The Boards.ie Subscription

smacl · 07-01-2026 11:42AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124122888#Comment_124122888

Great to see but doesn't actually kick in to law until June

Boards.ie: Mike · 07-01-2026 03:53PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124122888#Comment_124122888

Thanks for the link. We are aware of the upcoming EU changes. The new rule in that article relates specifically to providing an easy online way to exercise the 14-day right of withdrawal, and it only takes effect from June. We will be implementing whatever is required to keep Boards fully compliant.

savemejebus · 07-01-2026 04:20PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124125934#Comment_124125934

Mike, are you aware that this response reads like: "We know what we have to do to be compliant and we'll do the bare minimum but we're not going to give ye guys what ye are actually talking about and provide a non-email facility for cancelling your subs…."

and your previous comment

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124122742#Comment_124122742

is essentially "ye knew what ye were getting into, it was in the terms and conditions when ye signed up….".

It's not a good look.

dulpit · 07-01-2026 05:46PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124125934#Comment_124125934

So won't help the community but just do the bare minimum? Nice.

Tom Mann Centuria · 07-01-2026 06:05PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124126284#Comment_124126284

Same as it ever was.

Goldengirl · 07-01-2026 07:25PM

Just to point out that Mike sorted out the Consent form issues today .

db · 07-01-2026 07:36PM

Seems to me that most of those that are commenting negatively are not subscribers. Before you say it I know this is a discussion board and anyone can make a comment but some of you are just looking for something to complain about that doesn't even affect you.

hold my beer · 07-01-2026 07:37PM

Some of you need to get out more.

P.Walnuts · 07-01-2026 07:53PM

The amount of whinging on here is outrageous.

Got so much of a problem with the site and its admins? Go somewhere else, no-one is forcing you to post here.

corkie · 07-01-2026 09:26PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124126584#Comment_124126584

Check the options again as 'Legitimate Interest' has an option to 'object all' that is not triggered by the 'reject all'!

Thanks @Boards.ie: Mike for making the process easier to take action on.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124126619#Comment_124126619

The consent process affects all users especially non subscribers as they see more adverts which are disable for subs.

Goldengirl · 07-01-2026 10:18PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124126946#Comment_124126946

Worry not , checked through them all 😊

dulpit · 07-01-2026 10:20PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124126619#Comment_124126619

Or, as I have stated multiple times, I want boards to thrive but absolutely nothing the current owner has done has given me any faith that any investment the user base is doing will help improve the site.

Esel · 07-01-2026 10:45PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124127309#Comment_124127309

None of the funds raised from subscriptions and donations has been spent yet, if I am remembering Odhran's post about it correctly.

machiavellianme · 08-01-2026 10:19AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124125934#Comment_124125934

It seems that you aren't aware of the upcoming changes. Consumers currently have the right to cancel within the initial 14 day cooling off period. This new change also extends to the right to use a cancellation button at the end of the contract as it enters a renewal for rolling subscriptions.

The actual text is here: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=OJ:L_202302673

Galwayguy35 · 11-01-2026 03:51PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124127309#Comment_124127309

Nah you are just constantly whinging and moaning.

dulpit · 12-01-2026 12:48AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124137980#Comment_124137980

I don't think that's fair. I do think it's worth pointing out that since the original boards is dying post went up, the owner had raised some money and gotten a reduction in vanilla costs, but otherwise nothing else positive has happened. Bugs still remain, the ad platform has changed which causes weird blank space on desktop, the cookies are changed for a bit, and the promised new version to fix bugs is nowhere to be seen.

Nothing has been done to attract old users back, nothing has been done to attract new users. Nothing has been done to add new revenue streams.

Is all a bit disappointing really..

Loughc · 12-01-2026 08:15AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124139693#Comment_124139693

While I don’t disagree with this post. What can be done to attract new users?

HeidiHeidi · 12-01-2026 10:21AM

My subscription email arrived 5 days ago, and it's due in two days' time.

I'm going to let it run once more, but I don't think I'll be renewing again unless there's major changes for the better.

That's not a threat, just a slightly sad statement of fact. I really hoped things would improve with a lot of subscriptions, changes behind the scenes, and positive input from a lot of posters.

Instead the same bugs are in place, the communication from the "team" has been practically zero (and what there is is the same vague promises that never seem to materialise) - nothing positive whatsoever seems to have happened or be likely to happen.

I love boards, I spend far too much time on here and have great fun with it - but my faith that I won't wake up one morning and pooooofffff it'll be gone is very low.

I really hope I'm wrong.

ETA - what prompted this post, the final straw, was the email which could easily have provided an "unsubscribe" button, but doesn't - that just seems to be wilfully making things awkward for no reason whatsoever. Yes, I've been reading all the discussion about that in recent weeks, but seeing it there in black and white tipped something.

