The Fora: A Higher Education Community

General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: eigen on April 14, 2020, 08:31:26 PM

Title: It's Been a Year!
Post by: eigen on April 14, 2020, 08:31:26 PM
I can't quite believe it's been almost a year since we originally found out the CHE forums were closing, and worked to set up an alternate site.

We're currently sitting at 1760 members, and 26,550 posts (including this one). We're about as active as the CHE forums were before the end, with about 80 new posts a day between users. We're also still (slowly) gaining members- lots of them are spam accounts, but we continue to approve new non-spammy members with regularity.

I wanted to start this thread to see how everyone feels about the experiment. Especially as we near the end of the free year provided by Reclaim Hosting (I just got the bill for the renewal in the mail).

Is this working for you? Do you have changes you want to see? Do you have thoughts, or concerns?
Title: Re: It's Been a Year!
Post by: dismalist on April 14, 2020, 08:54:26 PM
The kinds of threads initiated here seem to me to be far more interesting on average than on the former fora. Perhaps this is because we live in more exciting times.

The posts seem better, too, though I miss those on the "Posting while Plastered" thread. :-)

A modest payment in future, if necessary, could improve quality even further.

If price is right, I'm in.

Best to all.
Title: Re: It's Been a Year!
Post by: science.expat on April 15, 2020, 03:58:39 AM
I think it's great and very much appreciate the work of Eigen and colleagues to make this happen. Many thanks, all!

I've been with the fora since the Wild West days. This version is probably the most focused which makes sense given the history - and it's probably the better for it. Though I may take it upon myself to restart the 'Posting while Plastered' thread....

I'm happy to throw in a few quid to keep this going, how can I do this?

Cheers,
SE
Title: Re: It's Been a Year!
Post by: polly_mer on April 15, 2020, 04:39:47 AM
Happy to chip in to keep it going.
Title: Re: It's Been a Year!
Post by: marshwiggle on April 15, 2020, 05:06:02 AM
I'd contribute too. I suppose if you charged me by the word it could be profitable. :)
Title: Re: It's Been a Year!
Post by: Puget on April 15, 2020, 07:51:39 AM
Yes big thanks to eigen and others who made this happen! Also the moderators-- the lack of spam here is magnificent compared to the old fora, and I can only suppose that the moderators' vigilance in screening out spammy initial posts is responsible for this blessed state of affairs.

I think for the most part things are going great. We have interesting discussions, and I've seen some wonderful supportive interactions. Sure, some discussions get repetitive and some posters rub each other the wrong way, but why would we expect this to be any different from any of our departments ;). Compared to most of the internet its downright civilized.

Also happy to chip on for hosting costs!
Title: Re: It's Been a Year!
Post by: downer on April 15, 2020, 08:03:56 AM
How would payment work?

What changes to the platform are possible, without switching to a whole new platform?
Title: Re: It's Been a Year!
Post by: polly_mer on April 15, 2020, 08:12:19 AM
Quote from: downer on April 15, 2020, 08:03:56 AM
What changes to the platform are possible, without switching to a whole new platform?

https://www.simplemachines.org/about/smf/features.php might give you some ideas.
Title: Re: It's Been a Year!
Post by: downer on April 15, 2020, 08:26:58 AM
Quote from: polly_mer on April 15, 2020, 08:12:19 AM
Quote from: downer on April 15, 2020, 08:03:56 AM
What changes to the platform are possible, without switching to a whole new platform?

https://www.simplemachines.org/about/smf/features.php might give you some ideas.

It doesn't seem like there's a huge amount that could be made different.

