• 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

icerat said:
Now that backups have been done the immediate fear of loss of the lot has been mitigated so things have calmed down a little.

The current plan (more details later) that the admins and I like has two major phases - 1st just move the current setup to new hardware, still under ownership and control of JREF and current admins, 2nd step will involving moving to new ownership.

At the moment I'm tending towards doing the legwork (much as you list) on new software between step 1 and step 2 and launching with the upgraded software when it officially transitions to new ownership.

It may of course be that someone else comes up with a brilliant idea JREF likes and would like to proceed with. I've indicated I'm perfectly happy to step aside if that happens and won't call out the lawyers :)
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FTR: I don't want my personal info to be transferred to the new forum.
 
gentlehorse said:
FTR: I don't want my personal info to be transferred to the new forum.
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What do you consider your "personal info" on the forums today? Just the fact that your (potentially) real name is linked (behind the scenes, in the admin area) to the forum name gentlehorse? Or, something more...?
 
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idoubtit said:
CLARIFICATION: The original post did ask for advice on hardware/software updates. I was not clear at that time that transitioning the board to a new owner who would do that work was a viable option. That has since become the preferred option. Various factors will be taken into consideration including difficulty of the transition, costs, timescale, responsibilties of maintenance, etc. If you have an innovative idea for making a JREF Forum more streamlined and less sprawling in topics and content, for example, that would be a worthwhile proposal.
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Not clear?? Not clear?? What kind of people do you think you are talking to here?
 
ceptimus said:
Doesn't the copyright agreement posters agreed to when they signed up preclude the JREF from transferring the copyright to a new owner?
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JREF has the right to publish the content on the forums over on naturalnews.com if they want. Easiest solution is they retain their licence over the existing content that's transferred to the new forum, ie they're just publishing it there.

gentlehorse said:
FTR: I don't want my personal info to be transferred to the new forum.
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Under our plan (I sound like a bloody political candidate) no private personal data will be transferred without the users consent

jsfisher said:
Is there a schedule, tentative or otherwise, that you can share?
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Have to wait for the new process Sharon outlined to play out. Elon Musk may yet make an offer.
 
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gentlehorse said:
Dandy. I don't give mine.
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That is fine but if icerat's cunning plan goes ahead you will have to use the process that will be in place on the new forum to indicate that choice. It will be up to members (here) to decide if they want to be members at the new place once it is transfered from the JREF, if you don't want to be a member then your real name, country and state if in the USA will not be transfered from the JREF to the new place.
 
Joe Random said:
I want to add one thing here in the discussion of JREF vs the forums. The first I heard of the JREF as an entity was way back in the late 90s, via USENET - specifically sci.skeptic. I'd read posts there from people who were giving highlights of the latest developments in an MDC thread, or other noteworthy discussions. Eventually I wandered out of sci.skeptic and onto the jref forums. That got me interested in Randi's writings ; I started with "The Truth About Uri Gellar" and went from there.

As the years went on I'd make a comment here and there in some trivial thread, usually entertainment related. My postings were, on the whole, utter fluff and immaterial to the JREF mission. My /readings/, however, were directly on the JREF's stated message. I knew homeopathy was bunk, but it was from reading the threads involving Dr. Mas that I first learned precisely /why/ it was bunk, and how to explain that in layman's terms to others in real life. And I did so on numerous occasions (one of which caused me to lose a friend who was deeply invested in it).

There were countless other areas where I learned quite a bit about critical thinking and the like directly from the forums. About how easily even the brightest of people can fool themselves about what they're sure they saw with their own eyes. Randi's books were a wonderful education for me (I still re read them every few years), and the forums were a great compliment which helped me learn how to relate that information to others, and get others thinking for themselves.

So while the forums may or may not have done anything to benefit the JREF as an org specifically (I honestly have no idea either way), I can say that in at least my case it did wonders for their actual mission.
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I wonder how many other lurkers have experienced this benefit? I know my experience is similar. I may not participate in many threads, but I do read quite a bit and it has caused me to examine my own thinking.

While JREF may be looking for tangible benefits, I suspect there has been a fair amount of good brought forth from these forums that would be difficult to measure. Pity that it has to end this way.
 
Darat said:
That is fine but if icerat's cunning plan goes ahead you will have to use the process that will be in place on the new forum to indicate that choice. It will be up to members (here) to decide if they want to be members at the new place once it is transfered from the JREF, if you don't want to be a member then your real name, country and state if in the USA will not be transfered from the JREF to the new place.
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Any thought as to what that means to our posts, should we decide not to go to the New World?
 
Totovader said:
Any thought as to what that means to our posts, should we decide not to go to the New World?
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Without the posts there would be nothing really to transfer. Again if icerat's plan is chosen by the JREF there will not be a transfer of the licence the JREF has to use the content members provided. However the JREF will supply under the terms of their licence a copy of the forum up to the change over date. Posts and so on on the new forum will fall under whatever TOS will apply there - what that TOS will be is not decided and we will be soliciting feedback from members here before it is finalised.
 
Darat said:
That is fine but if icerat's cunning plan goes ahead you will have to use the process that will be in place on the new forum to indicate that choice. It will be up to members (here) to decide if they want to be members at the new place once it is transfered from the JREF, if you don't want to be a member then your real name, country and state if in the USA will not be transfered from the JREF to the new place.
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Not sure I follow--Why should icerat have any access to, or control over, my personal info? He's just some guy heading up a new forum. I gave my info to the JREF. They have no business giving, selling, or transferring it to anyone. I hope I haven't misplaced my trust.

BTW, it seems that I recall providing an email address at some point or another, though that may have been before the info was "lost" (not implying anything nefarious by the scare quotes-- Just using them to note that the info wasn't so much lost as stored beyond reach--). Regardless, I don't want any of my info transferred, so I'm going on the record.
 
Darat said:
Without the posts there would be nothing really to transfer. Again if icerat's plan is chosen by the JREF there will not be a transfer of the licence the JREF has to use the content members provided. However the JREF will supply under the terms of their licence a copy of the forum up to the change over date. Posts and so on on the new forum will fall under whatever TOS will apply there - what that TOS will be is not decided and we will be soliciting feedback from members here before it is finalised.
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I assume you meant new posts on the new forum. All the transferred posts would still fall under the JREF terms, no?
 
Icerat will have no control over your personal information until you decide you want to join the new place. He will not control the transfer you will, it's your decision.

If the JREF agrees with icerat's plan there will be an interim period in which the current forum is transfered to hardware under control of icerat but with the forum still owned by the JREF. This is what has happened many times in the past whenever a new hosting service has been chosen. Think of the interim period as being the forum moving to Rackspace as a new host. (edits made)
 
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Darat said:
I think he was meaning it will be a bot that will be handling that stuff, it won't be an actual person going through the entire membership list marking people's preferences.
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Is a bot going to PM us here, giving us the choice to not transfer our info?

I think the transfer of personal info should be opt-out by default and opt-in by choice.
 
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