Appraisers' Free Forum

There are two things that I wondered are possible in this forum.

First,
I wondered if it is possible to have an entry in the profile that required (or at least enabled) the member to provide their real name. While I am sure Edd doesn't want his post about Viagra associated with a Google of his name, it may be nice to know who so-and-so really is. Especially when deciding whether or not to accept advice. I mean really, can you take a guy named "Joker" seriously? Also, if I have an appraisal request in North Florida, do I send it to "aprazr?" It would be helpful for those who don't want their posts as a Google but do want positive networking.


Second,
Some forums I visit permit a preview window by hovering the mouse pointer at the link. Is that possible with this forum? I maynot want to check out all the links and then click the back button. A preview permits a decision without changing pages. (Which is excruciating on dial up!!)

First: Yes, that will be possible when the forum switches to PHPBB v. 3, sometime this spring. I still haven't figured out just how we'll implement all the new capabilities, but your suggestion is definitely possible.

Second: I'm not really sure what you're talking about with this one. Post a link to one of those forums that does that, and I'll see if we can implement it.

Every forum I've ever been to, aside from this one does it. Say you've clicked "view posts since last visit". Then, you simply put the cursor over the title to the different threads. A pop-up shows the text that starts the thread. It only shows 2-3 sentences, but it gives you an idea as to whether or not you want to click on it. It wouldn't be a big deal except the speed with which pages appear here is still pretty slow compared to most other sites.

I'm not complaining, as it is free so what is to complain about. But, it is a nice feature and if there wasn't any cost involved, it would be a cool addition. I assume it would require funds, so it is no sweat to go wtihout - unless maybe the new ads allow for more options.

Hmmm. Well, I'll have to look into PHPBB3 to see whether this is an option, or will require a modification. If it's common, it may be a feature in v. 3.

This v. 2 version that we're using doesn't do it, though.

Jim Plante wrote:Hmmm. Well, I'll have to look into PHPBB3 to see whether this is an option, or will require a modification. If it's common, it may be a feature in v. 3.

This v. 2 version that we're using doesn't do it, though.

At this time it is not an option with PHPBB3. Quite frankly, I am not too fond of the new version. At first I thought it was something I needed to get used to, but I am still not liking it.

Well, I've looked at vBulletin (commercial), phpBB3, and FusionBB, and none of them do what has been described. I'll look into it some more on some of the Webmasters' forums to try to find out how to implement this.

It really isn't a huge deal to me. It wouldn't be much of an issue at all if the site consistently loaded quicker. I understand that one doesn't get all the bells and whistles on a free site.

No worries.

Cerro (one of the site supporters) is working on the load speed problem as we speak. FF hired him to help out with the network stuff, and so far he's made orders-of-magnitude improvements in the infrastructure (fail-over servers, load balancing, etc.) and the rest of the crew have tweaked phpBB a little to improve the links and improve overall performance.

I'd sure hate to have to do all that crap on my own; not sure I could manage it. But if we went to paid hosting, the board's appearance, database linkage, and several other granular problems would fall into my lap.

Jim Plante wrote:Well, I've looked at vBulletin (commercial), phpBB3, and FusionBB, and none of them do what has been described. I'll look into it some more on some of the Webmasters' forums to try to find out how to implement this.

The vBulletin forums I am on have the "preview".

Jim Plante wrote:
I'd sure hate to have to do all that crap on my own; not sure I could manage it. But if we went to paid hosting, the board's appearance, database linkage, and several other granular problems would fall into my lap.

Why? Isn't that why you have fellow Admins??? Heck, there are 5 of us, if nothing else we all can take turns being "admin on duty" for a week or so at the time.