I don't know how others feel about it, or if it would be possible, but I would like to see the old avatars retained with the old posts. 

ie.  Right now I'm using a picture of my son on a pony.   I've used it for some time.  But I remember having a picture of my daughter sitting in her highchair.  And one of me standing by the old wood stove at our camp.  If I were to go back to the posts at that time I would like to see those avatars.   Someone admired my stove - her posts wouldn't make sense to anyone reading that threat.  

Of course it's too late to change anything on the old Cafe - but what about on the new?

I would have loved to be able to go back and see all the hearts that Crazyheart has used over time.   Crazyheart, do you intend to continue using your name and heart avatars on WC2?   I hope so.

Functional tags, a working search function.

Excellent idea for a thread, seeler.

Let me address the requests one at a time.

I'm not aware of any forum that associates an avatar with a post instead of with the user. That is, when you change your avatar, you change your avatar. When you think about it, one thing your avatar does is make your posts instantly recongizable without having to read a name. What you're suggesting sorta defeats that. Plus, even if we wanted to, I don't think there is a solution made for this request. Sorry.

Avatar history is possibly an option. Let me look into it.

Sorry, what do you mean by "functional"? Just that they work?

And a search function that works? Yeah, we'll have that. No worries.

an atheist detector, so i can know where & when to send flowers

Yeah, like a clickable index I guess.  If I click on an Easter tag, it brings up the other threads with an Easter tag.  I don't care how to access it, whether it be incorporated with the search function or just clickable tags.  WC currently sorta does it, but only for the most popular tags.

Tags depend on the OP adding tags to their posts. The software we're using has a very good search function, so that should be more efficient and should not require the use of tags.

Ok, I took a look, they actually do seem to work here, but it's a user issue.  A good search feature will keep me happy without tags.

Some kind of "Like" button.

The ability to edit all posts.

A Bible-search function.

The ability to mark threads and posts so that one can easily find them again to comment on.

seeler

I'm not sure what you mean but I copied a lot of the  archives and saved them in folders in my email. I also  copied urls of topics in forums  as well as by numbers like an example below of all the pages. They show the people's  posts and the avatars.

I click on the numbers below ( or the url's)  and they are active on  my computer. I'm not sure about here on the WC re the numbers. Maybe I need to make a live link.

Testing: Taken from Social at the  bottom of the page. I also  did all of R and F. Sentimental value and lots of good reading. I hadn't looked at the archives before. Its not a lot of work to do it by the numbers if it works on your puter and providing the archives remain active on the UC in the same formats  as here. I'm not sure.

Click a number, the threads or topics should come up.

• 1

 

• 2

 

• 3

 

• 4

 

• 5

 

• 6

 

• 7

 

• 8

 

• 9

 

• …

 

• next ›

 

• last »

"Like" button have issues. Not technical ones, but social ones. It's a discussion we can have, though.

I'm actually in favour of limited post locking. The OP for sure. On rpg.net, all posts are locked after a certain period of time to prevent people from going back and deleting or revising their posting history. You will always have the limitation that if you edit a post that's been quoted, the quote won't be changed.

I can't see any forum software doing a better job of the searching the Bible than Biblegateway + Google, which is the combination I use.

I've seen this on other forums. Basically a "Bookmark" or "Follow" option so you can easily find threads you're interested in. Chansen can comment on whether the software we're looking at has this features.

Mendalla

Seeler,

I don't know if this is useful to you?

2006 archives -  Saving the  url on a page  is a lot slower method of saving the archives. You can click on the numbers at the bottom of the url page (as I did  above) if you like after you copy paste and save the numbers  to your email or computer like I did above.

2006

http://www.wondercafe.ca/discussion/social?page=215

Numbers from the link ( page)  above . They come in a straight line on my puter, not so messy.

Social -2006 

•  first

 

• ‹ previous

 

• …

 

• 208

 

• 209

 

• 210

 

• 211

 

• 212

 

• 213

 

• 214

 

• 215
• 216

Yes, it's available as an option. Not sure if we'll use it. I'm on the fence, personally.

That's something we're going to have to discuss. Can we enable that? Yes. Will we enable that? I'd be against it.

Might be available as an add-on. Will have to get back to you.

The ability to mark and "watch" threads will be in there.

What do you mean by this stardust?  Do you actually copy entire pages of posts and save them?

chemgal

Yes...its easy.

You only need to copy the numbers at the bottom of the forums as I have shown and save them.   Click next etc. to obtain them all to the last one on a given forum.  This may not work when the WC is no longer active but that's not a problem for me. It really doesn't matter if I have access to them or not. Its just for reading entertainment or pleasure since I discovered it works at the present time.

Why do you do that?

I understand saving certain posts if you think someone will delete something.  Or even a link to a few favourites.  Why for entire pages though?  You can access old pages using WC.

