Hornet
Registered on 03-23-05
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10-09-09 06:12 AM - Post#187389
In response to Ben Franske
I'm not saying that the site needs celebrities to survive. Leoville Town Square doesn't have the awareness that it used to. Today it's all about Twitter, Friendfeed, and IRC. When is the last time that Leo mentioned the forums? Every site needs a little promotion to drive traffic.
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Ben Franske
Loc: Edina, MN
Registered on 03-05-05
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10-09-09 10:01 AM - Post#187397
In response to Hornet
I'm pretty sure we will change the default post age view so people don't enter a forum and see no topics.
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bupaje
Loc: California, USA
Registered on 08-22-07
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10-09-09 11:10 AM - Post#187399
In response to Ben Franske
How much traffic does Twitter drive to the forums? If it is a good amount then perhaps generate an RSS of the forums recent or hot topics, then maybe one of the geniuses here can use the Twitter API to submit a random "Hot Forum Topic" X amount of times per day.
Then maybe also pull the Twitter feed to the main forum portal page to show recent X amount of Tweets.
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java_bob
Registered on 07-20-06
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Re: The Future of Leoville - Leoville 4.0
10-10-09 09:05 AM - Post#187426
In response to Ben Franske
This is good news. I rarely visit leovilletownsquare these days. There just isn't much activity here.
Also you get my vote for moving to new software. I'm sure fusionbb is a great product for some people. But, well, this forum has a lot of strange quirks and I never could dig the user interface. All that stuff on the side and calendar and "My Fusion" and all that. Is that really necessary? And what's with hiding the old posts if they are so old. That's annoying.
But why phpBB, why not vbulletin? It's head and shoulders above anything else.
Just my $0.02
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Raen7
Loc: So. Cal.
Registered on 05-13-07
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The Future of Leoville - Leoville 4.0
10-12-09 07:40 AM - Post#187465
In response to java_bob
vBulletin is expensive, and not any more spectacular that the other top contenders; in fact many people don't care for the interface all that much.
Another MAJOR thing: Whatever software you use, make sure it has a CAPTCHA for registration. Nothing drives down membership like spam-bot attacks.
Edited by Raen7 on 10-12-09 07:41 AM. Reason for edit: No reason given.
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perfectfaceforradio
Loc: Margaritaville, FL, USA
Registered on 03-21-09
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10-14-09 09:44 AM - Post#187531
In response to fractalthinker
Ben,
First off, I hope you're staying warm! Been watching the weather up there, and remembered why I moved to FL!
"Keep most of the "Inside Leoville" forums
Remove the Leo section
Create a dedicated forum section for TWiT shows and sites
Create a dedicated area for The Tech Guy radio show discussion
Condense image forums into one topic
Remove Geek Library
For the "Tech" forums:
Remove Help Me!, Programming, Security, Modding, Consumer Electronics, Photoshop
Create "Gadgets"
Create "Other" "
I'd also like to see the default range of dates shown by default to be expanded. A karma or reputation system would be a nice addition, not sure if it's be compatible w/ what's being looked at for 4.0... re: CAPTCHAS... shrug.. I find them to be annoying as hell to humans and increasingly easy for bots to get around.. I had to retype a CAPTCHA 5 times a few days ago at another site.. turned out it was case sensitive.. (there wasn't any indication of that on the page) CAPTCHAS always strike me as annoying as hell, and more often than not, unless it's a business related task, if I see one, I leave.
Not sure I'd remove the Programming, Security, Modding, and Consumer Electronics... Re-organize maybe, but remove entirely? And, I just think "gadgets" is way too broad.. so is "other".. I think most would want more direct/specific discussion.. not to have to wade through lots of totally unrelated posts..
Photoshop could certainly be folded into a forum-wide photography section, that could also include sub-sections on Aperture, Lightroom, HDRs, panos, cameras+lenses, lighting, etc.. would it be good to have a separate digital video section, or for that to be in a combined photo/video section called Digital Imaging tech?
With TWiT expanding into the living room, it'd prob. be a good idea to have a dedicated Home Theater section.
I'd also like to see a place in the TWiT area dedicated to discussing ideas for additional shows for the TWiT network. Perhaps a place to suggest possible sponsors as well?
I'd also like to see a section for discussion about automotive tech - hybrids, EVs, auto electronics, auto mods, etc..
Can't wait to see what comes of all this.
jwd aka perfectfaceforradio aka pffr
| I'm not creepy. I'm 'unique', and 'eccentric'... |
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wayne_in_akron
Loc: Akron, Ohio
Registered on 03-10-05
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The Future of Leoville - Leoville 4.0
10-14-09 03:39 PM - Post#187548
In response to perfectfaceforradio
Thanks to all who wish to nurse this forum back to health.
As Ben mentioned, the site is certainly seen a significant loss of the traffic and importance it once held, but it is near and dear to the hearts of many of us who still visit (and are popping up in this thread).
I like the ideas suggested and believe it might be what will jumpstart the forums and even get new visitors.
I'll also comment that now is the time to make these changes. It seems that most of us spend more time in places like this during the winter than any other time, so let's start getting the old blood flowing and some new blood involved.
PLEASE retain a link to the Old Town Square as it still has many images buried in the old threads that exist no where else on the net and help us retain our only link to our LTS heritage.
-- Wayne
AKA
Wayne_In_Akron on Twitter
Proud participant of the inaugural Leoville breakfast club meet-up.
Ohio University - Athens, Ohio - May 26, 2005 |
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Vincent Navarino
Registered on 03-07-05
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10-19-09 07:17 AM - Post#187687
In response to wayne_in_akron
I very rarely over the years came back to these forums after the ZDTV/TTV days but glad to see its future is in good hands w/Ben.
I think the switch to phpBB is a great idea. It's free, recently updated and with revived development lately there's a ton of mods/plugins for it. If anyone can capitalize on the TWiT community to help this one out, I think Ben can. Having a few areas there as mentioned to welcome them here and expand the community is a good idea.
Other thoughts: Karma/Vote this post features usually cause more harm them good. I very rarely see this feature properly used. Usually you get a few people with their followers doing mass "board politic" craziness and it becomes disruptive. Not that it can't work, there are sites in which it has but it has a TON of corruptibility.
Unicorns - every board needs some. They're cute. How can a board with unicorns fail?
I think this board has good reboot potential and I'll try to stop by more often to watch it grow.
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Ben Franske
Loc: Edina, MN
Registered on 03-05-05
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10-20-09 07:27 AM - Post#187732
In response to Vincent Navarino
Thanks everyone for your thoughts thus far. We're taking them into consideration and should have something to propose in the next week or so.
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Bill_A_Nator
Loc: Here, where else?
Registered on 03-11-05
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Re: The Future of Leoville - Leoville 4.0
10-22-09 01:00 PM - Post#187814
In response to Raen7
vBulletin is expensive, and not any more spectacular that the other top contenders; in fact many people don't care for the interface all that much.
Another MAJOR thing: Whatever software you use, make sure it has a CAPTCHA for registration. Nothing drives down membership like spam-bot attacks.
I guess $195-235 is expensive if you can't afford that much.
My PC
Intel P4 3GHz /w HT
1024MB DDR RAM
ATI Radeon x1300PRO
2X 80GB & 1X 160GB HDD
WinXP Home SP3
My Laptop
Toshiba Satellite A135-2386
Intel Pentium Duel-Core 1.73GHz
2048MB DDR2 RAM
ATI Radeon 200M
80GB HDD
Win7 Beta |
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Ben Franske
Loc: Edina, MN
Registered on 03-05-05
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Re: The Future of Leoville - Leoville 4.0
10-24-09 05:51 PM - Post#187867
In response to Ben Franske
Based on all of the input so far here's what we have come up with. Of course we can't utilize everyone's ideas as some of them are contradictory but we do appreciate all of the input. We have tried to create a forum design which encourages participation and limits stale forums. This is an ongoing process so I would expect to see new forums added and old ones moved into an archived area as interests change. I would expect we'll start moving forward on this soon but do not yet have a specific date. We'll probably be looking for some beta community members to help start establishing the new board before it opens to the general public. I'll post a notice here when that happens. As usual...comments are welcome.
TWiT Town Commons:
Inside the Commons:
Official Announcements
New Members: Read Me
Town Hall
Other TWiT Properties (TWiT Army, Wiki, Chat, etc.)
Bug Reports / Suggestions / Feedback
TWiT Productions and Live Shows:
Daily Giz Wiz
Dr. Kiki's Science Hour
FLOSS Weekly
MacBreak Weekly
Maxwell's House
net@night
Security Now
The Tech Guy
This Week in Computer Hardware / PC Perspective Podcast
this WEEK in FUN
this WEEK in GOOGLE
this WEEK in LAW
this WEEK in TECH
Windows Weekly
Archives (Shows not in active & regular production: Abby's Road, Roz Rows, Munchcast, Jumping Monkeys, Futures in Biotech)
TWiT Live
Roundtable Discussions:
Town Commons Virtual Café
Tech Talk and News Reports
Images
Tech Help:
Basic Computing
Hardware
Software
Networking
Web Design
Tech Gadgets
Home Theater
Windows
Mac
Unix-Based Systems
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ranhalt
Registered on 03-21-09
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10-25-09 08:11 AM - Post#187894
In response to fractalthinker
use a different forum platform
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Ben Franske
Loc: Edina, MN
Registered on 03-05-05
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10-25-09 08:17 AM - Post#187895
In response to ranhalt
I'm pretty sure we'll be moving to something else, it could be a new version of FusionBB but I'm currently looking pretty hard at MyBB (http://www.mybboard.net) which is being very actively developed, has some nice features and is open source following along with most of the other TWiT properties (which use Drupal, MediaWiki, Laconica, etc.)
