Well after some discussion with the rest of the DC site helpers and admins I am please to announce that we are going to upgrade the software that runs our community.
I will list out some features, discuss the process and then field questions.
We are currently running on an open source software called phpBB. It is very popular and a good solution for many forum communities. DC is growing fast and moving to a more robust/feature rich solution will give us the tools needed to keep up.
I will try to keep as much of the look and feel of the site the same. Here are a few things that you will
- A nice posting editor tool that allows for easier formatting of your posts
- Enhanced photo attachment features
- Ability to breakout categories into sub-categories for better organization
- A photo gallery
- A link system to other cooking resources online
- Tons of site help and admin management tools
- User subscription system
- Printer friendly interface
- Member Karma system...
There are so many new features that the above list still seems to short?!?
Question: So how will the upgrade work?
Answer: I will turn the community off and then start to import all the info from our current database into the new database. Then I will have to go through and make sure all permissions are set properly and I will reopen the site. During the first week after the upgrade we are all going to have to help each other get used to things.
I have done this before on a couple of big communities and some members will feel right at home because they are already familiar with vBulletin. Others will have to learn the new interface and get used to it.
right now I am planning to do the upgrades this weekend. I'll post an exact date & time as the week progresses. Please expect the site to be down from Friday evening to Monday morning. In all reality I Think I can have the conversion done in a matter of hours.
well, let the questions/support/feedback roll and I will try to answer as many questions as possible each night when I get a chance.
I will list out some features, discuss the process and then field questions.
We are currently running on an open source software called phpBB. It is very popular and a good solution for many forum communities. DC is growing fast and moving to a more robust/feature rich solution will give us the tools needed to keep up.
I will try to keep as much of the look and feel of the site the same. Here are a few things that you will
- A nice posting editor tool that allows for easier formatting of your posts
- Enhanced photo attachment features
- Ability to breakout categories into sub-categories for better organization
- A photo gallery
- A link system to other cooking resources online
- Tons of site help and admin management tools
- User subscription system
- Printer friendly interface
- Member Karma system...
There are so many new features that the above list still seems to short?!?
Question: So how will the upgrade work?
Answer: I will turn the community off and then start to import all the info from our current database into the new database. Then I will have to go through and make sure all permissions are set properly and I will reopen the site. During the first week after the upgrade we are all going to have to help each other get used to things.
I have done this before on a couple of big communities and some members will feel right at home because they are already familiar with vBulletin. Others will have to learn the new interface and get used to it.
right now I am planning to do the upgrades this weekend. I'll post an exact date & time as the week progresses. Please expect the site to be down from Friday evening to Monday morning. In all reality I Think I can have the conversion done in a matter of hours.
well, let the questions/support/feedback roll and I will try to answer as many questions as possible each night when I get a chance.