RecTeqForum Re-Organization - Feedback appreciated!

[Motodad1776]

Appreciate all you do Mike, I was an Admin/Mod at a popular motorcycle forum for over 10 years, and it's a thankless job at times.......so THANK YOU for all you do here to keep the show going behind the scenes. I agree that some housekeeping/rearranging/refresh isn't a bad idea at all, I just hope this is being done for the right reasons and didn't happen quickly out of thin air........that's all I am going to say on the matter any further. All I know is that I won't be leaving or threatening to leave, regardless of whatever changes are going to be made. Hope everyone has a good up coming weekend......smoke on.

 

[Mike]

right reasons and didn't happen quickly out of thin air..

Thanks @Motodad1776, this is coming for the reasons I mentioned in the first post and because I'm lazy.

I seen RecTeq has released more models and I'm not a fan of chasing every single model with a sub-forum. Even more so when you consider the biggest difference is their size. Sure some features might be added here and there but for the most part they are in credibly similar.

My laziness has brought this on.

 

[C. Keeper]

@Mike , As you know, frogs are a big part of the BBQ experience.
I'd suggest a Frog Forum area.

 

[Randy720]

Being a newbie RecTeq Flagship owner and new member here, I want to say thank you for having this forum available. I appreciate the posts to help with making our cooks successful and I look forward to passing what I learn from everyone here to others. I’m all for making the changes, I like all the ideas. Smoke on!!

 

[Mike]

Well it's happening, so please bear with me while I move things around.

All of the previous threads that were in the modeled sub-forums have been edited to include the appropriate thread pre-fix of the model.

All of the modeled sub-forum threads have been moved to the Rec Teq Lounge forum and the modeled forums removed. The new forums have also been added. Now I just need to move threads from the Rec Tec Lounge to their new homes, if needed, such as accessories into the accessories forum and so on.

I've also created a new forum called "Hobbies" in the Lounge section to give a place for us to discuss our hobbies outside of grilling.

I'm working on moving threads around now so just hang tight if things are moving around on you.

 

[Mike]

Still moving threads around, but took a quick break and also installed a Media Gallery for everyone to show off their photos of grills, patios, decks, cooks, etc.

 

[RattleR]

Looking Good @Mike!

 

[TNWillie]

1st and foremost, THANKS for all you do, Mike, and for starting this thread in particular. Having read, and liked, most all the responses, a comment by SmokeZilla stood out to me. The idea of having a section on Tools would, in my opinion, be helpful. I'm new here and entirely new to smoking. That said, I appreciate any and all info that is posted and thank everyone for their contribution.
Best of luck with whatever you come up with.

 

[C. Keeper]

Mike , where's the safe space, I can't find my safe space.

 

[jasonbr1975]

Two thumbs up from

 

[Grilltreats]

All sounds good to me.

 

[Chief_USN_Ret]

Hey guys and gals,

This forum has been around for a bit, back in the days before Rec Teq was called Rec Teq and the number of different models of grills were much smaller. Fast forward to today and Rec Teq has more than a dozen active models on their site and several other models that are discontinued.

Our current layout under the "REC TEQ GRILLS" forum is more model specific and outdated at that as many of the current models aren't even listed.

While this worked well when the number of models were fewer, it's harder to keep up as new models roll out and is there really a massive fundamental difference between RT-700 and a Flagship 1100 or even the Beast? Sure they are smaller or larger but overall the principals are the same and in many cases re-use similar parts - most notably the controllers in many cases.

That said I'd like to propose re-organizing the forum into a layout like so:

- New Owners Q&A
- Rec Teq Lounge
- Accessories & Pellets
- Modifications & Custom Projects
- Grill Comparisons & Recommendations
- Show off your cooks

This would move away from the more model specific sub-forums and more into a user experience sub-forums. The adding and removing of new models would no longer be impactful to the forum layout.

I would also propose we use more thread prefixes (like we do in the classifieds forum [For sale, WTB, etc]) for the various different models. This would allow users to attach a model prefix to their threads which would better allow others to know what model that thread might be more geared towards and also allow for better sorting and searching of threads.

I'm open to suggestions, opinions, and thoughts on the above or if you have something better you'd like to propose!

I like the proposed format.

 

[Hawkness]

I am late to the party, but I like the new path forward. (and I, like a lot of others, extend my appreciation to Mike the "Kind of good admin". Maybe it's time to upgrade that title to to "Decent bordering on high quality admin"? just a thought...ha ha)

 

[Snorebaby]

 

[BigDan]

SaMike , where's the safe space, I can't find my safe space.

 

[TheRicker]

I have noticed that a number of regulars have slowed or stopped their posts on what they are cooking and I think that’s an area of concern. While the forum is loosely organized around Recteq grills, it is the cooking we do on them that should be one of the main focuses.

I’m sure those folks have not stopped cooking, so we need to re-engage with them and create an environment conducive to their participation. Certainly, there should be sub-forums where the mechanical and technological aspects of RT grills can be discussed as well, but without an actual cooking use discussion, we lose focus on the desired end result.

This thread is an opportunity for all to be heard on the future direction of the forum. I encourage folks to take this opportunity to have their thoughts heard.

I had a number of pics from my Easter cook…except…the final product. Things got hectic as I got the meal ready and folks were hungry. I simply forgot the finished photos. So I didn’t post any pics.

 

[BigDan]

I’m looking forward to this! I’ve been MIA for awhile, living the hotel life while trying to find a home in TN and commuting back and forth every week. I still pop in occasionally but will be back once I find a home for my cookers lol.

FWIW…a little tidbit of useless information, TN doesn’t require most of their counties to follow the latest building codes. 70% of the counties don’t even require a certificate of occupancy. If I only knew three months ago, what I know now…

 

[FastEddie]

Love the ideas.
When your finished, don't forget to blast out an email to everyone to invite them back to the the new experience.
Keep up the good work

 

[ringosmoke]

Grand idea @Mike

Thank you!

 

[bigjim]

Hey guys and gals,

This forum has been around for a bit, back in the days before Rec Teq was called Rec Teq and the number of different models of grills were much smaller. Fast forward to today and Rec Teq has more than a dozen active models on their site and several other models that are discontinued.

Our current layout under the "REC TEQ GRILLS" forum is more model specific and outdated at that as many of the current models aren't even listed.

While this worked well when the number of models were fewer, it's harder to keep up as new models roll out and is there really a massive fundamental difference between RT-700 and a Flagship 1100 or even the Beast? Sure they are smaller or larger but overall the principals are the same and in many cases re-use similar parts - most notably the controllers in many cases.

That said I'd like to propose re-organizing the forum into a layout like so:

- New Owners Q&A
- Rec Teq Lounge
- Accessories & Pellets
- Modifications & Custom Projects
- Grill Comparisons & Recommendations
- Show off your cooks

This would move away from the more model specific sub-forums and more into a user experience sub-forums. The adding and removing of new models would no longer be impactful to the forum layout.

I would also propose we use more thread prefixes (like we do in the classifieds forum [For sale, WTB, etc]) for the various different models. This would allow users to attach a model prefix to their threads which would better allow others to know what model that thread might be more geared towards and also allow for better sorting and searching of threads.

I'm open to suggestions, opinions, and thoughts on the above or if you have something better you'd like to propose!

Organization ain't my long suit. With formalities outta the way, using a commercial v recreational user system would separate some of the larger smoker users from the casual guys and gals. I generally cook for 2-4 people so my bullseye is adequate. However, the bigger the unit the more meat ya can cook changes the venue. Pro level and rec level.