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- MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT - everyone needs to read
Welcome to LMZFclanforum.co.uk...an active PS3 community since 8th January 2008.... LMZF...Lost My Zimmer Frame!
| Welcome to Archive version of The Old Codgers [LMZF= Lost My Zimmer Frame !] Forum. The home of Ps3's Mature Gaming Community. You're currently viewing our old forum as a guest. This is probably the friendliest most accessible forum on the web, do yourself a favour, join up and see what you've been missing! We have moved to a bigger, better faster board !! follow the link below to sign up Join our community! |
| MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT - everyone needs to read | |
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| Topic Started: 26 Aug 2008, 08:13 PM (4,536 Views) | |
| potukxystus | 26 Aug 2008, 08:13 PM Post #1 |
Ask...Get!
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I know that seems a fairly dramatic title, but the following proposal deserves every members serious attention. As most know by now we have been working endlessly on improving the 'free board' provided by Zetaboards. This has involved some serious hours donated free of charge by an awful lot of people. Some time ago a discussion took place between myself and rascal with the view to COMPLETELY SHUTTING DOWN this board and moving the whole lot to professional software based forums hosted on our own server. the reasons for doing this are as follows: zetaboards supply the board free and get their money either when the ads are displayed or from the forums paying them to have the ads removed, as in our case. We receive no monies from those ads and the kind donations from many members ensure they stay away. Currently this costs around £10 per month to do. the boards as everyone knows are severely limited in function. We have been without sub-moderator facilities for nearly two months and nothing from zeta support to suggest a return. Here is the proposal. vBulletin is a professional software app which is licensed and therefore costs money. We have enough in the coffers either for the 1 year licence or to opt to buy the unlimited licence which also gives full free tech support. General Forum Features Threads * Thread display options - sort by, sort order, from date * Thread and forum subscription (notification by email optional) * Thread preview on mouse-over (optional, via Admin CP) * Active Users viewing thread shown * New Post Indicator * Printer Friendly versions on threads * Admin tools for Threads - edit/delete/move/lock/Make sticky/ etc * Email page to a friend option * Similar Threads displayed on all thread views Posts * Linear, Threaded, Hybrid display views available * Supports BB Code in posts * Supports HTML in post * Smilies * Avatars * Optional WYSIWYG or standard editors for posts and Private Messages * Attachment images (.gif,.jpg, etc) are no longer in the database (optional, via Admin CP) * Quick reply box (with optional "forced" click on post to quote) * Preview post option * Post rating * User reputation * Polls * Post Reporting - report posts to moderators * User post count * Admin tools for Posts - edit/delete/move/ etc * Preview safe attachments Members * Member List * Member Search * User Style picker * Private Messaging * Buddy list * Member Birthdays shown on Forum home Calendar Features * Supports multiple private and public calendars * Viewable public and private events (adminCP option) * Weekly, monthly and yearly views * Jump to Today option * Add single, ranged or recurring events * Add all day events * Option to show calendar event on forum home page (adminCP option) * Show events to specific usergroups (adminCP option) * Calendar Moderation * Private events reminder * Ability to add custom fields General * Who's online * Search User Control Panel Features Editable user profile This information can be viewed by other members from the member list. Custom user title, URL home page, date of birth, instant messaging medium, location, occupation, biography, interests, vB version, plus any other custom user fields that may be defined by the administrator Profile pictures Allows members to upload pictures that can be viewed in the users' profile. Private Messaging * Pop-up notification when new PM received * Private Message Tracking * Private Message filing in custom folders User Options These include Daylight Savings options, forum style chooser, selection of notification types for PM, emails etc, thread display options, WYSIWYG editor options, language chooser, vCard downloads to allow the user profile to be placed into an address book Attachment Management * View attachment statistics - shows limit and used space * View the attachments you have posted (link or thumbnail views available) * Remove attachments Avatar Options * Admin Defined Avatars * Custom Avatars - upload from your own computer or specify a URL General * View and manage subscribed threads and forums * Calendar event reminders for subscribed events * Pop-up auto-refreshing buddylist with ICQ-style alerts when new buddies come online * Signature Editor * Email and password changes require current password * Joinable Public User Groups Admin Control Panel Features Styling & Templates * Templated system * Conditionals supported in the templates * Ability to create multiple styles which can be applied to different forums and users * Ability to upload / download styles and languages Language & Phrase Management * Language manager - allows you to easily translate your forums in any language * Multiple languages supported * Phrase manager Users & Usergroups * User registration options * User banning (by name & IP) * Global ignore user aka 'Tachy goes to Coventry' - when enabled all posts by the specified user will be ignored/unseen by other members. Automatically added to the all