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Corey
Five with a Four-wing

Date Joined Feb 2003
Total Posts : 1893

Posted 12/21/2004 12:23 AM (GMT -6)

Hi all --

Greg contacted me recently and asked if I would be interested in hosting a replacement discussion board, not related to Christus Victor Ministries, as he intends to take this site offline. The short answer is "yes".

Perhaps this has already been discussed elsewhere, but I would like to collect ideas of how to make the new board a better experience for everyone. Give me your ideas! What should be improved? Brainstorm here a bit.

I intend to work with jcsites.com, who is the current technical administrator, to port this site over to a new hosting facility. I'm pretty sure this will be feasible, but I'm still looking into costs and technical requirements. I expect in the minimal case I'll have the existing content available for perusing and review, but maybe have the ability to post new messages disabled. At least it would be available for archive purposes this way. New discussion would be in a new system, but I expect to be able to port over current user registrations to avoid all that hassle of re-registering and keep some momentum going.

For my part, I'd like to kick around this idea I've had about possibly creating a paid subscription area. The nominal fee would cover overhead costs (only), and also serve to deter multiple registrations under various pseudonyms. Within this general subscription area, there would be various sub-boards dedicated to general categories of discussion. Each category could have it's own set of policies that one must agree to before posting. This way, one of the areas could be set up as a "safe haven" for people to have productive discussion without being sniped at or eternally rehashing old ground.

Corey

Truth Aficionado
Registered Member

Date Joined Dec 2003
Total Posts : 1544

Posted 12/21/2004 6:37 AM (GMT -6)

Thanks Corey for your efforts in keeping this site active in one form or another. When will you know if it is going to happen for sure and most importantly will all the archives be ported along?
Thanks, Mark

Tigress
Registered Member

Date Joined Feb 2003
Total Posts : 1252

Posted 12/21/2004 6:47 AM (GMT -6)

Hi CJF!
Thanks for considering taking on this task! I would say that I'd like to see the archives from this board moved over to the new one if at all possible. I'd also like to see all the members only able to use ONE name each.

Some of the others were talking about how they needed at least one board where they could discuss the Open View without people challenging the OV on that board. So, that might be one of the boards you'd consider including on the site.

I'd also like to see a board made in which we all could post prayer request threads. We've been using this site for that more and more and it would be more organized if all the threads could be contained beneath one "umbrella" board.

I can't think of anything else that specific right now. In addition to the stuff I mentioned above, I'd be happy if the format were pretty much the same as it is on this site, but whatever you feel led to do is fine with me so long as I can still maintain contact with everyone who's been here who chooses to go to your site.

Tigress

"Name a shrub after me. Preferably one that's prickly and difficult to eradicate."

-Captain Jack Aubrey
"Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World"

1Heart
Registered Member

Date Joined Feb 2004
Total Posts : 1128

Posted 12/21/2004 7:49 AM (GMT -6)

quote:
Originally posted by Tigress

Hi CJF!
Thanks for considering taking on this task! I would say that I'd like to see the archives from this board moved over to the new one if at all possible. I'd also like to see all the members only able to use ONE name each.

Some of the others were talking about how they needed at least one board where they could discuss the Open View without people challenging the OV on that board. So, that might be one of the boards you'd consider including on the site.

I'd also like to see a board made in which we all could post prayer request threads. We've been using this site for that more and more and it would be more organized if all the threads could be contained beneath one "umbrella" board.

I can't think of anything else that specific right now. In addition to the stuff I mentioned above, I'd be happy if the format were pretty much the same as it is on this site, but whatever you feel led to do is fine with me so long as I can still maintain contact with everyone who's been here who chooses to go to your site.

I'm sure that most would agree with the nominal fee. It is well worth it, and would, I think, naturally resolve the name dilemna. I like Tigress's suggestions here. Since prayer is an important part of our life, and the future is "partly open/partly settled" a thread dedicated to prayer requests would be appropriate!

