Author Topic: Got A Forum Idea?  (Read 11093 times)

Offline Phillip Dampier

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Got A Forum Idea?
« on: March 14, 2006, 05:19:32 pm »
If you have an idea for a forum that isn't on BetterMost that you would like to see, why not consider requesting one?  BetterMost is what the users make of it, and we have room to grow.  Being a moderator of a forum is as easy as launching new topics, helping keep the conversation going, and weeding out any messages that run contrary to our rules.

If you have a suggestion, feel free to drop me a line at [email protected] and I'll get back to you a.s.a.p.
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Offline EnnisLovesJack

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Re: Got A Forum Idea?
« Reply #1 on: April 21, 2006, 11:57:15 pm »
Hey Phillip. Great site, man! I really appreciate having a free, safe place to call home. Our own little Brokeback Mountain, far above the madding crowds and trolls. You've done some stellar work here, cowboy!
You may actually already have this feature, I haven;t had enough time to peruse and explore the site, but such is life soemtimes. Anyway, here's my idea: Can you install a feature that lets users save favorite threads in a folder or something for themselves, for reference, or to keep track of ones they don't have time to read but wanna save for later?

Thanks again for being our Harriet Tubman and leading Tremblayans and other IMDB refugees to brokie freedom!

keren/ELJ
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Offline Phillip Dampier

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Re: Got A Forum Idea?
« Reply #2 on: April 23, 2006, 05:27:30 pm »
Hey Phillip. Great site, man! I really appreciate having a free, safe place to call home. Our own little Brokeback Mountain, far above the madding crowds and trolls. You've done some stellar work here, cowboy!
You may actually already have this feature, I haven;t had enough time to peruse and explore the site, but such is life soemtimes. Anyway, here's my idea: Can you install a feature that lets users save favorite threads in a folder or something for themselves, for reference, or to keep track of ones they don't have time to read but wanna save for later?

I don't believe the software has a provision to let you do that, other than bookmarking threads in your own browser.  Be aware that unlike IMDb, I have no policy to delete old messages at this time, so what you do see here today you will see here tomorrow, next week, month, etc.  We have plenty of disk space.  Each thread on here has its own unique URL, so you can bookmark threads and revisit them no matter how old.  As to saving them on your own machine, I am not personally aware of software to do that, but perhaps some others here can offer suggestions.

Thanks!
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Re: Got A Forum Idea?
« Reply #3 on: April 29, 2006, 04:55:21 pm »
My idea would have a segment, or whatever it would be called, where the discussions would be on Annie Proulx's original short story as copyrighted by Dead Line, Ltd. in 1997. That's what was published in "Close Range" and in the stand-alone Brokeback Mountain paperback book I have.

As a "stand-alone" movie and pretending Annie Proulx never wrote the story, I would say that the movie is one of the best movies I have ever seen.

But, without Annie Proulx's short story in the first place, there would have been no movie with her characters in it.

I see some things in the movie that were never in any version of the short story (not even the New Yorker Magazine version) and some things that never even made the movie in the story which I consider important to the story.

Offline EnnisLovesJack

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Re: Got A Forum Idea?
« Reply #4 on: April 30, 2006, 09:57:01 pm »

Quote
I don't believe the software has a provision to let you do that, other than bookmarking threads in your own browser.  Be aware that unlike IMDb, I have no policy to delete old messages at this time, so what you do see here today you will see here tomorrow, next week, month, etc.  We have plenty of disk space.  Each thread on here has its own unique URL, so you can bookmark threads and revisit them no matter how old.  As to saving them on your own machine, I am not personally aware of software to do that, but perhaps some others here can offer suggestions.

Thanks!

Thanks, Phillip! I have started emailing myself links to topics that I don't have the time to read on the spot, but which I want to read eventually. I
ve also taken advantage of the awesome "sent topic" feature. And props on creating the buttons that insta-click the code for quoting and inserting URL links. Saves time, energy, and makes posting so much simpler and easier. You've really done a great job with this site. Bravo!

Keren aka ELJ
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Offline newyearsday

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a couple of questions and a couple of suggesstions
« Reply #5 on: May 02, 2006, 09:51:09 pm »
what's the "sent topic" feature? I must admit, I have not gotten familiar with everything here.

