Normally when it comes to new site ideas I hash them out with the staff and/or the PC Apex Elite Members. This time I want to open the discussion up to all members since this is a big decision and I want as much input as possible on it.

OK, there is a great thread which pretty much sums up why we are going to merge the PC Apex and Game Apex forums and galleries over here where you can find when I first posted that I will be merging these site forums and galleries. That decision is a done deal; so now comes the tricky part. Deciding HOW to set this up.

At first I was thinking, hey, I can just bring the forums over and then when a member is in a gaming-related forum, I can simply use the Game Apex skin for it since I can show different site skins according to what forum topic you are in. But then I thought about how when you are in a gaming forum, the skin would be correct but the URL would read pcapex.com... Then it hit me... a new idea to merge the two PC Apex and Game Apex forums and even leave room for more expansion later (fileapex.com which I already own, etc).

ForumApex.com! I checked and found that the domain was available to I bought it like an hour ago. It was only $15 so even if we decide to not go this route, it's not a big loss. Here is the plan I have been thinking over. GameApex.com and PCApex.com would still exist and would be where the actual article/review content will be served from. I will still be able to pull recent forum headlines from the forum to be displayed on both sites. When clicking the headline link they will be taken to the forumapex.com site but the forum will be skinned to match the topic. ie. forums related to PC stuff will show the PC Apex skin and Gaming related stuff will show the Game Apex skin. Topics that are either shared by both sites or don't really belong under either one will show the ForumApex.com skin. All site skins/designs will have the same look and feel but will be colored/themed differently. I can also setup the same thing for the gallery (gallery.forumapex.com or www.forumapex.com/gallery). Traffic won't be lost since I will redirect all traffic from our old URLs to the same, new urls at the new domain name. I am pretty pumped by this idea and I am ready to bust it out this weekend. The only kink in the plan is getting the data from the current GameApex forum into the database here at PC Apex (or later in the ForumApex.com db).

So, what do you guys think? Am I missing or overlooking something? I think I can have this done by Monday, too. I have already been working on recoding the forum layout so that we can get our nice DHTML popup menus back again. I've learned more about CSS since I did this design and I have some nice layout tweaks in mind as well as bug fixes.

sounds good to me

sounds like you are essentially giving esposure of all new topics to the communites of all your sites...at the same time, sort of like one big "Apex Network", where you can still keep the content relevant, but allow slightly non-relevant content to get -some- exposure through a unified content area (IGN anyone?).
that sounds like a perfect plan, and im behind it all the way

amazed this hasnt happened sooner, actually.

I think it's a good idea, though ForumApex sounds like your target market is forum enthusiasts. Apexforums isn't that bad though

Apex forums is taken already. Plus, ForumApex fits the theme... pcapex, gameapex, forumapex. I'm really excited about the changes coming. Gonna have plenty to do this weekend. hehe

Apex.com wasn't available was it?

I like the idea, it does add another link change, are we going to forward forums.pcapex, and forums.gameapex to the new site?

Yup. All of the old links will still work, too.

I'm all for it Can't wait!

Sounds good.

What about badassapex.com?

Woohoo!

For GameApex staff, you won't get fired... the staff's will be somewhat merged, yet somewhat independent from the way things look right now.

Great!

Although that probably means I still have to do that Time Ace review...

Quote: Originally Posted by _Sexy_Pants_ Although that probably means I still have to do that Time Ace review...

*wipes the sweat from his brow*

The idea sounds great, but there is one thing that "bothers" me, and this may go away once I see it implemented. If I an a n00b and come to PCApex and after reading a review decide to post something in the forums I will get the PCApex Forum skin. All is good. Now I am done registering and posting and looking around and I see a topic with new posts about Call of Duty 4 and click on it and suddenly I have a different skin.

Some users might not like that, and some may even get confused and think, "Wait, what happened? I was at PC Apex and now I am at GameApex? WTF?"

Now, like any good friend, I am not only going to pose a problem, but some possible solutions.

The first is to section off the forums so that when you look at the main forum page there are sections for PCA and GA and they have their respective themes. This way someone has a bit of a warning when the theme changes.

Another is to make 3 themes. One PCA, one GA, and one Combo. Kinda like having PCA on one side and GA on the other (and this one could be the default) with PCA and GA as options.

Finally, perhaps just a ForumsApex theme for everything as the default, and allow people to choose PCA or GA.

Of course, like I said, once I see the themes you have planned it may not be that big a deal.

Other than that, the idea sounds kick a$$.

I agree with DickNervous, it would through some people for a loop, at least at first. Maybe a warning page that can be turned off with a cookie. Like a

You will now be redirected to our sister site, Game Apex's, forums. If you are not redirected click here
If you want to stop receiving these messages, click here

Or something along those lines.

Edit, or an option to turn them off in your user cp

I think so long as they have similar layouts it won't be that bad, but you have to make sure the implementation is consistent and that there are many ways to show you that it's a multiforum site with different schemes

If you forgive the obvious made-in-five-minutesness of this picture, green could be GA, blue could be PA, orange Anything Goes and yellow Fileapex etc., all on the front page. And if links to one place consistently have some sort of scheme like that, I don't think it would be too disorienting

Attached Images

apexcolors.jpg (56.8 KB, 20 views)

// Start script ResistantToChange

Well, hopefully this comment isn't just about resistance to change ...

I know a lot of people with much more pull than I have think it's a good idea. However, I have a concern that warrants voicing (or texting): PimpRig was about taking computers and pushing them to the max. PCApex's name change was for excellent reason, but you were able to keep the concept of "we're the height of PC in all things" built into the name. ForumApex speaks, as SexyPants mentions, as though this is the height of Forums ... as if our field of concentration is in forums, rather than PCs. My personal feeling is that the name doesn't accurately reflect our focus, and that it might deter from your strategic plan for the name change to PCApex (and, potentially, your ability to partner with other entities in the future). It's your business and your call, of course, but I felt I should speak up.

//Stop script

-godling

It needs to look like one site.

Quote: Originally Posted by godling // Start script ResistantToChange Well, hopefully this comment isn't just about resistance to change ... I know a lot of people with much more pull than I have think it's a good idea. However, I have a concern that warrants voicing (or texting): PimpRig was about taking computers and pushing them to the max. PCApex's name change was for excellent reason, but you were able to keep the concept of "we're the height of PC in all things" built into the name. ForumApex speaks, as SexyPants mentions, as though this is the height of Forums ... as if our field of concentration is in forums, rather than PCs. My personal feeling is that the name doesn't accurately reflect our focus, and that it might deter from your strategic plan for the name change to PCApex (and, potentially, your ability to partner with other entities in the future). It's your business and your call, of course, but I felt I should speak up. //Stop script -godling

The more I think about it the more I agree in principle with the concern of ForumApex as the name. I agree that combining the two forums is a good idea. I think that having a centralized forum for the "Apex Family of Sites" is a good idea (see concerns voiced above). I think you may want to work through some more ideas on the branding and naming.

Of course, you may have done this already and have this huge whiteboard with a massively detailed roadmap laid out of how you will take over the world, one Apex at a time, and have thought of all this already. But then maybe not, since you are asking for our opinions.

The truth is that at this moment, the only strong feature of PCApex are the forums. I hope we will get back to our computer enthusiast and review roots eventually, but the site has lost focus.

Quote: Originally Posted by BigAkita The truth is that at this moment, the only strong feature of PCApex are the forums. I hope we will get back to our computer enthusiast and review roots eventually, but the site has lost focus.

Gee, I know another site gruntville with that very same problem........