Personal Message
I'm surprised PM isn't already here.
This site is pretty wide open, and the only way of passing confidential information that I can see is to first publish an email address.
This site is pretty wide open, and the only way of passing confidential information that I can see is to first publish an email address.
Why would PM be a waste of time,and what on earth does it have to do with chatrooms ?
If I've understood the term chatroom correctly, it would be for a live typed conversation between multiple individuals, and a totaly different thing.
If I've understood the term chatroom correctly, it would be for a live typed conversation between multiple individuals, and a totaly different thing.
The PM,idea sounds good to me.
Andy.
Andy.
No, it has nothing to do with chat rooms! You don't need the facility to disable the receiving of PM either. When you subscribe, it's up to you whether you wish to leave your e-mail address to be used for PM's or not. It's similar to what is being used now, the difference being nobody sees or knows anyone elses e-mail address. You click on PM, a message is sent to that person, simple and effective. No displaying of addresses, so no spam. As I said before, seems to work well everywhere else. Yes, I know this group does not want to be like all the rest! 
Frank
Frank
Maybe that's all the person wishing to send a PM needs to do, but it's forcing something on people who may not wish to receive personal messages. I suspect the introduction of PMs to ePz will result in the exit of those not wishing to receive them unless the facility to disable receipt of them is disabled
As for my comment about chatrooms, the concept of PMs in chatrooms allows people to discuss things that may not be of interest or appropriate to the rest of the people in the room
As for my comment about chatrooms, the concept of PMs in chatrooms allows people to discuss things that may not be of interest or appropriate to the rest of the people in the room
PM has absolutely nothing whatever to do with chatrooms. Chatrooms on forums have, in my experience, proved to be a complete waste of time.
And Email addresses and PM are two separate things. Think of PM as "ePz-based webmail" where you only get your private messages when you log on to ePz. But it is more strictly controlled than email can ever be and abuse can be stamped on immediately. There is no link at all between PM and your email address.
PM helps to get some of the inappropriate threads off the forum - such as those where one member is trying to attract the attention of another... and the matter is not of any interest to the rest of the membership. It can also help to get flamy arguments off the forum as well. A quick PM to an adversary can often sort things out quicker than when people are "strutting their stuff" on the forum.
I know many members have a great love for this forum because it is so, er, different from the rest. However, I am sorry to say I think ePz has shot itself in the foot by not using standard forum software which can easily provide for many of the missing features on here (if members wanted them).
Pete has acknowledged as much in the context of the difficulty of setting up moderators. This will be a big hassle for ePz but could be done in a matter of a few minutes if software such as Snitz or phpBB had been used.
And Email addresses and PM are two separate things. Think of PM as "ePz-based webmail" where you only get your private messages when you log on to ePz. But it is more strictly controlled than email can ever be and abuse can be stamped on immediately. There is no link at all between PM and your email address.
PM helps to get some of the inappropriate threads off the forum - such as those where one member is trying to attract the attention of another... and the matter is not of any interest to the rest of the membership. It can also help to get flamy arguments off the forum as well. A quick PM to an adversary can often sort things out quicker than when people are "strutting their stuff" on the forum.
I know many members have a great love for this forum because it is so, er, different from the rest. However, I am sorry to say I think ePz has shot itself in the foot by not using standard forum software which can easily provide for many of the missing features on here (if members wanted them).
Pete has acknowledged as much in the context of the difficulty of setting up moderators. This will be a big hassle for ePz but could be done in a matter of a few minutes if software such as Snitz or phpBB had been used.
Everyday I see posts from people saying what a great site this. Everyweek there's a post on praise - read through Divorce imminent!!!!!! for example.
Why change it?
This is an open forum. All it requires is civil debate and a little fore thought before posting - I try and ask myself, does the post I'm writing benefit the whole?
I've seen a few too many examples of members throwing tantrums. I'm afraid the idea of using PM to take your arguments off-line is the very reason why this shouldn't be allowed. At least keeping things in the open when they are heated, will give the parties the opportunity to reread their comments when they've calmed down, and hopefully temper their responses in future knowing everything they write is available for all to read.
It isn't really that difficult to contact a member directly anyway. I've contacted a couple of members directly because they advertise exactly who they are and how they can be contacted. You can always disguise your email address if you are worried about your address being harvested. e.g. billspamgates at microsoft dot com without the spam.
Why change it?
This is an open forum. All it requires is civil debate and a little fore thought before posting - I try and ask myself, does the post I'm writing benefit the whole?
I've seen a few too many examples of members throwing tantrums. I'm afraid the idea of using PM to take your arguments off-line is the very reason why this shouldn't be allowed. At least keeping things in the open when they are heated, will give the parties the opportunity to reread their comments when they've calmed down, and hopefully temper their responses in future knowing everything they write is available for all to read.
It isn't really that difficult to contact a member directly anyway. I've contacted a couple of members directly because they advertise exactly who they are and how they can be contacted. You can always disguise your email address if you are worried about your address being harvested. e.g. billspamgates at microsoft dot com without the spam.
Gordon Bennet! Agreeing with Carabosse! You're right about there being no link as well between PM and e-mail! :-( I used to frequent a Spanish newsgroup, and eventually a lot of crossposters began making a nuisance of themselves, so we all started leaving. Then one of the members set up a site using standard forum software, incredibly it took about a day. As Carabosse said, it's so easy, he used phpBB. Everyone was telling him how clever he was, but as he said, the programme does it all! And it's free. I've only been here about 6 months, so I have tended to go with the flow, but it seems to be making a lot of work for someone.