Also, people tell me you can set it up to receive an email if someone replies to your post, but so far I have only seen that available as a feature if you check the box for it in each post you write, under 'additional options' in the posting section. Any way to make it a default feature?

Finally, is there any way you could make the font/typeface bigger or bolder in the front page of each forum, i.e the titles of the topics? I find that that, along with more empty space across the title pages of each board/forum, make IMDb feel more spacious and user friendly somehow. Even if it were possible to just narrow down the colum for the names of topic originators, it might help to make the board feel more roomy.

Thanks for considering these suggestions Phillip. As you hopefully know, I love this place and I don't know what I'd be doing without you.

Jenny
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Offline Sheriff Roland

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Re: Got A Forum Idea?
« Reply #6 on: May 02, 2006, 10:03:55 pm »
My idea would have a segment, or whatever it would be called, where the discussions would be on Annie Proulx's original short story as copyrighted by Dead Line, Ltd. in 1997. That's what was published in "Close Range" and in the stand-alone Brokeback Mountain paperback book I have.

As a "stand-alone" movie and pretending Annie Proulx never wrote the story, I would say that the movie is one of the best movies I have ever seen.

But, without Annie Proulx's short story in the first place, there would have been no movie with her characters in it.

I see some things in the movie that were never in any version of the short story (not even the New Yorker Magazine version) and some things that never even made the movie in the story which I consider important to the story.
TJ
Out on IMDb BBM, I had similar threads, that I intend to recreate over here soon. They were/will be called "Great lines from the book that DID make it to film" & "Great lines from the book that DIDN'T make it to film"

I'm trying not to overload the forum where my threads can be found with too much at once.

Roland
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Offline Lynne

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Re: a couple of questions and a couple of suggesstions
« Reply #7 on: May 08, 2006, 10:57:00 pm »
what's the "sent topic" feature? I must admit, I have not gotten familiar with everything here.

Also, people tell me you can set it up to receive an email if someone replies to your post, but so far I have only seen that available as a feature if you check the box for it in each post you write, under 'additional options' in the posting section. Any way to make it a default feature?

Finally, is there any way you could make the font/typeface bigger or bolder in the front page of each forum, i.e the titles of the topics? I find that that, along with more empty space across the title pages of each board/forum, make IMDb feel more spacious and user friendly somehow. Even if it were possible to just narrow down the colum for the names of topic originators, it might help to make the board feel more roomy.

Thanks for considering these suggestions Phillip. As you hopefully know, I love this place and I don't know what I'd be doing without you.

Jenny

Hi Jenny,

When reading a topic, there is a button center right entitled 'Send Topic' which will let you send a link to a topic to an email address.  Sometimes I use it to mail something to myself.  Also you can mark a topic unread so you can find it later by choosing 'Select Unread Topics' from your user info at the top of the forum page.

If you select your profie, to the left there is a link to something like 'Email Notifications and Settings'.  Here you can check several options related to receiving email in response to topics you start or post.

Sorry, but I do not know anything about setting forum font size preferences.

-Lynne
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Offline Lynne

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Re: Got A Forum Idea?
« Reply #8 on: May 08, 2006, 11:09:18 pm »
I have a couple of ideas that have been percolating, so I thought I would post them here to see if there is any interest.

One is that I think as we grow, Movie Resources could be subdivided into a few different sections to make things easier to find.  Perhaps something like "Brokeback Mountain/Reviews and Commentary" and "Cast, Crew, and Other Projects" and "General Interest"?

Another idea, and this may be macabre, but the idea has stuck with me for > 1 week so I'm writing it to get it off my mind:  I notice that there are a several people who have been brave enough to discuss the deaths of people close to them - Nancy and Gay come to mind immediately, but I believe I've read about others too.  What do you guys think of an 'In Memoriam'-type thread for specific posts like this to both honor these memories and so that they don't get lost in the shuffle as things become busier and harder to manage.

That's all for now - all feedback welcome, of course.
-Lynne
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Re: Got A Forum Idea?
« Reply #9 on: May 09, 2006, 11:49:11 am »
I would like to see something like a "Brokeback Mountain Book Review and Commentary" in a forum type set-up.

While I know other forum members and I do that on our own in other places on BetterMost, I think to have the topic as a major area of discussion would be interesting.

