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Some site news...we're moving! [Update in Post #138 4/6/21]

Boards.ie: Niamh

Afternoon all!
Back in December, Odhran announced that there were going to be some changes at Boards. If you missed that announcement, you can read it again here.
We’re delighted to announce that one of those changes, namely moving to a new platform, is going to happen very soon. We have been working on this in the background for a number of months now and are almost ready to go live.

When is this happening?
This is all due to happen next week! In order to migrate all of our many years of content across to the new platform, we will need to put the site into READ-ONLY mode for a couple of days. This is scheduled to take place on 8th & 9th June, next Tuesday and Wednesday. So it’s two days off for mods and admins

What is going to change?
From a user experience point of view, very little will change initially. Although we’ll be on a new platform, we have themed it to look very like the Boards you are using now. The homepage will be almost identical and the forum and thread views will mirror the ones you see in the Talk To forums now. We’ll be able to share some screenshots of how they will look with you soon. We have access to lots of new features and gadgets that can be added to the site but our first focus is to get Boards migrated across to the new platform. We can start playing with adding features and buttons after that is done properly

New features for users

Images: Images can be directly uploaded from your device and embedded into a post without any of the faffing about with copying links we currently have. From third party hosting sites, again you will be able to just insert the link using an Insert Media button. This includes the likes of Twitter and Instagram posts.
Videos: Can be simply embedded with just the share link from Youtube or Vimeo. No wraparound tags required as they are now and it will not be limited to YouTube only.
Save as Draft: if you start writing a post but aren’t ready to post it, you can save it as a draft to come back to later. It’s a feature that lots of users have asked for over the years (and would have been useful writing this post!)
Q&A: A user can mark their post as a Question rather than a Discussion and can officially accept one or more of the replies as the answer.
Tags: the ability to tag a new thread is something that users have asked for and that will be available, it also helps with search.
Badges for profiles, for various achievements, first post, first ten posts, amount of time on the site and others. While there is a basic set of badges available to us, we can also create our own Boards badges which will be fun. Badges will be displayed on a user's profile. Badges won't be available on the initial rollout but will be implemented at a later stage.
Reactions: We can add various reactions to posts aside from just Thanks, e.g. agree, disagree, like, LOL, Promote but initially we’ll just have Thanks.
Swear Filter: the swear filter has migrated our banned words across, however these will all just be replaced with **** regardless of the length of the word typed.
Signatures: you can hide sigs entirely or just strip out images and see text-only signatures. Images in sigs will be automatically resized to the allowed size so you won’t need to resize images yourself.

Thread prefixes
Prefixes are not available yet except in the Talk To Forums but can be replaced by Tags on the OP. We will start with a preset list of tags that reflect our current prefixes. If any of you have any suggestions as to other sensible tags to add with that would be great too, we can start adding them once the migration is finished.
All tags will be available to all users across the site and not just in specific forums. Creation of tags will not be open to all users at least to begin with - we've been going through the list of old tags from before, it's a mess so we’ll clean that up first and then see about more new tags.

Anonymous posting
Anonymous posting is sadly not possible on the new platform, at least not immediately. This is one of the bigger disappointments with it and one we will try to rectify. We know this will make it difficult for forums that rely on anon/guest posting such as PI and RI (there are a good few more that use it, these are just the busiest of them). We suggest that users set up a throwaway account for posting an issue in the interim until we find a solution that will allow users to guest post/post anonymously. Some users do this already when they don’t want to wait for a post to be approved.

Private messages
PMs are treated like a chat rather than an email conversation but otherwise are very similar to what we have now except that PMs cannot be reported in the same way they are at the moment. An Admin can be added as a participant to a PM discussion where they can then see all of the conversation or a screenshot of a message can also be sent in a separate PM to Admin/staff if there is an issue with it.

Private or restricted access forums
On the new platform these are set up as 'Groups' so that we can alter who has access to them other than the default of everyone. They will also be in a different section to the other forums and for now, will not show on the homepage listings. It is something we will be investigating to see if there are any solutions to make them more like standard forums while retaining their access requirements.
Groups can be public, private (you can see it exists but not access it) or secret (only members of that group can see it). Myself and Mark are working on setting them all up correctly before we go live but at the moment they are all set as secret. Groups may cause some disruption while we all get to grips with the new set up, e.g. a forum that is usually read-only until you are given access to post (like Soccer) will now not be readable at all until you have been granted access.

