Derby Talk

Now that I've got your attention...

No, I am not considering shutting down Derby Talk. However, for awhile I've been contemplating combining Derby Talk with my GrandPrix Race Central website. GPRC has a forum module that is currently unused. I could transfer over all of the discussions here and only have the one site. Since Derby Talk is broader in scope (space derby, raingutter regatta, cub mobile, etc.), I could expand the resources available on GPRC to encompas those as well.

For me, this would mean just one site to maintain (and pay for) instead of the two. Though, I would likely keep both domain names. For visitors, it may give them access to the forums or resources they didn't know existed before. It would also give members a place to upload photos to (once I fix the current photo gallery on GPRC -- web host made a change that broke it).

This isn't anything that would happen before this summer, if I decided to go ahead with the move.

Anyone have any concerns/comments/suggestions on the possibility of combining these two sites?

I would be in favor of it.

Check with your hosting company and they can also redirect the www.derbytalk.com url to a specific page/file on your regular site.

This would basically make it an invisible change for the majority of the users since derbytalk.com would still bring them to the intended forum.

gpraceman wrote:Now that I've got your attention...

That's an understatement. My first thought was of you and your family and whether you might have experienced a bad turn. Glad to hear it is nothing along those lines.

gpraceman wrote:Anyone have any concerns/comments/suggestions on the possibility of combining these two sites?

I think there are some real positives as you described above (maintenance, picture storage...), I won't belabor or add to them here. I make this comment that so you don't consider my concerns as a "don't do it!" message. At first glance (from my untrained-with-respect-to-this-stuff eye) it sounds like a good idea.

Concerns:

How would this change impact the ability of newcomers to find the forum (i.e. are there any unintended consequences with respect to Derby Talk appearance on Search Engine results)?

Does Derby Talk retain it's own "brand" / "feel"? I like the appearance and layout of the screens as they currently exist. (I'm not resistant to change, I just always seem to have more than enough going already! ). Plus I like the dragster pic in the upper left corner.

Same question with regard to site name, although I think Mr. Slick addressed it above. "Derby Talk" is a little easier to remember than "Grand Prix Race Central", esp. for non-Grand Prix folks. I am trying to head off the "what did he say that website name was...?" issue with new Scout parents.

Any changes to functionality? eMails regarding "watched" posts, Orange indicator by updated/new posts when logging in, ability to "Quote", etc???

Edit: Afterthought - any issues with performance (speed) with increased traffic to a combined site?

If this is effectively a "friendly merger" with the old product retained, sounds like a good idea to me.

Ditto for me.

Go Bubba Go, Pretty much addessed and questions I would have a concern for.

Sporty

We all owe you a BIG thank you and countless boys who you do not even know thank you for having this site where fair play is first and foremost.

I have learned so much here about putting on a FAIR derby for ALL the boys who have gone to one of my derbies and they do not even know it.

I also want to THANK gpraceman for the forum. I get a lot of enjoyment out of reading the forum and then sharing what I have learned with my boys. There is no other source, Internet or otherwise, that comes close to the information on this forum.

Glad to hear it guys.

BTW - To answer earlier concerns. The unused module in the GPRC website is the same forum software as used here. The forum functionality should be the same but the look will be slightly different (page header and left menus from GPRC).

I would keep the Derby Talk domain name and point it to the new location. Derby Talk is easier to remember than GrandPrix Race Central, but I don't think calling the combined site Derby Talk would be a good fit. I could always change the name of the site to something like GrandPrix Central or Derby Central.

Check out www.ixwebhosting.com For a four bucks a month you get two independent domains, 6.50 gets you 8! They're a first class, fabulous host (tho a little tricky to learn first time, but aren't they all) There's a free store and I think they'll even port over your stuff. Highly recommended.