AHRDF Forum - where do we go from here ?

[VK6ZFG]

Hi Doug

I regularly log on to this forum.

I have made a posting so I hope this helps the cause.

Have a couple more in the pipeline but when this happens I don't know.

73s

Igor
VK6ZFG

[VK4ADC]

From VKLogger.com forum, dated Sun Sep 09, 2018 10:39 am  http://www.vklogger.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=13760

References were directed towards this forum :

2) Oz Logger Forum > AHRDF
This Forum sought to fill a hole upon VKL Forum being placed into archive, but was doomed from the beginning.
Text-only, no images, ADSL connection, then a crippling file size limit on a limited number of attachment types, being generally unreliable in operation, along with endless tinkering has discouraged most people from utilising it.
We've been seeing increased noise about "use it or loose it", so it's only taken 2 years for that Admin to wake up to the frustrations that I was encountering leading up to this Forum being archived (at which point house renovations took over most of my spare time).

Not quite correct.. Some actual info:

This forum has been running on either a 25/5 NBN connection or on a web server in a data centre for the last 12+ months. Initially it was using ADSL and "free hosting" - but that was a while ago.

Images have been available as attachments since the beginning, PHPBB and MYBB. (JPGs at 500KB are actually quite a large image at a reasonable resolution.)

being generally unreliable in operation : where did this come from. Not true for some time. Initially "free hosting" was tried and subsequently dropped..

endless tinkering : VK4GHZ isn't even a registered user on this forum so how would he know ? I have tried to put a few bells and whistles on the Forum and some have been successful and remained (eg Southgate news feed). Others like the chat option were removed - but not because of reliability and not because of a tinkering factor.

it's only taken 2 years for that Admin to wake up to the frustrations that I was encountering leading up to this Forum being archived  : Well it didn't take that long to hit the frustration level but I persevered.  I started from a virtual zero point in terms of forum knowledge and have developed it from there because someone 'spat the dummy'.

Moving on :

If you are unhappy using this forum because it is restrictive, unreliable or you just don't like it then I suggest you move to VKLogger - as suggested in another user's post.  There IS room for more than one AR forum in Australia.

I have no plans to 'spit the dummy' but am considering how to handle the ever-increasing issues with spammers and hackers, moderation and resulting workload.

I note no one has yet offered to be another moderator... (Edit : One new moderator so far..)

***** RANT OVER *****
DONE NOW !!

[VK2KRR]

You dont have to be registered to view this forum do you?
I've just logged in, but prior to that I could still see the forum without logging in at all.

[VK4ADC]

Leigh

Theoretically, you should be able to see the first post in a thread without logging in (ie a Guest) as of the middle of last week. 
To see more then you should have to log in ( ie Registered) BUT there seems to be a flaw in the code for this version of MYBB that is not inhibiting that Guest access and until I get a chance to find out why, it is free-for-all "read" access.

(maybe this is the 'tinkering' - actually trying to make the functionality better  ??)

Doug

[VK4ADC]

BUMP:


A month ago I posted "At this point in time, there are about 2300 posts in 460 threads and 308 users in the Forum database.   That covers 2 years of use so equates to an average of about 20-25 posts per week, sometimes most of those on just one or two days of any given week.   What will it be at the end of December ?"


As at today (6Sep18) : "Our members have made a total of 2,399 posts in 469 threads.
We currently have 311 members registered."

That equates to about 100 posts in the last month, an average of 25 posts per week - and when I look at who posted what, most of them seem to have been from me. 

Today (9Oct18) and about a month later, the tally is 2550 in 502 threads. 
The last post (previous to this one) was 3PM last Friday afternoon, with now being Tuesday night at 7PM, and that represents a fair gap in new posts usage. Maybe 'Stats' shouldn't enter into the equation but they do tend to show how effectively a facility is being used. Or should that term be under-used ?

It might have the word Australian in the name AHRDF, but this forum is open to amateur operators in other countries if they have something they can contribute. Bo, OZ2M, is a regular visitor and a good example of international access.

New registrations are is currently only being activated manually because of continuing attempts by spammers to join. This is delaying new users full access by less than a day as each registration is being properly checked before being approved.


 

[VK5TM]

Don't get hung up on stats/post counts/utilisation.

Some of the Yahoo/Groupsio groups I belong to haven't had any new posts in well over a week and it's common for many to not have any activity for a month or more.

This forum is being used and new people are joining.

Slow growth maybe, but it is growing.