• Quick note - the problem with Youtube videos not embedding on the forum appears to have been fixed, thanks to ZiprHead. If you do still see problems let me know.

Future of the Forum

idoubtit said:
1. Cacheing is turned off. This makes login readily available but access painfully slow. If caching is turned on, the forum content will be more quickly available when NOT logged in but slow when user is logged in.
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Well aside from the fact that, as a computer programmer, I have no idea why that would be the case, yesterday it was far worse than that. I couldn't log in at all, and when I moved around the forum, I was apparently logged in as different people, depending on where I was going.
 
lionking said:
Like others, and despite Sharon's positive comments, I serious doubt JREF's commitment to the forum.
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The fact that the forum's been slow for six months is evidence enough that they don't really give a ****.

shuttlt said:
I'm puzzled. Knowledgable people have been working on this already, but the problem still requires the input of forum members to resolve?
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All you need to know about the people who are "working on this".

OnlyTellsTruths said:
And what in the world do you mean by "cannot be sustained"? A dedicated server that would host this forum just splendidly would only cost a couple hundred $$ per month and several of us have said that we would gladly chip in and cover that cost entirely.
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Hell, I probably wouldn't mind paying for a whole year just by myself to stop this damn problem.
 
Can we cut Sharon some slack? The fact that she referred to the Forum Liaison (if that's his actual title now, damned if I'm going to go look it up) as "the" moderator, is really rather minor.

The OP says that at least someone's looking at the situation. The fact that they have approached it from a non-technical side may just be an indication that the human resources they have available do not include sufficient techies, so they gave it to a willing and capable person and thought, "Hey, we've got a resource we're not using; let's go out to the forums and see if we can get anyone with technical chops who wants to help get this going."

I think the OP sort of states that. I note one person who's mentioned that he made an offer... I'm guessing by email. I see none of the traditional responses like "email sent", though.

Darat told us a few weeks before TAM that the Foundation was totally involved in TAM and this would be addressed after that was done. They're at least looking at it. If we want to bitch about whether the team should be headed by a technical guru instead of an outreach person, we're going to get no where.

It's a stumbling start, but it's a start. Now we can be helpful or we can pee on their socks. If you guys know the answers, SEND THE EMAIL. It would seem that they don't want to put all the specs in a public thread on the forum, if they even know them. If we've got the technical chops here in the usergroup, then step up.

ETA: And I'm in the group that questions/questioned whether the Foundation has the will to make the forum work and to get the forum back involved in "Foundation Business". I'm just saying.... it's a start.
 
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Why do I feel like this is a way of setting up the idea that we need to have ad clicks and banner ads on the site to "help offset the costs of running a forum."

Sorry but abaddon is right. My husband has made several forums over the years and it's cheap, even with a dedicated server it's not that expensive at all. We're talking a couple hundred dollars.

The bulk of the "work" on the forum is generally done by the posters themselves, that's who is making it interesting and drawing the large numbers of posters.

If running a few banner ads is what it's going to take to offset the cost then just do it I guess.

But it does seem really weird to see the disconnect between the forum and the Foundation and it also seems strange that this is being suggested as some huge problem when most other forums I know will just pick a holiday weekend and upgrade the forum in a few hours?

I don't get it. :boggled:
 
Foolmewunz said:
Can we cut Sharon some slack? The fact that she referred to the Forum Liaison (if that's his actual title now, damned if I'm going to go look it up) as "the" moderator, is really rather minor.
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Actually it is a much more significant point than anything that followed in your post. She doesn't have the information she needs to make informed decisions - and to add she didn't claim that she has, nor that she is in a position to do so.
 
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Foolmewunz said:
Can we cut Sharon some slack? The fact that she referred to the Forum Liaison (if that's his actual title now, damned if I'm going to go look it up) as "the" moderator, is really rather minor.

The OP says that at least someone's looking at the situation. The fact that they have approached it from a non-technical side may just be an indication that the human resources they have available do not include sufficient techies, so they gave it to a willing and capable person and thought, "Hey, we've got a resource we're not using; let's go out to the forums and see if we can get anyone with technical chops who wants to help get this going."

I think the OP sort of states that. I note one person who's mentioned that he made an offer... I'm guessing by email. I see none of the traditional responses like "email sent", though.

Darat told us a few weeks before TAM that the Foundation was totally involved in TAM and this would be addressed after that was done. They're at least looking at it. If we want to bitch about whether the team should be headed by a technical guru instead of an outreach person, we're going to get no where.

It's a stumbling start, but it's a start. Now we can be helpful or we can pee on their socks. If you guys know the answers, SEND THE EMAIL. It would seem that they don't want to put all the specs in a public thread on the forum, if they even know them. If we've got the technical chops here in the usergroup, then step up.

ETA: And I'm in the group that questions/questioned whether the Foundation has the will to make the forum work and to get the forum back involved in "Foundation Business". I'm just saying.... it's a start.
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^^This!
 
