I've just tested the search function, and it works.  Not that it has much to search through at the moment ;-)

My phone line is down at the moment, which is bloody inconvenient.  I used my ISPs automated checking facility, which initially told me there was nothing wrong with the line, then it changed its mind and asked me to book an appointment.  Nothing until Friday, because they are short of technicians in the area.

I really could do without this at this time.  I know it's to do with the gas people digging up the street last week.  Their holes filled with water and I could see the broadband cables swimming in there.   We had the same problem at my old address.

So I had to phone around the folks who I knew might be trying to get in touch and dish out my mobile number.

The internet is working fine.

One of my cousins, (a lovely lady), managed to get hold of the ISP on my behalf and find a live person, in India, who initially thought they might manage an earlier appointment, but eventually couldn't.  But another reminder that 'blood is thicker than water'.

Quote from: Spell Chick on December 17, 2017, 08:38:35 PM
FF, you don't have your Aussie Aussie Aussie oi oi oi thing going on either.

No I haven't added that yet mate.

Gyp, I don't understand why they don't run these cables through some sort of weather proof casing, its a bloody global problem

This place is nice, but it needs something.   

I know!   A FICUS!

 ;D ;D ;D

Get Shopping Then Man

Quote from: Firefly on December 17, 2017, 09:30:49 PM
Gyp, I don't understand why they don't run these cables through some sort of weather proof casing, its a bloody global problem

They were all neatly bundled in a thick green plastic tube, with a smaller tube leading off to the houses, but there were lots of breaks in it when the gas crew had finished digging the trenches.  I rather doubt if they patched them up.  Probably a case of 'Not my circus, not my monkey'.

Seems to be a lot of that going around mate

Too bloody much.

One of the gas blokes knocked on my door.

"Have you got gas here?"

"Yes."

"Could you turn on your cooker to see if it's working."

"My cooker's electric."

"What have you got gas for then?"

"Just for the heating."

"Could you see if the boiler's running then?"

So I turned it on.

"Yes, it's working."

"Thanks, Mate."  He turned to his mates stood around the hole in the pavement, giving a triumphant double thumbs up.  They gave a ragged cheer and then one of them said, "Well, at least we got this one right first time."

Makes me wonder how many people lost their connection.

They used one of those water jet things to cut the holes, and a big slurpy thing like a drain cleaner to suck the runny soil out and squirt it into a container on the back of the lorry.  The holes were neat but the road is still muddy as hell.  Fascinating bit of kit, but I'm sure Dad and his gang were just as fast with pick and shovel, and tidier too.

Yes, technology is not always better mate that's for sure

OK guys, get your heads together and bounce a few ideas on what sort of boards you would like on the new forum.

Karl is very open to ideas to make this place suit the needs of as many writers as possible.  ;D ;D

Since we are a writing forum, we probably need a place to put up writing for critique. Poetry and prose are two different animals and while I can give some advice on prose, no one in their right minds would want me giving advice on poetry, so those two things should be separate.

I love the games. Most of them anyway - you know I'm not big on the Limerick thing (see the poetry above).

Helping each other with writing problems or publishing issues has been useful, too.

Sharing our triumphs and some writing just for fun is, well, just fun.

Yes it does need to be laid out in sections, just makes sense doesn't it.

Any board names if you have some up your sleeve, just to be a bit snazzier then other forums?

Considering I'm in close to mid summer, could someone turn the fire down? Just a tad?

I would suggest that the layout of the old forum was basically sound.  But once we start attracting new people we need to make sure they aren't afraid to make suggestions.  With a new venture like this there is always a danger that we 'old hands' will discourage new members.  Not deliberately but some of the more timid souls will probably see us a bit of a clique.  I've seen it happen in the past.

The poets on MWC are a fairly small group, but they're persistent blighters, so it would be a good idea to try and bring them with us.  There's about a couple of dozen of them, of which half are regularly active.  One or two of the newer ones seem to have staying power.  They seem to appreciate having the two boards, one private and one public, to get around the fact that some publishers are still narrow minded/old-fashioned enough to see a post on a forum as publication.   Likewise with the prose boards.  Which is what publishers always ask for too.

A joke thread is essential, but let it deal with good and bad jokes.

We will always need a gallery for those pieces people just want to share without worrying about copyright etc.

We'll need an online/self publishing board because there's more and more of it happening.  Maybe one or more of the members who specialise in this could be kind enough to write a basic primer for newcomers, which could then be stickied.

If we get this right it could be 'the same but better'.  Which is what publishers want, even though they pretend they're looking for something totally different.

Gyppo

Quote from: Jewel on December 18, 2017, 11:29:50 AM
Considering I'm in close to mid summer, could someone turn the fire down? Just a tad?

Damn, it's supposed to be self adjusting so it reacts to the perceptions of the individual.  I'll have to get in behind and tweak it a bit.  Or give it a good kicking if polite words don't work.

I think we should be wary of tossing out the baby.

There is much on MWC that works, and that, arguably should be retained. Maybe we should change the names of people and places, to protect the innocent...

Sorry about the digression.

I'm back.

We don't want to start with potential copyright infringements, so although our new forum may feel the same, perhaps the board threads should be renamed?

Are we allowed to copy the guidelines for each board, or do we have to think all those up again...

We should start with the restrictions that have been built up over time so we don't need to learn all those lessons again, for example, can't edit before 50 posts, etc.