New Website Forum – Discussion Topic

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Please use this Topic to discuss the new Model Boats Forum following its conversion from MyTimeMedia to Mortons Media.

Before asking questions on here please look at the FAQ facility: https://www.modelboats.co.uk/help/

Please keep contributions constructive, there is no point in discussing other ways in which the Forum might have been updated. That ship has sailed. The focus must be on getting familiar with the new one and helping each other understand and navigate its ways of working.

A big plus is being able to load photos directly into posts subject to some limitations.

Colin

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Please note that some reference terms have changed when using the ‘Forum’

The top level is Model Boats Website (Known as ‘MAIN’)

Next level are ‘Forums’ for example, ‘All things Floating’

Then there are ‘Topics’ (Threads on the old Forum), for example ‘Today’s Boating’.

Finally there are the individual Posts.

So: MAIN > Forums > Topics > Posts

Colin

 

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Feature Articles

At present, a number of feature articles are not showing their associated images/photos. This because in the MyTimeMedia system these images may have been stored in different locations. If they were ‘Website Images’ in the old system they should be showing but if they were held in albums, as many were, then they will need to be transferred manually and Mortons hope to do this over the next few weeks.

Colin

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Avatars

Avatars have not transferred from the old system so you will need to reset them. Click on ‘Profile‘ on the home page and then again on ‘Profile‘ on your Profile and Settings page and then on ‘Change Profile Picture‘. You can then upload/copy your image and crop it as required. It is best if the original file is not too big.

Your avatar can be subsequently changed if you wish.

Colin

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Galleries

You can create a Gallery of your photos. Note that it is not connected to the Forum postings but is a standalone ‘Album’.

The controls are available in your Profile. Click on ‘Profile‘ on the home page and You will then see the Gallery option in your Profile and Settings page. Photos can be dragged or uploaded to the gallery and you can edit the descriptions.

There are several ways to navigate your Gallery.

[Chris EParticipant @chrise]

Phew – here at last. A few niggles that will hopefully be sorted.

Am I always going to have to go through the having my link security tested and then 3 catcha images to prove that I am human to get to post? As my browser deletes all cookies whenever it is closed I am always unrecognised when I open the forum. I then log in if I want to post. Edit: Just repeated arriving & yes I do go through having my link tested and Catcha images although only one this second time. I also have to deide to go to the forum or my profile after logging in. All very slow and intrusive.

My previous link to the old forum took me to the latest post listing. I am hoping that this still exists as it is much my preferred route. The problem with simply listing forum general headings is that it doesn’t highlight multiple postings either to the same topic nor mutliple different topics within the same general heading. I am not yet sure if the “Active Topics” list is the same thing.

The “latest issue” picture is for the issue that I got a month ago & not for the one that I read yesterday!

The quality of the thumbnail images for many of the “feature articles” is terrible. Very blurred.

The choice of some of some of the articles is odd. eg – Do we still want to know that Paul Fresney models were being sold 6 months ago?

The forum tells me that there are no members on line yet here I am & posting.

[Len Morris 2Participant @lenmorris2]

Had exactly the same issue.  Easier to connect to MI5 than a model boat site!  Seems my official name has changed from ‘Len Morris 1’ to ‘Len Morris 2’ and I’ve no idea why.  Can’t find mi albums so not sure  how to post pictures and what size the photos now need to be or where to put them.

Perhaps it’s early days but the site seems a lot slower than it was.

Len

 

[Chris EParticipant @chrise]

I have logged on for the third time and I had to tick the Catcha box but no image this time. I still have to decide profile or forum. Are we all likely to want to visit our profile that frequently? I haveb’t looked at mine in years.

The type face isn’t good in less than idea lighting. Compare this to a page on Mayhem and note how much moe legible their type is. I think that is the the colour / density rather than the font or the background colour?.

[JasonBParticipant @jasonb]

Jason Moderator from ME Forum Here, with a fe wanswers.

Having your computer set to delete cookies will mean you have to go through a longer login, the image sto click will probably not come up every time. It’s a personal choice.

There is no “Latest Posts” listing . At present the nearest to it is “Active Topics” down the right side of the screen. It is being worked on.

I have asked for latest issues to be updated on both sites.

Yes quality poor and old articles. I have asked for them to be altered and new added. At present they are showing in the order they have been uploaded in which will put the older stuff nearer the top as chronological order has been lost.

No avitars showing in who is online has been noted. may well just do away with it.

Photos no longer need an album. in your reply just click the image icon which is the last in the row above where you are typing and then drag and drop from your device. 8Mb size limit and upto 12 images per reply.

Speed ha sbeen one of the big problems being sorte dout and wa sa lot wors ethan it is now, could still be better.

[Chris EParticipant @chrise]

Thank you although I amnot sure why security here needs to put up more hurdles than any other forum that i visit.

[David Marks 2Participant @davidmarks2]

Chris – At the current time the image of the “Latest Issue” is correct as the November issue  is not scheduled to be issued until tomorrow (20 October). I only gained access to the new format this morning and from a quick look and play there are a number of improvements over the old model, a spell checker and an easier way to upload images to name just two. There are bound to be some initial “opportunities for improvement” and if you find one it is just a question of advising those responsible for the system and hoping that what you have identified can be corrected. Its called “continual improvement”.

