The Future Of The Forums

[M0rtimer]

There's a decent amount of options: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compariso ... m_software

Of course, not all of them as easy as others/ free, so some vetting might be required. And I've not had any personal experience (hence just the entire list).

Honestly, phpBB still seems like a decent platform, and I can't find any major bugs as long as you are on the last available version..? But I'm far from an expert, I only have a couple of minutes of googling, so I'll defer knowledge there. Also, to be fair, I have seen the mess that is trying to update phpBB, so... Given proper warning, I would be far from opposed to transferring to a different board, even if that means we can't carry across data.

[spiderwrangler]

Yeah, the main game I run is closing in on 900 pages and has over 21,000 replies, and I certainly KNOW that I don't have perfect memory of everything that has happened, so some way of backing it up would be very much useful if we end up demolishing this board and going to another.

[Rodgeir]

Yeah, the main game I run is closing in on 900 pages and has over 21,000 replies, and I certainly KNOW that I don't have perfect memory of everything that has happened, so some way of backing it up would be very much useful if we end up demolishing this board and going to another.

A searchable backup, please!

[redfeather]

I say try SimpleMachines, but keep the old forum up for a prolonged time after launching the new one (doubtless this will cost money, but still), so that there's ample time to compare back-and-forth to figure out what formatting problems arise.

I definitely vote against Discord, I looked at it once and nearly threw up, it was so ugly and confusing.

[Krulle]

Yeah, the main game I run is closing in on 900 pages and has over 21,000 replies, and I certainly KNOW that I don't have perfect memory of everything that has happened, so some way of backing it up would be very much useful if we end up demolishing this board and going to another.

Use wayback/internet archive, Go there, put in the address, and it'll archive if it hasn't been archived the last month or so.

[DrinksTea]

Yeah, the main game I run is closing in on 900 pages and has over 21,000 replies, and I certainly KNOW that I don't have perfect memory of everything that has happened, so some way of backing it up would be very much useful if we end up demolishing this board and going to another.

Not sure if this is helpful, but maybe FUPS: Forum user-post scraper is an option? Here: https://github.com/lairdshaw/fups and here: https://creativeandcritical.net/fups

I've never used it before... but because I dabble in forums & sometimes I like to backup stuff... I've been aware of this as an option.

[WearsHats]

If we do end up closing these forums, we might be able to keep an archived version of them available. Not my department, but we've done it in the past.

[Rodgeir]

Not sure if this is helpful, but maybe FUPS: Forum user-post scraper is an option? Here: https://github.com/lairdshaw/fups and here: https://creativeandcritical.net/fups

I've never used it before... but because I dabble in forums & sometimes I like to backup stuff... I've been aware of this as an option.

This seems useful! I will give it a try.

[Synch]

I'm fine with Discord because I use it every day for multiple communities and gaming.

It sounds like our games and many people would prefer forum format so I lean to that. Happy to help out with any graphics where needed.

[Tobbence]

All this is waay above my pay grade. I am happy with whatever as being over 40 all change is frightening on an equal level. ;D

[Dlover]

If we're going to talk forum option, jCink may be a good one? I've been a member of a forum roleplay community that's used jCink for a couple of years now, and it seems really stable for a forum. The forum itself has been running for four years no problem.

I don't know what sort of backend goes into making a jCink forum, unfortunately (I don't really know anything about the deeper details of it at all), but generally whenever there are big complications the guys behind the framework are quick to help so long as you're polite.

[Just Karen]

Ideally, I'd like to see the current settings and posts be on an archived server, something we can look at once in a while. This is largely to preserve posts from people we no longer have around.

Regarding forum software, I honestly like the software used for Spacebattles and Sufficient Velocity, Xenforo.

[Jarednc]

Discord is not a replacement for forums, it is a replacement for a community. Many people would be lost in a switch to discord, and the things you do here on the forums would he lost as well. It's extremely difficult to follow what happened in a discussion a few hours ago once you've got even a little bit of activity.


As for forums, a lot of free suggestions have already been offered. I am always using vbulletin, which is a paid option, so I can't add much input.

