The Double Down Thread: 1 Post - 2 Forum Suggestions

I'd like to make 2 suggestions for your fine forums:

1. Make a new forum in the "Forum Info" section for website and forum suggestions (myself and other users are posting them in all kinds of random locations, and it can't be easy for you guys to follow them for consideration).

2. Have a feature that emails users when new replies are made to their posts, or allows them to subscribe to thread (I think a lot of other helpful features are also missing, which is why I wished you went with vbulletin, but I'm not going to continue to nag on you about that choice!).

Thanks for listening.

I too think this forum lack some basic programming options.

For example, when looking at a list of threads, they don't appear to be in any particular sequence.

It would also be nice if there was a 'new posts' button that presents all threads that have had a post since hte last visit.



On the other hand, since the content is so good, I'll keep coming back...

Quote: DJTeddyBear

I too think this forum lack some basic programming options.

For example, when looking at a list of threads, they don't appear to be in any particular sequence.

It would also be nice if there was a 'new posts' button that presents all threads that have had a post since hte last visit.

On the other hand, since the content is so good, I'll keep coming back...

The threads are all listed by the most recent activity within them (newest first). There is no "New Posts" button but I did just add a better way to look at the most recent threads and posts.

Mr. Wizard

This forum software certainly looks good -- the aesthetic appeal is very high. However, it is going to take a lot of development for it to catch up with existing products. Given that the mission of this site is to make it the premier place to go for real information and discussion about casino games -- no crap, no advantage player ego, no politics -- just real stuff, it has huge upside potential. I can see myself coming here for years to share and learn, and develop friendships and relationships.

As much as I think your work is excellent, JB, it is clearly a long way off from being fully developed into the sort of product that will propel this site to commercial success. The number of features this discussion board lacks are simply too many to enumerate. It is exceedingly frustrating to visit this site and use this primitive product, in spite of its classy appearance.

Mr. Wizard, I most humbly suggest you punt, before it is too late and these discussion have become too deep and rich to abandon, and start over with a commercial bullitin board product. I say this with due respect to JB for his excellent work to date. It is simply too big a project for JB to develop a feature rich bullitin board system that can compare with the products we use every day elsewhere.

Kind regards,

--Dorothy

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(Signatures are an example of a feature that would be nice, avatars, profiles, PMs, etc ...)

Quote: DorothyGale

Mr. Wizard

This forum software certainly looks good -- the aesthetic appeal is very high. However, it is going to take a lot of development for it to catch up with existing products. Given that the mission of this site is to make it the premier place to go for real information and discussion about casino games -- no crap, no advantage player ego, no politics -- just real stuff, it has huge upside potential. I can see myself coming here for years to share and learn, and develop friendships and relationships.

As much as I think your work is excellent, JB, it is clearly a long way off from being fully developed into the sort of product that will propel this site to commercial success. The number of features this discussion board lacks are simply too many to enumerate. It is exceedingly frustrating to visit this site and use this primitive product, in spite of its classy appearance.

Mr. Wizard, I most humbly suggest you punt, before it is too late and these discussion have become too deep and rich to abandon, and start over with a commercial bullitin board product. I say this with due respect to JB for his excellent work to date. It is simply too big a project for JB to develop a feature rich bullitin board system that can compare with the products we use every day elsewhere.

Kind regards,

--Dorothy

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DGs Minimally Offensive Signature

(Signatures are an example of a feature that would be nice, avatars, profiles, PMs, etc ...)

I've already given odds on when it will happen, I think I might start up a pool :)

https://wizardofvegas.com/forum/off-topic/free-speech-zone/361-what-forum-software-are-you-using-here-

Quote: DorothyGale

Mr. Wizard, I most humbly suggest you punt, before it is too late...

From the thread on Bellichick's Risky Decision you know I don't like punting.

JB worked for months on the forum software, and has lots of improvements in the works. A downside to off the shelf forum software is that it is inflexible and a huge system draim at the host level. I think the next features to be added will be a search box and optional e-mail notification when a specified thread is added to.

So I see this as 2nd and 7. I've still got two more downs before I have to think about punting.

There is a singular lack of advertising here. Of course I like that but don't imagine that is going to last. All the potential participants have cold feet these days?

I think the aesthetic appeal and simplicity of the forum are excellent, no need to blow everything up by instituting a massive change. The only glowing need is a search box that allows for searching by keywords and usernames. Once this is implemented I believe only relatively minor further tweaking will be required as time goes on. I also would like to see the reply box show up beneath the last post when you hit post, reply, or quote.

Some of the other forum software out there is a bit bloated with crap, I really don't need to see animated GIF avatars for each user. The experience of a new user at this forum is far better than other more intimating advanced forums with menus full of confusing options nobody knows how or cares to use. These 'features' often cludder everything up often unnecessarily. Here, sign up is simple and quick, and the way to post is bold and easy to spot. This encourages new users who do not normally frequent forums to get their first post out of the way.

And its not like pretty much anything can't be added later if it would benefit a majority of forum users without sacrificing speed or ease-of-use. Hence the benefit of the building-from-scratch approach - you only do what you need.

Remember, as Google has taught everyone, less is often more. In terms of features, Google looked like nothing compared to the other cluttered search engines when it started - just a title and a search box. Turns out that's all anyone wanted.

Quote: odiousgambit

There is a singular lack of advertising here. Of course I like that but don't imagine that is going to last. All the potential participants have cold feet these days?

Yes, advertising is coming. It was hard to set rates at first, because there were no traffic statistics. I tried to sell an ad to a local business for $1 to get things going (and to frame the dollar), but they turned me down. That was pretty depressing.

Quote: Wizard

Quote: odiousgambit

There is a singular lack of advertising here. Of course I like that but don't imagine that is going to last. All the potential participants have cold feet these days?

Yes, advertising is coming. It was hard to set rates at first, because there were no traffic statistics. I tried to sell an ad to a local business for $1 to get things going (and to frame the dollar), but they turned me down. That was pretty depressing.

No need to rush...

Quote: pocketaces

Some of the other forum software out there is a bit bloated with crap, I really don't need to see animated GIF avatars for each user.

I want those features you consider crap. Including the animated avitars (especially those!). I want it all. I'll give Mr. Wizard the benefit of the doubt that his programmer can get this product up to speed, but I'll take an over/under of February 15 for $20 on the decision to punt.

Second and 7 Mr. Wizard? That's usually the kind of down that calls for a defensive blitz...

--Dorothy

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This forum is supposed to be minimalistic. Unless I have a 180-degree change of heart, there will not be avatars. I may add a section for individual home pages. However, graphics and nonsense are pretty much out of the question. The two main inspirations for this forum are bj21.com and phlogredux.org. Note the simple design of both of them.

RE: bj21.com uses Webbbs, version 5.12 (I believe), and hasn't change its basic software in a decade. The reason they keep it is that it got grandfathered in because they started with it and once the archives contained too many messages it was too much to consider switching software. Moreover, they started before any good board software really existed. Compare their site to bjinfo.com.

Avatars are not a big deal, they are just a trivial example of a widget you can choose to have or not have. You have to have heard the expression "I've got a widget in my pocket" ... (well, I hadn't either before I just made it up -- so you heard it now -- I hope that's not too recursive).

Once things get too settled, it's too late to change. That's the real lesson of bj21 ...

I don't know the other site ...

Just to be clear, I think JB's work is exceptional. I just want more goodies than he can ever give me. I'll just have to go to bed hungry.

--Dorothy

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