Comhrá · 12-01-2026 11:15AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124140039#Comment_124140039

Pretty much exactly the same here. I cancelled my subscription a week ago. I also love Boards but when I subscribed last year, I had high hopes the promised 'new improved' version would be a big improvement but that hasn't materialised, and with no update from Odhran re same, I began to think Boards mightn't be on the solid ground we were led to believe it was.

If the promised improvements do come to pass, then I will consider re-subscribing, but for now I'm out.

SineadSpears · 12-01-2026 11:38AM

Same here too.

When I first subscribed, I didn’t realise there wasn’t an option to unsubscribe directly. I prefer being able to manage my own subscriptions without needing to reach out, so that didn’t sit well with me.

At the beginning, it was genuinely nice to see everyone come together to help keep the site going, and I really appreciated that sense of community. Over time, however, I found it difficult to see the impact that a lack of clear communication had caused between posters. That made me unsure about whether I wanted to continue once my subscription ended.

I received an email saying my renewal would be due yesterday (There wasn’t any money on the card at the time, so I’m not yet sure whether the payment will be processed today).

I’ve debated over the past month or two whether to renew. In the end, I decided I would continue for another six months, but at this stage I feel that this will likely be my final contribution.

dulpit · 12-01-2026 11:38AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124139849#Comment_124139849

Fix the homepage to have interesting topics there. Work on removing the spam bots. Work on removing the bugs. Advertise the site. Set up a podcast about ongoing topics on the site. Do some outreach with the communities that have built up over time. Do something basically…

Boards.ie: Mike · 12-01-2026 11:54AM

Hi guys,

I want to make a quick comment and update here.

Work is continuing in the background to improve the site as a whole. As stated previously we are getting the final touches on the updated UI, moving away from previous non-compatible customisation's to a standardised version from Vanilla. We are hoping to get this live in the coming weeks. This will bring a more user friendly site with far less issues day to day.

We hope that 2026 will be a far more positive year for Boards.ie. Once we get past the current issues seen by users we can focus on getting back on top, holding on to our current users and attracting new users to the site.

All the best, Mike.

JayRoc · 12-01-2026 02:19PM

It's been a couple of years, I think, since I could see who thanked a post or was able to quote parts of a post. I'd settle for these very very basic things at this stage.

elperello · 12-01-2026 02:42PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124140624#Comment_124140624

You can see who thanks on a laptop.

It's quite easy to copy part of a post and paste it in quotes.

Like this -

I'd settle for these very very basic things at this stage.

smacl · 12-01-2026 02:54PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124140686#Comment_124140686

On PC or laptop you can see a few of the thanks but not all by any means. Bit of a pain but not a showstopper.

elperello · 12-01-2026 03:07PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124140745#Comment_124140745

When I used a pc or laptop to access Boards all the time I used to look at the thanks list

I use the phone most of the time now and I've noticed that not seeing who is thanking doesn't really bother me.

Occasionally when on the laptop I'll have a look but it's more idle curiosity than anything.

smacl · 12-01-2026 03:16PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124139849#Comment_124139849

Basically anything that promotes the site in a positive light to folks that might not be aware of it and to set up a landing page for new users, welcoming them and letting them know how to get around. Easiest way to do this is simply to ask existing users to let their friends and contacts know about the site by word of mouth, social media etc.. Doesn't need a big resource spend by the site owners.

I think the main probem that boards has had (apart from the platform change) is the slow shift of being thought of by most as a warm, welcoming and knowledgeable community where you could natter and get help on sorts of issues to a toxic arena where keyboard warriors with extreme opinions go to vent. Boards is not alone here, in that rage baiting has become a primary tool to get engagement on many social platforms. While a lot of the criciticism boards often faces, both here and on other sites, relates to heavy handed and biased moderation, I wonder should it be much heavier still. IMHO, for boards to thrive it needs to be a nice place to hang out which accomodates the hugely diverse worldviews on display while bringing the ban-hammer down on all forms of nastiness with full force. Just my 2c.

smacl · 12-01-2026 03:27PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124140804#Comment_124140804

Seems to be a limit of about 9 or so you can see

Even when there are fewer, you don't see all of them

smuggler.ie · 12-01-2026 03:37PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124140881#Comment_124140881

You might notice, that list stop right within the particular post boundaries - longer the post, more it fits.
I have "overwritten" this, but you right - its still limited to 10 , even if you get post full page

elperello · 12-01-2026 03:39PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124140881#Comment_124140881

Thanks for that.

I didn't even notice that there was only 9.

Were they all shown before ?

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