something with my (cache?)
I am from planet earth and don't understand this language. Is there a Venetian dictionary one can buy.?

Because this new format is unnavigable to hard to find what is posted what is new or where you are posting something. I posted the OBP fly in but never cold find it or see it displayed with out an extensive search. Not one reply was made to it so I guess no one else found it either. I only found this thread while searching for my OBP post

I love the new site and find it easy to navigate. I enjoy poking around and learning new stuff. I really enjoyed Mike's article about PVFR. I do not have any trouble finding stuff.

Bill, I suspect you are using the site on your iPhone or smartphone? If so, then yeah, I would agree that the navigation is pretty rough. Optimizing for mobile devices is a tough campaign, and something that is far from finished.

On a regular computer or laptop in the browser though, i would argue in my favor for navigability. Here's a quick video I made of 2 ways to find events:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h21iD0lzuc0

They're also shown in the sidebar when you first login, under backcountrypilot.org/community

If you've bookmarked the forum, as I suspect many people do, you may be missing out on some stuff. One thing I'm planning to do is to add a sidebar in the forums pages to show stuff like upcoming events. That takes some work though to rearrange the layout to be useable.

Z
In the forum page it still has Fly Ins as an place to post. Maybe delete that part in the forum header??