Hey everyone!
The yearly site renewal reminded me that we've passed another anniversary here on the Fora!
And that makes it time for the yearly "What's working and what isn't" thread.
Please feel free to share thoughts on what you like, what changes you might like to see, etc.
A big "thank you" to all who volunteer their time to maintain (and contribute content to) the fora! It is a valuable resource!
Thanks for keeping the site running, Eigen.
I guess there are two kinds of changes we might consider:
1. Upgrading SMF 2.0.18 to the latest 2.1, or adding more features from SMF. Maybe adding advertisements.
I don't see much reason to change anything.
2. Changing policies about how the site is run. Maybe the main issue has been about banning people and how to deal with people that others find annoying. But I don't see a need to change anything there either.
There's also the issue of whether the site is maintaining the number of visitors and posts or whether it is in decline. Do we have any stats on that?
Quote from: arcturus on May 17, 2023, 12:39:38 PM
A big "thank you" to all who volunteer their time to maintain (and contribute content to) the fora! It is a valuable resource!
Agree wholeheartedly!
Thank you for keeping this going. I really appreciate it!
There is so much interesting discussion and insight into things that are relevant but that I'd be unlikely to encounter otherwise.
Yes, thank you kindly.
You are a rock star, eigen.
I appreciate you and the continued opportunities to connect and converse here.
I greatly appreciate this space, those who make it happen, and everyone who contributes! Thank you!
Virtual birthday cupcakes! :)
Upgrading SMF is on my list, but I need to make backups and test some things out to make sure they don't break.
One major reason (and this may push it up on my list) is PHP 7.2 sunsetting later this month, and I can't remember what version the forum requires.
Thanks and appreciation to all those who keep The Fora running!
Thank you Eigen for all you do to keep this place running!
Digging into to the quantitative details, I note that The Fora debuted four years ago. Additional thanks to eigen.
Haha, trust me to miscount.
That makes sense though, since I got the first year sponsored.
This community has been invaluable as I'm navigating a faculty career in an isolating environment, with no mentorship available, and colleagues who appear kind on the surface but I've since learned cannot be trusted. Thank you for keeping this community alive post-Chronicle. I honestly don't think I could have kept my wits about me without a place to ask questions and get worries off my mind. Thank you!
Quote from: foralurker on May 19, 2023, 08:11:35 PM
This community has been invaluable as I'm navigating a faculty career in an isolating environment, with no mentorship available, and colleagues who appear kind on the surface but I've since learned cannot be trusted. Thank you for keeping this community alive post-Chronicle. I honestly don't think I could have kept my wits about me without a place to ask questions and get worries off my mind. Thank you!
When I began job hunting and then took a job in a college with a similar atmosphere, the CHE were invaluable. (I'm fortunate in that My Place is now wonderfully supportive.) The combined experience of TheFora members is extensive and invaluable.
Adding my thanks to Eigen and all of you for your work
Updated the title to reflect new data.
These fora remain great, a worthy successor to the Chronicle fora. But I miss many of the old-time stalwarts. I am wondering how we might induce/ recruit/? people to come on by?
Quote from: kaysixteen on May 22, 2023, 09:27:45 PM
These fora remain great, a worthy successor to the Chronicle fora. But I miss many of the old-time stalwarts. I am wondering how we might induce/ recruit/? people to come on by?
Short of telling people you know directly, I think our best bet is to get ourselves indexed on the first page of Google search results. Being linked to in medium/high traffic venues would be good, too. Like, say, via an article on CHE or IHE. That would require some outreach, however. So, as with everything, it's just a matter of finding the time. Unless someone has some contacts.
Quote from: Parasaurolophus on May 23, 2023, 05:30:22 PM
Quote from: kaysixteen on May 22, 2023, 09:27:45 PM
These fora remain great, a worthy successor to the Chronicle fora. But I miss many of the old-time stalwarts. I am wondering how we might induce/ recruit/? people to come on by?
Short of telling people you know directly, I think our best bet is to get ourselves indexed on the first page of Google search results. Being linked to in medium/high traffic venues would be good, too. Like, say, via an article on CHE or IHE. That would require some outreach, however. So, as with everything, it's just a matter of finding the time. Unless someone has some contacts.
All but two of the 31 DSMs (>1000 posts) joined in the first few days of The Fora. Among the ~55 SMS (250 to 1000 posts), most joined in 2019, two joined in 2020. None later. Thus the site has not attracted new super-active users. The most recent member with >10 posts is from September 2021. I checked a few random members with ~100 posts and half had logged in within the last few days. So people are reading.
Somewhat similar discussions happen on reddit at r/professors, r/academia and r/highereducation. The last seems to be an effort by CHE to foster discussion about their articles, but it hasn't been lively. Where else have Forumites found comparable sites?
Quote from: foralurker on May 19, 2023, 08:11:35 PM
This community has been invaluable as I'm navigating a faculty career in an isolating environment, with no mentorship available, and colleagues who appear kind on the surface but I've since learned cannot be trusted. Thank you for keeping this community alive post-Chronicle. I honestly don't think I could have kept my wits about me without a place to ask questions and get worries off my mind. Thank you!
I'm in a similar situation, so I wanted to thank the board hosts and moderators as well. I haven't really found anything comparable elsewhere on the internet.