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Hi Everyone,
Got some exciting news! I think it’s time for a new Airlinercafe that’s bigger, better, more powerful with more features and definitely more modern than what we have today. The whole site will be revamped with all sections and most functionality retained while adding a lot more new functionality.
All the user accounts will be ported over, but you will have to get a new password via a new password recovery system and enter your account details again as well as selecting an avatar.
Member Galleries
All member galleries will be ported over and they will be searchable and sortable. I’m currently in the
process of migrating the Member Galleries, so please do not add any new galleries, they will not make it
to the new site.Kit and Decal Database
I’m thinking of completely revamping the kit and decal database into a Kit Catalog, and Decal Catalog. Creating
one page for each item that will also include a history of the kit with links to different versions that were released over time. Also, you will be able to add a small review of the kit as well. Same will be done for the decals as well. The built Models will be added to a model photo database with pretty much all the features that are there now.Articles, Walkarounds, Profiles
No change, all pages will be ported over to the new site. However, if you have submitted an article or Profile
page, I would really appreciate it if you could get me new bigger versions of any photos. Screen resolutions
are not what they used to be and bigger images will definitely help.Forums
This is a biggie, but I think it’s time to start fresh. Woh, woh, wait a minute, say what??? That’s right, I thought the same at first at well, but think about it, a lot of the info there may be severely outdated or no longer relevant. While the forums are fresh and a great source of new information, I’m not sure how relevant some of the info is anymore. I’d definitely like to hear your thoughts on this. While I’m thinking of abandoning what’s there now, the new Forum will have new features like Subscriptions so you can subscribe to topics as well as much easier way to insert or even directly upload photos into a forum post. I know that will be welcomed by many of you. The current forum will be retained in a new section for several months for back reference.Blogs
I’d like to add blogs to the site, but not for everyone, sorry.
I’m thinking a Lost Schemes series for John and another series for Jeff Jarvis and his great memories would be a great addition to the site. As well as a great way to put all the forum posts in a more prominent location. What do you guys think?My Collection
This will be a new feature where you can add items from the database to create your collection. Everyone will be able to see what you have and how many. Maybe have the possibility to have a “For Sale” icon next to it as well so others can see that you are interested in selling it and can contact you.Advertisements
Believe it or not I hate the advertisements on the site! They are ugly, distract from the content, and sometimes even interfere with the functionality of the site, but they are a necessary evil. We have costs every month that need to be covered. What if we made airlinercafe a member-only/member-supported site where everyone pays a small monthly fee, maybe a couple of dollars, and we get rid of the advertisements entirely. What do you guys think of that?New Sections
What other features do you think would be a great addition to the site. Please speak now so we can discuss it
and maybe get it incorporated into the new site.This is a huge undertaking that will take several months of work to get to the point of a soft launch. I’m thinking it will be live sometime in January 2016. I’ve already been working on it for over a month to lay down the foundation. Please let me know what you think.
Thanks,
ahmed
KSFO
When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn't become a king. The palace becomes a circus.I’m very happy to hear about the revamping of the database.
For me it is one of the best section of Airlinercafe.
Sometime I use to search for old posts of the forum (yesterday I found a post of last year about Danish Fw200) and I hope that they will be still available. For me it is a very useful archive.
Thank you!
Ciao!
Jetphotos.net!
Flickr!As Buzz Lightyear would say … To infinity and beyond !!!!!!!
Congratulations for the new exciting news !!!
Luiz Claudio
A larger Member Gallery size file for photos?
Please!
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Well done, you can also have a site where modelers can source parts from other modelers who willing to sell, have like a model parts database where ppl cud put up pics of parts they have for sale or want parts they wanna buy, If you can have a more easier uploading of pics would be helpful… especially of I want to load pics of work in progress projects or reference pics when looking for an item or discussing detail on aircraft….
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Sounds amazing! :GG
How about the possibility to rate or to comment the items in the “Kit and Decal Database?
So everyone knows, if it’s worth buying/collecting.Cheers,
Paolo
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Hi Ahmed,
Yes looking forward to a revamp, not that there’s anything wrong with it as it is, it’s always been my number one ‘go to’ website for my airliner modelling!
I agree with ta152, an archive of the forum posts will always be useful, could you keep it for more than a couple of months!?
I don’t mind the ads, I don’t really notice them!
Cheers,
Ian
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Hello Ahmed,
I think it is great that you are improving AC, and I agree with those above that is my first go-to. As a matter of fact, it is my homepage!
I do see your point with the old forums, and topics being repeated every few years. However, those old references are often helpful and interesting. Would it be possible to keep them behind an archive tab so that the information is not lost? This could be a simple read-only, searchable file, and I think everyone would be very happy. Of course, I do not know what goes into making something like that possible, but I know that you have a lot of work to do. I very much appreciate you keeping AC up and running, as do untold others. Thank you!
Cheers,
Dan
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Thanks everyone, I’m glad you’re all as excited as me.
The new ‘Cafe will be a vast improvement over what we have now, I promise. Also, thanks for your suggestions and concerns, they’ve all been noted.1. Member Galleries will definitely have the possibility for larger images and larger file sizes.
2. Ratings will be there for the Kit and Decal catalog, but not member photos. (We had ratings in the past and members didn’t like it when their photos received a low rating.) The Kits and Decals will also have a section for reviews.