Warnings, Infractions, Bans.
These will still operate in pretty much the same way as they do now. There is a points system whereby you will be automatically banned or denied some user privileges if you reach a specific number of points at any given time. We will let you know the details in full when we have everything finalised.

Menus
Menus may be in a list format temporarily when we move rather than the format we are used to. Any changes to the menu will be lost on migration so we’ll be doing the changes after the move. The list view includes forums where there are lots of subforums so these will look messy for a time unfortunately.

Not everything will work as it should when we have moved and we do expect there to be teething problems. We would appreciate people’s feedback and reports of any bugs or technical issues that you come across. The beauty of the new site is that any changes to design, features or tech issues should be much easier to handle than it was on vBulletin and we hope to get through all of the issues as quickly as we can.

We’re really looking forward to a new Boards.ie experience, the site was due some tlc and modernising and we hope you will enjoy it too. We're really busy finalising a lot of things this week but I will pop back here later today to answer any questions that there might be.

Thanks everyone.

4/6/2021 Update posted here.

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Comments

Inviere

Niamh, any changes to the ignore feature? I use a user made grease monkey script currently, which gracefully hides ignored posters which are quoted (the built in one doesnt do this).

Boards.ie: Niamh

There is a feature for ignoring users which we haven't yet implemented on the current test migration, will find out more and get back to you.

Hodors Appletart

will there be a mobile equivalent? or an app?

Overheal

Boards.ie: Niamh

Hodors Appletart wrote: »

will there be a mobile equivalent? or an app?

The new platform is responsive so can be used on mobile devices

frozenfrozen

needs dark mode..

[Deleted User]

Some fantastic updates there, thanks Niamh et al

Also, +1 for dark mode

corsav6

frozenfrozen wrote: »

needs dark mode..

Yes, dark mode would be an excellent addition.

AdrianBalboa

I have a few concerns for the new platform:

1. If administrators can suddenly be added to PM chats in order to moderate those discussions, will they be able to read the old messages in the chat? I would consider that to be an invasion of privacy if someone can suddenly read a private discussion without my consent.

2. I have seen users admonished for asking challenging questions in AMA threads, usually with something along the lines of “this person has been gracious enough to post here blah blah blah please don’t ask them anything that isn’t kissing their behind etc.”

On virtually every other website on the internet that hosts AMAs, this wouldn’t fly. Will posters be allowed to ask “anything” in AMAs or will they remain what I, and many other people, consider to be propaganda?

3. Boards.ie has developed a reputation online for being a safe haven for ultra right-wing dog-whistling. A cursory glance at the After Hours or Current Affairs forii will reveal libraries of posts knocking travellers, womxn, blacks, asylum seekers, trans people, people from Dublin, the upper middle class, and so on.

This is allowed to happen because the posters hide beneath a veneer of “civility,” for example the K word isn’t used referring to Travellers however traveller bashing without slurs is still tolerated and welcomed.

Will there be a move away from allowing these racist/bigoted points of view being expressed here? Conversely will people who can see through the hidden signals continue to be penalised for breaching ridiculous “civility” rules? Or will the boat continue to be unrocked in favour of ad clicks from the “just telling it like it is” merchants of Boards.ie? Thankee.

frozenfrozen

AdrianBalboa wrote: »

I have a few concerns for the new platform:

1. If administrators can suddenly be added to PM chats in order to moderate those discussions, will they be able to read the old messages in the chat? I would consider that to be an invasion of privacy if someone can suddenly read a private discussion without my consent.

2. I have seen users admonished for asking challenging questions in AMA threads, usually with something along the lines of “this person has been gracious enough to post here blah blah blah please don’t ask them anything that isn’t kissing their behind etc.”

On virtually every other website on the internet that hosts AMAs, this wouldn’t fly. Will posters be allowed to ask “anything” in AMAs or will they remain what I, and many other people, consider to be propaganda?

