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STAFFORD FORUM IS CLOSING DOWN!
- Thread starter Admin
- Start date
Andreas Rex
Banned for smiling
My favourite is still the Gym & Tonic one....where the 2nd link is Stafford Forum / Gym & Tonic - Poor show.tek-monkey said:
supernova said:
As others have said, I pay for everything. The domain names, the hosting space, the bandwidth, the software, the running costs, etc. Not to mention the 'non-fiscal' cost, such as the time I put in dealing with spammers, mediating disagreements, and so forth. I get several PMs a week, and that's not including reported posts, all of which have to be responded to and dealt with in a fair and professional manner. It doesn't sound like a lot, but it takes at least an hour a day, and when you bear in mind that I am a normal person, with a normal job and normal real-world responsibilities, you can imagine how that is quite a lot to deal with!supernova said:
Back when I opened Stafford Forum in 2006 I considered it a little hobby that I enjoyed, and as with any hobby I was happy to plough some time and money into it, just for the love of doing it. However, as per the first post in this thread, Stafford Forum has now grown to a size that none of us anticipated, and as such so have the costs (financial or otherwise, as detailed above). Don't get me wrong, I still love it! It's just that nowadays, we're reaching the stage where I need a little help.
The catalyst for upgrading The Forum actually came about from people asking about how they could donate to Stafford Forum in this thread: http://www.staffordforum.com/xf/index.php?threads/pms-private-messages-on-the-forum.3036/#post-60375 (note that that is from 2009, so the information is a little out-dated). I had never considered taking donations, but it was clear from that (and other) threads that people were so grateful for Stafford Forum that they were willing to contribute towards making it better. In fact, it went beyond willingness - I realised that people wanted to pay in order to improve The Forum, something again which I never dreamed of!
All of this is just preamble to answering your question: Yes, there will be a way to 'switch off' some of the adverts. There will be an option to donate to Stafford Forum, and anyone who does so will be privy to certain added perks. Fewer adverts, more space for private messages, that sort of thing.
Please bear in mind that donating will be exactly that - a voluntary donation. If you want to continue to use Stafford Forum completely free of charge, as I anticipate the vast majority of people will want to, then you are more than welcome to do so. You won't be nagged by pop-ups or continually encouraged to donate or anything; there will just be a little button somewhere, and if you want to donate then the option is there. As a 'Thank You', I will offer the aforementioned perks in return.
As MyCult points out, Stafford Forum carries quite significant weight on Google now, and for local businesses it would be foolhardy not to get involved to some extent. Just look at the example Andreas Rex has highlighted! That's not a deliberate act of sabotage or anything sinister like that, it's simply as a result of people on here chatting about that particular establishment.
By allowing advertising on Stafford Forum, we can all take advantage of this, and it's a win-win situation: Local businesses get to advertise to thousands of people (over 250,000 pageviews last month, which was a slow month) and you all get to use Stafford Forum for free.
Sorry for the lengthy diatribe, but the subject of donations and advertising has come up so often (the thread linked above is 3 years old) and I've always said no, so now that it is actually going to become a reality I can't help but feel I need to defend the decision. :/
I don't, to be honest. As in, I haven't given it much thought beyond "We'll have a nice banner advert at the top, and maybe a little one down the side". Most of your post went whooshing over my head, I'm afraid. I dare say I will need to employ your SEO skills once the new Forum is here.MyCult said:
db
#chaplife
jesus wept, you're not wrong! i just asked withnail a question about mrs. brown's boys, he answered 15 minutes ago, i googled "Mike Pyatt from stafford" to see if i could find out more about him, and already the forum is ranked as the 5th result! not very useful for me trying to find out more info, just to get linked back here lol - but shows how impressive google is and how much weight stafford forum carries on it!MyCult said:
PunBB (the software that the current Forum runs on) doesn't support Polls, so I had to hack them in at someone's request during the early days. For this reason (i.e. because Polls are not an official part of PunBB) all existing Polls will not make it during the transition, I'm afraid. Therefore, please don't make any more until the new Forum is rolled out!
Thanks.
Thanks.
wizzard
Well-Known Forumite
I hope they will do, some people sign up and don't post for years, only posting when they have something to share.Glam said:
There is a little myth that goes round some forum admins that zero post accounts have an impact on the database, when in reality they have no impact at all.
Indeed we do, and one of things I am hoping to achieve with the new Forum is to get them more involved.Glam said:
All users will be carried over, and once the new Forum is up and running I will send a broadcast email (i.e. an email to every registered user) announcing the unveiling. So all those users who signed-up years ago and for whatever reason have since forgotten about this place, will hopefully be reminded of its splendour and come bouncing back with gay abandon!
The new Forum will have a different 'node structure' - i.e. the main Index will be more than just:
Thanks.
I don't want to clutter the screen up with too many forums, so I was thinking along these lines:
Any comments on the above? Have I missed anything, or is there anything else you would like to see?Stafford Chat - Anything specific to Stafford.
Surrounding Areas - The wider borough and beyond (Stoke, Stone, Cannock, etc.). Places one might consider 'local', but aren't Stafford!
Eating Out - The current "Out & About" section is mainly about restaurants, so I think a dedicated section is required as you lot sure do love your food.
Events - For listing events, local or otherwise (this will be linked to a proper calendar/events system).
General Banter - Anything about anything.
Music - Discussion of anything musical; bands, instruments, techniques. Musical events should go in the Events section.
Entertainment - TV, cinema, theatre, Internet media, etc.
Computers & IT - The subject of computers & the Internet is so big, I thought it made sense to separate it from other techno-banter. Hence:
Geeks & Gadgets - Aforementioned techno-banter. Anything to do with gadgets & geekery.
Sports & Activities - Any sports chat.
For Sale
Wanted
Jobs Available - This can be for advertising job vacancies, but also for people looking for 'odd jobs' they want doing.
Local Services - There are so many skilled people on The Forum (plumbers, IT specialists, electricians, handymen, etc.) that people are always asking "Can anyone [insert task here] for me?". This would provide a place for people who wish to advertise their skills to do so, to help their fellow Forumites. Please note that it is not for local business to advertise in; there will be a separate, dedicated Business Directory for that.
Thanks.
wmrcomputers
Stafford PC & laptop repair specialist
Agreed here - A nicely worded selection there.
halfmanhalfbrisket
Well-Known Forumite
Spot on Admin.. nice work
Gramaisc
Forum O. G.
Will existing threads be segregated appropriately?
e.g., there are mains electrical queries in the current Tech section that wouldn't be with the Computery stuff in the new arrangement, but, presumably, in Geeks and Gadgets...
It seems to me that this would require manual sorting.
e.g., there are mains electrical queries in the current Tech section that wouldn't be with the Computery stuff in the new arrangement, but, presumably, in Geeks and Gadgets...
It seems to me that this would require manual sorting.
citricsquid
Well-Known Forumite
I would like to request a refund, you're taking too long!!
That's how it works on one of the forums I administrate; users can either report a thread (with "please move to x") or if it's posted and a moderator/admin notices they move it to where it belongs. The latter is pretty much impossible on a much larger forum, but it would work well here.Gramaisc said: