Traffic volume on FF's new board

[Alison]

Hey, there's a buzz around. Is it my imagination ?

The board is a lot busier than I expected.

Fantastic. Well done Frenchie.

I'm getting more used to the appearance too.

ps How do you accept friends and what actually happens then ?

A

[Il Grande Inquisitor]

Hey, there's a buzz around. Is it my imagination ?

The board is a lot busier than I expected.

Fantastic. Well done Frenchie.

I'm getting more used to the appearance too.

ps How do you accept friends and what actually happens then ?

A

Agreed, Alison. Lots of new members, plenty of posts and I sense a lot of members unused to the forum software are delighted by the ability to add pictures, edit posts etc. Good news all round.

I'm unsure about accepting friends; to 'befriend' someone, view their profile, click on the 'Friends' tab and there's a link to 'Befriend xxx' on the right. I'm not sure what happens next...

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

How do you accept friends and what actually happens then ?

A

I already think of you (and everyone else) as friends. There's no need to make if official. :)

[Frances_iom]

catch with all the inessential fluff is that it costs quite a bit more in bandwidth - how is the site paid for ? afterall the Beeb claimed they shut down the R3 site to save money.
Quite why atavars + signature lines are needed defeats me - for most once seen preferably forgotten, for the rest repetition is just like R3 trailers and might well serve the same function of ego stroking the perpetrator.

[Eudaimonia]

Yes, it is a surprisingly good job indeed. Kudos!

I'm sure much of the traffic is due to the enormous amount of good-will people have toward the project, and a genuine desire to see it do well. Also, it's a friendlier, more pleasant environment as many are on their "best behaviour"...here's hoping we all stay that way!

"Friends and contacts" are useful groupings for those who want to create restricted-access areas in their "profile page," i.e. where you're sent when you click someone's avatar. There are quite a few things you could do here: make "friends-only" groups and photo albums, start a private visitor message forum, etc. Separate sites within the site, really. I do hope people take advantage of it!

[Eudaimonia]

Quite why atavars + signature lines are needed defeats me - for most once seen preferably forgotten, for the rest repetition is just like R3 trailers and might well serve the same function of ego stroking the perpetrator.

Oh, it's just a little way to make things more personal. I don't much care for signature files myself, but avatars help you see at a glance who you're talking to. As long as they aren't animated or garish, it doesn't bother me. Large, colorful text, however, rubs me the wrong way.

[johnb]

I agree that there is a welcome buzz about ff's new forum - and that's great!

As far as Groups, etc are concerned - I really do hope that people don't start doing that.

At the moment everyone who uses the forum is an an equal basis. Once people start getting into Groups, etc risk is that the forum will start to divide into various cliques. Not good at all IMO.

[Alison]

Yes that sounds a good principle John and saves us having to worry about the technicalities.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I agree with both johnb and Alison. Cliques destroy trust.

[Frances_iom]

..but avatars help you see at a glance who you're talking to.

good job I was taught to read as well as write - maybe some newfangled idea to replace English by pictograms for those who have difficulty with the former but not it seems with the latter 'skill'.?

[Stillhomewardbound]

Yes, agreed wholeheartedly. Not only do we have pretty well a replica new home but it comes with so many extra bells and and things that go ting a ling a ling. My how the beeb missed a trick.

[Flosshilde]

Trouble is, including enormous pictures (however pretty they might be - or relevant) in your post means that one post fills the screen. One drawback I've noticed compared with the BBC boards is that there are a lot fewer posts to a page - so you have to scroll through more pages to follow a discussion.

[Eudaimonia]

Frances_iom: here's how to turn off avatars, signatures, and images:

1. Look in the upper right-hand corner of your browser, and click on the "Settings" tab (next to your "Logout" button).
2. Scroll down and click on "General Settings".
3. Go to "Thread Display Options" and uncheck one or more of the following:

***

Thread Display Options

• Show Signatures
• Show Avatars
• Show Images (including attached images and images in [IMG] code)

You have the option to show or hide various elements of messages, which may be of use to users on slow internet connections, or who want to remove extraneous clutter from posts.

***

Hope that helps! ~E.

[doversoul1]

how is the site paid for ? afterall the Beeb claimed they shut down the R3 site to save money.

A very good point. ff?

Also, I wonder if the function to trace what everybody is doing or has done (who visited whose profile etc.) is necessary. What I liked about the R3 MBs was that it was not a social network but a forum for discussion. Some social elements are welcome but as far as I am concerned, that is an extra. Is this the case of having a cake and eat it?

As for the options, the changed settings (no pictures, more post per page etc.) only work when you are online. I found out after much consternation not trusting my IT skills which is next to nil.

[Frances_iom]

Frances_iom: here's how to turn off avatars, signatures, and images:
Hope that helps! ~E.

remarkably for someone who taught software for over 30years I did manage to do that - in the trade known as RTFM - my comment was that judging from other boards people will unthinkingly post large photos from mobile phones etc, which require 1000x more transmission capacity than simple text