Jeff Wexler Posted February 8, 2010 Report Share Posted February 8, 2010 As everyone knows by now, I have been investigating alternatives to this Discussion Group. It has been an exciting and complicated process. Ultimately I will make the decision what to do and I am confident that our core people, and you know who you are, will go wherever we decide to land --- after all, you are the heart and soul of this wonderful group. For those of you who are interested, here are the things I have been looking into and these are the options under consideration: 2 traditional forum-style message boards, each with their good points and their not so good points a. hosted forum-style message board from Sparklit - Active Board http://jwsoundnet.activeboard.com/ b. hosted forum-style message board from Website Toolbox http://jwsound.websitetoolbox.com/ 2 social network style sites, both with forum sections but lots of other stuff as well b. hosted site from SocialGo http://jwsoundnet.socialgo.com/ summary: good forum section, extensive personal profile page with personal blog, easy uploading of images and video, photo albums, group messaging, groups and so forth c. CinemaSound http://cinemasound.ning.com/ summary: good forum section, easy uploading and attaching images, personal Profile page, personal blog, flexible forum use and display and many, many other features (and many people have already had some experience with CinemaSound) Anyone with any sense of adventure or interest in this quest, please feel free to sign up and pound away at any of these sites. One thing they all have in common is a very secure and spam-proof registration process that is relatively painless for people to use. Regards, Jeff Wexler Note: disregard any and all of the content on these sites --- everything has been put up for testing with no regard for real content Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole Hankerson Posted February 8, 2010 Report Share Posted February 8, 2010 I like b. hosted forum-style message board from Website Toolbox http://jwsound.websitetoolbox.com/ Very nice. Either way I'm cool with whichever one you decide to make the primary. Good luck with everything Jeff. Nicole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larry long Posted February 9, 2010 Report Share Posted February 9, 2010 Why change? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old school Posted February 9, 2010 Report Share Posted February 9, 2010 I joined the social network one(#2). I like it the most of the 3 you are pondering. It is very clean and fast on my end. I loaded 2 videos a picture and a song. All worked well and was super simple to do. The only tweak I would like is more options for uploading sound clips or songs. MP3 is just to limited for what is out there. This one is very much like CinemaSound, but cleaner, cooler, more responsive. I would be happy here/there. CrewC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Wexler Posted February 9, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2010 I joined the social network one(#2). I like it the most of the 3 you are pondering. It is very clean and fast on my end. I loaded 2 videos a picture and a song. All worked well and was super simple to do. The only tweak I would like is more options for uploading sound clips or songs. MP3 is just to limited for what is out there. This one is very much like CinemaSound, but cleaner, cooler, more responsive. I would be happy here/there. CrewC Thanks for trying it out. It is interesting that you say SocialGo site is fast because that is the one thing I have been unhappy about is the network performance. I will continue to investigate. - Jeff Wexler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Wexler Posted February 9, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2010 Why change? There have been a lot of problems with the SMF forum software that runs our group here, mostly things which have not thankfully really affected everyone, just ME (and we all know it is all about me). I have also been looking into alternatives so that our members can have a few more features over that which is provided by this basic forum. I think it is important to be able to handle images and video a little more elegantly and easily than it can be done here. Lastly, I am an explorer and a tinkerer and I have a lot of time on my hands, so I have been on the search. - Jeff Wexler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Blankenship Posted February 9, 2010 Report Share Posted February 9, 2010 When's Cameron Crowe doing another feature -- we've gotta get Jeff back to work -- he's rearranging the furniture again! Seriously though, Jeff, if this one's a hassle to administer and maintain, you should definitely host it where it's easier and more enjoyable for you. Based on the "You shouldn't mess with success" axiom, my preference would be that which is most like here. Following a cursory visit to each, the Toolbox one seemed the most like "home," so that would get my vote for now (preference subject to further sleuthing). Oh, and a big "THANK YOU" for all your efforts. I hope you feel appreciated -- you are. John B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPSharman Posted February 9, 2010 Report Share Posted February 9, 2010 I can't tell you enough what a great distraction from my unemployment this forum is. And anywhere it moves will find me following. For better or for worse. Thank you for this great sound resource and great forum for sharing and debating. Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBurnette Posted February 9, 2010 Report Share Posted February 9, 2010 I like the feel of SocialGo. I'm wondering what limitations you've encountered. It seems to have the best image and video functionality. Ning always felt cluttered to me. The straight forum options are, well, so last century. I mean no offense, but I think the mix of formats online (text, stills, video, audio, etc.) is better served by Ning or SocialGo. Anyway, my brief thoughts. The important thing is that it is easy to administer. It's a wonderful gratis service, so keeping it easy should be a priority. Thanks for putting it all together! Like Robert, I've spent a lot of time here while underemployed...This forum, and (re)learning to sew... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old school Posted February 9, 2010 Report Share Posted February 9, 2010 Funny thing on my end, this new option is faster and not as lagged at all compared to CinemaSound, or MovingMicrophones. The other choices are most like the current jwsound, but the social network forum has the options I find fun, interesting, and more useful. Whatever you choose should be good for you as the man who has to deal with it.. I am curious to what others think. CrewC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Toline Posted February 9, 2010 Report Share Posted February 9, 2010 Another vote for website tool box. The first is not too shabby but the stark white background and the strange font hurts my eyes. Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Perkins Posted February 9, 2010 Report Share Posted February 9, 2010 For me, website toolbox. If it has to be a soclal networking thing then the socialgo version works better for me. I hope that somehow searches on the new forum will include posts from this one.... Philip Perkins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Wexler Posted February 9, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2010 For me, website toolbox. If it has to be a soclal networking thing then the socialgo version works better for me. I hope that somehow searches on the new forum will include posts from this one.... Philip Perkins If we do make the move, this site will always be available but most probably as a searchable archive and read only. If it is at all possible, and it is doubtful, I will be able to export content from here and import it into the new site. - Jeff Wexler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dre Rivera Posted February 9, 2010 Report Share Posted February 9, 2010 I am more of a reader than a poster but i would say the socialgo looks like a good option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old school Posted February 9, 2010 Report Share Posted February 9, 2010 The more I play w socialgo, the more I like it. I am working today at Downey So Called Studios, (Where they used to build the space shuttle), and the test site works well on my old G4 powerbook and verizon card. Seems like the best choice to upgrade with new features as well as the familiar old site. I vote 2 or 3 times for this one as the new home of jwsound.net or whatever you end up calling it. CrewC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Blankenship Posted February 9, 2010 Report Share Posted February 9, 2010 ...I vote 2 or 3 times for this one as the new home of jwsound.net or whatever you end up calling it. I didn't know we could vote more than once. Are we in Chicago? John B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old school Posted February 9, 2010 Report Share Posted February 9, 2010 We all vote, Jeff decides. So far, not many votes, so I decided to vote 5 times. CrewC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel McIntosh Posted February 10, 2010 Report Share Posted February 10, 2010 Some quick initial thoughts: The SocialGo seems to be a cross between SMF and Ning. The Ning is crowded (and has ads). The Websitetoolbox is familiar, as it's boilerplate for several other forums I attend. It's reasonably friendly and seems to most resemble the SMF layout. I recognize Activeboard as boilerplate for a lot of European forums. It seems a bit "pinched". I see the testing of the picture attachments has begun: The Websitetoolbox seems to require a login to see the pictures. The Activeboard andSocialGo did not require login. I am sorry to ear that SMF is such a hassle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Wexler Posted February 10, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2010 Thank you Daniel for taking the time to look at the options. "The SocialGo seems to be a cross between SMF and Ning" Very observant. SocialGo runs on the Ning Network and uses a lot of their APIs to develop the SocialGo site. So, there are actually quite a lot of similarities between the SocialGo site I have been working on and CinemaSound (which is on the Ning Network). "The Ning is crowded (and has ads)" CinemaSound on the Ning Network is FREE, therefore the Ads that they require. If I were to go with a paid system I could have the ads removed and run my own ads if I wanted to. SocialGo is a paid service (that I will cancel if I make the decision to not go with SocialGo). "The Websitetoolbox is familiar, as it's boilerplate for several other forums I attend. It's reasonably friendly and seems to most resemble the SMF layout." It