new thread
Would you be able to convert this hyperboard into a forum? I feel it's easier to read threads and search for them on a forum, also you can break up areas into different categories, have a section for pictures, a section for hair tips etc. just an idea
Another stranger as far as I can see wanting change. This Board works fine the way it is and BIll et al maintain.
We have had this debate a number of times this year and I'm afraid I see no greater merit in it now than then.
I agree--the board the way it is now is fine in my opinion.
David
I like forum styles better, hyperboard style can be annoying to read and navigate.
I've seen this a couple times already in my few months here and I understand why you gues get annoyed with the endless requests. On the other hand, I have to say, I think this deserves a little consideration. PhpBB is free and is quite easy to use.
Pros:
- New replies bump threads to the top of the page. This keeps active topics visible and lets the garbage quickly dissapear into obscurity. This lets continuting topics continue instead of having to start a new thread every couple days.
- Sticky threads - threads that stay at the top of individual forums, placed by the mods. This is where you can answer repeated annoying questions (like this one) and have FAQ type questions answered specific to each area of the forum (hair care, sytles, etc)
- moderator tools - splitting/moving threads etc
- Snazzy interface: not saying theres anything wrong with this one; it does work fine. It could look 'cooler' though.
I realize a bunch of you out there are donating your own time and money to keep this thing going and we all appreciate it. I will continue to come here whether or not you change anything. Just saying, there are advantages to updating to a newer format. If you are interested in additional info, a friend of mine is hosting a forum just for our group of friends (about a dozen people) using PhpBB and it's going quite well. I can get info if anyone wants it.
I think that the hyperboard is good because it is very simple and in this case simple is better - I actually like this site because of its simplicity, it loads quickly. However, if traffic became much higher and the board ended up filling within a very small amount of time then maybe it would be worth considering. Also doesn't the "Mens Long Hair Hyperboard" have a much better ring than "Mens Long Hair Forum"? : P
Neil
Well, a hyperboard and a forum are the same thing, as are a bulletin board, web board, etc. I presume you have some other software package in mind, is all.
Yeah, we've answered the question before, but the answer is short so I'll gladly give it again. We also tell people not to sweat 100 strands of hair daily in the shower drain, over and over.... [grin] We generally don't mind old questions if they come from new people.
One big problem with most forum packages is they don't have photo upload, which is one of our users' most popular features. Also, such packages would not integrate into our Directory of Users and our Chat Room as does the current setup. In addition, some other packages make people register, and we prefer to not make people do that. Or if you turn required registration off, then such systems are unable to keep spammers out. If you look at this system, you will see almost no spam. That is not an accident.
Some other systems are prettier, but the users pay a price - those systems are much slower to load. Our presumption is that our users want to look at the text from other users and the pictures from other users, rather than a soon-tiring decorative interface, and our implementation of this system strives to keep such overhead to a minimum.
Bill
Tech Crew Chief
I also frequent another forum, the reranch forum (www.reranch.com and click on forum). When I first used it years ago it was relatively spam free then they had a crash, a reset, and now its back to normal. However for some reason it was as if they had discovered something nasty because there has been a rash of spams like drug ads or porn sites and stuff like that. The mods there are still scratching their heads because no matter what they do like delete users or ban IP they just keep coming back. Some suggested requiring mods to approve registration or to require typing in text in a picture. The former the mods were concerned it will kill the board since it makes it hard for new members to register and the latter takes time to implement. I dont have anything against this interface but I do prefer that if someone replied to a thread it would be moved to the top. Its really frustrating that the same thing had to be said over and over again because those advise got buried in the bottom and disappeared.
They keep coming back here, too, but they don't get in. The successful keeping of them out is directly related to the savviness of the tech crew. [grin] And the crew's knowledge of the bulletin board software package, which is one reason we don't hop from one package to another.
Yeah, we prefer to not change stuff that makes it harder on users. Users are our friends. They are why we are here.
Have you tried the "Threaded View", available at the top of the main page? It provides what you ask for.
Bill
Tech Crew Chief
Please keep things as they are now. You guys are doing a great job and it is very much appreciated.
Red
Sorry if the question had been asked before i've only become active on these forums during the past month-ish so i wouldn't have noticed it being asked before, i guess this hyperboard is quicker loading and it's what everyone is used to so meh
One other item...for people accessing the board via low bit-rate connections, the hyperboard loads vastly faster. Previously, when I had a massive pipe coming into my apartment, I didn't notice this, but where I am currently (temporarily) there is flaky wireless, and with a marginal connection, the text of the MLHH is up and ready for reading (as are the linked messages) before the fancier forums have loaded the background and frames. This would be the same for dialup or cellphone browsing.
Try the threaded view, then click on three pane view.
Bruce
...I say keep things as they are.
I think things move rather quickly on this site and it rarely, if
ever, gets boring around here.
Oh, and don't forget to Visit Our Gift Shoppe!
What a great idea and I placed an order yesterday. Certainly a good way spreading the word!
John.B
I agree with you. This is the only "hyperboard" still around that I know of. But the folks around here are not into change ;-)