Why do(n't) you like visiting CocoonTech.com?

electron

Administrator
Staff member
While I am working on the new site, I also would love to know what your main reasons are for (not) being happy with CocoonTech.com, what brings you back, etc.... It will help me figure out which parts need improvement (eventho I already have a huge list).
 
Likes:
- RSS feed!!!
- Forums, How-tos, reviews are very informative
- Wiki-type glossary. I'm not ashamed to admit that I refer to the highlighted links in the forum A LOT just to figure out what the heck you guys are talking about
- Showcase

Suggestions:
- More pictures. News articles and reviews would be more entertaining and easier to read. I'd also like you to stop using big words but that's not as important ;-)
- Resource page. I know a lot of the information is in the forums but it would be nice if there was a links page with links to resellers who participate on the boards, free software & trial downloads, manufacturer sites & forums and any other resources. --just upload your bookmarks folder and i'm sure your 90% done
- Too many forums. I sometimes find myself wondering which forum is best suited for a new thread. I don't know if there is a more logical way to organize them over what you have now but i thought I'd throw it out there. Certainly not something that bothers me.
- Affiliate links. It would be my pleasure to help you make a couple cents here and there while sponging off of the awesome information you provide. I'm sure others feel the same way and I'm sure it would add up pretty quickly. I always like to see people make $ because then i don't have to worry about you waking up one morning and suddenly deciding "Hey, i've got better things to do!" DON'T EVER LEAVE ME!
 
Those are exactly the type of comments I am looking for!

1) If you could post an example of the 'big words' I use, that would be great, I really don't want to intimidate anyone.
2) Articles etc with more pictures is part of the next design (the current interface just doesn't allow us to be flexible, it's one of the major reasons I am trying to get this new design done asap).
3) Resource page; something similar is planned, but you did add some really good suggestions, so I am going to add that to the list.
4) I am aware that there are too many forums, but not sure which ones I can remove, I am open to any suggestions.
5) It's something I have been thinking about as well, and will probably implement it once the new site is up and running.

Thanks Jim!
 
The review section should include a user rating system. 1 to 5 Houses(stars) this way those who own the hardware that was review can add their opinion and a quick rating system will help to quickly find the best rated items such as cameras.

I don't like that fact that cocoontech isnt making any money off of all the hard work and time you guys put into the board. I think i have heard rumors of t-shirt and hats which could solve that concern.

I think the the market place forum could have a few more vendors participating.

The live PHP/irc chat should be public so that those of us who are blocked by firewalls can still chat. (This wouldnt do me any good cause I would stll be afraid to chat from work)

Chat sessions could be automatically uploaded from your home PC to the cocoontech server and then a php page could automatically edit them and post them in a nice clean format for later use. Many great things are talked about in the live chat and most users miss out on that stuff.

Gallery...Gallery...Gallery
I love to look at pictures even if it is of a dumb switch.

How-to section could be formated a little better making it easier for members to submit selections. The same goes for reviews. I think the gallery would make this easier also.

All images should be uploaded to the cocoontech server so that they never get lost. To conserve on BW you could add text links to the images the Second time a person visits the same thread.

How about posting your list and let us pick at it.
 
Unfortunately, many items of the list are really cool (according to some of the people who have seen it), so I really don't want to post in advance what will change, since it will allow other sites to steal the ideas ;)
 
Thats only on my site :p.... J/K

I understand that you don't want people to steel your ideas.

How about more Fun smilies instead of the same old boring ones. I would love to attend the "Annual EAST COAST CocoonTech Users meeting". In other words I am tired of all the cool events such as the EHX and other electronics shows being so far away from one of the most populated areas of the US (New England). It would be really nice If we could have an anual meeting that goes along with the new and improved forum. It could be as simple as renting a small hall will all the money you make from the new site (If you decide to add some sort of revenue generating features)

Maybe a simple bull roast with some music would be nice. I do understand that most of us are nerd and don't like to get out of the house much but many of us like to drink and party and just BS. We could all wear our T-shirts :p

Im tired of the west coast and Florida having all the fun.
 
Oh and Video How-To's to go along with the text version of the how-to

Also put the Todays Active topics link at the top of the page somewhere instead of at the bottom of the forum. I am always losing new post when i leave and come back later even though i havent actually viewed them
 
Squintz said:
Im tired of the west coast and Florida having all the fun.
If ya wanna take our EHExpo away from us, then ya gotta take some hurricanes to go with it. :p

Seriously, you would rather go to Boston in February/March than Orlando, FL? You crazy!
 
Boston is only a 3 hour drive away and florida is a entire flight for me or 14 hour drive. On my little budget I would love to go to boston. Besides there are some cool things in boston and new england area.

Florida has to much traffic anyways and the west is to damn hot
 
electron said:
1) If you could post an example of the 'big words' I use
I was just joking about the big words. I felt like a 2nd grader asking for more pictures in my reading material so the last line was a shot at self-effacing humor. Looking forward to the new design. I also like that you are so very open to suggestions and that it seems that you are truly trying to build a "community"
 
Reasons I come here:
- there are many smart people here, people that have done what I'm trying to do. We all do it differently and it's great to get ideas from others and learn from others experiences
- how tos - I've used a couple of these (not exact word for word, but to get me started), they are very nice!
- product reviews - it's nice to hear what people like and don't like. Cheaper than me buying 1 of everything to figure it out myself.
- links to good deals - sharing as a community allows us to find good buys that I wouldn't find myself
- Support from manufacturers and distributors/stores. There are several contributors here that are selling products (but not being pushy), and it's nice that we have some previews of new products, feedback of availability of products, etc.

Suggestions:
- showcases. yes, you have them... but I'm delinquent in posting mine, as are many other people here...
- definitive threads storage area - some threads are almost how-tos, but can eventually get lost in all the other great postings. I assume this would be a big chore to maintain, but maybe the key posters in the thread can assemble a summary of the key points for some of these great threads and store them in a special place (similar to the how-tos but are not neccessarily step by steps).
- otherwise, not sure... I enjoy sharing ideas with this smart and friendly group. Keep up the good work!
 
I love CocoonTech, but just don't like what the wifey calls it... she keeps saying "are you talking to your Cuckoo Nuts friends again?"

One thing I like about CT is that it has lots of HomeSeer users, so we are always sharing ideas and opinions. One thing I don't like about CT is the high percentage of HomeSeer users, as I would like to hear other opinions and learn about other things and ways of doing things also. Hopefully as CT continues to grow, we can get more representation from more of the other software products out there. I don't want this to be perceived as a HomeSeer centric board and I am sure Electron agrees with this, but we cannot force other users to join.
 
thanks for posting the Cuckoo Nuts statement, my wife has a new favorite line :p

I agree about the Homeseer users, but the good news is that over 50%-60% of the members found the site through google, and not the Homeseer forums, so that's changing for sure.
 
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