New forum upgrade maybe (higher version)

[Harkoliar]

yep very white

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Revived I Am to hunt this world... Banish ye evil or face my wrath...

[Memnoch]

Originally posted by Epona: Not sure about the personal message thing - can this be overseen by the moderator? I would hope so as otherwise it could open an avenue of opportunity for flaming/harassing individuals for unscrupulous users. Rating each other seems to me to be a bit of a popularity contest - don't like this feature. Also prefer to have the first post at the top of page 1 with subsequent posts underneath.

You should be able to have private messages switched off if you don't want to receive any.

Also, you can choose to hide the ratings.

I think a lot of these features are customizable.


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My name is Memnoch. And your name is...not important, for the dead have no need for names.

[Epona]

Originally posted by Memnoch: You should be able to have private messages switched off if you don't want to receive any. Also, you can choose to hide the ratings. I think a lot of these features are customizable.

Memnoch, I should have made my point more clearly - I'm a NOSY OLD SOD! and I would worry that everyone would send private messages to each other and not to me and I would be missing out on stuff! (Don't worry, I'm not *clinically* paranoid - at least not yet!) My main worry is about feeling left out as the Moon's Hope threads disappear into 'privatemessageland'! I would hope that people wouldn't use it to create an exclusive clique though.

I realise that it is probably a bit daft and not particularly well thought out for me to feel like that! Sorry!

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Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so.

Epona of The Laughing Hyenas.

Epona! I know what you mean, but if people want to IM each other, it isn't like there arent alot of ways to do it already, maybe it will keep some of the cyber-slobbering out of threads so things like the inn do not get so clogged with it. NOT that I have anything against 2 consenting people slobbering all over each other, cyber or otherwise, I just do not like having to wade thru it to talk with others
you can turn off the IM, and the ratings, or just block individuals if you so desire, but boy do I agree with Rikard and Memny, it be a bit harsher on the eyes than the current soothing scheme, but boy I likes it alot!

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When given a choice, take both.

[Reeka]

I just looked at it. I couldn't get on because I don't know what my "location" is. I do share some of the same concerns that Epona has. The popularity thing I don't think is good. Some people are very sensitive any and feelings could get hurt. We just got that post from Memnoch reminding us to be more inclusive. I really worry about people feeling left out. And the personal conversations. I agree that it could degenerate into little clicks. I already have personl messaging set up with a few people on the board anyway. Of course, I know we want something that can handle all the posts. I just feel that everytime we upgrade there are good point to it and bad point. I don't wantto see us loose that "community feel". Maybe the problem is we really need custom-designed software, since we are unique.

And if someone will tell this "technologically challenged person" what her location is, I'll try it out.

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Reeka--The Hand of Death O_H_F
Lady in Waiting (the question is waiting for what?)
Yes, I do get cold. That is why I need someone to warm me up.
No, I did not lose the rest of my outfit!
Does anyone feel a draft or is it me?
Official Party Planner of the Moon's Hope Inn
Does this make me a party girl?
Proud Member of the Ladies Guild
Putting this in to see if BK is really reading

[Smegger]

Nice, Don't like the color scheme at all though.
Noticed that the first post on a page isn't from the person that made the page...
Very worried about the whole private stuff, People might just talk to the ones the know and like with it. It happens here but everyone can still read it, don't denie that it will happen because it will.

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I'm smegger, Smegarila
I'm fit and nice and no one slimmer,
I also a fantsic swimmer,
Why don't you invite me round for dinner....

[Memnoch]

Originally posted by Reeka: I just looked at it. I couldn't get on because I don't know what my "location" is. And if someone will tell this "technologically challenged person" what her location is, I'll try it out.

Umm, Reeka, are you talking about "location" when you register? It's which city you're in.

Where did it ask you for location?

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My name is Memnoch. And your name is...not important, for the dead have no need for names.

[Memnoch]

Ok, I held off on my opinion initially because I was curious as to how people would see it.

I'm picking up a lot of negative feedback about the color scheme. Don't worry about that, colors can easily be changed and customized. It would be a bit of a change moving from brown to white, just as it was a change moving from blue to brown, right?

I agree that the latest-to-earliest post sequencing is confusing but this can also easily be fixed. Black Isle use exactly the same UBB v.6.0.1 and their posts are sequenced earliest-to-latest.

