[clarevoyant.]

erniemossity, on 29 January 2024 - 02:18 PM, said:

Despite a fair few nobenz who come on here simply to argue, bicker and troll…I think this board is invaluable for info and provides at the bare minimum, a “conscience” if ever the club make a bad decision or heads down the wrong track. Indeed it’s acted as a superb investigative tool on several occasions in the past, and I would rely on it to do the same in the future if called upon. Bookface and ****ter are for the younger, more excitable fans….at its best, this forum is informative, funny, and interesting…at its worst, well, we’ve all seen it drop into childish name calling and blatant trolling. However, I for one would miss it a lot if it disappeared…I hope it can be kept in a similar format, and as others have said, I’d be happy to contribute if that’s the way forward.

Well said. My thoughts entirely.

[manc_spire]

I don't believe you can migrate to ProBoards from an IP Board (This site's base technology), or indeed any board, looking at the ProBoard support.

It does seem potentially possible to migrate from an IP Board to a Discourse forum though, if someone were so inclined.

[born in 1866]

hilly81, on 29 January 2024 - 10:18 AM, said:

This is an example of a free proboard: https://deva-chat.com/

The problem with closing this down and moving is we will lose years and years of debate/discussion and as, EOC said, revelation of truths from current members, past members and the dear departed. Also everyone would have to sign up and start again

I eould very much like to see a new Webbo take the reins, I'm not tech savvie enough.

We could raise the money, to pay for it's upkeep and get it working as it should and used to work.

Every summer we could hold a few fundraisers, 5 a sde competition, race night, raffle, pie eating contest etc. to pay for the next year and any improvements that need to be made as new operating systems or browsers come on to the market.

[azul]

born in 1866, on 29 January 2024 - 02:57 PM, said:

The problem with closing this down and moving is we will lose years and years of debate/discussion and as, EOC said, revelation of truths from current members, past members and the dear departed. Also everyone would have to sign up and start again

I eould very much like to see a new Webbo take the reins, I'm not tech savvie enough.

We could raise the money, to pay for it's upkeep and get it working as it should and used to work.

Every summer we could hold a few fundraisers, 5 a sde competition, race night, raffle, pie eating contest etc. to pay for the next year and any improvements that need to be made as new operating systems or browsers come on to the market.

Might find it easier to find volunteer(s) moving towards the Proboards platform. Might not be a bad thing to have a fresh start anyway. Perhaps canvassing opinion wouldn’t be a bad thing either if nobody steps forward to propose and implement an alternative.

[Holmesc1]

As a non chesterfield fan but resident in the town i have found this board useful, not just for general football crack but threads about whats going on in town, like where to eat/drink etc. two forums i regularly used: the gateshead one and non league zone were like this, some good contributors but very dated software with folk often unable to join, folk not getting messages etc. once sponsorship was pulled both forums moved to pro-boards and are much more user friendly with far less sections making them easier to manage and both have also seem newer members. As for facebook groups, they wont be a substitute for message board on my opinion, with more and more spammers that platform is going to the dogs

[HaslandBlue58]

I,like Painted Wagon,have been a reader from the start (but only due to not being able to register due to Captcha problems)but recently was able to finally register.I'm a bit old in the tooth and only self learnt in using my pc and tablet but my guess regarding people having so many problems may just be due to the site being only http.and not the current more secure https.?Any of you techies agree?
I have occasionally looked at other clubs forums,not registering,but just to read what their fans think,like Southend at the start of the season,Barnet and Watford maybe a couple of others and agree that this forum is much easier than most to navigate and read.For all the reasons others are stating we really should not let this forum disappear,it would be similar to a lot of the trades that have been allowed to die,they don't usually come back.This board has a lot more significance that just being an outlet for an odd rant now and then.
From the amount of like minded posts it would seem more a case of what do we need to do rather than should we,unfortunately I have some time as a pensioner but none of the know how so am limited to,like most,being more than willing to help towards cost.

