ADMIN QUESTION: Can I have some feedback from users on whether I should upgrade to a different forum?greenspun.com : LUSENET : Catholic Pages Forum : One Thread |
I need you all to help me make a decision.My web-hosting service is about to offer access to a commercial web forum/chat program that I can take up to replace this [free] service. I'm still waiting on details of how much they will charge me each month (which may well be the eventual criterion for making the decision), but could I just ask you for your input on whether the following things are things you would think would make the forum even better or whether the negatives would mean you would visit less often:
Of the advantages of the new system, there are the following features that I think are really worthwhile (do you agree?):
- you can search for words in all messages (which will be useful as the question-base continues to grow
- you can search for users by name and see their profile (eg, their home page or their email address or what they have said their interests are)
- you can participate in the forum completely by email (ie, you can have each message posted sent to you individually or in a daily digest and you can respond by email! without having to get onto the web at all)
- if you read the messages on the web with your browser, you can set it to only show you the messages that are new since you last visited
- you can preview any messages or replies you send and spell check them before they are posted
- it includes a chat facility if you want to chat with other users who are logged on at the same time as you (although I can disable this if I want to)
- the interface is much more attractive and I can customize it to look more like the rest of the site -- you see the full list of categories on the left hand side of the page with the number of questions that have been asked in brackets beside it; if you click on a category, it then lists all the questions that have been asked in that category underneath it with the number of responses to each question in brackets beside each one, if you click on a question, it shows you the question and all the answers to it on the right hand side of the screen (so you won't have to use your back button or anything, you just click on the question on the left and read it on the right, then click on another category or question on the left and read it on the right)
- I can still edit or delete any posts, and I can also appoint other moderators to help me moderate posts if the forum gets really popular and there are too many messages each day for me to moderate on my own
- you can put links to pages and pictures in your messages, just by typing the address [so if you type something starting with http://... it checks whether its a webpage or a picture and turns it into a link to the page or actually puts the picture in your message!]
- you can write your messages in HTML if you know how to vary the font or the color, etc.
- you can attach files to your message (so if you want to say: "I found this .txt document in the EWTN library, you can just attach it very easily instead, and everyone will be able to click on it and read it)
The downsides are:
- it costs me money whereas this service is absolutely free
- some people prefer plain text, whereas this service has a lot more colour and capability for me to include graphics
- the service is much better if you use frames, but a lot of people don't like frames
- you have to fill out a user profile the first time you use it (but if you tell it to remember your password, you'll never have to login again) -- although you can log on as guest, so new visitors wandering in will be able to read messages and realize how great our forum is!
Let me know if that sounds like the type of thing that would make the forum that much better, or whether you'll visit just as often regardless.
Well,Despite the overwhelming support for the existing forum service, the pricing has come in much lower than I expected it would and still within my budget for monthly website costs, so I'm going to move to the new forum on a trial basis.
I will move all the good conversations over to the new forum so that they continue and can edify newcomers :). This may mean that I need to pretend to be some of you to make sure your names continue to appear next to your posts and messages, but it will all work out.
None of you need do anything. As I see it, you should all just wake up one day and find it all changed, but somehow so familiar! :) And I'll make sure I post a prominent message for those of you who follow the forum by email, or who come in direct from a bookmark instead of coming through the Catholic Pages first, to let you know how to get to the new forum.
God bless, Paul
-- Anonymous, July 09, 1998
Hi Paul,I like plain text, I think the page as it is is good "New Answers" Un-answered" works find for me. I do see the point of new people wanting to look at old questions by topic. Simplicity, but then what do you want I am a Franciscan.
-- Anonymous, July 07, 1998
Hi Paul. I'm with Rich...though it's just 'cause I can't imagine visiting this page any more frequently no matter what it looks like. Still, the new page sounds interesting with a lot of neat features...but I don't think you should have to pay for something new if the old one still works. Supposing there's huge support for the snazzy new look, is there any chance of them giving you a discount?
-- Anonymous, July 07, 1998
One feature you mentioned about the other forum would be a big plus. Having to register would discourage those who like to post offensive material anonymously. This was a problem on CEF, but I don't see it on Parents Place, where you have to register.
-- Anonymous, July 07, 1998
Paul, I'm with Rich...I like it all, just the way it is, but then, I'm a techno-phobe from way back! :-)
-- Anonymous, July 08, 1998
I LIKE IT THE WAY IT IS, AH WHO NEEDS THE BIG CHANGES? gOD IS gOOD, ANS SO IS THIS SITE!
-- Anonymous, July 08, 1998
Ah, Paul, ye remind me so much of me own hubby - he can't resist tinkering about either! Have fun putting all this technical stuff together! Pax, Dana
-- Anonymous, July 09, 1998