users ignore lists * Unlimited Moderators and SuperModerators * Permission system, based on user, usergroup or forums Board Maintenance * Task Scheduler * Control Panel, Moderator & Task logs * Board statistics * Maintentance - Database backups, table repair * Post Prunning Moderation * Moderation queues for user registration and posting * Calendar moderation Import Facility * Import facility - import posts and members seamlessly upgrade from other bulletin board systems, including Infopop's Ultimate Bulletin Board, UBBThreads, OpenTopic, ezboard, and Ikonboard Attachments * Multiple attachments and types (types defined by admin in CP) * Attachment thumbnails (requires PHP to have GD enabled) * Storage type options for attachements (database or file system) * Attachment moderation General * Multiple calendars supported * Paid Subscriptions (PayPal, WorldPay, NOCHEX and Authorize.net) * Private forums * COPPA compliant * Server Settings and Optimisation options configurable via the adminCP * Editable FAQ for your own boards * Context sensitive help throughout the adminCP the board and their free upgrades have endless options, too many to list here so this is a link to the online manual for those interested.. http://www.vbulletin.com/docs/html?manualversion=30611500 this is the link to their web site. http://www.vbulletin.com/index.php server hosting for unlimited bandwidth is much less than the £10 per month we pay for the ads removal now.. We need to know from our members what their thoughts are and a poll has been set up for that purpose Call this the consultation stage.. I spent most of last night and a fair bit today on the phone with the moderating team, including Another-Sale, and everyone is excited about making LMZF an even better place to be.. |
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| fernay | 26 Aug 2008, 08:31 PM Post #2 |
Lieutenant Colonel
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i have voted yes lmzf is growing day by day, and i think its a fantastic community, and if change is going to make it a better place then it should be done. one question? would current income cover the ongoing cost of the new software Andy |
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| the_greeze | 26 Aug 2008, 08:33 PM Post #3 |
Sergeant
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vBulletin is excellent software and, to be honest, I find this Zeta forum a bit awkward to use. That is in no way meant to diminish your (and others) hard work and time in making this community and site what it is; you've done an excellent job! :) Time to move on I think; go for vBulletin. It'll be for the good of the site and will help us grow. |
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| Dandandandaman | 26 Aug 2008, 08:35 PM Post #4 |
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I have put yes mainly because I find this forum very slow so it can't be any worse. But from how you describe it I get the impression there are loads of positives and yet there will be no extra cost. Do you see any negatives to the move (other than the work required to do the move and the fact that people will have to get used to a new forum set up)? Do you know of any forums that use this set up which have a large member base so we can have a look at it in action? |
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| PAUL_D | 26 Aug 2008, 08:35 PM Post #5 |
Command Sergeant Major
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With the rapid expansion LMZF has seen so far I think it would be a good idea to do this now. A better platform will surely help us to grow and sustain a popular community for a long time to come. |
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| PAUL_D | 26 Aug 2008, 08:37 PM Post #6 |
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Command Sergeant Major
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Cliosport.net uses vbulletin and they have 29947 members and over 4 million posts! It should work ok for us. |
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| BadManGaz | 26 Aug 2008, 08:39 PM Post #7 |
Prestige level 4
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I voted yes and can see this becoming a unanimous yes overall. At the rate LMZF is growing I think it makes sense to move to vBulletin. Is there any negatives to moving? |
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| shanemcn | 26 Aug 2008, 08:42 PM Post #8 |
Bravo Leader,
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Sounds like a plan guys, but wouldn't it mean a lot of work for you Mods, considering all the work you've put into making this look/feel/act so well? I'll go 'yea', if you feel up to it... :gr8: |
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| BeeCee77 | 26 Aug 2008, 08:43 PM Post #9 |
Colonel
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Yep - sold. |
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| humax39 | 26 Aug 2008, 08:48 PM Post #10 |
Staff Sergeant
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Voted yes too,need vBulletin board to move LMZF forward,Im a member of a lot sites that use vBulletin and it is a better board heres a link plus they have a lot of members.. http://www.satpimps.com/forum/index.php |
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| The_Rascal | 26 Aug 2008, 08:50 PM Post #11 |
Mod::Squad
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@ Fernay - Andy, we have enough money, kindly donated from members, to purchase the unlimited license :) Heck, even if we hadn't I'd front it myself :) @ All - The only negatives to this move is that you'll all have to re-register, and the fact that we will be unable to export any of the posts from here :( BUT in the long run I think the new forum will be a better, more featured place for us to 'hang out' :) Edited by The_Rascal, 26 Aug 2008, 08:52 PM.