[boot]

<div>

Zigsuk, on 29 January 2024 - 01:20 PM, said:

Good luck to anyone taking over. Running a forum can often be a thankless task.
In 2010 I started a forum which quickly became immensely popular, however by Christmas 2012 I had had a bellyfull. What with the arguments and the moderation required, and various other problems, I decided to get out. Part of the problem was the board's very popularity.
I had a few people helping me to run it who I had known from a previous forum, including, quite coincidently and fortuitously, an IT / internet wizz who ran forums for a living. He quickly became indespensible to the extent that although I owned the forum he effectively ran it. He was also brilliant at dealing with any DOS and other cyber attacks we suffered in the early days. One of the other guys was an entrepreneur and he constantly suggested I could make an excellent living from the forum by charging subscriptions and/or taking advertising. So apart from the constant public arguments which often required intervention, moderation and frequent bans I was then caught between the idealists led by the whizz kid who felt that we shouldn't profit from the forum, and those like the entrepreneur who believed that I (and perhaps he) should be rewarded for our efforts. I did moot the idea of charging just £10 per year and received about half a dozen immediate payments, however for every one of these there were ten who thought the idea of my charging anything was disgusting.
In the end the whizz kid bought it from me, for what I thought at the time to be a generous offer, and preserved his ideals. He ran it for another eight or nine years and developed it in a way I never could have done. He has since passed it on to someone else (whether he made more than he paid me or indeed anything at all I never knew). I see they do now take limited advertising. I have nothing to do with it and have barely logged in for the past five years. However the membership is now five figures and I maybe let a small fortune slip through my hands. It wasn't the cost of the hosting the board - that was minimal - but rather the time and effort trying to keep people happy and dealing with squabbles and other stuff which I felt deserved some reward.
So in conclusion adminstering a forum isn't always as easy as it might appear to be on the outside.

Incidentally, although I am no IT / Internet expert, I did learn stuff from the whizz kid and one thing was - which some people might be aware of - that 'private messaging' on a forum isn't always private as admins can get into them if they are so minded, although I expect the vast majority don't bother.

Finally, I would agree that a forum such as this is better than a Facebook or some other such group. Indeeed from what I have seen of some other fans groups forums this is among the best, although it does have technical flaws.

<br></div><div><br></div><div>Thanks for the insight, and thanks to Webster having provided his services with all that on his plate - who would want it ? One thing I also think about is controversial, bordering on illegal stuff that might pass through the moderators net that might potentially see the person posting it in a court of law - in my opinion there are very recent examples. What would be the legal implications for the person running the forum ?<br></div>

This post has been edited by boot: 29 January 2024 - 04:23 PM

[Zigsuk]

Most, but not all the problems on the forum I had occurred in the personal / off topic section. I think the new owners initially closed this section and then reopened it with a no politics rule which I thought was pretty stupid, as how do you define what is and isn’t political when politics affects so many areas of life? You either have a properly open personal / off topic section (within the law) or none.

Ironically I have never visited the personal section here. Am I missing out?

[Middle East]

I wouldn't mind paying an admin fee and would be sorry to see the board go! I'd also keep the personal section too.

As CFC91 has said the Facebook forums make Bob's Board look like a gathering of intellectual giants!

An 2 year old orangutan could pen more coherent stuff than the majority of contributions offered on there...

This post has been edited by Middle East: 29 January 2024 - 04:41 PM

[Benno Spire]

I’m not IT savvy but hopefully some IT savvy fans could put forward some proposals or ideas which include keeping any relevant data and the cfss.co.uk domain for us all to agree on. I’m sure many contributors would be happy to crowdfund any costs if a suitable sponsor can’t be found including myself. The prediction league needs a home.

[Middle East]

But mostly I would miss the therapeutic effect of negging Walton Spireite 5 times a day...😃

[Walton Spireite]

Middle East, on 29 January 2024 - 04:48 PM, said:

But mostly I would miss the therapeutic effect of negging Walton Spireite 5 times a day...😃

You know you would 😏

[The Earl of Chesterfield]

Middle East, on 29 January 2024 - 04:39 PM, said:

I wouldn't mind paying an admin fee and would be sorry to see the board go! I'd also keep the personal section too.