I'm assuming that still won't fix what Seeler wants, you get the updated pages that way, right?

chemgal

I haven't bothered with favorites, up dated pages, special posts in threads etc. That's work...:). I'm been saving  some of the archives this way   just because its easy.

It happened because I was looking for our  people from 2006 onwards  on the WC here and wondering if we might possibly contact some of them to join our new WC2. Chances are most of then are no longer here unless they are lurkers so a WM won't be of any use.  We don't have their  private email addresses to contact them. We lost so many wonderful interesting people.

I guess I don't see the point, when it's all here on WC.  I go through some old posts sometimes, but I don't bother saving anything, I just WC to do it.

I don't think there's anything wrong with it, but I just don't understand the point.

Stardust - I don't think that you understand what I'm looking for.

I checked back on some of the threads - for instance page 205 has a post by Crazyheart.  It shows her present avatar.  I was looking for the avatar she would have been using back then. 

A brief check didn't show any of my posts but I'm quite certain that they would all show my present avatar.

(The exception would be people like Jae who changed his user-name frequently back then.  The avatar matches the name he was using at the time.)

Chansen advised that avatars change with the user.  I accept that.  

He also mentions that some sort of avatar history might be possible.  I would like that.

seeler

Oops...sorry, I see what you mean now.  No, the old avatars are gone to heaven. CH may have lots of hearts in a folder on her computer. Did you save the threads about seeler girl's illness and the WC  support?  I find it easier to save whole pages  for now rather than searching through them for certain posts which is very time consuming. I can read the pages  later.

Our stuff and names  are  all in the search button but we're so mixed up with other's posts. It can be hard to access exact subjects or what we want to find.

seeler,

if you want, inna future, to save people's avatar piccies, all you have to do is bring your mouse pointer over the piccy, then right click, select save image as, choose a name, and voila, the image will be on your computer for your own viewing enjoyment :3

just s'more things off the top of me ead:

i'd be for some kind of feature, akin to a 'like/dislike' score, but one that would change always...

some days it would be 'like'

other days it would be 'wickedness'

other days it would be 'rationality'

and so forth

i also think it would be fun to, randomly, on special occasions (april fools?) for people's posts to become changed, like to suddenly become pig latin, or base 13, or whatnot...

maybe have room under each avatar for some kind of slogan/motto?

maybe a ranking system for all users with a funny phrase or word that signifies their actual authority (or their place in the group)?  like all sysops could be 'great poobahs'/'unremittant slaves'?

oh, and i think it twould be an EXCELLENT IDEA to have one thread that is a sandbox and it would always be 'on the top' somehow so newbies etc could always access it to learn how to fiddle...

and perhaps https or, even better, perfect forward security?

I have lots of my hearts but I also lost lots of my old hearts when my son accidentally deleted them when I changed computers. He thought I was going to kill him - just about. hahaha. The only heart that I really covet, I can't find so Stardust, here;s one for you to get busy on. It is a Santa  mooning and his bum  cheek has a heart tattoo.jpeg

I am guessing here, but I suspect that the same categories for discussion might be desired: see listed under forums.

Also guessing that any who migrate from WC to WC2 would expect a level of moderation similar to that of WC.  This will take time, oversight and decision making, based upon the guiding principles of WC2.  Expect that volunteerism is based on a three hour per week commitment, so there wiil be a significant number of volunteers in managing the site.  Some volunteers may commit more time, but volunteer attrition is also to be considered.

New visitors/participants may not have the same expectations.

Any tech site security will be handled well in the capable and proven abilities of pinga, chansen and Mendalla.  Allowing people to to have an avatar and online name is important:  can this be done? 

I suspect  the real question is this:

Is WC2 an extension of WC, or an entity onto itself - i.e. an entirely new site?

The answer will frame how WC2 looks, works and operates.

Redhead,

It will be an entirely new site, redhead, with entirely new software running on a hosting service. chansen has done most of the review and will be able to handle most of the questions in this thread based on his review.

Most of what you are raising is actually under discussion in other threads. Moderation will be another discussion in another thread, likely coming up soon. We have the What Can We Do? thread for discussing general aspects of volunteering for WC2. Forum Names and forums are discussed in the Forum Names thread.

Mendalla

I'm not managing the mods - that's more Mendalla's end, but why run it like a boot camp? Is this place that crazy? Remeber, Aaron spends 1-2 hours per week moderating now. There'll be a handful of mods, and when they're on, they're on. When they're not, they're not. I expect mods can do what little needs to be done during their normal surfing habits. Mostly, I expect they'll do no moderation at all in a given day, if I can keep the spammers frustrated.

