Well, here's the new look for the forum. It's quite different. In fact, it's no longer really a forum. It's more like a community blog. The main feature that's been added is that members have quite a bit more freedom in what they can post. There are smilies. Members can also upload images (as long as the images aren't too big... thumbnails would be preferable). Entries can also be assigned to categories (I need to go through all the old posts and do that manually). Oh, and soon members should also be able to edit their entries. Well, some members at least (that's going to have to be a privilege a member earns since somebody could wreak serious havoc if they decided to abuse that).
I've been meaning to upgrade the forum for a while, but when I looked around at the options I realized that I couldn't install new forum software without losing all of the existing posts. Since I didn't want to do that, I've decided to import all the existing posts into the software that I use to run my blog. Which is why the forum now looks like a blog. Anyone can add comments, but it's a bit harder for non-members to post topics. That's because the software really isn't designed to allow anyone except a member to post an entry.
The new forum definitely needs more work. But for now, at least, it's up and running (I hope). Comments? Worse/Better than before?
Amish, Chads, Cynthia, DNA Toby, Hogzilla, Bush's Bulge... sigh... I love a good pile-on
Hairy Houdini Member
Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2004 | 11:42 AM
If you listen real closely to the Laugh Track of several old re-run 60's TV comedies, you can hear an Audio Marker as "the crowd" laughs, where you will hear a diector call out "CUT". It's a classic Laugh Track Sound Byte, and, being vision impaired, I can recognize that sound marker like the voice of an old friend. Try it: watch an episode of "Bewitched" or "Beverly Hillbillies"... At the end of a spurt of laughs, you may faintly hear the director call out "Cut". This is an audio marker, not a call from the director on the set. You may hear the CUT audio marker and the scene continues. I liken it to "cigarette burns" in the upper right hand of old pre-digital films. That was amarker to show the projectionist when the next reel was upcoming (first burn), and when to switch over (second burn). Both of these miniscule bits of trivia are true. Or am I full of it. You tell me.
Would it be better to have the topics listed just by their titles, like it was before? I experimented with that, but I actually prefer not having to click on a link to see what somebody is talking about. The biggest advantage of this new design is that it allows images to be posted.
Oh, and once you go to that link you'll arrive at a 'control panel' (as long as you're a logged-in member). Once there, you click the 'publish' button in the top left corner.
Our Story So Far : links no longer automatically open in a new window. Bad.
I liked the collapsed titles. Being able to see the message makes for a long first screen.
There is also no indication on the first screen of the last date and time the thread was posted to, just the number of follow-up posts 'tho this isn't that big a deal since they are listed chronologically.
Hairy Houdini Member
Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2004 | 11:56 AM
Images are good. I'm sure the world wants to see my old Fart Spray can. When the posters show an URL for a site in a post, though, we have an option of seeing that image from that site if we choose to, and don'thave to if'n we don't want to. I've enjoyed commenting on threads like The Marquessa De Edgemont's killing animals for art, but I don't have the heart to view her site. I don't even wanna see the Bonsai Kitty. Also, people may now be more inclined to post pics of flying pie plates and brothers dressed as aliens, a thumb on the lens as Jesus, etc. That's okay, but now, we strictly verbal Bullsh@tters may have to put up or shut up. I'm sure you'll figure it out. You're two time zones West of me, so you get some extra time to think about it.
Hairy Houdini Member
Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2004 | 11:59 AM
No, I didn't mean to post that on a new topic page. I'm just that pain-in-the-butt kid-in-the-class who didn't mind asking a dumb question if I thought the rest of the class didn't get it. Worked out well, eh
Ahhh!!! Your auto-smilies turned my Satan Clause emoticon from my "Poor, poor Hairy" message into a crazy smilie with a stick of dynamite. Well, that's how I view it.
Okay, to reduce the load time of the page I've limited how much of the entry you see. You get a snippet, but to read the full entry you need to click on the 'comments' link. Maybe I should now change the name of that link to something like 'view full entry'.
The first three threads look normal in a white box. The next thread replaces the band on the right (most popular topics, etc) with the title of the thread and then continues under the first three but below the white box, in the light gray background. Then the fifth thread continues in the light gray. Then lots of blank page. Toward the bottom the 7th thread at the end of the light gray. Below the white gray, in the dark gray, is the remainder of the threads left aligned (all the way left, starts below the ads). The right border (pop topics, etc) is then left aligned below the messages.
If I could figure out how to upload pics I'd send you a couple of screen prints.
