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DJC
1st June 2004, 12:53 PM
This new forum is based on vBulletin compared to the old one being based on OpenBulletin. Things are slightly different, and there are some new features. I will list a few of the new features now.Report Bad Post - You should have noticed this button http://www.british-gymnastics.org/memberforum/images/buttons/report.gif in the top right of other people's posts. Clicking it will take you to a page where you can report the post of another member to a moderator, with the message:Note: This is ONLY to be used to report spam, advertising messages, and problematic (harassment, fighting, or rude) posts.Most of you will understand the late-coming of this feature.

Ignore List - A user can be added to your Ignore List (http://www.british-gymnastics.org/memberforum/profile.php?do=editlist). This will mean all posts by that user will be replaced with the message:

This message is hidden because [NAME] is on your ignore list.Formatting - Posts can now be formatted more easily, with a Font selector, size selector, and indent feature. Also included are bulletpoints and numbering, along with previous features such as bold, underlining, hyperlink, colour etc. Oh, and of course smilies :D For newer, less able users, in the User CP (http://www.british-gymnastics.org/memberforum/usercp.php?), select Edit Options (http://www.british-gymnastics.org/memberforum/profile.php?do=editoptions). At the bottom under 'Miscellaneous Options' and then 'Message Editor Interface' select 'Enhanced Interface - Full WYSIWYG Editing'. This will be like typing in Word almost - select some text, then click the bold button, or change the colour. However this feature may not work for all users, and is quite slow. More able users who have understood how to use the vBulletin 'Tags' should opt for either of the first 2 options - 'Basic Editor - A simple text box' or 'Standard Editor - Extra formatting controls'. This option (standard) is most like the old forum.

Private Messages - The PM (http://www.british-gymnastics.org/memberforum/private.php?) system is greatly improved now. There is no longer a dodgy outbox, just an inbox and a sent items folder (although you can create new folders if you wish). 50 messages can also be stored, and when the limit is reached, old messages can be downloaded to your computer as a text file, so you don't lose them. Read receipts can also be requested and sent, so that a user can tell whether their recipient has received the message or not. The notification system is also good, with a pop-up informing you of a new PM, and opening it in a new window.

Notifications - As previously mentioned PM notification is improved with a message pop-up, but also an e-mail is sent informing the user. Subscription is better too; a user can subscribe to a thread they have started, or one they have posted in, or any thread actually. An e-mail can be sent immediately when a new post is posted, or a daily/weekly e-mail can be sent informing of updated threads. All the e-mail notifications can be turned off.

Time - The time system is better, being personalised to where you live, and also taking into account DST, so hopefully the time you see should match the time where you are.

Many more features - I will edit this post to add them as I find them/remember them.

Censorship - There is a feature for censorhip on this forum. Words chosen by the moderators or admins will be replaced by *s if posted. This prevents inappropriate language being seen by younger visitors, and also prevents those kind of insults. This will only work if a censorship list has been created though.

Reason for Edit - When editing a post, the user can give a reason. This might be spelling corrections, additions, or something else. At the bottom of this post, it should say the last time of edit, who edited it, and the reason should say 'Update'. This helps people to understand why a post may have been edited.

Deleting a Post - Just noticed, if you edit one of your own posts, and it's your latest post in a thread, after clicking edit, it can be deleted completely, rather than just replacing it with a full stop as most people did before. However, your a post of your own before another post of your own in a thread can only be deleted by a moderator.

Profile Picture - Avatars are disabled, but you can now add a picture to your profile (http://www.british-gymnastics.org/memberforum/profile.php?do=editprofilepic). Profiles were previously disabled, so take advantage of them, and write something interesting or useful.

Online Status - The small circle next to members' names shows whether they are online (browsing the forum) or not. If it is green then they are, if it is grey, then they aren't. Also looking in a user's profile shows you which section of the forum they are looking at, and next to a forum's title, you can see how many people are browsing it.

Signature Exclude - When replying, a user can decide not to include their signature. This will not delete the user's signature, nor remove it from previous posts. It will exclude it from the current post though.

Contact Us - Clicking this (http://www.british-gymnastics.org/memberforum/sendmessage.php) at the bottom of the page will allow you to e-mail the Forum Administrator if you are having problems, or just to leave feedback.Contact Us

Your Details

Your Name:
Email Address:

Subject

Site Feedback (Pick one)
Registration Problem (Pick one)
Other (Pick one)

Message:
Moderator Features - Moderators should be able to keep the forum tidy in a number of ways. Threads should be able to be renamed, moved, locked (stays, but no more replies allowed), split (off topic threads can be split into 2 seperate threads), merged (2 similar threads can be merged together) or deleted completely. Threads can also be made 'sticky' so that they remain at the top of a forum, regardless of the last post-date.
Posts should be able to be edited or deleted.
Users should be able to be banned, renamed or fully moderated (posts validated before submission).
Profiles should also be able to be edited. This means that inappropriate signatures or pictures can be removed.
Features should be able to be locked or unlocked for all or certain users (permissions). Moderators could stop the use of images in posts, or disable post counts, or disable profiles (like on the old forum) :( A limit could also be placed on the amount of PMs allowed to be sent and possibly on the amount of posts a user can make per day.
New boards could be added as well (like the new Forum Help board suggested by me).