Michel H said:
This is an interesting piece of information, I guess. But, could you be a little more specific? How many servers? How many processors? How many cores? How much RAM? I suspect many here would be interested reading this info.
The dedicated server building page at Softlayer is here, I believe.
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Isn't it just. I recall back in the day some servers being home built desktops sitting on a shelf in a server farm. That remark gives me nightmares.
 
Quoting this again because it deserves to be seen by everyone reading this thread:

Foolmewunz said:
Can we cut Sharon some slack? The fact that she referred to the Forum Liaison (if that's his actual title now, damned if I'm going to go look it up) as "the" moderator, is really rather minor.

The OP says that at least someone's looking at the situation. The fact that they have approached it from a non-technical side may just be an indication that the human resources they have available do not include sufficient techies, so they gave it to a willing and capable person and thought, "Hey, we've got a resource we're not using; let's go out to the forums and see if we can get anyone with technical chops who wants to help get this going."

I think the OP sort of states that. I note one person who's mentioned that he made an offer... I'm guessing by email. I see none of the traditional responses like "email sent", though.

Darat told us a few weeks before TAM that the Foundation was totally involved in TAM and this would be addressed after that was done. They're at least looking at it. If we want to bitch about whether the team should be headed by a technical guru instead of an outreach person, we're going to get no where.

It's a stumbling start, but it's a start. Now we can be helpful or we can pee on their socks. If you guys know the answers, SEND THE EMAIL. It would seem that they don't want to put all the specs in a public thread on the forum, if they even know them. If we've got the technical chops here in the usergroup, then step up.

ETA: And I'm in the group that questions/questioned whether the Foundation has the will to make the forum work and to get the forum back involved in "Foundation Business". I'm just saying.... it's a start.
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Sharon's email address again:

Sharon@randi.org
 
abaddon said:
Did you send a mail offering your services? Go ahead. See what happens.
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Did you? Why don't you tell us how it turned out? Nothing like "evidence" to hit the spot on a skeptic's forum.

<And I don't have the technical skills to help them or I would. My assistance on computer issues would stop at "Is the power light on?" >
 
Foolmewunz said:
Did you? Why don't you tell us how it turned out? Nothing like "evidence" to hit the spot on a skeptic's forum.

<And I don't have the technical skills to help them or I would. My assistance on computer issues would stop at "Is the power light on?" >
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Yes. I did. The lukewarm response amounted to no more than foxtrot oscar. Did you have a question?
 
abaddon said:
Did you send a mail offering your services? Go ahead. See what happens.
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I really don't see how you think all of your snarky remarks in this thread can help.

If you don't care to help, maybe it's best to not post in the thread.

ETA: And I'm just commenting on your public posts in this thread. I've no idea about private emails.
 
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idoubtit said:
Everyone, this is important.

First off, this is Sharon Hill (http://sharonAhill.com). I am serving as Creative Consultant to the JREF. I am a long-time member of the forum and appreciate its value. I am on board with the organization to craft their reboot with a new and focused agenda on education.

You may have noticed that the forum is running painfully slow.

We currently have major issues with the forum hardware, software and large number of users. The situation is precarious, but knowledgable people are doing their best to make it useable. There are several issues that must be addressed. This is part of the overall website overhaul, which is overdue.

A minor update has been made to make the situation more stable. However, this had consequences:

1. Cacheing is turned off. This makes login readily available but access painfully slow. If caching is turned on, the forum content will be more quickly available when NOT logged in but slow when user is logged in.

2. The ultimate solution is an upgrade in hardware, software, and a porting of the data. This is not easy nor cheap.

3. The Forum moderator has been notified of the situation. It's time to brainstorm on what to do and figure out the most doable plan.

If you ARE KNOWLEDGEABLE about forums, please provide your advice. I am well aware of the value of the forum and the large number of members served. You do not need to convince me of that. What you need to do is come up with some ideas on how to save the data and continue the forum on a stable, responsive platform. That may mean moving to a different forum software.

Send your detailed ideas to sharon@randi.org or post them here for discussion.

This forum is a unique and fantastic resource. But, this is a time of transition. We need your help and expertise so that it can continue. I have confidence that many here know their stuff. Help us out.

Thanks.
Sharon
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Needs more cowbell.
 
icerat said:
I've offered via email to, if necessary, take it over and maintain it with or without JREF branding. That would be a better option than starting over.

If it comes to that I'm more than happy for us (indeed prefer) to work with others on a solution.

(For some background I founded and ran a successful ISP in Oz back in the 90s before selling it and moving to Europe, starting a dedicated hosting company, then selling it to pursue other interests. I now have another internet related startup)
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Fair enough. Did you notice that plenty of folks are willing to volunteer time and materials? But JREF just isn't interested?
 
That's rich. The OP asks for advice that obviously shows she's out of her league and people explain to her that she's not saying something that makes sense and they get attacked for not being NICE.

How about this instead,

If you don't know what you are talking about stop cluttering up the thread with a welcoming committee and lots of really nice comments.

If there's a real problem, which the OP clearly indicates there is, let those who DO know what they are talking about give advice. :D
 
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