Is this feature currently available?: Ability to allow or disallow your users to select their own theme.
Title: Re: It's Been a Year!
Post by: eigen on April 15, 2020, 08:43:47 AM
You can select your own themes already, to some degree. Instructions are in the stickies post on the mobile friendly theme.
Title: Re: It's Been a Year!
Post by: bacardiandlime on April 15, 2020, 09:09:39 AM
Thank you Eigen for making this happen.
Title: Re: It's Been a Year!
Post by: namazu on April 15, 2020, 09:25:57 AM
Thanks, eigen, for getting things going, and moderators, for keeping things spam-free!
Title: Re: It's Been a Year!
Post by: Larimar on April 15, 2020, 09:46:39 AM
Chime to the thanks to all the moderators!
Title: Re: It's Been a Year!
Post by: darkstarrynight on April 15, 2020, 10:08:12 AM
Wow! A year has flown by already? Thanks for making this possible!
Title: Re: It's Been a Year!
Post by: Hibush on April 15, 2020, 11:54:21 AM
Thanks Eigen, for making this a big success. Happy to chip in.

Do the offer a Donate button? The challenge is that the IRS is curious about where the money goes.

Reclaim takes credit cards and PayPal. Can you ask them whether they can administer a crowdsourced payment? We would PayPal funds to Reclaim individually, and they would credit the Fora account. 
Title: Re: It's Been a Year!
Post by: Hibush on April 15, 2020, 12:01:47 PM
As far as the success, some perusing of the member list shows that ~250 users have posted at least 10 times. That's good!  Most of the 10-posters have spent more than a full workday logged on to The Fora, which is a significant investment. And there are quite a few familiar names in that region, people who are making thoughtful and memorable contributions to the discussion.

I'm enjoying this incarnation of The Fora. It is a good outlet for some things I don't really want to share with my IRL colleagues, but do want to discuss with smart and informed academics who are not predisposed to agree on everything.
Title: Re: It's Been a Year!
Post by: eigen on April 15, 2020, 02:43:25 PM
Honestly, given the current cost I'm happy to foot the bill for the next year and we can work out something past that. It's not such a significant amount that the collection seems worth it.

I mostly wanted to make sure that there's enough interest, and use it as a time for reflection.

If we continue to grow, we may think about moving to more expensive hosting in the future, for which taking up a collection would be more necessary.
Title: Re: It's Been a Year!
Post by: dismalist on April 15, 2020, 03:08:57 PM
Quote from: eigen on April 15, 2020, 02:43:25 PM
Honestly, given the current cost I'm happy to foot the bill for the next year and we can work out something past that. It's not such a significant amount that the collection seems worth it.

I mostly wanted to make sure that there's enough interest, and use it as a time for reflection.

If we continue to grow, we may think about moving to more expensive hosting in the future, for which taking up a collection would be more necessary.

Oh, dammit: Regulate and tax, tax and regulate, as I wish we would do with all drugs! :-)

Best wishes!
Title: Re: It's Been a Year!
Post by: hmaria1609 on April 15, 2020, 06:45:18 PM
Happy 1st Birthday for the forum!
It's been great seeing everyone from the old forum come to the new digs and new members who've joined us.  Many thanks to those who made it happen!
Title: Re: It's Been a Year!
Post by: AmLitHist on April 16, 2020, 08:30:15 AM
I'll add my thanks to those who oversaw the move and continue to keep the fora alive!
Title: Re: It's Been a Year!
Post by: traductio on April 16, 2020, 07:19:13 PM
Quote from: AmLitHist on April 16, 2020, 08:30:15 AM
I'll add my thanks to those who oversaw the move and continue to keep the fora alive!

Me too. Indeed, I've been impressed that the feel of the new fora is often like that of the old, in both the helpful ways and in the ways that arise from disagreement. I don't think disagreement is intrinsically bad, although I think I've always been better at ignoring people I don't care for. Despite the disagreement, there's a generosity here that has kept me reading the fora -- old and new -- for something like twelve years.

Of course, I still post about once every four days. Have since I signed up in 2008.
Title: Re: It's Been a Year!
Post by: Parasaurolophus on April 21, 2020, 01:26:09 PM
Wait, already?!

Quote from: dismalist on April 14, 2020, 08:54:26 PM
The kinds of threads initiated here seem to me to be far more interesting on average than on the former fora. Perhaps this is because we live in more exciting times.