As CFC91 has said the Facebook forums make Bob's Board look like a gathering of intellectual giants!

An 2 year old orangutan could pen more coherent stuff than the majority of contributions offered on there...

Brow furrowingly bizarre that folk who've fully contributed on both here and in the 'Personal' section are now claiming they're somehow above it.

If they don't like it then don't visit it, simple as that.

But it looks like the issue here is someone/a small group having the time and committment to oversee a new forum.

Surely - SURELY - we've a few worthy candidates able to continue the good work done over the last couple of decades...

[Middle East]

The Earl of Chesterfield, on 29 January 2024 - 05:02 PM, said:

Brow furrowingly bizarre that folk who've fully contributed on both here and in the 'Personal' section are now claiming they're somehow above it.

If they don't like it then don't visit it, simple as that.

But it looks like the issue here is someone/a small group having the time and committment to oversee a new forum.

Surely - SURELY - we've a few worthy candidates able to continue the good work done over the last couple of decades...

Let's hope so Chris. It would be sad to see it go after all these years.

I've got to meet, have a beer and a laugh with some good people off here...including Tim!

I had one of the best days I've had in ages this Saturday in the hospitality courtesy of a prolific poster on here and his son!

Long live Bob's Board.

[azul]

The Earl of Chesterfield, on 29 January 2024 - 05:02 PM, said:

Brow furrowingly bizarre that folk who've fully contributed on both here and in the 'Personal' section are now claiming they're somehow above it.

If they don't like it then don't visit it, simple as that.

But it looks like the issue here is someone/a small group having the time and committment to oversee a new forum.

Surely - SURELY - we've a few worthy candidates able to continue the good work done over the last couple of decades...

Though I'd try this free ProBoard thing and I created a new board and basic topic structure very easily.

Definitely and easy option if there are no volunteers for the more highfalutin ideas.

[ronpowellsbutler]

Comments from an aged southern exile -
I use the board every day to keep informed so really appreciate it.
I only look at Spireite Debate, I haven’t a clue what the other stuff is about.
I regularly clock other clubs’ board and many are pretty poor in terms of content ( Southend a fine exception ).
I would be happy to make a one off or annual contribution if necessary.
I agree that FB is a waste of time, some real idiots on there so I have come off it.
It would be a sad day if the board were to be discontinued.

[Webster]

ronpowellsbutler, on 29 January 2024 - 06:13 PM, said:

Comments from an aged southern exile -
I use the board every day to keep informed so really appreciate it.
I only look at Spireite Debate, I haven't a clue what the other stuff is about.
I regularly clock other clubs' board and many are pretty poor in terms of content ( Southend a fine exception ).
I would be happy to make a one off or annual contribution if necessary.
I agree that FB is a waste of time, some real idiots on there so I have come off it.
It would be a sad day if the board were to be discontinued.

So from the few posts so far it looks like a board could continue and also happy to see a reference to Spirenet lol where all this began for me in 1995 or was it 1996 and since met many of you and made friends with numerous fans
The personnel section could be deleted today if thats an issue having looked at ot in the first time in years yes it should go

Happy to be part of any hand over to provide advice and continuity if required

[Mr Mercury]

Webster, on 29 January 2024 - 06:30 PM, said:

So from the few posts so far it looks like a board could continue and also happy to see a reference to Spirenet lol where all this began for me in 1995 or was it 1996 and since met many of you and made friends with numerous fans
The personnel section could be deleted today if thats an issue having looked at ot in the first time in years yes it should go

Happy to be part of any hand over to provide advice and continuity if required

Is it possible to continue in this format, which is really easy on the eye or has it got to be a new set up?

[moondog]

It would be a massive shame if the board cannot be saved in a much needed upgraded format given it’s long history and many members.

It's been very frustrating not being able to post or moderate for the best part of a week due to the technical issues.

I'd also be happy to contribute if this needs funding and have no objections to staying on as a moderator. On that note I wouldn't be sorry to see the personal section disappear, as disagreements are far less personal when just sticking to the footy, although I do recognise a minority value it.