Issues with forum moving to vbulletin

[Alonzo]

As some of you may have noticed I've mentioned, on multiple occasions, the forum should be moving over to vBulletin soon. Well the date keeps getting pushed back. Lately we've had a few technical issues, such as the pm problem. Another problem we're having is with reply counts as, if you look over into the political editorial section, one thread supposedly has 4 billion replies. Essentially, there are technical issues that are becoming more difficult to fix.

So I've been discussing this issue with susie and she informed me that the reason the move to vBulletin keeps getting delayed is because there is no easy way to convert the warning and reputation points. The warning points aren't a big deal, but I thought I'd get member opinion on the reputation points. Essentially they need to get someone to write the code to do it and that's taking a while, so if we don't reset the reputation points it will be a while until we go to vBulletin meaning that technical problems we've been having will likely continue to increase.

Honestly I don't think saving the reputation points is worth the technical problems and delays we'll have to endure to do so, but what does everyone else think?

[cronic]

I could live without the warning points or the rep points..
As long as I can continue to have all of you wonderful peeps
in my life..
It's all good!

[Buck Laser]

The graphic layout of this software is attractive, and it might be nice to keep the reputation points, but the fact is that points get used as weapons just as much as posts themselves do. I belong to one forum that uses something like a fool's paradise to put really divisive threads in.

On the whole, I'll be VERY glad to see us leave this software.

[AnnEsthesia]

I don't care either way. I say go with what will work best and screw keeping something just because we have it now.

[Alonzo]

Well we wouldn't get rid of rep points, we'd just lose the ones we have now. People could give them again as soon as we're converted.

[lily]

Works for me!

[Pookie]

Yeah, I can re-give rep points. May take a bit, but I can do that. Everyone deserves their pos reps from me.
Purrs,
Pookie

[Alonzo]

Ok. According to susie the forum will likely be converted over tomorrow morning and it should take only a few hours.

[PatrickHenry]

I can afford to start all over with the rep points.

Heh.

Then lily has to start all over again too!

And heehee, Pookie is down to zero again...

[lily]

Heh.

Then lily has to start all over again too!




:lmao:

[lily]

Zo, will there be any down time?

[bishop]

Well we wouldn't get rid of rep points, we'd just lose the ones we have now. People could give them again as soon as we're converted.


doesn't seem like that's something important enough to justify stalling the upgrade.. the pros outweigh the cons imo.

[AnnEsthesia]

Everyone give lily neg reps, just to see how much she will twitch. ;)

[lily]

Anne......just as long as the number is an even number. You know how odd numbers upset me.:dizzy:

[AnnEsthesia]

Oh, you mean like how you have 69 now?

[Alonzo]

Zo, will there be any down time?


She says for a few hours.

I believe susie is on Greenwich time so morning will probably be in the middle of the night when no one is on. Though I could be wrong.

[Pookie]

69 is an...interesting number.
I think I'll post for everybody to check their reps and let me know to re-rep em.
Purrs,
Pookie

Eat your heart out, PH!

[Alonzo]

Everyone give lily neg reps, just to see how much she will twitch. ;)


Done. Got carried away a bit and gave out a few more too. :lmao:

[AnnEsthesia]

You bitch! You lost me two points! I'll get you for this, Zo! Rue the day... RUE THE DAY!

[lily]

Everyone give lily neg reps, just to see how much she will twitch. ;)


Done. Got carried away a bit and gave out a few more too. :lmao:


Thank you Zo! Even numbers are calming.:madlaugh:

[ECW]

I'm going to miss those nasty comments I got from Cheesy, Flea Bit Monkey and Stoner to tell you the truth.

[Pookie]

You got it back, Rodent Man!! This is too funny!
Purrs,
Pookie

[Alonzo]

That's fine pookie. Don't worry if you happen to see a rat running from your car. It's not like it was chewing the break line or anything.

:innocent:

[Pookie]

Rat gets squished by car, because I can't stop in time. Works for me!
LOL!
Purrs,
Pookie

[lily]

HELP!

