What do you think about the new forums?

[Mookie]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Bergie

QUOTE: Originally posted by mudchicken

MO BETTA - not sure about the e-mail address privacy issue, but this rascal is a PUBLIC forum... (hope certain RR employees can speak their mind and still be shielded from certain thin skinned managers/ clients.)

A user's e-mail address won't show up unless they post it within a message. The e-mail option actually opens a window and the sender of the e-mail never sees the other user's e-mail address.

So, speak away!

Erik: I checked out your e-mail - and this is so exciting - I can put my e-mail in and get some personal mail w/o having to hire a security guard to protect my privacy!

Will go do that right now!

Jen

Erik

[Soo2610]

This new setup is making me feel computer illiterate. What am I doing wrong that my replies print out with the edit and delete logo at the top and everyone elses print without these icons showing in the header?[V][V]
When I tried to preview this response the url error message popped up.[8]

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the update, this format's a lot easier to use [:D]
As others have pointed out, if you want to reply to a particular post, just quote it.
Eric

[JoeKoh]

will the real missouri please stand up?????
joe

[Bergie]

QUOTE: Originally posted by kevinstheRRman

OOO Cabforward

Quit your complaining!

if you don't like it.. get out!

Now, now, Kevin, let him speak his mind on the new forums. He might bring up a good point.

I know you two have had your differences in the past, but please try to play nice.

I swear, somedays I think I'm going to have to have a Trains.com gatering at the Rochelle Railroad Park and make a few of you hug and forget your past differences. [:D] Can't we all just get along?

Now, play nice.

Erik

[Bergie]

QUOTE: Originally posted by mudchicken

MO BETTA - not sure about the e-mail address privacy issue, but this rascal is a PUBLIC forum... (hope certain RR employees can speak their mind and still be shielded from certain thin skinned managers/ clients.)

A user's e-mail address won't show up unless they post it within a message. The e-mail option actually opens a window and the sender of the e-mail never sees the other user's e-mail address.

So, speak away!

Erik

[mudchicken]

MO BETTA - not sure about the e-mail address privacy issue, but this rascal is a PUBLIC forum... (hope certain RR employees can speak their mind and still be shielded from certain thin skinned managers/ clients.)

[Anonymous]

yo Kev, rewire it for MORE POWER. ARRRRRGH ARRRRRRRGH!!!!!!!!!
MARTY

[Anonymous]

OOO Cabforward

Quit your complaining!

if you don't like it.. get out!

[cabforward]

this is my second attempt to reply.. the url error is still with us..

member preferences should be filed and called-up for initiating a topic or reply.. it's too consuming to set these for each message.. they could be set-off in a separate box, visible to the member on the same page..

replies should be listed as newest first.. members can set this differently if they wish..

threads should compact all replies to follow that particular current thread..
following all the replies is impossible otherwise..

the advantage of the old forum was to see all replies to a particular thread instantly.. now, we have to hunt for each reply and we don't know where to look!!

this loses the advantage of the new forum..

thanks for making it work this good, so far..

one more thought:

do members see the url-error more often if they preview what they write, than if they post their writing right away??

another thought..

the 'views' column is a waste of space.. a newsstand operator makes no money on those who read magazine covers and walk away..

they want people who will show money and leave with a product.. same thing here.. i couldn't care less about how many read my posts and click elsewhere.. i want to know who would invest time and (hopefully) thought into writing something in reply to my posts.. whether 1 or 1,000 view my posts.. so what? who knows what they're thinking? if they have no opinion, or do not choose to share with it with the forum, what does it matter? why should they count for anything?

[BRAKIE]

Well,Its much better now then it was..[:D] BTW Thanks for the Smilies..

[Soo2610]

What is with the burning file folders under member profiles?

[Soo2610]

This is my first log on and I can see where it is going to take some getting used to. Have same question as many of the previous posts. How do we reply to a particular post by a specific member and how do we know that a reply is directed to us?

[CShaveRR]

The area near the bottom where you list the members who are browsing the site:

I'm a member.
My name isn't there.
Do other people see my name, and you assume that I know I'm here?
Or am I the anonymous member?

[Anonymous]

new and inproved. ITS SO COOL!!!!:)

[adrianspeeder]

I seem to like the new format. I have slow internet, so it would take forever to get through a topic. I can now load in one shot, do something else, and come back to read the whole thing, or even disconnect to use the phone. Now if i could only afford cable internet...

Adrian

[JoeKoh]

Jen
these aren't like taxes and other gov't rules.these changes are for the better.
stay safe
joe and matt

[Mookie]

Mookie wants to vote, but you have not provided a "grumble" or "hate change", so she will just have to say - I will do it, but I hate change, grumble!

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: An error occurred on the server when processing the URL. Please contact the system administrator at [e-mail]. Thank you.

The error that was appearing when posting a message has been fixed.

If anyone encounters a message like that again, please send me a message through the forums, provide a brief description of what you trying to do and I'll look into as soon as I can.

