Forums DONE BEEN MOVED

[PonderThis]

Update Update: Here we are! What you still reading this thread for?
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Update: Moving this weekend. See news post here.
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Hi gang!

As stevenf noted, I expressed an interest in the possibility of running the spamusement forums myself. The idea being that since I'm a bit more active here I can take responsibility for keeping things running and maybe adding some features to try and get more people involved.

Now in order to do this, we would have to move to a new server. The downside is that it would require a new domain name, but we can keep the spamusement connection going with a name like "spamusers.com" or some such. The upside is that would give us our own front page, which I would like to take advantage of in order to present the latest comics from the Guest Strips forum. Stevenf would continue to link to the forums from the spamusement.com page and we would link back to spamusement.com on our page.

Down the line I would like to offer individual pages (along the lines of "username.spamusers.com") that would present individual users' comics as a way to hopefully induce greater participation and maybe even draw in some new members.

As to the forums themselves, I don't foresee making any significant changes. I like the community we've got going here and I absolutely do not want to mess that up in any way. In fact, the only changes I foresee:

• Beef up the anti-spam-bot measures for sign-up and get sign-up working again. Actually we need to do this regardless.
• Perhaps rename "Spamusement!" to "About Us" or some such.
• And perhaps rename "Guest Strips" to "Original Spamusings" or something.

Now, why me? Well, I do have the resources to keep a website going. As it so happens my day job is programming which includes some web programming and database programming. I wouldn't expect too much in the way of web programming right away, as my experience has so far been dotnet so I'd have to pick up PHP. But I definitely kick ass in the database department, so I can do things like, for example, write a utility to go through our posts and update all the in-forum links.

I do not have a web host picked out, but I know people in the web hosting business and I'll get something going with one of them.

I am definitely open to suggestions here so let me know what you think.

[Skimba]

I'm sure people like Eviljekyll and potentially catass can help out if there is a need.

[EvilJekyll]

I'm sure people like Eviljekyll and potentially catass can help out if there is a need.

I'd be happy to.

Pro: we could have the wiki in the same place, possibly more active community, possibility of an server to host a real Spamusement IRC style chat rather than the ad hoc one barely used now.

Cons: possibility of loss of all the posts here, and wiki would be horrendous to rework to the new format / horrible confusion for people returning to spamusement / nostalgia.

[Nyperold]

Well... if we don't lose the posts, redefining what "sp:" and "spp:" means is probably all you'd need to do. I'm not sure about if we do lose the posts, though... I guess we all repost what we want to be seen again, and then edit our pages accordingly...?

[sum yun gai]

redefining what "sp:" and "spp:" means is probably all you'd need to do

i think "spp" stands for "sppoge" right? otherwise i'm lost here...

[Nyperold]

As "sp:" points to the first post in a topic, "spp:" points to a particular post within a topic. Nearly every "SHOW YOURSELF!" link on our user pages uses it, and it's also used when we post alternative or follow-up strips in someone else's thread.

[PonderThis]

First of all I'm sure I can use all the help I can get. If you want to be in on this, Jek, then that's really good news.

Second of all, we won't lose any posts. Steven already told me that he would pack up the whole database as-is for me. The only downside here would be a short bit of downtime as we close down these forums, pack up said database, and restore the database on a new db server.

Initially after such a move all in-forum links and all of the wiki links would be broken. I can write a program to go through the database and change all instances of "spamusement.com/forums" to "spamusers.com/forums" (or whatever domain we settle on). All thread numbers and post numbers should stay the same, so once I get that utility written (within a week or so) the forums themselves should be as good as ever.

[Saltine]

Let me know if I can help in some way.

[sum yun gai]

is it not possible to get to keep the domain spamusement and maybe rename the forums link to "forums.spamusement.com"? then stevenf can just point the DNS to the new name?

or, i see the domain is expiring in july, maybe the domain name can be transferred to the new forum owner?

[PonderThis]

Steven wants to keep the http://www.spamusement.com as-is, and I can't blame him really. The original spamusement comic is his idea and all his work. He plans on renewing the domain name and keeping his website going. I'm guessing he also wants to leave open the possibility that he could return to drawing spamusements someday even if he hasn't felt like it in a while. Or maybe that's just wishful thinking on my part.