Phoenix, you're seeing problems, that in my experience, simply do not exist. If people were not asking for the introduction of PM's, I'd say we could follow the luddite approach and stay exactly as we are. Then we'd have nothing to talk about. :-(
Frank
Phoenix, you're seeing problems, that in my experience, simply do not exist. If people were not asking for the introduction of PM's, I'd say we could follow the luddite approach and stay exactly as we are. Then we'd have nothing to talk about. :-(
Frank
I do wonder whether members on here have had experience of forums where standard software such as Snitz, phpBB and various others are used?
Those who haven't would see that all the "problems" that people worry about just do not manifest themselves.
Change is always unsettling. But given the restrictions, there may come a time when The Team has to bite the bullet and migrate to software which is more flexible.
It will be interesting to hear what Pete/Will have to say on this.
Oh and Abwhitt, if I had a fiver for everytime someone on ePz said "I agree with Carabosse" (shock/horror) I'd be eyeing up that Hasselblad. Lol!!
Those who haven't would see that all the "problems" that people worry about just do not manifest themselves.
Change is always unsettling. But given the restrictions, there may come a time when The Team has to bite the bullet and migrate to software which is more flexible.
It will be interesting to hear what Pete/Will have to say on this.
Oh and Abwhitt, if I had a fiver for everytime someone on ePz said "I agree with Carabosse" (shock/horror) I'd be eyeing up that Hasselblad. Lol!!
"However, I am sorry to say I think ePz has shot itself in the foot by not using standard forum software which can easily provide for many of the missing features on here (if members wanted them)."
We're quite happy not being the same as the other 100's of sites using those scripts. It also makes life simpler, as we know our code better and it's easier to integrate with other parts of the site like the reader portfolios.
"Pete has acknowledged as much in the context of the difficulty of setting up moderators. This will be a big hassle for ePz but could be done in a matter of a few minutes if software such as Snitz or phpBB had been used."
Seriously, if we were using something like phpBB and you all said 'We want feature xyz', I'd have thousands of lines of code to comprehend before I could even start working out how to integrate in new features. Then there's the coping with updated versions and sharing the login data. No thanks...
"Change is always unsettling. But given the restrictions, there may come a time when The Team has to bite the bullet and migrate to software which is more flexible."
We will never migrate to a third-party script for something as major as the forum. The very reason being... flexibility.
We're quite happy not being the same as the other 100's of sites using those scripts. It also makes life simpler, as we know our code better and it's easier to integrate with other parts of the site like the reader portfolios.
"Pete has acknowledged as much in the context of the difficulty of setting up moderators. This will be a big hassle for ePz but could be done in a matter of a few minutes if software such as Snitz or phpBB had been used."
Seriously, if we were using something like phpBB and you all said 'We want feature xyz', I'd have thousands of lines of code to comprehend before I could even start working out how to integrate in new features. Then there's the coping with updated versions and sharing the login data. No thanks...
"Change is always unsettling. But given the restrictions, there may come a time when The Team has to bite the bullet and migrate to software which is more flexible."
We will never migrate to a third-party script for something as major as the forum. The very reason being... flexibility.
OOhh Carabosse you the man!!! Why don't you start your own site??
Maybe this site is how Pete wants it.
I for one have no interest in being bothered(PM'ed)by people who I may not want to converse with.
In answer to your first observation I for one will stand up and say I don't want them.
Maybe this site is how Pete wants it.
I for one have no interest in being bothered(PM'ed)by people who I may not want to converse with.
In answer to your first observation I for one will stand up and say I don't want them.
Yep, "It's always been this way so it must be OK"..... where have I heard that before!! (Many times.... often in the work context).
You will note, dear Bernie, that many on this thread agree with me. Many more who have not posted either are not fussed either way or also agree with me. Why not stop having a closed mind, eh?
Will: The whole point about things like phpBB and (to a lesser degree) Snitz is that all the features we have talked about come as standard. There are no lines of code to worry about.
For example, I think Pete would like - in principle - to have moderators on here. That is absolutely bog-standard for any forum software other than that used here. (As are PM, emoticons and the rest.) But on ePz, it is big hassle... or so you have indicated. So where is the merit in being different just for the sake of it?
You will note, dear Bernie, that many on this thread agree with me. Many more who have not posted either are not fussed either way or also agree with me. Why not stop having a closed mind, eh?
Will: The whole point about things like phpBB and (to a lesser degree) Snitz is that all the features we have talked about come as standard. There are no lines of code to worry about.
For example, I think Pete would like - in principle - to have moderators on here. That is absolutely bog-standard for any forum software other than that used here. (As are PM, emoticons and the rest.) But on ePz, it is big hassle... or so you have indicated. So where is the merit in being different just for the sake of it?
Well, if people strongly disagree they will post. If they agree (or, obviously, if they are not fussed) there will be a tendency to not bother speaking out! It's the British way of things!
I wouldn't worry Bernie, I doubt you will be inundated with PMs!! Even as chief moderator on a busy forum I only got PMs from time to time...and I never came across any abuse (in any sense of the term). People are a lot politer one-to-one than when they have an audience to play to. Good-night!
I wouldn't worry Bernie, I doubt you will be inundated with PMs!! Even as chief moderator on a busy forum I only got PMs from time to time...and I never came across any abuse (in any sense of the term). People are a lot politer one-to-one than when they have an audience to play to. Good-night!
