6 replies to this topic

[Brinybay]

My dive club is having an on-going debate over establishing a board like this one for our club. Currently we are using Yahoo Groups as our forum. The argument for keeping Yahoo is that it's easy to maintain and switching to a board like this would require too much technical expertise to maintain it.

Sooo, I'm wondering, just how much tech knowledge and maintenance is required for a board like this? Is it something someone with basic to moderate computer knowledge could learn?

[fbp]

My dive club is having an on-going debate Sooo, I'm wondering, just how much tech knowledge and maintenance is required for a board like this? Is it something someone with basic to moderate computer knowledge could learn?

Yeah Greg, it's not hard once it's up and running. I see you have a php board up there (Marker Buoys), but the bigger problem is if anyone will use it.

If it's not supported and encouraged to use by the Board, it'll just sit there, take if from someone who knows that one eh??

The Bulletin boards are a matter of putting things up, getting settings, members, forums subjects, but the actual mechanics are pretty much self sustained once it gets up and running.

You have one up now, so the decision is if you want to keep that one or slide over to another "Better?" one.. Invision, vBulletin and a few others are out there and pretty much do the same thing.

I would recommend you look at various Bulletin Boards, figure out what you want or plan to do with it and what features, calendars, reminders (vbull just got them up and running), photos gallery (different programs) and anything else. You sort of grow into it, but the key is choosing the right one, as once it is being used, not easy to convert to another one.

Once you have decided with one, and like I said, they all pretty much do the same, I would try doing the installation, but plan on having an installer do it - they are readily available... once you get a relationship with the installer, they can do the techie stuff as it comes up, typically updates..

You can see various different boards, like this one,

- SD (current page)

- Northwest divers

- psdivers.com

- snapnshoot.org

- Moss Bay Divers
(click on the clubhouse for the actual bulletin board area, but you can see out it integrates with plan HTML web pages.

typically you can find the program makers at the bottom of the pages... with link for more info..

A typical site as 3 main parts to it.
- Portal page - main page with a summary of all the kewl stuff within the web site
- Bulletin board - the Forums, calendars etc.
- Photo gallery - place to post photos by members or otherwise. Members upload them, Admin approves them
again look at the bottom of the pages for the particular links to the programs...

Hope that helps. would be interested in the memberships feelings on it...

Edited by fbp, 20 April 2006 - 08:30 AM.

[Brinybay]

One of the other arguments against a php board is e-mails. Many of the folk like getting the posts via e-mail. I have not seen a php type board that will do that. At best, they only send a notification of a reply to subscribed topic with a link.

Yeah, that experimental one we have is useless as long as it's wide open. Nobody wants to compete with spammers and drug pushers.

Edited by Brinybay, 21 April 2006 - 05:56 AM.

[fbp]

Yeah, that experimental one we have is useless as long as it's wide open. Nobody wants to compete with spammers and drug pushers.

Not sure what you're referring to?? The Board can be closed or open, depending upon what you want. You can set it to "Approved" members only. The email addresses can be hidden or shown as desired. I didn't see any spammers/pushers on the threads there. They, typically can't post unles they're a member? depends upon settings.

Members can "Subscibe to Forums" in which case they will be notified on any new posts of any new thread within that forum including the individual threads.. I believe the messages are put in the notice or at least in vbull if I recall

I haven't seen one yet where you, as an admin, can automatically subscribe the members too, if that is what you mean, they have to do a one-time subscribe and then should be notified of anything happening in the Forum.
You can use the board and it's an admin option, to email the membership, but easier way is to set up a simple 'Mail Man" list where the members can send out info to all that have signed up on the list...
example:
http://psdivers.com/mailman/listinfo
and then click on one of the groups..
People can subscribe or unsubscribe at their desire...

Many Forums with Many threads in each forum...

Again, the biggest problem is the support.. if not interwoven into the activities, it just sits...
I've neve thought nor worried about spammers/pushers... that' e-mail stuff..

Hope that helps..

Edited by fbp, 21 April 2006 - 06:47 AM.

[Brinybay]

Yeah, that experimental one we have is useless as long as it's wide open. Nobody wants to compete with spammers and drug pushers.

Not sure what you're referring to?? The Board can be closed or open, depending upon what you want. You can set it to "Approved" members only. The email addresses can be hidden or shown as desired. I didn't see any spammers/pushers on the threads there. They, typically can't post unles they're a member? depends upon settings.

Referring to this one: http://www.markerbuo...club.org/phpBB/ Note a couple posts in the "new gear" area. It's wide open, anybody can post anything.

[Desert_Diver]

Referring to this one: http://www.markerbuo...club.org/phpBB/ Note a couple posts in the "new gear" area. It's wide open, anybody can post anything.

Oops, that's a bad idea, leaving a board like that unrestricted. The boards and blogs that do that quickly get overrun by all the cr@p posters like the poker shops and diet/sex drug pushers. Anyone with sense limits it to 'members only', and uses either an e-mail reply and/or the funky number pictures to weed out the trolling web 'bots. Looks like the one you mentioned above is gonna get hammered pretty regularly with worthless posts. Sadly, the 'net turned a lot uglier once the wrong people figured out how to abuse it. I used to use my REAL name in posts to Usenet, not any longer. I got too much grief and spam, and went sub-rosa.

[fbp]

Heheh...

Referring to this one: http://www.markerbuo...club.org/phpBB/ Note a couple posts in the "new gear" area. It's wide open, anybody can post anything.

LOL...yeah, you need to shut it down to the membership only
or you're going to get hammered and no one will use it...

Lock it up ma Friend...