Thank you for your patience!
Dave

[Anonymous]

Excellent questions.

QUOTE: Originally posted by cabforwardthe reply form has 'html off'.. what does that mean?
when would i need html? how is it turned on?

When the forum is setup on a site, the administrator has the option to allow HTML or to not allow HTML. Allowing HTML on forums is highly discouraged because of various ways people can exploit it and put others at risk. I'll save everyone from the technical details and not go into them.

Which brings up a good point. If we'll never turn it on, why even display that message?

There are tags which are referred to as "forum code" which are really psuedo HTML tags. You can find out more about them here:

FAQ: How to format text with Bold, Italic, Quote, etc...
http://www.trains.com/community/forum/faq.asp#format

QUOTE: Originally posted by cabforwardtopic / reply subjects are limited to 100 char in length.. what is that?

That is referring to the field labeled "Subject". If you look above the date a message was posted, you'll see the subject line in bold. You can change the subject line or leave it as is.

For example, the subject of this message is:
RE: RE: What do you think about the new forums?

QUOTE: Originally posted by cabforwardwhat do the stars mean for average, senior, etc. member?

The stars and member ranks (which is what you are referring to) are tied to the number of posts a member has made. There are different tiers or levels.

Here's the current setup:

Level 0
Rank Name: Starting Member
Post Count: 0-49

Level 1
Rank Name: New Member
Post Count: 50-99

Level 2
Rank Name: Junior Member
Post Count: 100-499

Level 3
Rank Name: Average Member
Post Count: 500-999

Level 4
Rank Name: Senior Member
Post Count: 1000-1999

Level 5
Rank Name: Advanced Member
Post Count: 2000+

Administrators
Rank Name: Administrator

Moderators
Rank Name: Moderator

The Rank Names are the defaults from the initial setup. In regards to what the Rank Names will be changed to, that hasn't been decided yet (getting the site live was a bit more important).

QUOTE: Originally posted by cabforwardwhy must i login a second time to edit or delete messages?

The intention of this was as a precautionary measure. I believe the idea behind this is to validate who you are before you edit or delete a post. It also acts as confirmation that you want delete the message.

One example why this would be useful is if you're using a computer that many people have access to. If you leave that computer and somebody comes back to the site, it prevents them from editing or deleting your posts. However, they would still be able to post messages while using your account which could be just as damaging (if that person meant harm). So then what's the point?

I'll think about if that's really necessary and what it would take to modify that feature. The above example is valid, however people using public computers (at libraries, colleges, etc.) should always log out whenever they are done with a website -- it's just a good habit to get into.

[Anonymous]

sorry about that . you must have been fixing it while i was typing

[Anonymous]

i'm still having trouble sending replys. it keeps telling me that there is some sort of URL problem and to contact the webmaster. also it will delete items in my profile on its own and won't update my number of postings. i hope you can work out the bugs soon

marty , drailed1999

[cabforward]

questions:

the reply form has 'html off'.. what does that mean?
when would i need html? how is it turned on?

topic / reply subjects are limited to 100 char in length.. what is that?

what do the stars mean for average, senior, etc. member?

why must i login a second time to edit or delete messages?

[dknelson]

So far so good -- am still getting used to it all. Seems to me most of the complaints have been at least addressed if not resolved.

I am a little surprised that we have no railroad themed icons and smilies to add.
Dave Nelson

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by edblysard
Now, how do you post the photo in your profile?

The photo isn't uploaded directly to the server. To include a photo in your profile, you will need to type in the url (location) for the photo in the field labeled "Picture URL".

[edblysard]

Hard to navigate at first, but think folks will get the hang of it quick.
Now, how do you post the photo in your profile?
Ed

[Anonymous]

Well...at the moment there isn't anything that shows who replied to whom.

This type of forum is usually referred to as a "flat view" forum. Visually the relationships between posts isn't displayed as you were used to in the old forums. I have seen instances where posts are numbered (#1, #2, #3, etc.) and a line is inserted at the top which says something like "In Reply To #1".

If you are replying to something in particular, there is always the "quote" option. This will identify what part of the message you are replying to.

QUOTE: Originally posted by sooblue
I.e. I would like to reply to kevinstheRRman in this topic could it be done?

Is it perfect? No. Is it simple? Not at first. Does it work? Yes.

Give it some time. Try it out for a couple of days and let us know what you think.

[sooblue]

Generally I like this new format but there is one negative that I see.
There are posts that have been a reply to another post in the message string. On the old forum the reply posts said reply to Sooblue or reply to Mookie etc. this new forum has the replies one after the other and It doesn't make any sense. You have no idea what is a reply to whom.

Does this mean that there is no way to reply to one of the people who have replied to a certain topic?
I.e. I would like to reply to kevinstheRRman in this topic could it be done?
Sooblue

[ironhorseman]

having trouble posting replies. keep getting message: "An error occurred on the server when processing the URL. Please contact the system administrator at [e-mail]. Thank you."

[Anonymous]

hey thanks man for looking into the error!