I'm not aware of a single online forum where people don't have an avatar and a username. Okay, some turn off avatars, but avatars are an option of every free and paid forum software solution of which I'm aware. If I turn off avatars, I'll be lynched. I know that.

It's a new site, and always was as soon as the UCCan confirmed that WC was closing. Pinga is working on gaining the cooperation of the UCCan on a few items. I'm working with a 3rd party on a custom theme (look for the site). The new theme, combined with new forum software that was designed in this decade, will dictate how the site looks, works and operates.

Please keep this thread to discussing the actual features of the new board and for people giving their wishes and desires for features. Administrative issues like volunteering and moderation have, or will have, their own threads.

I'm sorry that Pinga and I keep harping on this, but keeping the WC2 threads orderly and on topic makes it easier for us as a team to process and respond to the discussions.

Mendalla

One thing that I've always liked about WC is the new posts feature.  I don't know if that's something that can be kept, it wasn't as simple in the test forums I used.

There will be a "recent activity stream". Not sure if it will be available in a sidebar, or on its own page. Will get back to you on that.

Edit: I can't believe I didn't check this before, but yes, recent posts in the sidebar is definitely an option.

Can there be a similar internal wmail system?

I'd like to request that there be no UCCanada-only features.

Not a problem. Every forum has that as well.

Maybe an Electric Monk-type artificial intelligence-based account who believes whatever you tell it, no matter how ridiculous? unsafe might feel redundant, but I'll see what I can do.

Ummm ... maybe a sarcasm alert button?  

I agree that Biblegateway provides great access to scripture - and I would not like to duplicate it here - don't see duplication as a good use of our resources. 

We discuss the Bible so much that it only makes good sense to have it readily available for us to check out what it actually says.

Will it jump me to the oldest post in a thread that I haven't seen yet?

The continuation of emoticons.

A featured "Member of the Month" with an interview being done with them that is posted on the site.

Printable cents-off coupons.

Jae, scripture isn't hard to find now  and cut and paste. Most progressives don't go this route. There are more quotations than the bible.

I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned this :

I would like to see the names of the active posters on a given day ( who is on the WC2 ?)  at the bottom of the website or the number of posters on a given day ( and guests) like I see on some forums. Some of the forums  have all of  the members names listed at the bottom but that's not necessary.

I'd also love to see the number of lurkers on each thread like we used to have on the WC before the format was changed. It was interesting. It seemed the more lurkers...the more  the members  were interested in posting.

There are more, but none nearly as good.

I'm not a big fan of the cut and paste of Scripture either.

Some other forums also show who else is on at the particular time that you come on. I like that feature.

crazyheart

Funny...I actually remember that Santa heart..... I think its prob. on some website pertaining to Christmas?  Maybe it was from a Santa cartoon. Could also be on a tattoo website.

Abracadabra I shall use my magic powers........to find Santa's bum....a job that I hardly expected....:)

I would like to see little change at the begining. Just having things working that dio not work well now will be a big adjustment. Like a spell checker that works well , and formats or apps that work well with mobile devices. 

The only immeduate change would be to call Church life, UCC CHurch Life, and a sections for disscussions around the operation of WC2,  The section for WC2 will take on an insider persepective that risks alienating new comers. and others. So I would like to see a way to block that from genral viewing, unless requested, and block it's entries from being in the recently active, (and eventually a highly active list.)

A fter a while I would like the WC2 to experiment with changes that come out of disscussion. 

One thing is that I am not really offeneded by any ideas, or statements. WHat I am offended are posters who post things just to offend, and disrupt the community and making the board difficult to use, because you have to wade . Thus I would like to have a button to alert the admin to certqin posters, that would not require the admin to censor the statement, but help them identify trolls, and those who intent is not to discuss issues seriously, but to disrupt.  

HOwevr again that is not a change I envision happening until we are up an running for a little while. 

Why do you want to see "Church Life" changed to "UCC Church Life"?

I like wondercafe the way it is LOL, and hope wondercafe2 will be similar.

As for LIKE button,

I personally wouldn't care for one. I think it would lessen actual posting.

The reason I would like to see a like button be added is that sometimes I just want to tell another poster that I like what they've said. Sometimes that's all I want to offer.

Jae - this has been discussed on other threads.  There are many of us from the UCCan who value this site as a place to understand polity, procedures etc. from within.  There could conceivably be another forum for general church life - i.e. non UCCan specific ideas  & questions.  

Because in order to maintain the same feel on WC2 as on WC and accurately describe what the section is.

That is not to say that can be changed in the future, and if a whole lot of Anglicans or Unitarians or Baptists want one they can have one.  Or we can have a section called Religious life for various religions.

Howver they have places to go at the moment,  the UCC has no online forum that is easy to use and practical.  (I really do not consider Facebook, or United Futures as a place to have in depth discussions.