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My Personal Tech Advisor
Loc: Auburn, CA
Registered on 10-23-09
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10-25-09 06:47 PM - Post#187908
In response to Ben Franske
I just joined the boards a couple days ago. Long time Leo follower. From my recent experience, I was confused when I went to the Town Square and the welcome screen showed BB versions and dates it was upgraded. Where were the actual forums? Of course I found them relatively quickly, but it seemed counter-intuitive to other forums I'm used to. Happy to hear that it sound like that will be changing. I'd be interested in beta testing the new boards.
Jesse
Want to help your friends and family with their tech needs, but don't have time? If you like my post, send them to www.mypersonaltechadvisor.com. I help people find the best tech for them. |
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Dolphbucs
Loc: Rochester, NY
Registered on 03-11-05
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The Future of Leoville - Leoville 4.0
10-25-09 07:08 PM - Post#187911
In response to My Personal Tech Advisor
So, since the new name will be "TWiT Town Commons", will Leo's title still be "Mr Mayor" or will he now be the "Town Supervisor" ? 
| Reality....What a Concept |
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liagos
Registered on 11-03-09
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The Future of Leoville - Leoville 4.0
11-03-09 04:21 PM - Post#188259
In response to Dolphbucs
I just joined the boards because I had a question about The Tech Guy. These boards seemed like the natural place to come to for answers about TWiT podcasts. But now I'm here and I see so little activity and threads like this, I'm wondering, where should I have gone?
Also, perhaps you don't need "celebrities" to make a board community but Leoville should have Leo, in some way. I don't need to read a post from Leo every day or every week but when I click on his name and see he hasn't even been online in 8 months that means he isn't even casually reading anything here. Leo has no interest at all in Leoville? That's ridiculous.
Edited by liagos on 11-03-09 04:22 PM. Reason for edit: No reason given.
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Dolphbucs
Loc: Rochester, NY
Registered on 03-11-05
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Re: The Future of Leoville - Leoville 4.0
11-04-09 09:02 AM - Post#188284
In response to liagos
I just joined the boards because I had a question about The Tech Guy. These boards seemed like the natural place to come to for answers about TWiT podcasts. But now I'm here and I see so little activity and threads like this, I'm wondering, where should I have gone?
Also, perhaps you don't need "celebrities" to make a board community but Leoville should have Leo, in some way. I don't need to read a post from Leo every day or every week but when I click on his name and see he hasn't even been online in 8 months that means he isn't even casually reading anything here. Leo has no interest at all in Leoville? That's ridiculous.
As has been stated before, these boards are not so much a place to visit with Leo as it is a place for Leo's "peeps" to hang out and help each other. If you want more direct contact or feedback from Leo, there are other places for that such as the live chats or his friendfeed. Let's face it there are only so many hours in a day and you can't expect Leo to be active in everything that bears his name ( what, now 5 chats, the friendfeed, his facebook fan page, his blog, here, etc., etc. ) He's at the TWiT cottage 6-8 hrs a day now and he has to have some time for a life
| Reality....What a Concept |
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bbjester
Loc: Rockford, IL
Registered on 03-11-05
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The Future of Leoville - Leoville 4.0
11-09-09 10:42 PM - Post#188537
In response to Dolphbucs
I have preparing to attend college for the last couple of months hence my absence as of late. I for one am very happy to hear about the revamp, and I definitely applaud the decision to keep a unix section. Hopefully this retooling along with some plugging from Leo will breathe some much needed life into these boards. I also really hope we can manage to keep all of our longtime members this time around. Keeping the boards is a smart move , and I am glad to hear that Leo agrees. I think this place compliments the TwiT family of podcasts very well. We have a nice friendly community here, and it is comprised of intelligent, insightful, and helpful people. I also feel confident that our future here is in capable hands, so I am sure the end results will be just fine.
"Telephone. Ha. How primitive. Here caveman, contact him with Instant Pestering." -the wwwyzzerd |
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