The posts seem better, too, though I miss those on the "Posting while Plastered" thread. :-)


I agree, with a few notable exceptions. I wish we had even more variety in the posting department, but we're doing well for a relatively small forum, and I think we're in good shape for the future.

Quote from: Puget on April 15, 2020, 07:51:39 AM
Yes big thanks to eigen and others who made this happen! Also the moderators-- the lack of spam here is magnificent compared to the old fora, and I can only suppose that the moderators' vigilance in screening out spammy initial posts is responsible for this blessed state of affairs.


Honestly, the software does most of the work for us by requiring approval for the first post. It means that although the occasional spammer gets approved, their spam is almost never visible to the general community.

Not that there are many of those to remove. We seem to be doing a good job of rejecting spammers at the registration stage. (And I have to say, there seem to be a lot of spam registrations!)
Title: Re: It's Been a Year!
Post by: traductio on April 23, 2020, 06:32:49 PM
Huh.

I wanted to check the Fora and muscle memory led me to type "chronicle.com/forums." Well, I didn't type it the whole way, but I got through "chron" before mentally checking back in.

(On an unrelated note, no one in my household remembers what day it is anymore.)
Title: Re: It's Been a Year!
Post by: Parasaurolophus on April 23, 2020, 06:48:27 PM
Quote from: traductio on April 23, 2020, 06:32:49 PM
Huh.

I wanted to check the Fora and muscle memory led me to type "chronicle.com/forums." Well, I didn't type it the whole way, but I got through "chron" before mentally checking back in.

(On an unrelated note, no one in my household remembers what day it is anymore.)

Yeah, I keep trying to access this site by typing 'chron' in my browser and then hitting enter as it autocompletes the URL for the old site. Sigh.
Title: Re: It's Been a Year!
Post by: aside on April 23, 2020, 07:00:20 PM
I'm also grateful to Eigen and the others that got the new fora up and keep them running! 
Title: Re: It's Been a Year!
Post by: brixton on April 24, 2020, 07:42:29 PM
Happy birthday fora.  I've been on for a long time, although not as much this year, since I'm currently teaching in China. But it is great to know that it is going strong!
Title: Re: It's Been a Year!
Post by: Wahoo Redux on April 25, 2020, 11:08:20 AM
One year old!

Now get ready for the terrible twos!!!

Overall I find the New Fora much more interesting, primarily as someone said because of the times we live in.  And I even enjoy the posters I most frequently clash with.  Happy Year Two, Polly!!

Thanks eigen!  Your efforts are much appreciated.  Perhaps a Kickstarter campaign to pay for the boards?
Title: Re: It's Been a Year!
Post by: polly_mer on April 25, 2020, 08:57:25 PM
Quote from: Wahoo Redux on April 25, 2020, 11:08:20 AM
Perhaps a Kickstarter campaign to pay for the boards?

It's likely not pricey enough to warrant the extra overhead for a Kickstarter campaign.  After all, technically some of our time is valued at $250/h.

I'm glad you appreciate some of those data-filled posts that would be $500-1000 dollars if I were charging my standard professional rates.
Title: Re: It's Been a Year!
Post by: mamselle on May 07, 2020, 12:29:46 PM
Very glad and grateful for the ongoing, nearly seamless (from my perspective) transition.

I miss the donkey, the hamster, and the dolphins, and some of the free-for-all zaniness that used to take off on certain threads like a kite...anthroid, octoprof, and a few other of the Usual Suspects had so.ething to do with that, and I miss those we've lost (Froggy, Pry, and others come to mind). I also miss the Cabana parties.

I echo the deep appreciation for the lack of spam...just daylight in co.parison with the foggy nights of two-page bot posts.

I still think we could be kinder to each other.

M.
Title: Re: It's Been a Year!
Post by: mamselle on May 13, 2020, 12:51:14 PM
Sorry for the double, now a bit later...

Has anyone tried to log back into the old forum?

I was able to until recently, looking for old threads and such, but now that returns a "user not recgonized" reply.

Hmmm..

M.