I do think that the forums broadband space would be helped if a lot of the overlapping subjects of discussion were merged even more to save costly space. I do think the moderations are doing a tremendous job in that area as much as possible.


Offline Meryl

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Re: Got A Forum Idea?
« Reply #10 on: May 15, 2006, 01:57:27 am »
Hi Phillip,

I didn't realize til tonight that the Brokeback Mountain Fan Fiction Forum included poetry threads!  I would have been contributing haikus, etc., had I known.  Do you think you could add "and Poetry" to the title of the forum?  It might help others find their way to the poems, too.

Thanks  :)

Meryl
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Offline Phillip Dampier

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Re: Got A Forum Idea?
« Reply #11 on: May 21, 2006, 10:38:54 am »
Hi Phillip,

I didn't realize til tonight that the Brokeback Mountain Fan Fiction Forum included poetry threads!  I would have been contributing haikus, etc., had I known.  Do you think you could add "and Poetry" to the title of the forum?  It might help others find their way to the poems, too.

Thanks  :)

Meryl

Sounds good to me.  I will take care of it.

I have a couple of ideas that have been percolating, so I thought I would post them here to see if there is any interest.

One is that I think as we grow, Movie Resources could be subdivided into a few different sections to make things easier to find.  Perhaps something like "Brokeback Mountain/Reviews and Commentary" and "Cast, Crew, and Other Projects" and "General Interest"?

The "child board" concept would probably be the best way to handle this, but the major issue with that is always the possibility of burying threads.  Maybe it's not such a big deal on the Movie Resources section.  I am considering a more permanent "content management system" approach for a long term archive of resources and remarkable threads.  It would look more like the system in place on the home page of this site, except there will be sections.

Quote
Another idea, and this may be macabre, but the idea has stuck with me for > 1 week so I'm writing it to get it off my mind:  I notice that there are a several people who have been brave enough to discuss the deaths of people close to them - Nancy and Gay come to mind immediately, but I believe I've read about others too.  What do you guys think of an 'In Memoriam'-type thread for specific posts like this to both honor these memories and so that they don't get lost in the shuffle as things become busier and harder to manage.

Maybe one large thread with all of these?  I could also make it into articles on the aforementioned content management system if it appears like these won't get many actual replies, but are intended more as stand-alone messages.

Also, people tell me you can set it up to receive an email if someone replies to your post, but so far I have only seen that available as a feature if you check the box for it in each post you write, under 'additional options' in the posting section. Any way to make it a default feature?

Click Profile, then Notifications and E-Mail and you will find a powerful set of options where you can request notification by e-mail of anything from the threads you have started to all threads (not recommended because you'll be buried in e-mail).  I am aware the look and feel of those messages is not the greatest right now, but it works.
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Offline Pipedream

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Re: Got A Forum Idea?
« Reply #12 on: May 21, 2006, 11:54:02 am »

This it not exactly an idea for a new forum, but maybe some sort of holiday/vacation calender could be added to BetterMost.net. Sometimes people don't post for a while and you start to think about them and wonder where they are or even get worried about them. If we had a special place for it, members who know they'll be away for a certain time could post there, telling the others they'll be on a summer holiday, on a weekend trip or whatever.

What do you think?

 :)

Offline Meryl

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Re: Got A Forum Idea?
« Reply #13 on: May 21, 2006, 01:53:24 pm »
Phillip, thanks for adding "Poetry" to the Fanfiction title!  :-*
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Offline Lynne

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Re: Got A Forum Idea?
« Reply #14 on: May 21, 2006, 11:50:34 pm »
Maybe one large thread with all of these?  I could also make it into articles on the aforementioned content management system if it appears like these won't get many actual replies, but are intended more as stand-alone messages.

I like this idea, Phillip.  The important thing to me is these In Memorium-type postings do not get 'lost in the shuffle'.  Indeed, they do not require many if any replies, but I don't like the idea of them being buried and hard-to-find for the people to whom they matter most.

OK - next idea for your list....I would like to see a forum topic dedicated to activism...stories of people who are already involved in various causes, generation of support for this existing work, ideas people want to generate interest in...with relevant information about contacts, dates, and so forth.  I have an informal of list of posts in this category.

BTW I saw your post on wranglers and thought it excellent.  I hope it generates lots of response.