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| mouseville | 26 Aug 2008, 08:53 PM Post #12 |
Brigadier General
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Couldn't vote to be honest....I'm not heavily in to IT stuff and I find the current forum fine and works well (for what I use it for). The bit I was confused about was in relation to the £'s.....will the alternate forum be cheaper or more expensive to run? if its cheaper then I would vote yes....if its more expensive then I woudl vote no for the reasons stated. |
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| kingskin | 26 Aug 2008, 08:53 PM Post #13 |
Bravo 2nd in Command
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I voted yes. This seems like a sensible move forward, which is what we've been doing lately. Even if we had a membership fee, if the cost's are going to be less than £10 a month, a £5 a year would be more than enough, and I think most people would be happy to pay that. Or just donations like we have now, we are still going to get enough to cover cost's. Personally I use the ford focus owners club forum, and I have to pay for that, and I'm never on that forum. This is a great forum, and I think if we can make it easier for the people who run it (ie the mods), in their spare time, for nothing, we should. There my 2 pence worth. love it here, nice hair Pot :) |
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| kingskin | 26 Aug 2008, 08:57 PM Post #14 |
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Bravo 2nd in Command
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Bugger scratch the money bit of my post then. Can we not copy/paste post's we would want to keep? lot of work, but everyone could take the stuff they wanted. |
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| xxSTARGATExx | 26 Aug 2008, 09:05 PM Post #15 |
The Gentle Mod
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This is without a doubt the way forward imo,as at the moment we rely on zeta too much in as much as if anything goes wrong with the board,we have to contact them to ask them to fix it,then have to wait for them to do that before we can continue as before :vmad ,it cuases so much grief and hard work. Take this last episode for instance,having to take away 30 privalages but not bieng able to edit the privalages to allow individuals to moderate their Sqd. rooms!!!! If it was our own site we can fix it as it happens,do it when and how we want to,not go running to zeta each time and wait.like with this last one since blummimg early July I voted most definately yes,and my Liz does,and everybody I know :D damn,I can only vote once :tongue |
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| manfredi77 | 26 Aug 2008, 09:07 PM Post #16 |
Sergeant First Class
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yeah sounds good to me. the only way is up (according to yazz and the plastic population) :gr8: |
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| gazeele | 26 Aug 2008, 09:16 PM Post #17 |
ZULU Squad Captain
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will vote yes, looks like the setup of most of the bigger/professional forums use and if we all want this to last (i do) and grow in the way we want it to then increased functionality is a winner ;) :gr8: :gr8: is this the stuff avforums use? looks similar, they have thousands of members and 'billions' of threads so it must be manageable? if ya need any help getting old info over or any other kind of help - i'd be happy to :twothumbs meanwhile i'll just drink me :beer and dream of the future :nothing |
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| demaly | 26 Aug 2008, 09:19 PM Post #18 |
Prestige Level 1
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i dont understand any of the technical stuff but il vote yes anyway coz everyone else is. |
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| brightlightsfade | 26 Aug 2008, 09:22 PM Post #19 |
Captain
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I voted yes. The only other forum I use with any regularity (is that a word?) runs on vBulletin software. That board has 2800 members and around 1600 are active users I don't know the ins and outs of modding it but it seems very smooth. Some threads have many hundreds of post and there are pag agetr page of topics across around 50 or so subforums so vBulletin can handle traffic If the move makes it easier for the mods brilliant As for costs "blows own trumpet" I already subscribe and will have no quibble about continuing to do so. This is not intended to shame anybody who doesn't cos we're not that sort of community Only bummer is not taking all this history with us. Silly question can we not close this site to new posts and link back to read only if we get nostalgic? Maybe not technically feasible but a bit of a wish list |
