SNOWEST FORUMS: Coming Attractions on SnoWest.

[christopher]

With Fall comes change, and now that everyone knows that change is blowing in the wind for the SnoWest Forums, I thought I would offer everyone a little more insight into some of the goodies you can be looking forward in the future....

NOTE:
What you see will take some time to get installed.
Likely we are talking MONTHS here, just so you understand the time frame. My goal is to have all of this up and running THIS YEAR though. So there should be a nice steady trickle of new features coming into SnoWest week after week as the upgrade to the forums progresses.

Also note, that the order I have listed these is NOT indicative of how I will get them installed. This is my MASTER list as of TODAY. And you can count on it CHANGING over time!!




Custom VB Features that are not found anywhere else that have been written for SnoWest:

- Thread highlighting based on the forum the thread belongs to (Now Implemented)

- Shows when the thread was started (Now Implemented)

- Deeply expanded menu system to make the system more intuitive (Now Implemented)

- Opt-in / opt-out of various subsections / large groups of forums based on interest

- Opt-in / opt-out of various new modifications (Now Implemented)

- Posts I was "thanked" for & Posts I "thanked" (Now Implemented)

=====

Customized VB Modifications to be installed on SnoWest:

- Shout-box (Now Implemented)

- Ability to ban a user from specific threads

- Automatically PM a user when moderation action is taken on a thread they own (Now Implemented)

- Automated replies to PMs

- Ability for an admin to login as a specific user and see the forum the way they see it for trouble shooting/tech support.

- Full download / file library.

- Moderator Statistics -- shows full moderator activity stats (Now Implemented)

- "Thanks" system for posts (Now Implemented)

- Experience system (Now Implemented)

- SocialForums and SocialGroups -- allows members to create their own forums after enough interest is gathered in a niche topic (Now Implemented)

- Favorites system -- allows members to tag threads or posts as "favorites" and come back to them later

- "Status" -- status messages for users (Now Implemented)

- Module to show who has read a thread and when they read it (Now Implemented)

- Mass-PM system (Now Implemented)

=====

Pre-Written Modules to be installed on SnoWest.

Advanced Forum Statistics

Automated Answer Forums

Zero-Posters notices

PM System Enhancements: (Now Implemented)

Garages (Now Implemented)

Display Unread Posts and New Posts enhancement.

Reputation Comments

AME (Auto Media Embedding)

Last Post Info Enhancements (Now Implemented)

Guest Viewing

Live Topic tags (Now Implemented)

Living Avatars

Mass PM for Social Group Members

microBUSINESS Center

Quick Editor Improver (Now Implemented)

Thread Thumbnails (Now Implemented)

Top Posters Listings (Now Implemented)

Upgraded Read PMs

User Countdowns & Countups: (Now Implemented)

Video-Directory

Thread Tags (Now Implemented)

Top Posts in Last 10 Days (Now Implemented)

 

[Super B]

Wow! That is an impressive list! I look forward to seeing these features implemented!

 

[christopher]

When I said I wanted to catipult SnoWest into the #1 "Premier" position as the best Snowmobile forum on the Internet, I wasn't kidding.

Having done this before, I have a REALLY good idea of what it takes to move a good forum into "Greatness".

And a whole lot of what makes a forum great, is the User Experience. The technology is out there, its just a bear for most sites to implement and support, as it requires a real full time admin to watch over it all the time.

 

[Nubulin]

Sounds like a lot of good new features. Thanks for working on it!

Let make sure it stays fast and stable! Slowdowns were the worst on the old forum.

My only request is can we appoint some of the more active and reputable users as moderators? There are always the losers that help to ruin the forum and an active moderator list would help a lot. Of course there is a fine line between censorship and keeping the idiots at bay.

 

[Ex-Member]

"catapult"

 

[Ex-Member]

Also,

 

[christopher]

Sounds like a lot of good new features. Thanks for working on it!

Let make sure it stays fast and stable! Slowdowns were the worst on the old forum.

AGREED.
All this week we are load testing the SnoWest server to see exactly what is being asked of it, and just how much headroom we have to work with in implimenting these upgrades.

My only request is can we appoint some of the more active and reputable users as moderators? There are always the losers that help to ruin the forum and an active moderator list would help a lot. Of course there is a fine line between censorship and keeping the idiots at bay.

AGREED AGAIN.
New Moderators will be forthcoming!!
There is simply NO WAY I can do everything we have in mind without the help of a PILE of SnoWesters!!

There will be an annoucement on Moderators coming in the near future.

 

[H2SNOW]

whats a living avatar ???

 

[Ex-Member]

whats a living avatar ???

 

[WOODIES]

oh god more chit

 

[christopher]

whats a living avatar ???

Just another way to generate an avitar.
Its something that a few people will use who don't have photographs or images.

For the most part, it will have little or no impact on most people.

 

[christopher]

oh god more chit

Just for you Daddy!

 

[Himark]

- Ability to ban a user from specific threads



^^^^^^^^

this will be nice for a certain "1 skier addict" guy!!

 

[Super B]

- Ability to ban a user from specific threads



^^^^^^^^

this will be nice for a certain "1 skier addict" guy!!

I want the ability to ban a user from threads...

 

[MtnMaxMod]

- Ability to ban a user from specific threads



^^^^^^^^

this will be nice for a certain "1 skier addict" guy!!

hah! i was just reading one of his threads before i opend up this one. i couldn't agree more

 

[shortstop20]

AGREED.
All this week we are load testing the SnoWest server to see exactly what is being asked of it, and just how much headroom we have to work with in implimenting these upgrades.

Being involved in IT myself I know that is a very good idea, we don't want any surprises when the forum gets really busy in the winter. There were even times last year when page load times were less than optimal. I'm glad to see that SnoWest has finally got somebody onboard to do this stuff for them, it's really been needed for a long time.

 

[christopher]

- Ability to ban a user from specific threads
^^^^^^^^
this will be nice for a certain "1 skier addict" guy!!

With active moderation on the forums, these are tools that allow us to make things work a bit better.

Its been VERY rarely used in the past, but when you get someone who is just plain belligerent and will NOT shut up and let go of an issue, that is tool that locks him/her out of just that one thread.

 

[christopher]

I want the ability to ban a user from threads...

Are you telling me you want to volunteer to become a Moderator?????

 

[christopher]

Being involved in IT myself I know that is a very good idea, we don't want any surprises when the forum gets really busy in the winter. There were even times last year when page load times were less than optimal. I'm glad to see that SnoWest has finally got somebody onboard to do this stuff for them, it's really been needed for a long time.

While I do not have good data yet, I am already seeing MASSIVE spikes over the course of the day and night when the server gets HAMMERED.

So we want to proceed with all due caution to make sure that all the improvments don't make the overall user experience worse instead of better.

 

[MtnMaxMod]

Are you telling me you want to volunteer to become a Moderator?????

i volunteer