I look forward to it. Could you e-mail me when you're getting set up?

Thanks, God Bless,and Merry Christmas!
Jo-Anne

"Sometimes all we can do is go back to the character of God, and drop anchor there."

Corey
Five with a Four-wing

Date Joined Feb 2003
Total Posts : 1893

Posted 12/21/2004 9:31 AM (GMT -6)

Keep those thoughts coming! Having a prayer area sounds like a good idea. What other areas can you think of?

Mark, I'll have a more definite answer when I get further along in discovering the technical requirements of hosting this site. (Things like storage and bandwidth requirements, etc. Right now I don't have an accurate feel for the size of this thing.) I'm waiting to hear back from jcsites on that stuff.

Corey

Tom
Registered Member

Date Joined Jul 2001
Total Posts : 10353

Posted 12/22/2004 4:24 AM (GMT -6)

If any new site that's started to carry on from this one, I'd only be interested if it were a private, for open theists only, site. Sorry. But that's all I'm interested in. Period.

Tom

Mayflower
Registered Member

Date Joined Mar 2002
Total Posts : 445

Posted 12/22/2004 5:35 AM (GMT -6)

QUOTE:

quote:
Is the future exhaustively settled, or does it include "maybes"?

.
.

--------

QUESTION: Could there be some sort of safety net -- that would protect the new forum from 'Internet Trolls'?
(i.e., those who aren't interested in genuine dialogue, but who come
to divide & destroy).

Would this be a possibility?
<><
.

.
Tom wrote:

quote:
If any new site that's started to carry on from this one, I'd only be interested if it were a private, for open theists only, site. Sorry. But that's all I'm interested in. Period.

.
.

Truth Aficionado
Registered Member

Date Joined Dec 2003
Total Posts : 1544

Posted 12/22/2004 6:37 AM (GMT -6)

quote:
Originally posted by Mayflower

QUESTION: Could there be some sort of safety net -- that would protect the new forum from 'Internet Trolls'?
(i.e., those who aren't interested in genuine dialogue, but who come
to divide & destroy).

Would this be a possibility?
<><

With the potential of good comes the possibibity to do otherwise. Wink

trosie
Registered Member

Date Joined Jul 2001
Total Posts : 550

Posted 12/22/2004 7:19 AM (GMT -6)

Tigress

quote:
I'd also like to see a board made in which we all could post prayer request threads. We've been using this site for that more and more and it would be more organized if all the threads could be contained beneath one "umbrella" board

YES! This would be a beautiful way for people to get needs met on the Internet!

TGB

quote:
If any new site that's started to carry on from this one, I'd only be interested if it were a private, for open theists only, site. Sorry. But that's all I'm interested in. Period

AND
Mayflower

quote:
QUESTION: Could there be some sort of safety net -- that would protect the new forum from 'Internet Trolls'?
(i.e., those who aren't interested in genuine dialogue, but who come
to divide & destroy).

Instead of keeping people out who may be changed through dialoguing.... Couldn't we have a contract sort of thing that people must sign that states that if they become distruptive... they will be removed from posting?

Could we have a rule list that people MUST follow in order to post on the board? This rule list must be read and agreed to before posting on the board and then annually (or whatever) renewed and agreed to?

What do you think? Shy

JEE
Registered Member

Date Joined Jul 2004
Total Posts : 1466

Posted 12/22/2004 7:29 AM (GMT -6)

quote:
Originally posted by trosie
Instead of keeping people out who may be changed through dialoguing.... Couldn't we have a contract sort of thing that people must sign that states that if they become distruptive... they will be removed from posting?

Could we have a rule list that people MUST follow in order to post on the board? This rule list must be read and agreed to before posting on the board and then annually (or whatever) renewed and agreed to?

What do you think?

Yes. This is precisely how I have run my Revival_Theology email discussion group for the past two years, and it is how I intend to run my new "The Open View" message board. My site is specifically designated as "A Friendly Forum for Discussion of the Open View of the Future," and I have a section for those who would like to debate OVTism, as well as a section "For Open Viewers Only." Like anything, it will take some moderating, but I think it will be well worth it.