3. Boards.ie has developed a reputation online for being a safe haven for ultra right-wing dog-whistling. A cursory glance at the After Hours or Current Affairs forii will reveal libraries of posts knocking travellers, womxn, blacks, asylum seekers, trans people, people from Dublin, the upper middle class, and so on.

This is allowed to happen because the posters hide beneath a veneer of “civility,” for example the K word isn’t used referring to Travellers however traveller bashing without slurs is still tolerated and welcomed.

Will there be a move away from allowing these racist/bigoted points of view being expressed here? Conversely will people who can see through the hidden signals continue to be penalised for breaching ridiculous “civility” rules? Or will the boat continue to be unrocked in favour of ad clicks from the “just telling it like it is” merchants of Boards.ie? Thankee.

sounds like you don't want there to be a dark mode then?

hullaballoo

AdrianBalboa wrote: »

I have a few concerns for the new platform:

1. If administrators can suddenly be added to PM chats in order to moderate those discussions, will they be able to read the old messages in the chat? I would consider that to be an invasion of privacy if someone can suddenly read a private discussion without my consent.

2. I have seen users admonished for asking challenging questions in AMA threads, usually with something along the lines of “this person has been gracious enough to post here blah blah blah please don’t ask them anything that isn’t kissing their behind etc.”

On virtually every other website on the internet that hosts AMAs, this wouldn’t fly. Will posters be allowed to ask “anything” in AMAs or will they remain what I, and many other people, consider to be propaganda?

3. Boards.ie has developed a reputation online for being a safe haven for ultra right-wing dog-whistling. A cursory glance at the After Hours or Current Affairs forii will reveal libraries of posts knocking travellers, womxn, blacks, asylum seekers, trans people, people from Dublin, the upper middle class, and so on.

This is allowed to happen because the posters hide beneath a veneer of “civility,” for example the K word isn’t used referring to Travellers however traveller bashing without slurs is still tolerated and welcomed.

Will there be a move away from allowing these racist/bigoted points of view being expressed here? Conversely will people who can see through the hidden signals continue to be penalised for breaching ridiculous “civility” rules? Or will the boat continue to be unrocked in favour of ad clicks from the “just telling it like it is” merchants of Boards.ie? Thankee.

Admin: Banned from Feedback.

Zaph

Boards.ie: Niamh wrote: »

Private messages
PMs are treated like a chat rather than an email conversation but otherwise are very similar to what we have now except that PMs cannot be reported in the same way they are at the moment. An Admin can be added as a participant to a PM discussion where they can then see all of the conversation or a screenshot of a message can also be sent in a separate PM to Admin/staff if there is an issue with it.

Presumably if I add an admin to a PM conversation the other person will be immediately aware that I've "reported" it. This action in itself may prompt particularly major dicks to subject the other poster to increased abuse as they know there'll be a window between inviting the admin and action being taken, which the reporter may not want to open themselves up to. This could in turn result in fewer reported PMs as people choose to ignore the other poster instead. I know there's the option to submit screenshots, but will there be a proper Report PM function available at a future date? And if a poster sends a screenshot of a PM they have an issue with, will there be a specific "mailbox" they can send it to that will take over the function of the Reported PMs forum, or will it be a case of adding a bunch of admins/office staff to the PM? The reason I ask this is that quite a few people seem to be unsure of who the admins are these days. I still get semi-regular PMs asking me to delete posts, etc.

sioda

Will we lose m.boards.ie in this move?

Hodors Appletart

will the "followed forums" follow over

Alun

Boards.ie: Niamh wrote: »

The new platform is responsive so can be used on mobile devices

That's what you said about the previous attempt at a new look. It didn't end well.

Deja Boo

Niamh, I love some of the new features

thanks for the work you all put into it... Is it ok to ask for a bit of clarification, please?

Boards.ie: Niamh wrote: »

Private or restricted access forums
On the new platform these are set up as 'Groups' ... They will also be in a different section to the other forums and for now, will not show on the homepage listings. It is something we will be investigating to see if there are any solutions to make them more like standard forums while retaining their access requirements. Groups can be public, private (you can see it exists but not access it) or secret (only members of that group can see it)...