is the cleanest and least cluttered and does some things a little more elegantly than my SMF forum. If we do make a change this is certainly high up on the list. "I recognize Activeboard as boilerplate for a lot of European forums. It seems a bit 'pinched' " Right again. They have headquarters in Canada and the UK and their forums are in use in Europe. "The Websitetoolbox seems to require a login to see the pictures. The Activeboard andSocialGo did not require login." These things can be set by the administrator (me). Our Discussion Group (SMF) does not display attached images either unless you are logged in. "I am sorry to ear that SMF is such a hassle." Whatever we decide to do, along with all this investigative work I am also doing major work on SMF. We should see some changes here in the next few days (which will be welcome particularly if we decide to stay right here). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Wielage Posted February 11, 2010 Report Share Posted February 11, 2010 I'm also a regular on another group which has used WebsiteToolkit, and while it's easy for the person maintaining it, it doesn't have the features of full-blown bulletin-board message software (like <u>VBulletin</u> or <u>Invision</u>). I find the response time on WebsiteToolkit to be kinda buggy in that often the sites are unavailable, just because they get overloaded. But this is a bandwidth issue, not a software issue. My vote would be for Jeff to find a way to commercialize the site (in a subtle way), just as they do on <u>Recording.org</u> and <u>Gearslutz</u>, both intended for industry professionals and audio newcomers. Both of these also use VBulletin but in very different ways, and are extremely flexible, both for the user and the people who own the forums. I have absolutely no objection to banner ads as long as they're inoffensive and are selling actual products that relates to the group (like recording gear as opposed to alcohol and porno*). But ActiveBoard looks like the best of the options Jeff has posted (IMHO). --Marc W. ___________________ * not that there's anything wrong with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Wexler Posted February 11, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2010 Thanks for weighing here, Marc, I value your input. As part of my investigation I actually did purchase a full license for vBulletin, installed it all myself and then with some help from Laurence Abrams we got it all up and running even managing to import substantial part of THIS forum into vBulletin. Then I started using it and I really didn't like it. I know there are thousands of forums that run on vBulletin and it is very solid full featured software, but there were actually several things that we have gotten used to hear on SMF that I prefer over vBulletin. So, I did the unthinkable and asked for a refund which they gave me. It is not cheap software! I am going to have some major work done on this site and I think I have solved the registration problem, so it is possible we're going to stay right here. I'm not making any promises. Anyone who hasn't done so yet and is so inclined, a visit to 2 of the various options, SocialGo and CinemaSound, could be helpful to me. If you do have the time, please concentrate on the FORUM features of each site since that is what really matters. Don't worry about posting silly test stuff either, I think everyone will understand. SocialGo: http://jwsoundnet.socialgo.com CinemaSound: http://cinemasound.ning.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Toline Posted February 11, 2010 Report Share Posted February 11, 2010 I don't know if the sign in feature on social go is supposed to work but it says that my email address is not a valid address on JWsound as shown below. "Email Address Not Found The email address you entered is not registered with jwsound.net. Please create a new account here or login with a different email address" Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Wexler Posted February 11, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2010 I don't know if the sign in feature on social go is supposed to work but it says that my email address is not a valid address on JWsound as shown below. Eric SocialGo is totally independent --- it knows nothing about you. You would have to register just like a new person (and I understand, Eric, if you don't wish to do this). There is no way to migrate or import the membership from this site to the other. - Jeff Wexler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Toline Posted February 11, 2010 Report Share Posted February 11, 2010 SocialGo is totally independent --- it knows nothing about you. You would have to register just like a new person (and I understand, Eric, if you don't wish to do this). There is no way to migrate or import the membership from this site to the other. - Jeff Wexler I got through the sign in process and became a member, that said I'm not thrilled with the sort of convulted way it seems to work. Seems it's a bit simpler to navigate this site but I'm a luddite. Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Wexler Posted February 11, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2010 Seems it's a bit simpler to navigate this site but I'm a luddite. Eric That doesn't make you a bad guy... or does it? - Jeff Wexler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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