I also wanted to say that it has never been my aim to compete with the CVM board or whatever is its successor in cyberspace. I sincerely hope that the CVM board (with all its wonderful archives) will be able to be accessed on the new board, and that the new board is blessed. My only intent in forming my board was to provide a safety net of some kind, if you will.

John

http://revivaltheology.net

Gerry Attrick
Registered Member

Date Joined Dec 2003
Total Posts : 114

Posted 12/22/2004 8:04 AM (GMT -6)

quote:
Originally posted by TGB

If any new site that's started to carry on from this one, I'd only be interested if it were a private, for open theists only, site. Sorry. But that's all I'm interested in. Period.

Tom

Sounds like it will be a dull and incestuous conversation. Wink

Corey
Five with a Four-wing

Date Joined Feb 2003
Total Posts : 1893

Posted 12/22/2004 10:55 AM (GMT -6)

I just got an email back from jcsites, and he tells me that the hosting requirements are pretty low. Unfortunately he's not available until Jan to give me a backup copy of the database, so I'm stuck until then. That means there may be an interim period when this site is offline and the new site is not yet online.

Truth Aficionado
Registered Member

Date Joined Dec 2003
Total Posts : 1544

Posted 12/22/2004 11:09 AM (GMT -6)

quote:
Originally posted by CJF

I just got an email back from jcsites, and he tells me that the hosting requirements are pretty low. Unfortunately he's not available until Jan to give me a backup copy of the database, so I'm stuck until then. That means there may be an interim period when this site is offline and the new site is not yet online.

Hello Corey,
So do you anticipate any technical, financial or legal issues? Can we soon count on being back up and running with all the archives? I think some of the free forums are lacking in many areas, I guess I’m spoiled. Smile

What type of changes, if any, do you envision?

Thanks again for all your time and effort,

Mark

Corey
Five with a Four-wing

Date Joined Feb 2003
Total Posts : 1893

Posted 12/22/2004 12:11 PM (GMT -6)

quote:
Originally posted by sparknheart
So do you anticipate any technical, financial or legal issues? Can we soon count on being back up and running with all the archives? I think some of the free forums are lacking in many areas, I guess I’m spoiled. What type of changes, if any, do you envision?

At this point I am say 99.8% confident that I will have the site back up as-is. I don't see any technical or financial barriers; as for the legal, I'm really clueless there. I'm assuming there aren't issues but somebody more knowledgeable should advise us on that.

Once I get this site migrated as-is to a new facility, then I'll start work on the The Next Generation. My basic objective there is to create a discussion area that doesn't drive people nuts. Tongue

As I see it, we need to enforce posting policies for the various sub-boards.

If you've got experience on other boards, please share any best-of-breed concepts you've seen for enforcing posting policies.

Looks like there really won't be any overhead costs to speak of; I think I can do this pretty much for free.

Leila
Registered Member

Date Joined Apr 2003
Total Posts : 93

Posted 12/22/2004 1:21 PM (GMT -6)

Thanks so much Corey for taking this over. I'm so glad to see that the discussion board will continue. I was so sad to hear of its possible demise.

I don't have any suggestions off-hand, but just wanted you to know that I appreciate what you are doing. -Leila

Corey
Five with a Four-wing

Date Joined Feb 2003
Total Posts : 1893

Posted 12/23/2004 2:38 AM (GMT -6)

I've now registered a new domain for hosting this board:

www.opentheismboard.org

There's nothing there yet, but as soon as I get the data I need from JCsites I'll bring the site online. Again, that probably won't be until January.

Corey
Five with a Four-wing

Date Joined Feb 2003
Total Posts : 1893

Posted 12/23/2004 3:01 AM (GMT -6)

quote:
Originally posted by TGB

If any new site that's started to carry on from this one, I'd only be interested if it were a private, for open theists only, site. Sorry. But that's all I'm interested in. Period.