I hope this helps new users, and means more people can take advantage of the features :)

Sue
1st June 2004, 09:14 PM
"Time - The time system is better, being personalised to where you live, and also taking into account DST, so hopefully the time you see should match the time where you are."

Is it possible to change your own time setting? At the moment mine is set to GMT - 12 hours, which is a bit off-putting!
:o

DJC
1st June 2004, 09:47 PM
Yes it is.

At the top left of the forum, click on User CP (http://www.british-gymnastics.org/memberforum/usercp.php?) (User Control Panel).

Then click Edit Options (http://www.british-gymnastics.org/memberforum/profile.php?do=editoptions) under 'Settings & Options' on the left.

Go to the bottom, and under the title 'Date & Time Options' and 'Time Zone' select (GMT) Western Europe Time, London

and Automatically detect DST Settings.

This should work (they are the settings I am using, and the time is showing correctly for me), and hopefully automatically change the time when we go back to GMT. Hope this helps!

Sue
2nd June 2004, 08:38 AM
Thank you - that's much better! I have returned from Eniwetok and am now back on British time!

Anita
2nd June 2004, 08:48 AM
An observation (I can be observant some times:) ) - when you're logged on your blob goes green.

Sue
2nd June 2004, 08:50 AM
Yes, I'd just managed to work that out as well!

DJC
2nd June 2004, 02:24 PM
An observation (I can be observant some times:) ) - when you're logged on your blob goes green.Not so observant to notice that I'd already written that though :p
Online Status - The small circle next to members' names shows whether they are online (browsing the forum) or not. If it is green then they are, if it is grey, then they aren't.:p

Anita
2nd June 2004, 02:41 PM
Ok - I admit I haven't been reading your updates :o . Smacked hands ....

DJC
3rd June 2004, 03:12 AM
OK I can't update the first post anymore; it causes a timeout error!

Previous Updates to the First Post:

Formatting

Censorship

Reason for Edit

Deleting a Post

Signature Exclude

New Updates:

Profile Picture - Avatars are disabled, but you can now add a picture to your profile (http://www.british-gymnastics.org/memberforum/profile.php?do=editprofilepic). These pictures must be less than 100*100 pixels, and also less than 64 Kilobytes in size. They can also be animated. Check out my profile (http://www.british-gymnastics.org/memberforum/member.php?u=11) for an example. Profiles were previously disabled, so take advantage of them, and write something interesting or useful.

Espionage - In addition to the Online Status, users can see what each member is looking at or doing on the forum by looking at the Who's Online (http://www.british-gymnastics.org/memberforum/online.php?) page. This can be accessed by clicking the Quick Links button near the top right, or by clicking Currently Active Users (http://www.british-gymnastics.org/memberforum/online.php?) on the main page (http://www.british-gymnastics.org) under the What's Going On? title at the bottom. Also, viewing a user's profile tells you when they were last seen, and which area of the forum they were using.

More features coming soon including thread rating, calendar and more.

Sue
3rd June 2004, 10:04 AM
DJ - you are a star. Have you thought of asking Helen for a job as an additional moderator?

I hope it is a glitch on my computer that shows you posting at 3.12am though! Good luck with the exams. Are you likely to be competing again in the autumn?

Tasha
9th June 2004, 03:53 PM
Hia how do you create polls?? xx

Anita
9th June 2004, 08:51 PM
Hi Tasha

Start a new thread and, below the message box you would normally type in is an "Additional Options" section - like the one below a reply to a thread.

At the bottom of this section is "Post a Poll" - you can choose up to ten poll options.

Hope this helps - and is clear!;)

Tasha
9th June 2004, 09:57 PM
Hia yer thnxs for the help anita!! xxx

DJC
10th June 2004, 01:26 PM
Start a new thread, and after typing a message, at the bottom fill in the poll section:

Post a Poll
Yes, post a poll with this thread
Number of poll options: (Maximum: 10)

You will then be taken to a page where you can enter a phrase for each poll option. You can then select additional options, such as multiple choices (choose more than one option), and public results (everyone can see who has voted for each option). You can also set a time limit to the poll, so it closes at a certain date.

Laura
10th June 2004, 05:06 PM
DJC- why do u keep making unnecessary posts- the question had already been answered- I find it really annoying and I'm sure I'm not the only one. It's as if you're just constantly trying to up your post number and therefore making posts for the sake of it.

Tasha
10th June 2004, 06:15 PM
LOL im trying to up my posts !!! shame the blobs have gone helen is there anyway you can bring back the blobs ??? Luv Tasha xxxxxxxxxx

DJC
10th June 2004, 07:33 PM
Thread title: A Few New Features. Thread author: DJC
Polls here have some new features compared to the old forum, I thought I would post these here, as it is relevant to the thread, as well as answering the question in more detail. As for post counts, if I wanted to increase them, I would not edit posts, I would post consecutive posts every time I wanted to change anything. I updated the first post here over 12 times, I could have just kept posting.