I'm just certain that discord (and even reddit) would mean losing a large part of the community as well as many of the forum games and traditions.

[Merari]

Please no Discord.

I like a forum, I like reading all the past replies. Discord scrolls by too fast and people type things live there. It's fundamentally different from a discussion on a forum.

[Arles]

Hey all, 'sup.
Just wondering, why are forum links removed from goblinscomic.com? Did the author decide to abandon the forums? Is there an official statement about this?
Thanks!

[Krulle]

There is no statement, but it's been an oversight to not add the forum links on the new page layout.
Miss Stephens (Ellipsis) told us she's looking into having the link added, but it does not seem to be a high priority.

[Arles]

Hey Krulle, thanks for the reply.
I see you're keeping up with the good work here in these parts!

[DrinksTea]

Oh! Thank goodness the forums are meant to continue. I poked at Discord: but it didn't like my usual browser (Vivaldi). I am not a fan of Discord (I do not have an account yet): so far all my forays into Discord have ended in me quitting without learning anything (the unfamiliar is mighty intimidating? also I feel like I need a manual to wield "Discord") (sigh: sooooo many things seem to want me to use Discord... am I avoiding the inevitable?). Forums are nice: usually I just like to have a look what's going on (I usually forget my login: I look it up whenever I feel the urge to say something).

The last time I managed to get into a Discord channel (not the Goblins one: that one wants me to register to gain access... fair enough: but it's not happening today), I honestly couldn't find anything (it could have been a badly organized channel: but how would I know, I have no concept of how to use it).

[darklord]

We could begin new with another discussion. We've done it basically a couple of times as of now. In any case, we lose individuals each time that occurs, and there's no assurance the new programming would have that significantly longer of a time span of usability. Gatherings like this have been becoming unfashionable for at minimum a couple of years now.

[Krulle]

Well, the discussions will continue.
Forums work pretty well platform independent.
Some use Discord.
Some use telegram.
And if you use either of the above, why not Weibo?
Some use reddit (which is intended to have a forum-like section for every part of the InterWebs)
I don't understand why some people want everything to be on every channel, it'll just mean you'll miss more of relevant discussions.

And as mentioned, the forums here have big advantages for lurkers, or passerbys: no requirement for everyone to have an account and log in every time, especially if you just want some interpretation/information of something current (e.g. regarding the current page).

And the forums are good structurable.
So far, I haven't seen any of the more "modern" comm channels which come close to that.
Actually, they all seem to be unstructured for a purpose, so you need to come back regularly, otherwise you won't know what the discussions are, or you need to be proficient with the provided search tools (which are often very meagre in their results).

Discord, telegram, fb, reddit,... all have the option to have the pages be public, but you can only do all public, or nothing.
Here we can have sections which are public, or within a post we can hide some information using the

Hidden Content

This board requires you to be registered and logged-in to view hidden content.

for those who are not registered/logged in.

Yes, I prefer phpBB or similar forum software.

[Glemp]

From WearsHats on Discord re. Translation project:

Krulle is still around. But, yeah. The project stalled, the forums are being phased out, and Discord is not well-suited to the job. Maybe if we used a Google Doc or something? IDK. Would be great to get it going again.

[StudiesTheMind]

Even though I haven't posted in 8 years, I logged in to say that I still lurk the forums to this day. I don't think Discord is a good alternative.

If the forum really has to go, I vote for reddit. It's less organized but at least the discussion on the new pages could be stickied.
I would prefer the forum to stay, though!

[BadgeAddict]

Is it possible to both start over but also provide a closed/locked source of this forums information that can only be accessed by permitted users.

So a new community software that allows for community posting very similar to what we have currently and then also a link somewhere to a static copy of the forum in it's current state.

Just brainstorming.

[Krulle]

Even though I haven't posted in 8 years, I logged in to say that I still lurk the forums to this day. I don't think Discord is a good alternative.

If the forum really has to go, I vote for reddit. It's less organized but at least the discussion on the new pages could be stickied.
I would prefer the forum to stay, though!

As usually with reddit: the page already exists:
https://www.reddit.com/r/GoblinsComic/