Other Assets Area of PC Forum Totally Confusing?

Is it just me or are others also finding it difficult to find threads or even where a new topic should be posted? I put together suggested changes some time ago so topics potentially made more sense but it was felt that the existing layout be kept. So incase it’s just me I wanted to see if others have been put off somewhat by or missing threads since the original Other Assets section was subdivided?

I’m not motivated to post new threads as much now as it’s sometimes a pain just trying to figure out where the hell it belongs.

 

Always, but does not stop me, they just move it

 

Yes agree seems like sometimes I am missing new threads so have started watching forums so I get alerts when new threads are started but still miss some updates more threads to check..may have been easier if it was done under one landing page as opposed to the main one just an idea?

 

Yep! I have been very busy with family issues since early January @Nodrog and have only had time to check in for some "light reading" most days. There have been threads I have meant to go back to and make a contribution to when time permits but alas I either can not find them or my available time is up and I have to move on. Probably saved you all from my ramblings anyway lol

 

If I don't know which section to post a new post I just put it in the living room and one of the hardworking staff that work for free and do an excellent job always link the post in the right section ..
If I want to track a post that I follow or interested in,just go into your content section and everything is there ..

 

I strongly preferred the old Other Assets forum to having lots of sub-forums. I found it much easier to find what I was interested in.

 

Well I found Infrastructure in the Cash and Term Deposits section!

The mods do their best but I’m finding it less motivating now as I often have to do a search to find stuff.

Alerts can be useful but I get so many of them at times a lot go unnoticed.

I was going to discuss this with Simon again but wanted to get other’s input in case it was just me getting senile.

I just get a sense that members are missing new posts since the change. I know I am.

 

Yes me too. Hugely popular global forums like Bogeheads and even popular Whirlpool have the bulk of their threads all under a single main section.

With the old Other Assets single section I could be away for days but when I returned it was a simple matter of quickly scrolling through recent threads and never missed anything.

I’m actually spending more and more time at other Forums given the ease of spotting new threads / posts.

It’d be a shame to see PC non property area of the forum fizzle out over time after all the work a number of us here have put in posting simply because members find it too unweildly to use.

I’m doing a grump given @SatayKing mentioned finding something to get cranky about this morning.

 

I have patented that. Breach of IP can be tiger country.

I do get the issue and occasionally get a little frustrated but I feel patience is necessary as it's not going to be a straightforward task I reckon.

Plus patience good for the soul. I haven't one.

 

The eventual changes allowing members to filter out that annoying property stuff that no one is interested in may solve the problem of someone being away for awhile then wanting to catch up with latest material. But the categories if wanting to create a breakdown of topics need refinement. For better or worse this is what I came up with on the fly awhile back. Tear it apart and / or offer alternatives. Love to hear opinions. Or was just a single section as existed previously being Other Asset Classes best?

Shares, Managed Investments and Other Assets:
… ASX shares
… International shares
... ETFs
... LICs / LITs
… Cash / Term Deposits / Fixed Income
… REITs / Unlisted Property Trusts / Infrastructure
… Managed / Index Funds
… Foreign exchange / Cryptocurrencies
… Other Asset Classes

Financial Markets Strategy, Analysis, Education, Resources & General:
… Longer Term Investing Strategies
… Trading Strategies
… Market Analysis
… Investment Theory, Education & Resources
… News / General / Other
… Help With Personal Investments
… Investment & Trading Platforms, Tools and Services

 

Agree, massive pain finding new topics and trying to find that topic there was something you were interested in is much harder. I really liked having all the topics under a single section.
Now, I understand the need for sub-sections for clarity purposes and to get some kind of order.

What I would like to see is the ability to view recent posts in an entire section, rather than having to go through each sub section.
So in @Nodrog 's example above, being able to see all recent posts in "Shares, Managed Investments and Other Assets:" would be perfect. If I want to post something, I can pick my sub section. But viewing this way allows me to go through a chronological list and not miss anything without the need to open multiple tabs for each sub section and check that individually.

Sometime i'll step away from the computer for a couple hours and I need to go and refresh each sub-section to see if anything new has been posted. Having the ability to view in a grouped manner is all that is required for a much simpler navigation.

If I understand correctly, the concept of groups would allow this?

 

I totally agree!

I'm no guru on shares, but have been reading & learning until the changes came along. Now, I have no idea where to look to read threads that I might be interested in. There is way too many headings. For example, lets take ASX Shares. Then you've got a separate split for LICs, another for EFT's and yet another for REITs. They are ALL shares. I realise that they are different types of shares, but surely they could all be lumped together, and people looking in the Shares category can then decide which threads they are interested in.

It feels a bit like instead of having one thread for 'Where to buy', you've spit it into the different States. It's just too hard to find anything now, so I don't bother, unless it's a thread that I'm already watching & it comes up in my alerts.

 

Would LOVE to see this implemented. Can still browse across all topics at a glance, and drill down to a particular topic if necessary.

 

I personally prefer less categories/sub-sections. A lot of the topics do intertwine, so when I am in a section, I actually can filter out what I read / not read.