[Len Morris 2Participant @lenmorris2]

Agree about the font density.  It’s just greyed out and drab.  Just tried to post on ‘Tin Plate Clyde Puffer’ in scratch build.  Text posts only appear.  Attach a picture (small size 800×600) and a panel appears saying ‘this post is under moderation’.  What’s all that about in plain speak?

Also, because I’m apparently Len Morris 2, all previous history about number of posts, photos etc has vanished.

Number of users on line?  Counter shows Zero but I’m on line looking at it!

[JasonBParticipant @jasonb]

Font size and a slightly darker background and better separation between replies have been asked for.

You may well find your first post needs to be moderated, Unfortunately I can only do that on ME forum but Colin or Admin will hopefully be able to approve these first posts quickly.

Colin may be able to look into len 1/2 issue it is possible some members had old e-mail adressess registered and the system is looking for those not what you may currently be using.

As you nolonger have the albums you did on the old forum you won’t see a link to “photos” below your avatar. generally now just drag and drop images rather than use a gallery (new name for albums)

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Welcome back!

Some of the questions people are asking were covered in my initial posts on this topic. Please do read through earlier posts to check if your question has already been answered before posting.

Colin

[Len Morris 2]

On Len Morris 2 said

 

Also, because I’m apparently Len Morris 2, all previous history about number of posts, photos etc has vanished.

 

On JasonB said

 

As you nolonger have the albums you did on the old forum you won’t see a link to “photos” below your avatar. generally now just drag and drop images rather than use a gallery (new name for albums)

Just to expand on my earlier reply. You will not see post count or photos listed below anyones avatar. You can however access them by clicking the avatar and then looking at that persons activity or galleries.

[Len Morris 2]

On Len Morris 2 said

Had exactly the same issue.  Easier to connect to MI5 than a model boat site!  Seems my official name has changed from ‘Len Morris 1’ to ‘Len Morris 2’ and I’ve no idea why.  Can’t find mi albums so not sure  how to post pictures and what size the photos now need to be or where to put them.

Perhaps it’s early days but the site seems a lot slower than it was.

Len

 

Hi Len, I’m Dave, a moderator on the sister Model Engineering forum, here to help out and see exactly what the user experience is.

There are bugs, issues and differences.

Please be patient with the bugs, circumstances conspired to reduce the amount of time available for testing, and the time available for fixing them.  Whilst it’s believed all major bugs are fixed, there are still a fair number of irritating “features” queued for attention.

The way the new forum handles images is different.   It’s no longer necessary to load photographs into an Album before they can be posted.  Instead, just click the ‘Insert Image’ button.  A window opens allowing drag and drop or select from a file list. Much faster, the images have higher resolution, and JPG and PNG are both supported.

I recommend everyone to explore the FAQs.  (Yeah, I agree – real men hate reading the instructions!)

Dave

 

 

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Len,

All the photos displayed in posts in the old system have been carried over but the albums themselves haven’t. You can create new Albums (Now called Galleries) as per my earlier post in this topic.

The old albums may be converted into galleries at some point but at the moment it isn’t a priority. I did warn about this on the old forum so that people could download photos if they wished.

As Dave says above there are a lot of items still requiring attention but hopefully they are nor essential to  using the forum. The alternative would have been to delay going live even further and that was not possible for too many reasons to state here. You can expect things to settle down as the various issues are sorted out one way or another.

Colin

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Chris E,

The old site may have been convenient to get into but security was abysmal. My first job every day for the last three years has been to remove up to 15 fake ‘bot’ registrations.

This site seems tolerable in that once you have logged in a few time it’s just ‘I’m not a robot’. But I suspect tht is also bound up with the cookie issue described by Jason in an earlier post.

Colin

[Colin Bishop]

On Colin Bishop said

…

This site seems tolerable in that once you have logged in a few time it’s just ‘I’m not a robot’. But I suspect tht is also bound up with the cookie issue described by Jason in an earlier post.Colin

Introducing better security often causes bother, usually temporary!  In the event anyone is completely stuffed up, the Contact Form at the bottom of the FAQ page can be used to ask for help.

:

 

Dave

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

The downtime this morning was due to indexing ‘webspiders’ overloading the sites. Model Boats, which is much smaller than Model Engineer, is now running on a different server for the time being.

Colin

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Personal Messages

As John hs said in an earlier post, it looks like the personal messages from the old forum have come across which is a bonus as there was some doubt whether this would be possible.

You can find them in your Profile.

Colin

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi All,

Well if I can work it out ! any duffer can eventually 🙂

Regards Ray

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

I’m here, battered and bruised but here.  Now time to have a dig around and find out how things work.

As always seems to be the case with similar such conversations over the years on the old site there are some quick to find fault yet slow to voice appreciation for those who have put in huge amounts of time and effort, above and beyond what might have been expected, just to see this forum up and running.

I would like to thank everyone who was involved for their time, dedication and commitment to seeing this project finally come to a completion.

Well done gents.

[Roger FugeParticipant @rogerfuge]

Thank you Colin just got in

[Dave ReedParticipant @davereed72029]

Good to be back.

Not a big issue but the big purple banner at top of the screen stays put in the News / Features /  Gallery menus. For me, that’s a big bit of screen not displaying what I selected. I’d prefer it to disappear off the top of the screen as in the forum menu and leave the full screen available to read the article. Others may have different opinions this is just mine.

That’s my bit said, I’ll leave the guys to sort out any bigger issues now.

Dave

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