Tom, could you flesh out for me what you have in mind for the word "private"? Would you intend that only members can post to the board (but the public can read), or that only members could post AND read?

Tom
Registered Member

Date Joined Jul 2001
Total Posts : 10353

Posted 12/23/2004 10:44 AM (GMT -6)

Hey Corey-

Thanks for all your help. I read and posted about the future on another thread without having read this one.

I'm very glad to know we're likely to see things continue.

When I say "private" I mean open to open theists only. I and others have explained a lot recently why we want a place where we can discuss the open view and its implications without having to defend it every other page to vigilante determinists who have little interest in learning but who just want to be devisive and argumentative. That's not EVERY determinist either. Just some.

The reason I'm against an open forum with just rules about not being unruly is that you end up arguing later about what really constitutes unruly behavior.

If there's a way to open some forums to all members regardless of theological persuasion and ALSO have other forums open to only some, by invitation only, that's good. I wanna talk to open thests for a while, period. I wouldn't even make the conversations of private forums open for all to read, but that's just me.

Tom

Corey
Five with a Four-wing

Date Joined Feb 2003
Total Posts : 1893

Posted 12/23/2004 2:55 PM (GMT -6)

The fact that I'm unaware of Tom's other discussions about this board illustrate another shortcoming: the search feature. It works so slowly that it's basically useless and forces people to keep asking the same questions over and over. Today I rewrote the search for these Snitz forums to take full advantage of the indexing available in SQL Server. Okay, I'm a geek talking. But anyway I expect the search feature will be dramatically faster and more powerful than it is today.

PotOnWheel
Registered Member

Date Joined Jul 2001
Total Posts : 9890

Posted 12/23/2004 3:07 PM (GMT -6)

quote:
Originally posted by CJF

The fact that I'm unaware of Tom's other discussions about this board illustrate another shortcoming: the search feature. It works so slowly that it's basically useless and forces people to keep asking the same questions over and over. Today I rewrote the search for these Snitz forums to take full advantage of the indexing available in SQL Server. Okay, I'm a geek talking. But anyway I expect the search feature will be dramatically faster and more powerful than it is today.

COOL

1Heart
Registered Member

Date Joined Feb 2004
Total Posts : 1128

Posted 12/23/2004 8:18 PM (GMT -6)

quote:
Originally posted by TGB

Hey Corey-

Thanks for all your help. I read and posted about the future on another thread without having read this one.

I'm very glad to know we're likely to see things continue.

When I say "private" I mean open to open theists only. I and others have explained a lot recently why we want a place where we can discuss the open view and its implications without having to defend it every other page to vigilante determinists who have little interest in learning but who just want to be devisive and argumentative. That's not EVERY determinist either. Just some.

The reason I'm against an open forum with just rules about not being unruly is that you end up arguing later about what really constitutes unruly behavior.

If there's a way to open some forums to all members regardless of theological persuasion and ALSO have other forums open to only some, by invitation only, that's good. I wanna talk to open thests for a while, period. I wouldn't even make the conversations of private forums open for all to read, but that's just me.

Tom

I really appreciate the board continuing elsewhere. There is so much that I have yet to learn, and I like the idea of a forum where the open view may be discussed with other open theists.

I do see value though, in it being open for everyone. If it has so radically changed my walk, and ministry, then it could do that for others as well.

God Bless,
Jo-Anne

"Sometimes all we can do is go back to the character of God, and drop anchor there."

CalvinnHobbes
Registered Member

Date Joined Jan 2003
Total Posts : 88

Posted 12/24/2004 6:46 AM (GMT -6)

Corey,

Thank you so much for your efforts to keep this content alive. I sincerely hope you are able to keep everything archived for us. I love much of what I've seen on this site and would hate to see it fade into oblivion.

