Has the forum had its day?

[Bob Bacon]

Some stuff here, much of which is beyond me.

vbulletin apps

There is only one real app that works with this version of vBulletin and that is vBulletin 5 Connect Mobile Suite, which provides multiple ways to optimise the site for mobile visitors. The cost of this is $199

[Baconwallah]

I distinctly remember that a recent upgrade to vBulletin 5 was not an unqualified success.

John.

[Joe Cartwright]

I agree with Paul.

[Bob Bacon]

I distinctly remember that a recent upgrade to vBulletin 5 was not an unqualified success.

John.

John,

It wasn't vBulletin 5 that we installed. We updated from version 4.2.2 to 4.2.3. The problem was 4.2.3 required PHP version 5.4.0 or higher. Our account was originally on a PHP 5.3 server. They migrated the domain to another server that was php5.4. I believe that this is responsible for the incompatibilities we encountered, hence us being moved back to the original server.

The vBulletin Mobile Suite is compatible with our current version

[Baconwallah]

My confused mind at work, Bob. Regrets.

John

[Jerry B]

John,

It wasn't vBulletin 5 that we installed. We updated from version 4.2.2 to 4.2.3. The problem was 4.2.3 required PHP version 5.4.0 or higher. Our account was originally on php5.3 server. They migrate the domain to another server that was php5.4. I believe that this is responsible for the incompatibilities we encountered, hence us being moved back to the php5.3 server.

The vBulletin Mobile Suite is compatible with our current version

What, my head spins, I struggle to juggle whether to use chrome or firefox or mozzila!

Hats off to those who run the site.

[John Turner]

To answer the question honestly (IMHO) yes, it has had its day.

A forum isn't a just website, a forum is people, without them it actually is just a website, but forums evolve depending on the structure of the website, the level and type of moderation, its privacy or lack of and much more. This one has evolved in to a place to come for Regimental/military history

All the banter has gone and that's what I, for one, mainly want - not quizzes, arcade games and genealogy, there's plenty of sites that specialise in those things. I log on most days and most days all I do is mark forums as read.

F book may have something to do with it but the advantage a discussion forum has over a social network site is that you can see at a glance what's been going on over a long period of time and click on anything. On F Book it's just one big long reel you'd have to scroll down and down and down on if you wanted to catch up.

So I'm thinking either work on the forum's strengths - history/genealogy etc with all the rest under a couple of sub forums, or somehow encourage people back and new people in that will actually talk to each other on a frequent basis like they used to.

And make it viewable logged out - there's always the option of having members only sub forums.

[Keith Jones 989]

To answer the question honestly (IMHO) yes, it has had its day.

A forum isn't a just website, a forum is people, without them it actually is just a website, but forums evolve depending on the structure of the website, the level and type of moderation, its privacy or lack of and much more. This one has evolved in to a place to come for Regimental/military history

All the banter has gone and that's what I, for one, mainly want - not quizzes, arcade games and genealogy, there's plenty of sites that specialise in those things. I log on most days and most days all I do is mark forums as read.

F book may have something to do with it but the advantage a discussion forum has over a social network site is that you can see at a glance what's been going on over a long period of time and click on anything. On F Book it's just one big long reel you'd have to scroll down and down and down on if you wanted to catch up.

So I'm thinking either work on the forum's strengths - history/genealogy etc with all the rest under a couple of sub forums, or somehow encourage people back and new people in that will actually talk to each other on a frequent basis like they used to.

And make it viewable logged out - there's always the option of having members only sub forums.

Wow!

[ap1]

To answer the question honestly (IMHO) yes, it has had its day.

Thanks John, very valid points from one of our long-term members. Marmite views are always good :-) Your comments, when stripped away, offer up some good reasons why the forum has changed, as technology has caught up with the masses. I take your point about the historical stuff, but for me, it's one of the sites strengths. Going back to 1999, that's the main reason I got involved, as I noticed RWF related questions on a very rudimentary RWF Forum page not being answered. This was prior to myself and Bob linking up(later with Sharon).

Clearly we are not interacting as we used to on here, FB now seeming to be the preferred option. But I must admit, when I see some of the quality of discussions on various FB groups, I say a silent prayer! Thankfully, from my standpoint, we as the RWF Forum have managed to keep out of that. We have a decent following on FB and Twitter, and are probably still seen as a place where you will get correct information, rather than a rumour mill, or a place to slag off someone who put you on extras 30yrs ago!

I think ease of accessability is the key, and Bob is looking closely at that aspect. As Sharon indicated, the FB app makes it so easy to read and respond to activity on that format, something like that might be attractive on here. Bob's also looking at other access options and streamlining the log-in process. Your comment about public viewing of threads has real merit, although I would still caution throwing the doors open to the great unwashed. One of our strengths is our ability to manage our own dirty laundry and remove problems quickly, without fuss. We must remain a disciplined site and in this day and age, with everyone having some form of internet tool, unfettered public access might be self-destructive. Perhaps the ability to read some threads, but only respond via membership. But it is a minefield.

I don't think we've had our day, but I do think we need to change how we function and how we look to new members. We are a small niche site, that's friendly and informative. We just need a way of improving the members online experience and make their interactions with each other easy.

[johnnye63]

To answer the question honestly (IMHO) yes, it has had its day.

A forum isn't a just website, a forum is people, without them it actually is just a website, but forums evolve depending on the structure of the website, the level and type of moderation, its privacy or lack of and much more. This one has evolved in to a place to come for Regimental/military history

All the banter has gone and that's what I, for one, mainly want - not quizzes, arcade games and genealogy, there's plenty of sites that specialise in those things. I log on most days and most days all I do is mark forums as read.

F book may have something to do with it but the advantage a discussion forum has over a social network site is that you can see at a glance what's been going on over a long period of time and click on anything. On F Book it's just one big long reel you'd have to scroll down and down and down on if you wanted to catch up.

So I'm thinking either work on the forum's strengths - history/genealogy etc with all the rest under a couple of sub forums, or somehow encourage people back and new people in that will actually talk to each other on a frequent basis like they used to.

And make it viewable logged out - there's always the option of having members only sub forums.

I agree, thanks.