Will this be the same format as the old "Social Groups" which Boards supported awhile ago?
Did not Social Groups (on the original vBulletin) “clutter the server and cause much grief” as admins cited, for their removal (or was that on the new server)?
The old groups were (like you mention) listed in a different section, and no new posts were visible on the homepage (this separateness was a nice feature.)

Thanks for continuing to investigate ways to possibly convert them back into standard forums, because as I recall, the old Social Group setup was much more limited than regular forums, the format was very simplistic (like google or yahoo groups of old) with no option to search, subscribe, no post numbers, etc… Such restrictions were not accommodating to the largeness (or effectiveness) of some groups... (and because of it, there was an uprising when a larger social group was not given forum status, c 2011 - such an event surely won't re-occur, am just citing an example of groups format limitations.)

Back then, Social Group Mods weren’t actual mods, but simply the groups originator - considered after to be more of a host than recognized mod. Which begs to ask - does this mean anyone can set-up a social group, as they did in the past? Or, after you (hopefully) find a way to convert current private forum-groups back into forums, will creating social groups be an option, once again?

Boards.ie: Niamh wrote: »

Private messages
PMs are treated like a chat rather than an email conversation but otherwise are very similar to what we have now except that PMs cannot be reported in the same way they are at the moment. An Admin can be added as a participant to a PM discussion where they can then see all of the conversation or a screenshot of a message can also be sent in a separate PM to Admin/staff if there is an issue with it.

So, chats aren't quite as private as PM's are now? Can anyone be added to the chats, or just admins?

As it stands (due to previous spam attacks), regular users are limited to PMing only one member at a time - will this change? If so, it could prove helpful to some 'Forum Game' game threads, as PM/chatting with more than one person at a time would be helpful.

Boards.ie: Niamh wrote: »

What is going to change?
From a user experience point of view, very little will change initially. Although we’ll be on a new platform, we have themed it to look very like the Boards you are using now. The homepage will be almost identical and the forum and thread views will mirror the ones you see in the Talk To forums now….

Will profile pages be different?
I assume Visitor Messages are a thing of the past.
Will friending

be over as well? (I find our friends list a welcoming draw; and quite helpful when hosting a game, especially when ‘search’ is down.)

I do love the warm community feel and interaction of Boards, am looking forward to this continuing.
....As long as we aren't taking the road to reddit land, it's all good :pac: Thanks Niamh!
.

frozenfrozen

I think anything but 'thanks' reaction is a big change and at the moment I don't immediately like the idea. Has a lot of thought gone into that change and could you share some of the reasoning / if its been considered what sort of change it would make to the style of posting?

Will there be a page of the most thanked posts per day? And will the amount of thanks and other reactions be counted? Could make people post differently if they don't want to get lots of dislike reactions..

Same too some of the magic is gone if I'm seeing posts with dislikes before I even read the content. It'll be like reddit where both sides of the argument down vote eachother

Leg End Reject

I don't like the idea of an admin being added to a private chat, I'd prefer a screenshot of an offensive message if necessary. I understand the difficulty with that is that every one would need to know where to send the screenshot, but I'm sure there's a workaround.

Also not liking the idea of dislike, promote, and especially, lol options.

Other than that, best of luck with the transition. I hope it attracts new users and keeps all of us malcontents happy for a while.

nomdeboardie

As I've asked a couple of times before, could you allow changing default order for search results? E.g. I usually want to see newest first so would like to be able to set that as my default view.

Would it be possible to get notifications for replies to individual posts? I.e. if someone hits the Quote button and makes a post from there, even if they trim some of the oroiginal test from the quote, I could choose to see (and then disable if needed) notifications. This could be useful in busy threads where I might not want to follow the whole thread due to the high frequency of posts.

Cookie_Monster

Boards.ie: Niamh wrote: »

The homepage will be almost identical and the forum and thread views will mirror the ones you see in the Talk To forums now.

Are you saying every thread and forum will look like the Talk to Forums with this change?