It's an odd number!! Please, only you can stop my panic attack. Please neg rep me to an even number! :love:

[AnnEsthesia]

Nope! Don't do it! The twitching is interesting to watch!

[lily]

I'm turning my web cam off NOW!

[Alonzo]

Don't touch that! How will I pay my rent without all that money I make off lilylive.com?

[lily]

You and Alan.......always trying to make a buck off my good looks, and er.....um........charms.

You want it up........ok folks here at Democracy Forums, only you can help Zo.........get my rep down to 0 and the lily cam stays up.:love:


Or at least an even number.

[Pookie]

Sorry, I nailed you once. Twitch!
Purrs,
Pookie

[tony mitra]

So what kind of change is there going to be? I hope they keep the white background and dark text. I somehow don't like black background with light text, like some boards.

Cheers

[Alonzo]

On that we'll have to wait and see. I'm sure some adjustments will have to be made afterwards. I have been giving susie information on what needs to be done, but no active staff member is actually doing the conversion.

[Deadshot]

If you need to move to better the board, do so. We'll build our reps back up or you can institute a new system of doing that too.

Do what's best for the board and move forward.

[AnnEsthesia]

Personally, I think we should remove the reps. I think it is silly. Who needs them?

[cronic]

Personally, I think we should remove the reps. I think it is silly. Who needs them?


Almost seems like a grading system to me..lol...
its ok either way tho with me..

If the designers feel the want or need for a rep system.. I can live with it, but I wont cry if it disappears either

[AnnEsthesia]

Well, I think it is silly. No offense to those with high reps, but a lot of the time on forums, the people who have high reps have them because they give a lot of reps and just get them in return. The people with low reps often are the people who don't bother giving reps..,. so in the end, it really is meaningless.

[PatrickHenry]

...so in the end, it really is meaningless.
No. It is a means of approval or censure to those who need a boost or a shove.

Rep is a big part of this board's appeal.

[cronic]

...so in the end, it really is meaningless.
No. It is a means of approval or censure to those who need a boost or a shove.

Rep is a big part of this board's appeal.


It certainly doesn't appeal to me nor did it influence my wanting to join the board because of it

Do people here really need a boost or a shove?..
man.. I sure don't..
I think agree with AnnE alot..matter of fact.. No disrespect towards peeps with high reps ....But I would guess that probably people with low reps.. are probably the people that are more speaking their minds

[PatrickHenry]

...But I would guess that probably people with low reps.. are probably the people that are more speaking their minds
Buulshit! How's that for speaking my mind, bubba?

[cronic]

...But I would guess that probably people with low reps.. are probably the people that are more speaking their minds
Buulshit! How's that for speaking my mind, bubba?


lol.. yaaaaaaaa...
thats the way to speak your mind Forest

[Osborn F. Enready]

I am ambivalent on Rep Points.

I think they offer an interesting view of what other forum members think of their fellow posters, but I don't know if anyone takes them very seriously.

Just my two cents... ;)

[Professor]

I like the rep point system. I'd prefer to keep it.

[ECW]

I've been on vBulletin boards where you could rep people for an individual post and it leads to Piranha Parties where cliques of posters gang up on someone expressing an unpopular position. If we kept the system as it exists here, OK. Otherwise, I say toss out the entire system and let folks decide for themselves who is who. We did it with the affiliations. We can do it with the reps as well. We don't need them to debate the issues, only to brand the poster.

[lily]

I've been on vBulletin boards where you could rep people for an individual post and it leads to Piranha Parties where cliques of posters gang up on someone expressing an unpopular position. If we kept the system as it exists here, OK. Otherwise, I say toss out the entire system and let folks decide for themselves who is who. We did it with the affiliations. We can do it with the reps as well. We don't need them to debate the issues, only to brand the poster.


I totally agree with this. I've been on forums and the post by post rep. is just asking for trouble. We get enough complaints about people using the single rep., I can't imagine what it would be like if we had the post by post one.

[AnnEsthesia]

I liked the rep by post system. It allows you to give kudos to those posts that are especially great. Too bad you could not just have it for positive reps, so people could get positive feedback on their posts.