The interface appears to be a lot easier to use, with a lot more buttons to use smileys, UBB etc. HTML is currently switched off, but could easily be switched on if Ziroc decides to do that.

The private messaging thing appears to be a concern for a number of people worried about invasion of privacy and I can understand that. However, I'm a bit puzzled - isn't this essentially just the same as sending someone an email? I think there's an option to block all private messages to be sent to a user (the same as not displaying your email on your profile on this board).

The rating system does have the potential to drive wedges between people. We've already had a couple of issues involving people wanting to leave/thinking of leaving because of feelings of being unloved, unpopular, etc. I won't go into that as it's been given more than enough airplay in my opinion. Rating posters on a scale of 1-5 will probably only reinforce feelings of inadequacy in people who have a low self-esteem and get rated low (or not get rated at all).

However, we also need to think about how much easier this forum will be to run and manage. Maybe Ziroc can give us his perspective on that!

Just my thoughts.



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My name is Memnoch. And your name is...not important, for the dead have no need for names.

[Xanthul]

hey mem you online ?? cant you use MSN ?? i would like talking to you (if you want too)



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"Let my spells do the dirty work" Ertai, High Sorceror of the Holy Flame

[Cloudbringer]

Hey Z! I briefly went in last night. Had some trouble with one thread showing odd symbols (no, Mems, not Simbul! ) instead of the text. Also got a IM while not in the board- gave email notification but when I went to the board couldn't see anything nor find a way to answer such messages. Duh, was I just missing something? Or can't you reply if you are not on the forum at the time? I've seen other IM setups where the message can be clicked as a regular dialog box even if you aren't actively in the forum screen.

The white background is annoying...but maybe it's a customizable feature for our Webmaster?

Most recent message first is more like email, but I do NOT like it for the forums at all. Small problem if you want to know what the whole topic is about and how it progressed: you have to scroll down (eeeff...in a thread of 200+?? YIKES) to the bottom and read up-awkward at best. Could be a spoiler problem too. Suppose I see a topic I think I'm interested in, go to it, and the first thing I see is someone's answer to the thread that includes spoilers? Maybe if I'd seen the whole first post, I'd have realized the questions/topic were going to spoil me and not read any more? Just a thought...not really enough to say yay or nay the whole upgrade, mind you.

Epona: I've been on a few boards where IM is used. Memny is right, you can usually choose to not accept such messages. In fact on one board I used to frequent, you could choose your list of people that you contact frequently (like an address book) and could further choose to accept ALL IM's, or only from that list. Z? is there a feature on this one that allows 'stealth mode' or 'lurk mode'- ie: you can choose to be in the forum and NOT be visible to others (for IM)...well unless you post, of course!

I see IM as a boon in a few ways. Like last night I needed to check if someone had seen my email. That really wasn't something that added to the thread I was in, "Did you get my email?" ends up being a whole post, along with "yes I did" or "no I didn't". Those things can me sent as IM if the other party is online. Epona, I'm as nosy as the next person (gee, why is everyone laughing?), and I understand your concerns. I do think that if people want private communication now, they manage without posting to the forum (email, ICQ etc) so I don't think that will make as big an impact as we might fear.

Can somebody tell me: isn't IM geared for one-to-one? If so, it would be impossible for a small group to have a separate chat that way as opposed to going to the Inn, or somesuch.

I too have doubts about rating each other. Considering our 'spam for stars' problem with newbies who see some members with titles or stars they envy (yes there are some out there, even now..grrr), I can't even imagine the "ratings wars" that might erupt from something like this. Bad for a whole lot of egos and that spells disaster for some members staying around.
Note, you are getting that little 'concern' about the system from me, Z! You know I'm the last one who'd worry what her own rating would be. I do worry about less effusive and prolific members not feeling welcome/wanted.

I didn't spend a whole lot of time testing the upgrade board, so I can't give much more feedback today. Will go in again and play a bit. It's always a bit awkward breaking in a new setup...still I will say this current one seemed so 'user friendly' to me when I got here during the open testing. The upgrade seems to need more 'work' on my part to navigate than the current board.

Ok, there you go..my 20 cents worth

Cloudy

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Storm-Queen
StormCloud of the Black Knight

[This message has been edited by Cloudbringer (edited 04-01-2001).]