I really hope not, thats a washed out mess of a format compared to the rest of the site

good contrast, strong colours, more compact and more data avatar box

washed out colours, poor contrast, poor visibility quote box thanks condensed and not individually visible, narrower (though maybe just due to the verified rep box

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Boards.ie: Niamh wrote: »

Images: Images can be directly uploaded from your device and embedded into a post without any of the faffing about with copying links we currently have. From third party hosting sites, again you will be able to just insert the link using an Insert Media button. This includes the likes of Twitter and Instagram posts.

Thank you for this alone!

_Kaiser_

frozenfrozen wrote: »

needs dark mode..

sioda wrote: »

Will we lose m.boards.ie in this move?

Hodors Appletart wrote: »

will the "followed forums" follow over

Top questions for me too. I use the black/orange theme on Desktop and touch.boards.ie on mobile/tablet and as someone said above, the last crack at a "Responsive" site did not work out well.

Ditto also the "followed forums" question. Like I'm sure most users I rely on this heavily since the "temporary" menu was instated that buried everything. Will this finally be addressed as part of the move, or is it a lift and shift more so?

Boards.ie: Niamh

frozenfrozen wrote: »

needs dark mode..

Deleted User wrote: »

Some fantastic updates there, thanks Niamh et al

Also, +1 for dark mode

corsav6 wrote: »

Yes, dark mode would be an excellent addition.

There won't be a dark mode immediately but I have added it to the list of new features to be added once migration is done.

_Kaiser_

Boards.ie: Niamh wrote: »

There won't be a dark mode immediately but I have added it to the list of new features to be added once migration is done.

That's a pity. I'd say dark mode is an essential for many people. I know from my own perspective that it's a lot easier on the eyes since I had a cataract removed at the start of the year, but especially if you are sitting at a screen all day for work as well.

[Deleted User]

My custom dark themes won't work anymore.

Pintman Paddy Losty

Boards.ie: Niamh wrote: »

Afternoon all!
Reactions: We can add various reactions to posts aside from just Thanks, e.g. agree, disagree, like, LOL, Promote but initially we’ll just have Thanks.

Will it be possible to thank your own post under the new regime. It's something I think should be in place. You can like your own posts on Facebook and Instagram. Same should apply here.

Sometimes I post something and just think - that is a fantastic post Pintman, give yourself a pat on the back there.

[Deleted User]

AdrianBalboa wrote: »

3. Boards.ie has developed a reputation online for being a safe haven for ultra right-wing dog-whistling. A cursory glance at the After Hours or Current Affairs forii will reveal libraries of posts knocking travellers, womxn, blacks, asylum seekers, trans people, people from Dublin, the upper middle class, and so on.

I don’t think the upper middle classes are a protected group.

WestWicklow1

What is the platform?

Will there be a "Go to the first unread post" button in a thread?

Seth Brundle

WestWicklow1 wrote: »

What is the platform?

It will be hosted on securely by the HSE using Windows Server 2003

Boards.ie: Niamh

Zaph wrote: »

Presumably if I add an admin to a PM conversation the other person will be immediately aware that I've "reported" it. This action in itself may prompt particularly major dicks to subject the other poster to increased abuse as they know there'll be a window between inviting the admin and action being taken, which the reporter may not want to open themselves up to. This could in turn result in fewer reported PMs as people choose to ignore the other poster instead. I know there's the option to submit screenshots, but will there be a proper Report PM function available at a future date? And if a poster sends a screenshot of a PM they have an issue with, will there be a specific "mailbox" they can send it to that will take over the function of the Reported PMs forum, or will it be a case of adding a bunch of admins/office staff to the PM? The reason I ask this is that quite a few people seem to be unsure of who the admins are these days. I still get semi-regular PMs asking me to delete posts, etc.

You can actually add any other user to a PM conversation and they can read the entire thing. I suppose it is akin to adding someone to an email exchange where you can still read the earlier emails. There is no notification but anyone else in the conversation can see the full list of participants once they have the message open.

It's not an ideal way for reporting posts at all and a more robust method is on the to do list for after the migration. Screenshots to a centralised PM inbox are a good idea for the interim, will give that some thought. Thanks Zaph!