Morphine
09-09-2008, 01:20 PM
Hey, before I get into this I would just like to say that I respect FH for what they have done for the forge community but I have decided to strictly post all of my new maps on here. Now before I go into why, I just want to state that this is not me just complaining about forge hub (like that other post on here that got closed). I am simply stating what I do not enjoy about the site, in hopes that the mods will read this and understand how and why they are doing such a better job. So if anything this is a complementary post through comparison.
Commercialism: I joined FH almost 9 months ago and ever since the popularity has picked up the overall quality of the site has gone down hill. Of course this is not true when it comes to content, the more popular a site gets the more submissions they receive. What I'm really talking about is the ads on the site. At first, it was clean. Maybe a google text ad here and there but that was it. Recently, however the site is greatly sacrificing usability in an attempt to turn some sort of profit.
The worse thing about it is that these ads expand across the entire screen on a mouse over. As a web developer I fully understand that it is not their choice what ads make it onto the site, rather the ad agency they hire. However, they do control who they hire to do this and the number ads they allow on the site. Now I understand that no one can be expected to run this site out of pocket, but there are now 3 ads that come up when I open any page on the forum, including a pop-up. I can only assume they have a fairly high click through rate, and I would find it hard to believe they are only making enough to get by. (seeing as they aren't even hosting any down/uploadable content.) In comparison this site gets a lower click through but still manages to support the smaller bandwidth and hosting with one ad.
Exclusivity: You have to know a guy... The featured map system on forge hub is one of the most exclusive and problematic things on the site. As a general rule of thumb, if you're good friends with any of the main forgers/mods and your map is half way decent, it's going to get featured. If you're out of the loop, the only way you can get featured is extreme support from the community (talking in terms of legit downloads here, probably more than 2000+, which is more than a little difficult when your map isn't listed in the front of the site). When I first joined the site, it wasn't as bad because some of the higher ups still made rounds and posted on unknown user's maps. But as they have gained more popularity and recognition from bungie, a def ear has been turned.
On the other hand, I enjoy the smaller nature of this community and the lack of some sort of segregation when it comes to the maps and 'elite users'. It's just the community favorites (which anyone can vote for) and that's it.
Now before you guys say something like 'if you don't like it so much go comment about it on fh', when in reality I have mentioned these issues to a few of the guys on my friend's list who help run the site, no one really seems to care. Rather than fight a losing battle, when it's all said and done I just prefer the smaller more user friendly community that's offered here at xforgery. I love the site, thanks for your time and effort guys. Keep up the good work.
Commercialism: I joined FH almost 9 months ago and ever since the popularity has picked up the overall quality of the site has gone down hill. Of course this is not true when it comes to content, the more popular a site gets the more submissions they receive. What I'm really talking about is the ads on the site. At first, it was clean. Maybe a google text ad here and there but that was it. Recently, however the site is greatly sacrificing usability in an attempt to turn some sort of profit.
The worse thing about it is that these ads expand across the entire screen on a mouse over. As a web developer I fully understand that it is not their choice what ads make it onto the site, rather the ad agency they hire. However, they do control who they hire to do this and the number ads they allow on the site. Now I understand that no one can be expected to run this site out of pocket, but there are now 3 ads that come up when I open any page on the forum, including a pop-up. I can only assume they have a fairly high click through rate, and I would find it hard to believe they are only making enough to get by. (seeing as they aren't even hosting any down/uploadable content.) In comparison this site gets a lower click through but still manages to support the smaller bandwidth and hosting with one ad.
Exclusivity: You have to know a guy... The featured map system on forge hub is one of the most exclusive and problematic things on the site. As a general rule of thumb, if you're good friends with any of the main forgers/mods and your map is half way decent, it's going to get featured. If you're out of the loop, the only way you can get featured is extreme support from the community (talking in terms of legit downloads here, probably more than 2000+, which is more than a little difficult when your map isn't listed in the front of the site). When I first joined the site, it wasn't as bad because some of the higher ups still made rounds and posted on unknown user's maps. But as they have gained more popularity and recognition from bungie, a def ear has been turned.
On the other hand, I enjoy the smaller nature of this community and the lack of some sort of segregation when it comes to the maps and 'elite users'. It's just the community favorites (which anyone can vote for) and that's it.
Now before you guys say something like 'if you don't like it so much go comment about it on fh', when in reality I have mentioned these issues to a few of the guys on my friend's list who help run the site, no one really seems to care. Rather than fight a losing battle, when it's all said and done I just prefer the smaller more user friendly community that's offered here at xforgery. I love the site, thanks for your time and effort guys. Keep up the good work.