Looking at starting a forum

[rod...@rodneydickman.com]

My EE friend is looking at what it would take to start a forum. He is a programer and does web pages etc. Smart and well educated in computer stuff. He did my web page. www.rodneydickman.com   He says the moderator duties could be a full time job. I told him maybe I could pass that off to some here so several members share these duties. I'm looking at what it takes to be able to post gobs of pictures. I think that is absolutely necessary in this type of a group. He says the costs to do that can get high. I'll see what he comes up with. I think this group would be more active and more would get involved if they had a online forum instead of the online group thing. No promises but I'll let you guys know.

Rodney

[Michael Warnock]

It's easy to set up a forum, and you can use imgur for free image hosting, but it's extremely difficult to get a new community to critical mass, especially about a broad and/or well-established topic.  I would suggest you examine reddit.com.  Don't be put off by the surface; the only way to use reddit these days is to make an account, unsubscribe from all the default subreddits, and then spend some time searching for right-sized (high signal-to-noise) subreddits on the subjects that interest you.  A few makerspace relevant ones: diy, ece, nicechips, reprap, raspberry_pi, arduino, programming, woodworking, fpga, ideas.  If no combination of existing subreddits suit you, make your own; you'll have the same moderation power as a separate forum, but with much better discoverability and ease-of-joining.

~Michael

On Mon, Oct 22, 2012 at 8:07 PM, rod...@rodneydickman.com <rod...@rodneydickman.com> wrote:

My EE friend is looking at what it would take to start a forum. He is a programer and does web pages etc. Smart and well educated in computer stuff. He did my web page. www.rodneydickman.com   He says the moderator duties could be a full time job. I told him maybe I could pass that off to some here so several members share these duties. I'm looking at what it takes to be able to post gobs of pictures. I think that is absolutely necessary in this type of a group. He says the costs to do that can get high. I'll see what he comes up with. I think this group would be more active and more would get involved if they had a online forum instead of the online group thing. No promises but I'll let you guys know.

Rodney

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[Have Blue]

Community-wise, the fact that I get makerspace discussion right away in my inbox (and on my phone) means I'm much more apt to listen and join in.  Many forums I hit only once a week or so - unlikely I would have involved myself in the new building if the 'space had a forum rather than a mailing list.

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[Ron Bean]

>I think this group would be more
>active and more would get involved if they had a online forum instead of
>the online group thing.

If you do start a forum, please-please-please use one that has an email
option. Logging in to a bunch of web forums separately is a pain
compared to checking my email (which I do anyway).

Google groups have a web interface, I'm not sure how that differs from a
"forum". Pics can be uploaded to our main website, or to the wiki, or to
the flickr group (don't forget to do a blog post about your project!).

[rod...@rodneydickman.com]

So my question is do you guys want to convert to a forum? I am on several forums and I really like them. You can divide them into various topics. Laser section. router section etc. Post pictures etc. The main forum I am on is fiero.com as I sell fiero parts. You can see how it has various forum sections and information areas. Also ferrarichat.com  These used to be mailing lists years ago.

Opinions? I will do all the work and cover the costs for now. I will do what the majority wants to do with a forum and/or what the top people here want.

Rodney
www.rodneydickman.com

[Pete Prodoehl]

I'd say "No" on converting to a forum.


Pete 

(Sent from a mobile device.)

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[Jerry [HM]]

me too on making this MMS list into a forum...

 

 

back to starting one though... it VERY easy.. almost automatic..

 

most web hosts will have either simple machine or phpbb forum software available for you to 'install' directly from the cpanel on your host..

 

I have set up several forums.... (all phpbb type)..

 

go find a skin/theme you like.. and add that..

 

then you can go create your sub-forum sections for people to post the appropriate topics in...

 

from there its all about word of mouth and gettign peopel to join.

 

 

 

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[Ron Bean]

Jerry, is your computer still on DST?
Your posts always appear out of order...