Anyway, as to the domain thing, well there's pros and cons. I'm a bit busy right now so I'll think about this some and come back to it later.

[EvilJekyll]

the sp: and spp: links would not be much of a problem then. Just a little database magic and it would point to the new site. Although it would probably just be easier to integrate the fansite into the new site? (which would already kind of be a fansite?)

We could in theory have an awesome spamusement comic page, unhindered by forum limitations, but run in conjunction with forums for comments?

Also, possible AWESOME benefit would be RSS feeds.

Wow, this is starting to sounds like a lot of work.

[Nyperold]

Oh yeah. That's like the screencap webcomic over at Rinkworks that's based on Sinbad of the Seven Seas. The comments go through the Message Forum. Which is kinda weird, but it works.

[Portals]

This is all sounding pretty cool. I don't think i can really contribute in any way but i'll add my support.

[giantsfan97]

I'll take the ring to Mordor!

Oh wait, what are we talking about?

*reads thread*

Oh umm I can't help but as long as I don't lose my precious post count I'm all for it.

[MysticalDescent]

I don't know that there's anything useful I could really do, but you've got my support. I swear I will draw some dang stuff again after the move.

[traubster]

As long as I don't lose my posts, I don't care. This board has been a pretty effective record for my stupidity over the years.

[sum yun gai]

Steven wants to keep the http://www.spamusement.com as-is, and I can't blame him really. The original spamusement comic is his idea and all his work. He plans on renewing the domain name and keeping his website going. I'm guessing he also wants to leave open the possibility that he could return to drawing spamusements someday even if he hasn't felt like it in a while. Or maybe that's just wishful thinking on my part.

Anyway, as to the domain thing, well there's pros and cons. I'm a bit busy right now so I'll think about this some and come back to it later.

yes, we could keep www.spamusement.com as steven's personal playground, but he could make a new DNS record for forums.spamusement.com which would be the new incarnation of these forums at a new server. but that's if we don't feel like changing to a new domain name like spamusers.com or something similar. i could go either way, i'm just suggesting a way to keep spamusement in the name while still moving to a new forum.

[PonderThis]

Certainly we can get stevenf to make a DNS entry for forums.spamusement.com or go with something new. There's no reason why anything we want to do can't be made under one domain name or another. I'm kind of torn, myself. On the one hand forums.spamusement.com more strongly identifies us as the "official" spamusement fan board. On the other hand, a new domain name like spamusers.com gives us slightly more flexibility and maybe allows us to establish a somewhat more independent identity. I'll leave that open for now and see what opinions everyone has on the subject.

Now I'd love to get all the help I can get. Everyone who would like to contribute, let me know, in general at least, what kind of technical skills you have even if it's just enthusiasm.

What I got:

• HTML
• C/C++/C# and dotnet web programming. Which is fairly useless here but I thought I'd mention it.
• Both Oracle and SQL Server programming and SQL scripting.

You may notice what I don't have is PHP programming. Initially that won't matter, as I don't plan on making any mods to the basic PHPBB package. I plan on picking up some PHP skills for this but if someone already has it down, I would like the help!

[PonderThis]

Oh and in case anyone is wondering time table, we're not in a rush here. I've got plenty to do at my day job during the week so I'm kinda brain dead after work. This means that it probably won't be until this weekend until I start reading up on what I need to do to transfer a phpbb installation from one machine to another. And research web hosts. Which means the weekend after that (at the very soonest) before anything concrete happens.

[EvilJekyll]

I can do html and some database monkeying.

[loofah]

I've got some HTML experience, enthusiasm, and willingness to learn new things.

[sum yun gai]

my skills are more on the server administration side but mostly only windows servers. i can do very very basic html and very very basic sql queries, so i don't think i'd be much help there...

[PonderThis]

Say does anybody other than syg and I have any opinions on the domain name thing? I think it's kinda funny we're both going "well I kinda like X but your idea of Y is good too" but I think we're gonna be sorta at a stalemate until I get more feedback on the subject.

Come on folks, it's not my forum it's our forum! BE ACTIVE HAVE OPINIONS AND STUFF

[EvilJekyll]

I think a redirect from spammies(or whatever).spamusement.com to whateverhostnamewedecide.com would be preferable

[chrismachine]

I think spamusement.com/forums should direct to whatever we decide. and we should decide to go with spamusers.com