IMPORTANT: Zorg Forum is evolving!

[GazHyde]

Hi all,

This is to inform you of a major planned upgrade to the forum system. As you may be aware this forum is based on phpBB, which is a free system and has served us well since the site launched. As with all things technology related forum technology has moved on, but phpBB has not followed as quickly as it might have. There are no current plans for a next version, and any new functionality needs to be coded on to the site manually (which is a huge pain).

To be able to push the forum forwards we have decided to migrate the core forum software away from phpBB. We have now purchased a license for the forum software which is widely regarded as the best out there! A lot of the largest forums have recently moved to this system, including some with well over 100,000 members & 10 million posts.

The new system allows the import of the existing forum database, and I have successfully run a full test import today. All user accounts, passwords, posts, attachments, avatars, forums, groups and so on will be retained.

I'm now working on redesigning the new system to have the Zorg look and feel. Obviously with a new system, things may not be exactly where you left them. I will assure you the software is extremely straight forwards to use, with the addition of some fantastic new functionality!

Over the next few days I will update this thread with some screen shots, and details on some of the new stuff the software will allow us to do.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Cheers, Gary

 

[TaffZee]

Sounds good Gary :-bd

 

[GazHyde]

Sounds good Gary :-bd

Oh it will be Jim! I'm really excited about some of the new functionality.

It's a vast list of new features, but here's one to start you off - PMs (Personal Messages)

The message system in phpBB works a bit like email. You send a PM to 3 people, and 3 messages are sent. If people don't "reply to all" then you end up with people missing out on some of the responses.

Instead of PMs you will have a "threaded conversation" system - similar to an instant messenger. You can invite as many members to that conversation as you want, and everyone in it sees the whole conversation! You can add extra members in at any stage of that conversation.

 

[Grimstead]

Sounds intense, onwards and upwards!Thanks

 

[GazHyde]

Here are some sneaky peaks...

Your profile options. All the usual stuff you would expect plus some extras! You can follow other members, and then see a news feed of just those members. Handy for seeing what your mates are up to! Likewise if someone gets under your skin you can ignore them, and you won't see any updates or posts from them!


Instant activity alerts. If someone 'likes' one of your posts, starts a conversation with you, you are awarded a trophy etc - it will be instantly displayed here.


See what everyone is up to! This is similar to the "Who is online" feature on phpBB, but easier to view!

 

[GazHyde]

WYSIWIG editor! (What You See Is What You Get). No more messing around with bbcode "tags". YouTube videos embed if you paste the URL directly in to the editor. Click the Insert/Edit image button and post your external image link!


Comment or leave messages on other member profiles. You can also update your own status to let others know whats going on with you.


Click on any member name and you get a nice popup "membercard" displayed. You can see their latest status update, their reputation statistics, start a conversation or click to have a nose around their profile. I've clearly been a bad koala, as I've already received 1 warning point :ymblushing:

 

[Grimstead]

Zbook???

 

[zedwheels]

Sounds a great move but it has to be simple for us old folk......... :-\ :-? We are a different species to you geeks. :-B

 

[stevie_a]

Looks a lot of work for you

It is appreciated all the work you do for us.

 

[GazHyde]

Sounds a great move but it has to be simple for us old folk......... :-\ :-? We are a different species to you geeks. :-B

It's as straight forward to use as phpBB, and in certain respects easier!

Zbook???

Ha ha, perhaps I should patent that! Second thoughts, I think they are quite litigious over that sort of thing

Most of the modern forum systems are incorporating features similar to the popular social media sites. Lets face it, forums are communities in the same way as Facebook, Google+ etc. Friendships beyond the actual cars are formed and its only natural that the way we interact on these sites evolve.

Waffle over and back to setting up the new site!

 

[swamper]

bloody hell...im glad i noticed this....it would have been a right shock )
well done chaps and thanks

 

[GazHyde]

Just a few more screenshots, this time focusing on "old & new"

The new forum page! Note that the forums, posts & members won't be imported until we go live.


Your Account -What was the phpBB User Control Panel

This is the replacement for the "User Control Panel". Messages, Profile information, Avatars, Signatures and all are set here. You will also be able to access additional information through here too.

The menu system

As you can see there is change in the main menu. The key menu item now is "What's New" and in effect replaces all three phpBB buttons "View new posts", "View unread posts" & "View active topics"

"Watched Threads" is a new addition, which allows you to jump straight to your favorite threads.

 

[SeaSurfer]

Where are the threads i was watching or posted in please, or have these gone now? Thanks.

 

[GazHyde]

Where are the threads i was watching or posted in please, or have these gone now? Thanks.

Hi Gill,

If you click on the Forums tab under the Zorg logo then Watched Threads, then Show all watched threads

Mine are still all there from before!

Gary

 

[SeaSurfer]

Hiya, ive done that and there is nothing there, they are gone..

 

[GazHyde]

Hiya, ive done that and there is nothing there, they are gone..

I'm really sorry then Gill. I know mine were definitely there as I cleared them out yesterday - was watching some incredibly old threads!

Could anyone else confirm if there thread subscriptions carried across or not?

 

[SeaSurfer]

Oh No, i had lots of old threads i had kept for references on there. Hope you can get them back.

 

[Titan]

Hi Gill
The threads will still be there, it's just your "bookmark" to them which has been lost.
If the bookmarks can't be recovered, then the search engine may have to become your new best friend for a while

 

[GazHyde]

Hope you can get them back.

Hi Gill,

I should be able to get the old phpBB forum running temporarily and get you a list of what you were watching before. Won't take long to then add them back in again.

Will take a couple of days to sort though.

Cheers, Gary

 

[SeaSurfer]

That would be great , no need to rush though, thanks alot.