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| alfie82003 | 26 Aug 2008, 09:25 PM Post #20 |
2nd Lieutenant
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we're growing and we need a message board that will grow with us. i say do it |
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| Pedds1 | 26 Aug 2008, 09:37 PM Post #21 |
Poaching Police
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I voted yes, even tho i am reasonably new and shouldnt be casting a vote :p But only yes under the proviso i get my request for a bowl of fruit as the forum signature :D To be honest, v bulletin is far easier to use with more features...just hope it makes the job easier for the mods ;) |
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| teknopete | 26 Aug 2008, 09:57 PM Post #22 |
The fat controller
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Mark, The only thing till now I can add to my PM last night is perhaps we should parallel the sites for a short period in order to ensure stability prior to ceasation. It would also give us a little time to look at post xfer. I havent looked into it at all but when we decide to go for it, I`m not doubting anyone but am sure we should be able to port content by some means (even if it means looking outside the box) and a lot of code pulling. |
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| potukxystus | 26 Aug 2008, 10:08 PM Post #23 |
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Ask...Get!
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ok all was off there for a bit, expected a good response to this, just not so quickly. a lot of phone calls have been made tonight between the mod team(those reachable) and I have to say I've been really happy with the responses so far. i'll try to clarify some of the questions posted: 1. there will never, ever be a membership fee for LMZF. in the event we ever needed anything in the past, the mod team put their hands in their own pockets and paid for it. this happened with the costs of buying LMZF.co.uk, LMZFclanforum.co.uk and a few other things too. 2. the new forum(if approved) will be set up a a mirror image of the current forum setup. zetaboards will NOT allow the transfer of posts, data etc, so its a fresh start. For those around long enough, we know how easy and quick that happens. 3. thanks to the donations made, we have more than enough to fund the full cost of the complete licence for the software, to give us lifetime upgrades and free 24hr tech support. the costs involved to set up the internet host are half what it costs to remove the ads from this board each month, so yes its cheaper to run too. we can add the facility of a proper online store too for around the same money per month that we are currently paying. 4. the current forum will run as we set the new one up. if we can transfer across we will.. it will be a gradual transfer, with opportunities for 'beta - testers' thats the main points. the 'negatives' have already been stated and as for the time put in by the mod team, we love it -that's not an assumption by me for the other guys, I know it cause they've said it. there have been times were a 12 hour day has been put into the forum.. in the near future, we will be using the chat feature on psn to set up conference meeting to discuss the progress of the forum, any issues and then post then outcomes for all. that's the commitment we put in. As for length of 'service' I personally believe that once you are a member here you have equal rights to say what you think as compared to a member that has been here from the year dot.. that's what makes this home so strong, and it will continue that way. keep the questions and votes coming, and say what you think please. all opinions are greatly valued thanks mark |
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| megadeth32 | 26 Aug 2008, 10:10 PM Post #24 |
Prestige level 6
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sounds good - the modfathers know whats best for us and if they recommend v.bulletin then v.bulletin it is :gr8: |
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| racingsnail | 26 Aug 2008, 10:12 PM Post #25 |
Delta Squad Captain
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a definate yes from me. if lmzf community is to grow iinto the future then we need a platform that will help rather than hinder us. even without the transfer of data/code from exisiting post it wont be long before all threads are up to speed becasue we are all so active. as pete mentions, run both boards for a short period of time to ensure an easier transition period especially when it comes to squads, tornys etc. Edited by racingsnail, 26 Aug 2008, 10:21 PM.
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