[Jerry [HM]]

Hmm.. says 8:57..

(time check)....

-----Original Message-----
From: milwaukee...@googlegroups.com
[mailto:milwaukee...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Ron Bean
Sent: Tuesday, October 23, 2012 8:17 AM
To: milwaukee...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: [MakerSpace] Re: Looking at starting a forum

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[Shane]

I'll be the odd one out and say that I much prefer a forum format.

I'm so accustom to them that it was a real pain to get used to this
email list. I had suggested going to that format before and it was
unanimously voted down.

I don't even get the emails anymore because I find them a pain to read
through. I just go to the group page to check for the latest posts.

Once I'm forced into the "new and improved" format for Google Groups,
I'll probably be posting less often just because it's a pain to
navigate and see the latest posts.

[Kevin Bastyr]

I agree with Pete.  "no"

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[Ron Bean]

>I'll be the odd one out and say that I much prefer a forum format.
>
>I'm so accustom to them that it was a real pain to get used to this
>email list. I had suggested going to that format before and it was
>unanimously voted down.
>
>I don't even get the emails anymore because I find them a pain to read
>through. I just go to the group page to check for the latest posts.

I'd like to hear from people who are on a bunch of web forums-- say,
half a dozen or more. Do you really find it convenient to check all of
them every day, just to see if there are new messages? (I'm on at least
that many mailing lists.)

Also, I assume that folks who find email inconvenient are using some
kind of web-based email. For some reason, I think the people who write
those things are ignoring a lot of the lessons learned by people who
wrote the old text-based email programs (which I find much more
convenient to use).

I'm kind of amazed that web forums don't all have an email option. It's
as if the authors just didn't think of it, or maybe didn't think about
what it's like for people who are trying to follow a bunch of completely
separate forums.

(BTW Yahoo groups are also readable on the web)

[Jerry [HM]]

I just have my filtered through OUTLOOK.. I read & posted through it.

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[Shane]

I'm on at least a dozen different forums, but here's the deal: I only
check the important ones every day, and those vary depending on which
project I'm working on or where my particular interest lies at that
moment. MMS is important to me so, if we were in a forum format, I'd
check it (and likely post) daily.

Then there are at least a dozen more forums that I've joined on just
to post a quick question (like about the SmartBoard Projectors) and so
I check regularly while that's an issue, then I just fade away. It
would drive me nuts getting email from them cluttering up my inbox
because I just wanted a question answered and didn't wish to be
bothered with all the other stuff they deal with.

At the moment, I check FTMB since I'm on there posting regularly. I
check the Blender Artists forum every other day because I'm trying to
learn new things. And on, and on, and on.

Yes, it really is that simple.

I do use Hotmail. I don't know why that would matter, however. It's
the format of the emails themselves that I dislike (unless Hotmail has
to format them differently somehow; I really don't know).

Bottom line: I'm far more comfortable doing this on a web page rather
than via email and far more comfortable discussing on a forum than via
Google Groups. That is all.

[Jerry [HM]]

Im on a bunch of forums as well..

And its not very hard to check them.. when the theme they have (and most all
do) have a button/link at top that says:

New posts since last visit..

Quick and easy.. ad you can skim any/all new stuff since last time you
checked-in.
Also some forums have an RSS feed you can use to keep 'plugged in'..

I like the mailing list because I can sort the emails coming in, into a
specific MMS folder..and check them all when I have time.. it makes it
seem active when you see emails coming in.. and you can also respond
directly and fast to offer help/advise...etc

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[Shane]

I should note that the "Check New" button on this groups page never
seems to work right for me.

Somehow it doesn't reset or something so, in spite of the fact that I
just posted two comment above this one, it told me there were 11 new
ones. :D

[Jerry [HM]]

Im not sure it’s the same thing..

This 'groups' stuff.. and a 'forum'.

Either way...
I don’t go to any group page or anything.. I get every post made to the list
sent to a folder in my Outlook items..