3. Ok, I will try my best to integrate as much as the forum as possible. The issues will most likely be with posts that have photos. If not possible, they will definitely be kept in an archive section of the site, no worries there.
Please keep your comments, concerns, ideas, suggestions, etc. coming. This is the time for it. Looking forward to hearing from many more of you. Thanks!
Thanks,
ahmed
KSFO
When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn't become a king. The palace becomes a circus.Ahmed, great to be hearing this! I’m quite a fan of the updates already, these will only make it better!
Kit and Decal Database: Like this one, maybe have an auto-complete function so we don’t have to search. Also, having a 1:n assigning thing would be good, including other materials as well. For example, my latest 707 could have the Authentic Airliners 707 kit code tag, the 2-6 Decals tag, a detail sheet tag in it, and maybe even paint code tags, all of which are clickable. That way, users can look at pictures of the same kit, of the same sheet, same paint colors, etc.
: like all your ideas. Having a star or subscribe link would be good. Also, can we rename them to “fora?” “Forums” sounds wrong to me, like “a criteria.”
My Collection: also “my stash,” which indicates the ones you have that you plan to build, or sell. Maybe a function that has collection>build status/sale status, etc.
Advertisements: I don’t think these are bad per se, as long as they are relevant. One model that might work is having site sponsors who give “cafe discounts” to paid/subscribed members. This incentivizes lurkers to register, improves site traffic and activity, and provides a cheap platform for vendors to sell to targeted audiences. Because the site traffic grows, vendors win in the transaction as well. I don’t know what everyone’s business model looks like, I’m just spitballing. It’s worth a thought though IMHO.
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Wow, that’s a bit scary, Merlin, because that’s exactly what I have already planned.
There will be 1:n relationships in the Model Photos uploaded. Also, most of the search fields will be auto-complete not dropdown style, because some of them are getting really long. Imaging having to scroll through all the choices on your cell phone. Thus, the autocomplete will be a much better choice there.
Thanks,
ahmed
KSFO
When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn't become a king. The palace becomes a circus.aro757 :
Wow, that’s a bit scary, Merlin, because that’s exactly what I have already planned. There will be 1:n relationships in the Model Photos uploaded. Also, most of the search fields will be auto-complete not dropdown style, because some of them are getting really long. Imaging having to scroll through all the choices on your cell phone. Thus, the autocomplete will be a much better choice there.
Great minds think alike
Having a dropdown in my phone would be good, it would at least incentivize me to get rid of the numbers of people that I don’t need to be talking to anymore
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While many older forum topics may be, well old, they are very useful – especially for those of us who reference them and have some of those models.
Advertising is not a problem for me, and I find it to be very minimal. Plus, I would favor some advertising for the wealth of information rather than paying to use this site.
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How about a section for military a/c builds?
If it has wings I can crash it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
47 driver :
How about a section for military a/c builds?Kind of defeats the object of having an ‘Airliner’ cafe. I personally find it irritating to see the increase in military models creeping onto this website. I’m sure there are plenty of websites which cater admirably for military subjects.
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Military is definitely allowed and will continue to be allowed. We do have a filter in the search engine to separate the two if you’d like. There are many of us who build both, myself included.
Thanks,
ahmed
KSFO
When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn't become a king. The palace becomes a circus.Any updates??? Reason I ask is that I have some “stuff” to upload/share. Wonder if better to upload now or wait for the “New” Airlinercafe.
Ken
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Hi Ken,
I have already transferred the Member Galleries, and all the Kits and Decals in the Photo Database. I have yet to migrate all the Built Models in the Photo Database, and the Forums. The Forums will be a biggie. I’ve run into some issues along the way and come up with some new ideas which I would like to implement. So, rollout might be further away than I can accurately predict at the moment.
I’m thinking it would be best, but not easy, to do a final migration right before launch anyways just to get everything. So, I would say continue to upload and do everything here for now.
Thanks,
ahmed
KSFO
When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn't become a king. The palace becomes a circus.A multi-quote function would be really cool too!
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Hi all,
You might be wondering what happened to this…well, I’ve kind of put it on hold for a few months. Why? Because the platform I’m using just released a new version with major changes / improvements and I don’t want to continue development on the old platform which will be obsolete in about a year or so. I made good progress with moving over the kit & decal database, gallery, etc. but still have much, much more to do, including migrating all the forum posts. The Kit & Decal database upload and approval system still needs to be built, I want to make it easier to insert images into Forum posts, add forum notifications, maybe social media integration, etc. etc. So there is still a lot of work left, and of course coming up with a nice look.
You can see what I’ve done so far here: http://www.airlinercafe.net but, please no postings, it’s for looking only just so you can get an idea of things. Look at the new features I’ve added to the Kit & Decal database details page for example: http://www.airlinercafe.net/catalog/kits/4155/revell/boeing-737-800/tui-group Feel free to search and poke around, but please don’t post anything. It will get wiped out soon anyways.
I’m thinking of adding a new “Collection” section. That’s right, you will be able to simply add items from the database to form your collection. Everyone gets to see what you have in your stash.
And, you will be able to flag it as for sale or not. People will be able to search for “For Sale” kits and then contact you via the Private Messaging system to buy it off of you.I have a lot more features planned, but please be patient. It will take some time to roll it all out. Once the new platform has matured a little bit, I will start building on that and hopefully get it finished in a few months.
Thanks,
ahmed
KSFO
When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn't become a king. The palace becomes a circus.
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