I like the suggestions I've seen above. Although, not being on open theist myself, I would hate to see anything (be it intentionally or simply by inevitable consequence) minimize or eliminate your or any other intelligent OV-er interacting with me. I can understand Tom's OV-ers-only angle, but, as he also said, please make this a both-and thing if you are going to have threads or boards that keep some of us out. And I definitely think the aformentioned courtesy rules are a must, despite possible (or even likely) disagreements over what constitues courtesy or "unruly."

Looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

Shane

"The longer I live, the more I read, the more patiently I think, and the more anxiously I inquire, the less I seem to know." ~President John Adams

Tiggers
Registered Member

Date Joined Jul 2001
Total Posts : 219

Posted 12/24/2004 7:08 AM (GMT -6)

quote:
Originally posted by TGB

Hey Corey-

Thanks for all your help. I read and posted about the future on another thread without having read this one.

I'm very glad to know we're likely to see things continue.

When I say "private" I mean open to open theists only. I and others have explained a lot recently why we want a place where we can discuss the open view and its implications without having to defend it every other page to vigilante determinists who have little interest in learning but who just want to be devisive and argumentative. That's not EVERY determinist either. Just some.

The reason I'm against an open forum with just rules about not being unruly is that you end up arguing later about what really constitutes unruly behavior.

If there's a way to open some forums to all members regardless of theological persuasion and ALSO have other forums open to only some, by invitation only, that's good. I wanna talk to open thests for a while, period. I wouldn't even make the conversations of private forums open for all to read, but that's just me.

Tom

Hey Tom & CJF,

Dag, on the real, I respect you to no end, brother; furthermore, I believe that there should be an open view discussion for only open theist just as you (and I better be invited to it or I’ll be mad as

)! However, regarding the overall picture of the board could we not have a moderator follow the thread and once those Lions come trolling we could ban them from the Open View category. You see, I do believe that non open folk could learn a great deal from just reading the posts NOT posting in this category though! I mean think about it…imagine if you were a new open viewer and just came to this site not knowing or being able to find out about the great site where one could grow in there new open view in a nonthreatening environment with other openers. Could there be some compromise?

Hey CJF,

Is there any way to change the aesthetic a little, e.g., color scheme, more smile pics, etc.?

Warmly in Christ,
Tiggers King

PS
Love ya’ll!

“The notion that God uses evils as a means to such higher goods is, … incompatible with the doctrine that he is omnipotent, and therefore does not need to use deplorable means to achieve his ends” (J.L. Mackie).

Corey
Five with a Four-wing

Date Joined Feb 2003
Total Posts : 1893

Posted 12/25/2004 1:34 AM (GMT -6)

quote:
Originally posted by CalvinnHobbes

I sincerely hope you are able to keep everything archived for us. I love much of what I've seen on this site and would hate to see it fade into oblivion.

I can say with high confidendence that these years of dialogue will not be lost. My main objective there is to get the search feature working well so that people can more easily find what they're looking for.

quote:
...please make this a both-and thing if you are going to have threads or boards that keep some of us out. And I definitely think the aformentioned courtesy rules are a must, despite possible (or even likely) disagreements over what constitues courtesy or "unruly."

The way I've started to architect this thing so far is that there will be three different types of topic areas:

Public: anyone can read and any registered member can post (would still be moderated though)
Protected: anyone can read but only selected members can post
Private: only selected members can read and post

Tom
Registered Member

Date Joined Jul 2001
Total Posts : 10353

Posted 12/26/2004 4:38 AM (GMT -6)

Another thought Corey. One weakness of the way the site was set up in the past was that members were able to multiply aliases with now limits. In addition, no real information about new members was required before they were allowed to begin posting. All a new member had to do was make up some fake email address. Consequently, I as moderator could *almost* never get in touch with members personally, offline.

My idea is that new members be required to provide a REAL working email address, to which the moderator would then send a password. If theh email works, they get their password and can THEN post. If the address is bogus, they can't post. I think email addresses should regularly be checked to insure that they're working addresses. If not, members should be banned. No more accountable-free posting.

Tom

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