Well an actual forum costs money to run. I'm not saying this one doesn't, obviously bandwidth costs money. But I mean the more advanced forums with better features normal have a subscription cost for the person running it.
To be honest Graymatter, something like PHPBB is free and contains all the functionality you guys are after. It is also a doddle to set up and maintain. I could even build one from scratch if thats what they wanted.
If you let me know exactly what it is that you are looking for in a forum then I could draft a spec for OA to work to if that would help.
As for bandwidth costs, the useage on this site is negligible compared to the host site which is lovehoney, OA is just a sub domain I think, certainly looks like that looking at the URL. So I dont think the hit is even being noticed, yes there a lot of members, but not so many actualy using and logging stuff by the looks of it.
It may be a legal issue that is stopping them from expanding it further, Data protection and all that...
Anyway, if anyone wants to googlemail or MSN me, try owt4alaugh@googlemail.com I am not always on messenger, and I am probably setting myself up for a stack of spam mail, but if it gets to bad i will just dump the account and set up another.
rgds Owt
Ah the web developer on a misson for freelance work. I date one, so I know it well!
A messaging system surely wouldn't be hard to set up? Or even just putting e-mail address in our profiles to allow for MSN/ e-mail conversations.
It would certainly add a new dimension to these boards instead of just the plain old white it could allow people to put signature pictures in and then we can all show off our amateur pics!! lol
Not me Crayola, I am a techy, but not specificaly web development, however I do do Web for beer money :-.
I was just trying to be helpful and I am sure Lovehoney has a whole army of developers who can so this anyway :-)
This is a simple task however and it sounds like its what the users want...
The potential downside might be we would all be off msn-ing each other and the forums might dry up !!! dilemma or what?
Tallboy
The thing that annoys me most about this forum is that you add something to a thread like this one, which is in the Sex Talk Category and a minute later somebody else updates another thread in the same category so that when you look at the main forum list you only see the most recent update, and this one fades into oblivion for months. Maybe it would be better if the most recently updated threads were displayed, not the most recent in each category. Make sense?
I tend to just check each board automatically now. But I know what you mean. Even if it's just an icon that represents threads you've posted in having been updated or something. Is that possible?
Wot no lectures Crayola !!
I have been reenergising some of the older threads as l agree with the observation that it does then to get a bit confusing to us Ned Ludd types who are not techno junkies- not that you are, it's just an age thingy ha ha
Tallboy
TB- easter holidays!
I'll find some old threads to reenergise too Tallboy, there might be some good material there, it has always seemed a bit pointless answering a 6 month old question, but if there's fun to be had then why not?
Good points, thank you! The forum software is being updated so it will be easier to use and see new threads.
At the moment on the forums home page, you can click each of the board titles down the left of the screen to see all the posts on each board.
http://www.lovehoney.co.uk/orgasmarmy/messageboardstop.aspx
It'll be better... soon (ish) !
Well, as newbies we have tried very hard to get involved in the army, but with one or two exceptions seem to have been regarded as one would the average leper.
Now Mr.Naughty is the first to admit to a most irreverent sense of humour, and our only conclusion is that this may be offending people; which is a pity as no offence is ever intended.
However the site does seem eerily quiet Mr. Naughty notwithstanding. Apparently some upgrade is on the way (when?)which will make things more interactive.
If it's more filth you want, get on over to our place on a Saturday night - more filth than you can shake a stick at!!
I thought I had just dropped a clanger about asking which glass dildo was recommended to aid that wonderful squirting I love to experience but maybe I was wrong? I actually stopped coming here in favour of some pron and "me" time ;)
And yes folks being a newbie and ignored I thought I had become a leper.... my mistake. I think I decided to join the forums a little too late... sighs.
Thank you all for your continued patience. We have been working very hard behind the scenes on improving the OA forums.
I know you don't want excuses (!) but it's proved to be a big technical challenge.
Certainly we don't want anyone to think they've been ignored and certainly nobody is treated like lepers!
@ Mr & Mrs Naughty - I don't think you'll have offended anyone with your posts. They're very entertaining. It has been a bit quiet recently which is more likely the reason for no responses.
So thank you again - it will be better and busier soon!
Richard
Besides, it's the holiday season at the moment - a lot of people are away sitting on a beach with no computer!
Colonel Richard et al, thanks for the response. As a potential leper I was ready to throw my hand in, but the other lepers would only laugh their heads off!! Boom, and indeed boom!!
Oooh, bad pun.
I do love a good bad pun.
Yeah, I haven't really been a member THAT long, but I have noticed it's a bit quieter recently. Hey ho... I'm sure once the highly anticipated revamp happens we'll be overrun and instead be complaining about noobs and trolls :P
Yeah, if it gets toooo busy the friendliness and regulars will get swamped by dross from one hit posters and spam junkies. I've seen it happen many times before and I tend to move on when it does. I always think there is an ideal size for these places - big enough to be busy and vibrant, small enough for regulars to know each other and make friends. Here's hoping it works out well.