Visitors to The Fogbow forums today found a new look presented by new forum software, IP Board. While many topics are covered at The Fogbow, I know it as the most active of the anti-birther online venues. Existing content and user accounts were migrated to the new software. You can read the details of the conversion process and what’s happening here and listen to “Foggy and Dr. Ken Answer Questions about IP Board” tonight (25 August) on RCRadio at 8 PM (UTC-4).
I personally like the new look that I find cleaner and easier on the eyes. The new software has a few cool features; for example, if you hover your mouse over a user’s hyperlink (not the avatar), a little window pops with information about that user including what they are doing.
Search is neatly consolidated into a single search bar with options:
There is also a mobile version of the forum, accessible automatically on mobile devices (here shown on an iPhone) with a button (not shown) at the bottom to switch to the full site:
A number of rough edges remain after most of the big stuff has been ironed out. Externally-hosted user avatars didn’t convert, so those users will have to upload those images. The nifty search is also not working. Firefox users will be flying without a spell checker, although Chrome is said to check spelling OK. At present the venerable [sekrit] tag isn’t implemented (I think it’s called “spoiler” now). In a few instances, the BBCode isn’t being interpreted.
So go check it out.
Tonight from 8 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time until 10 p.m., Dr. Kenneth Noisewater and I will be answering questions about the new forum software and how to use it on RC Radio.
http://fogbo.ws/1srcRYl
Dr. Ken is an expert – he’s the one who talked me into purchasing IP Board several years ago, but he wasn’t able to talk me into implementing it back then. My rule has always been, “If it works, don’t fix it.” But as we neared 600,000 posts on Fogbow, the database was becoming somewhat unstable. The posts table crashed last week, and it took a while to get my hosting company to fix it. It was too big to fix using phpMyAdmin.
This is good software, and it comes with paid support, although today I’m having a devil of a time trying to get the support team to respond to me. I’ve also got some other things pressing me on time, but I’ll be improving the forum as fast as possible over the coming weeks.
For conversion to a new platform, I think it went remarkably well. Thanks for the reminder about the show. I’ll add that to the article.
And just think, if Foggy only had the benefit of $300,000/year to spend on it, he could make The Fogbow be as attractive and fully-functional as FreeRepublic.
I could not help but compare this transition to the non-transition of Birther Report to its new server.
As for $300,000, surely you are joking throwing out a ridiculous number like that — oh, you weren’t joking. 😯
F’ing great article title, Doc.
Mmmm…Alliterationy goodness!
The search is fixed.
Alliterative article appellations almost always accrue accolades. Ask any author. All acknowledge and appreciate.
Achtung, alles auf Anfang, achtlose alte Affenbande aufgeregter Amerikaner!
(“Attention, rewind that back, you reckless old monkey bunch of aggravated Americans!”)
The spell check is working OK for me in Firefox.
I dunno which is more amusing, the alliteration itself, or the translation of it! XD
But between you and Doc, I think I’m way out of my league in the wit department!
JimRob has an appropriate name for a robber ……
Speaking of Gerbil Report whatever happened with the new server that Bob Nelson paid for with money he begged to be donated after Google shut down his malware infected blog? I notice GR is still hosted by Google.
Probably still sitting in the box, I don’t think he ever figured out how to open the box.
If I recall, he had an email exchange with Foggy some time back where he spouted off that he had the so called server sitting in a box. I can only figure it is in the same place. Apparently, he does not want to part with his footrest.
Probably having trouble installing the Gerbil operating system…installation can cause you to spin your wheels waiting for it to load…
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-og24p4_k8Rg/UqMm8vH4k8I/AAAAAAAAAQ0/blTHjeoEGBg/s1600/9.jpg
He probably forgot what it was, and eventually mistook it for one of those “The power companies hate this!” devices as seen on many a RWNJ website.