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[Ron Bean]

Shane <Imp...@hotmail.com> writes:

>Then there are at least a dozen more forums that I've joined on just
>to post a quick question (like about the SmartBoard Projectors) and so
>I check regularly while that's an issue, then I just fade away.

How would you know if an interesting new thread starts there?

>It
>would drive me nuts getting email from them cluttering up my inbox
>because I just wanted a question answered and didn't wish to be
>bothered with all the other stuff they deal with.

I have high-traffic lists automatically sorted into different
directories (or "folders").

[Ron Bean]

>Also some forums have an RSS feed you can use to keep 'plugged in'..

Why only some? Is this too obvious, or what?

(BTW your messages suddenly have the right timestamp)

[Brent Bublitz]

I prefer the forum format, but this works OK. I think as we have more
people on here we will need to move to something with a little more
functionality. Forums provide that.

> --
>
>
>

[Jerry [HM]]

(maybe its my home computer where the time is off?)


Anyways...I said 'some' because not 'ALL' forums have or allow an RSS feed
to their 'data/posts'...

-----Original Message-----
From: milwaukee...@googlegroups.com
[mailto:milwaukee...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Ron Bean
Sent: Tuesday, October 23, 2012 10:34 AM
To: milwaukee...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: [MakerSpace] Re: Looking at starting a forum

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[Brent Bublitz]

https://www.phpbb.com/

This is one of the most popular open source forums you can get. Really
easy to install and configure and has all the features we discussed
above.

> --
>
>
>

[Michael Warnock]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warnock's_dilemma

~Michael

[Shane]

@Michael: one of the pluses of forums is that some let you see how
many people have viewed your post, as opposed to only those who've
replied.

On Oct 23, 11:24 am, Michael Warnock <mich...@guildsoftware.com>
wrote:
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warnock's_dilemma
>
> ~Michael

[Ron Bean]

Brent Bublitz <pho...@gmail.com> writes:

>https://www.phpbb.com/
>
>This is one of the most popular open source forums you can get. Really
>easy to install and configure and has all the features we discussed
>above.

Does it have a bidirectional forum<->email gateway?

I set up an account there so I could look through the settings, but I
don't see anything like that. There is a feature to "subscribe" to a
forum, but that's not really the same thing.

[Michael Warnock]

...and hierarchical discussions don't leave early replies unseen to the same extent.  A voting system is also useful, especially as the volume grows.  Hence reddit (a personal collection of subreddits really).

I don't think reddit is the end of the road, by any means; what I'd like to see is a distributed content system with webs of trust, multi-dimensional voting, and personalized vote-weighting.  But for now, we have reddit.

Mailing lists and self-hosted forums have their place, but this discussion about discussion forums, on a mailing list, is making me feel oddly young.

~Michael

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[Ron Bean]

>Yes, it really is that simple.

Well, there is also the issue of having to go clicky-pointy all over the
place to log in to each forum separately. I only have to log in to my
email once.

(I copy & paste my passwords from an encrypted password file-- see, for
example, https://github.com/zdia/gorilla/wiki )

[Ron Bean]

[Re: Warnock's dilemma]

>@Michael: one of the pluses of forums is that some let you see how
>many people have viewed your post, as opposed to only those who've
>replied.

That doesn't solve the dilemma-- you still don't know what they thought
about it.

[Michael Warnock]

True; it just lowers the probability of being in the dilemma in the first place.

~Michael

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[Shane]

I utilize the "Remember Me" or "Stay Logged In" on my private
computers. Saves me all sorts of hassle.

Also, another bonus to a couple forums that I visit is not just a
"Show Newest Posts" button, but individual buttons on each forum
thread which tell me 1.) If there are any new posts and 2.) At the
touch of a button, I can see the latest.

It's also a nice feature when the threads that you've posted in get a
new symbol so you know you've posted (it's a pain to remember
everything, all the time) and some will get a different color if
you've just viewed a thread, as opposed to posting in it.

