Continuing in our efforts to make dwiggie.com a more stable site, we've updated our message board software.
We will be shifting all message boards to the new format, phorum. However, to make this transition as painless as possible, we are going to do this gradually, and we're trying to get as much feedback as we can throughout the process.
I've put together some questions and answers for you. Please read through this post, and if you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to ask, either by posting here or e-mailing me at crysty.janeite@gmail.com
Do we really have to change?Yes. The software for our old message board is old, slow, unstable, and inefficient, and it keeps on breaking. The new message board software is easier to maintain and customize, and it has some cool new features that we think you'll like. Margaret D is trying to make the new boards look and operate as similarly as the old boards as possible.
Do I have to register to view and post?Not at all! Registering and logging in are
entirely optional, and you shouldn't feel pressured to do so. We only ask that if you do post (as a registered or unregistered user), you keep the same username you used before on the old boards. Furthermore, criteria for appropriate usernames (no aliases, including initial-only names, etc.) still apply.
So why bother registering?When posting as a non-registered user, the poster must fill out an extra SPAM filter field. This is not necessary when posting as a registered user. Furthermore, registering does allow for use of the very useful "follow topic" feature.
When you register with an e-mail address, that e-mail address will only be seen by DWG admins unless if you choose to share it on your profile. The e-mail address will be used if the admins need to contact you and for 'Follow topic' e-mails. You can change your e-mail address and password in the Control Center, but not your user name (including capitalization), so please get that right!
Do we still use html tags when posting?Yes. When posting to the new board, you should still be able to utilize the html tags we all know and love. And...there is a check spelling option; it is set on American English. We can still use smileys, and images are easy to insert. The buttons above the message text add tags for you in BBcode, and, of course, those work in posts.
Tell me more about this "follow topic" feature.For registered users, if you click on the 'Follow topic' option when you post, you will receive an automated e-mail from Austen.com every time someone posts to that thread. Authors can use this get an e-mail every time your story receives a new comment.
Help!! I'm not getting the "follow topic" e-mail notifications!Did you check your spam folder? The sender of these notifications is austen.com, and should come from the e-mail address crysty.janeite@gmail.com.
Signatures?Registered users can add signatures to the bottom of their posts. It's one of the options in the Control Center. Please try not to make them too big or distracting. For people who are allergic to signatures, there is an option in the Control Center that will hide all signatures (except your own).
Languages! There are multiple languages!?The posts won't magically be translated to Hungarian just because you clicked on Magyar. Only the buttons and menu texts change. It's totally unnecessary but kind of fun. The choice of languages is based on what Margaret D could download from the Phorum web site; we aren't intentionally prejudiced against Swahili.
What's "@#$!"?"@#$!" appears when someone used a word s/he shouldn't have. We have a list of banned words. If something gets blocked that shouldn't be, please tell me and we'll fix the mistake. (I know it's hard to resist the temptation, but please don't try to use every potential curse word to see what's blocked and what isn't.)
How do I delete posts/edit them?You don't. Only moderators can delete posts/edit posts. For this reason, please triple check the text of your post (and preview it) before posting.
What's the 'Report' option?If you see something offensive or inappropriate on the board, click on 'report' and write a little explanation. It sends an e-mail to all the board moderators, and one of them should respond quickly. We have a bunch of moderators and we don't want to have to keep on getting e-mails about someone who has misspelled 'Georgiana' to have 2 N's, so please don't use this option excessively. If it's about a mistake in your own post, please e-mail your archiver or Crysty directly.
New board software...new rules for posting stories?Nope. Same rules apply. They will be listed in the Contributer Guidelines sticky at the top of the new story board.
What's the schedule?The new Tea Room is now open,
June 10.
The new A Novel Idea will be open
June 18.
The new story board will be open
June 25.
We will be taking down the old boards with the arrival of July.
We are dedicated to making this new board format just as easy to use and comfortable as the old one. Please let us know what we can do (crysty.janeite@gmail.com) to make this transition easier. We would appreciate the feedback.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/12/2011 12:36AM by Amy I..
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