[Alonzo]

I liked the rep by post system. It allows you to give kudos to those posts that are especially great. Too bad you could not just have it for positive reps, so people could get positive feedback on their posts.


We had it before and someone, though I don't remember who, decided to follow me around and neg rep me for every post. Even posts where I'd say something mundane like "Wow, that's really interesting". We then moved to a 1 rep per person system before any actual members were targeted.

I told them don't want that sort of rep system though.

[AnnEsthesia]

Well, I find the rep system now to just be silly, but that is me. I do not rep everyone the second they come to the forum, nor do most people. Some people do and so they get a huge pos rep. It has nothing to do with their posting and everything to do with the fact that they rep everyone. So it winds up being meaningless.

[ECW]

I liked the rep by post system. It allows you to give kudos to those posts that are especially great. Too bad you could not just have it for positive reps, so people could get positive feedback on their posts.


I've never seen a forum that runs it in a positive direction only. I could live with that but allowing cliques to bash a poster time and time again with negative reps just encourages abusive behavior both in PMs and then on the forum itself. Offer the positive feedback by responding to the post in a constructive way (and not just with a :clapper: ) and dump the post by post rep system to the dung heap where it belongs. We have enough hassle when you rep a poster one way or the other. The post by post system is bad news.

When we convert over leave the rep system out of the mix. Otherwise mods will be responding to the verbal abuse and nasty comments that you know will result from one poster getting pissed about someone bashing their post with a neg rep and responding with equal venom. Institute this system at your own risk.

[AnnEsthesia]

Well, then the way the rep system stands, I vote not to have one at all. because now it is biased to the people who are on here a lot and rep every single person who comes in. It is not reflective of how people are actually viewed and some people collect the reps without having done anything to deserve them.

[ECW]

Well, then the way the rep system stands, I vote not to have one at all. because now it is biased to the people who are on here a lot and rep every single person who comes in. It is not reflective of how people are actually viewed and some people collect the reps without having done anything to deserve them.


Works for me.

But I'm not the boss.

[Scribbler1]

I liked the rep by post system. It allows you to give kudos to those posts that are especially great. Too bad you could not just have it for positive reps, so people could get positive feedback on their posts.
You can always say "I loved your post" in the body of your reply. In fact, I see that all the time here, and elsewhere.

A forum I used to be on had something like the rep by post thing and it turned out to be such a fiasco the admin shut it off. It got to the point where some posters were using their points as validation of their posts. Crap like "Well I have more points than you so your argument is obviously wrong".

[Professor]

Again I like it, but if it is going to cause issues then it is not worth it.

[Voluntary]

Get rid of the rep system. This is not highschool.

[Mia]

Sorry, I nailed you once. Twitch!
Purrs,
Pookie


This is like those experiments to see if ordinary people would get power-happy and shock their control subjects. Sadly, I fell into the cruel group and wanted to see Lily twitch.

Is this mitigated by the fact it was a positive rep? :evil:

[Mia]

I've been on vBulletin boards where you could rep people for an individual post and it leads to Piranha Parties where cliques of posters gang up on someone expressing an unpopular position. If we kept the system as it exists here, OK. Otherwise, I say toss out the entire system and let folks decide for themselves who is who. We did it with the affiliations. We can do it with the reps as well. We don't need them to debate the issues, only to brand the poster.


I totally agree with this. I've been on forums and the post by post rep. is just asking for trouble. We get enough complaints about people using the single rep., I can't imagine what it would be like if we had the post by post one.



Me three. The system here - I enjoy my positive reps because they tell me when someone respects or enjoys my posts. The other way usually turns into a silly, meaningless war.

I also like to give positive reps when deserved - it takes a lot to make me give someone a negative.

[Pookie]

Me too, Mia. Someone would have to be a real horse's ass to get a neg rep from me. Both people I gave neg reps to were banned LOL!
I mean for real, not kidding around like Zo, Lily, and I were doing the other day.
Purrs,
Pookie