Additionally, have you ever tried going back through this group to
find a post whose name you can't remember? The search function is of
limited help here. Can you imagine what would happen if I typed
"MAKE" in the search box? (simplified example, but I couldn't think
of anything better) "New Building" might give interesting results....

On Oct 23, 11:45 am, Ron Bean <makersp...@rbean.users.panix.com>
wrote:

[Michael Warnock]

Err- I thought you were referring to my point rather than Shane's.  Having a count only makes it worse ;)

~Michael

[Shane]

No matter what, you won't know what someone's thought about it unless
they decide to post. That makes that part moot.

[Shane]

Then there's the matter of PMs.

As opposed to random strangers contacting me via email (and my
possibly deleting it as spam) about projects they need help with, they
can just PM me.

[Jerry [HM]]

No.

It does not..

I have set up many of these..
(they come free with most hosting packages.. 1 button install..etc..etc)

You can get email -NOTIFICATIONS- that someone has replied to YOUR thread..
or replied to a thread that you also have replied (or subscribed to)

-----Original Message-----
From: milwaukee...@googlegroups.com
[mailto:milwaukee...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Ron Bean
Sent: Tuesday, October 23, 2012 11:43 AM
To: milwaukee...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: [MakerSpace] Re: Looking at starting a forum

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[Pete Prodoehl]

I really do prefer what we have now to any forum software I've ever used.

It's email, which to me, is universal. I can read/reply using my home computer, laptop, work computer, iPad, iPhone, browser-based email, etc.

Google Groups also provides a full web interface which I find quite useful...

I probably belong to 75 groups, but in the web interface you can set your favorites, and you can set which ones you want to deliver email to you, as well as the frequency of the email.

Also, with email, you can choose your own client... Outlook, Mutt, Mail.app, Thunderbird, etc.


I stand with Ron!


Pete

[Mrspeed]

I also

Rich

Sent from my MOTOROLA ATRIX™ HD on AT&T

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[Matt Wittmann]

I  also like the email setup. I like its easy to use on my phone.

Sent from my CRAP PHONE on verizon

[Tom Gralewicz]

We talked about forum vs email group back in our early days (wow, we had "early days) and decided to go with google groups.

Personaly I have used both and prefer email for the following reasons:

I check email regularly and forums pretty much never.

When I subscribe to an email summary of a for forum, I only get it once  day and don't keep current when things are moving fast.

When responding to an e-mail summary of a forum,people tend to forget to clip the other posts and wind up with giant responses.

 Forums are great where you want to maintain a knowledge base from past posts.  For example a Fiero forum where you can look up how to fix that pesky power steering.  But not so well with groups holding dated events - you don't really need the thread from gallery night 2 years ago hanging around.

Tom

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[Pete Prodoehl]

Another positive of email... it's in my control.

A forum can be deleted, someone can remove posts, a server can go offline.

Once I've got an email, I've got it. I can save it, print it, archive it, etc.


Pete

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[Vishal Rana]

The following link mentions that certain community forum features will be introduced to the google group interface in the future.

https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups=#!topic/googlegroups-announce/2ccywee6dE4

One of them will be topic categories, "that allow for better organization of discussions". The changes will make the groups interface look more life this.

https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!forum/google-plus-discuss

Another new feature will be the badge system within the group to highlights skill sets. I think this will be a great way to assign skill badges that we have talked about in the past. 

Looks like these changes will get us to an even happier medium between mailing list and forum.

Vishal

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[Have Blue]

And having run multiple forums before, worrying about PHP vulnerabilities isn't an issue on a mailing list (keeping everything patched got old real fast).

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[Pete Prodoehl]

Is it this look?

  https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/ccckc

Not a fan. :(


Pete

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[Kevin Crowley]

On an average day I check my email 75 times.  The email groups I get all are filtered so I can see when email comes into them without having to open each folder.  The online forums I like often get forgotten and not checked for days and weeks.

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