-Lynne


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Offline Phillip Dampier

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Re: Got A Forum Idea?
« Reply #15 on: May 23, 2006, 02:53:01 pm »
This it not exactly an idea for a new forum, but maybe some sort of holiday/vacation calender could be added to BetterMost.net. Sometimes people don't post for a while and you start to think about them and wonder where they are or even get worried about them. If we had a special place for it, members who know they'll be away for a certain time could post there, telling the others they'll be on a summer holiday, on a weekend trip or whatever.

Folks should be able to add events to the calendar now, regardless of what they are.  Just be aware that the whole forum will see the events scheduled.  If that's fine with the person putting things up there, it's fine with me.
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Offline David

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Re: Got A Forum Idea?
« Reply #16 on: July 04, 2006, 10:52:18 pm »
Phillip!
 
    The Riverton Weather databox is great!    Are we getting one from Childress Texas to put next to it too?    ;D

Offline Phillip Dampier

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Re: Got A Forum Idea?
« Reply #17 on: July 04, 2006, 10:57:46 pm »
Phillip!
 
    The Riverton Weather databox is great!    Are we getting one from Childress Texas to put next to it too?    ;D

For now I will just have the one for Riverton as the most important part of the story is a Wyoming one.  I am testing these from a variety of sources, and they are subject to being moved.  People need to refresh the forum page if the data looks outdated.
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Offline Brown Eyes

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Re: Got A Forum Idea?
« Reply #18 on: July 05, 2006, 08:18:48 pm »
Phillip!
 
    The Riverton Weather databox is great!    Are we getting one from Childress Texas to put next to it too?    ;D

Wow, David!  You read my mind! 

Phillip, I love the Riverton weather box too!  And, yup, I was thinking that it would be great to have either Childress or Lightning Flat.  Can you believe that Lightning Flat is a real place?  I just did a few searches and it seems to be a "discontinued" post office... but still, it's a real place.  I think Jack and Ennis should have equal representation around these parts (you may know I'm the board's main proponent of lack-of-competitiveness between our boys).  And, we all know that there can't be an Ennis without a Jack.
 ;)

cheers!
Amanda
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Offline Phillip Dampier

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Re: Got A Forum Idea?
« Reply #19 on: July 05, 2006, 11:15:16 pm »
Wow, David!  You read my mind! 

Phillip, I love the Riverton weather box too!  And, yup, I was thinking that it would be great to have either Childress or Lightning Flat.  Can you believe that Lightning Flat is a real place?  I just did a few searches and it seems to be a "discontinued" post office... but still, it's a real place.  I think Jack and Ennis should have equal representation around these parts (you may know I'm the board's main proponent of lack-of-competitiveness between our boys).  And, we all know that there can't be an Ennis without a Jack.

Perhaps I can find a way for John to insert code to alternate the weather data.  I don't want a whole mess of boxes on our page at the same time, but I wouldn't mind alternating the images as people browse our pages.
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Offline Brown Eyes

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Re: Got A Forum Idea?
« Reply #20 on: July 06, 2006, 01:18:52 am »
Hi Phillip!  Thanks for thinking about this idea!  I really do like the weather updates, I think it's a really fun detail.
cheers!
Amanda
 :D
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Re: Got A Forum Idea?
« Reply #21 on: July 06, 2006, 12:30:37 pm »
Amanda, you should read the account of the visit shakestheground made to Lightning Flat last month. It's in "Our Daily Thoughts." Very interesting.
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Offline Phillip Dampier

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Re: Got A Forum Idea?
« Reply #22 on: July 07, 2006, 12:33:21 am »
We've added Childress.  I can't do much about Lightning Flat, I'm afraid.  The weather details will randomly flip between the two cities on each forum page.
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Offline Brown Eyes

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Re: Got A Forum Idea?
« Reply #23 on: July 07, 2006, 12:52:50 am »
YEEHAW!!!!

Thanks Phillip!!!

 :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D
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Offline Daniel

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Re: Got A Forum Idea?
« Reply #24 on: July 08, 2006, 11:05:05 am »
I know we had one o' these before, and it was condensed into the Open Forum, but I think a forum that focuses on the spiritual messages of the film (and of life in general) would be greatly appreciated.
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