Forum reorganisation

It is a while since we overhauled the forum sections. In the light of our experiences, we have reviewed the current structure and made some changes in an effort to improve it.

The main focus of these changes is to make the forum more user friendly. As a result, we have gathered together the prog sections, then the other music sections, leaving the non-music sections in their own area. Terms such as non-prog and non-music have proved to confuse people, so we have done away with these.

It may take a little while to get used to the new sections, but please be patient and I am sure you quickly settle in to them. To help you, the Guidelines have been updated to reflect the new structure. http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=13082

You will notice that some sections have been removed and others redesigned. We do not propose to move a lot of existing threads about initially, these will find their way into the right sections over a period of time.

Here is a summary of the main changes, and the reasons behind them.

• A new section has been created for the site rules and guidelines. This has been placed as the first section in the forum to draw attention to it. Only Admin Team members can post in this area. This will allow us to remove the rules from the top of every forum section, leaving more space for the thread topics.
• The "Non-music prog lounge" causes confusion, many people do not understand its purpose, or the difference between it and the "Prog Music lounge". The two have therefore been merged into the Prog Music lounge, which is now for all general discussions about prog.
• The Old "Non music prog lounge" has been renamed  "Bands, artists and genre Apreciation threads" and should be used for band appreciation threads plus threads dedicated to a specific sub genre.
• The guidelines also now make it clear that the recommendations section should also be used for seeking recommendations.
• A new section has been created for "Top 10s and lists". This is intended for those thread where people post lists of favourite bands, albums etc, but little discussion takes place.
• Some other existing sections which deal with prog topics have been added to the Prog Music area, to gather all the prog sections in one place.
• A new section has been added for official prog suppliers to use to advertise their current offers etc. We shall look at how to raise the profile of this section in due course.
• In response to requests, a new section has been added for publicising and discussing prog tribute bands. All topics relating to Prog tribute bands should be posted here.
• The unsigned bands section has been moved into the prog music area, to increase its profile.
• The "Other progressive music related discussions" section therefore is no longer required. In its place comes a new section "Other music related lounges". This section is for all other music discussions, including those which cross between prog and other genres. Discussions about Prog related and Proto prog bands have also been moved here to make it clear that they re not prog bands. Various other existing sections relating to music have been moved here.
• The "Non-prog music" lounge has been renamed "General music discussions" per the comment above.
• The "Assorted & miscellaneous topics" section has been renamed to focus on discussions which do not relate to music. As a result it is now named "Topics not related to music"
• A number of minor improvements have been made to the descriptions etc.,

It goes without saying that these changes are not cast in stone. We shall monitor them to see how effective they are, and will be happy to make further changes if needed. If you want to discuss the changes, please do so in the "Help us improve the site" section.