Options for the new year
 

Forgive me if this feels premature, but I am a problem-solver by nature and can't emotionally afford these days to let disappointments compound themselves with ongoing uncertainty.

This place is special to me, which is to say the people here are special to me--yes, even you. You're all my friends, and I want to keep my friends.

Here is one option for a (free with ads, paid if we want no ads) forum service:

https://boardhost.com/index.html

"Cellar" is available, and the look and feel are very similar to what we have now. Storage is unlimited for both free & paid versions, and the cost for "no ads" is $15/month. (For those who use Tapatalk on mobile, I haven't figured out yet if boardhost is compatible with it--but it seems logical that it should be.)

Happy to hear other suggestions if anyone is familiar with a different forum service. Even happier if it turns out that none of this is necessary after all, but UT has already done so much for us over the years and I don't think it's right to pressure him for more. If/when we set up shop somewhere else, I really, really hope he swings by.

Thoughts?

Fine with me. I’d certainly miss the banter of my mates here.


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there are bookface groups.....



or we could go on safari and inundate an unsuspecting forum like Flint did when he got here from that music site.


and I agree entirely with your sentiment, both of yoiu

I should say right from the start that while I'm open to a wide variety of options, I can't/won't do Facebook. It sucks in countless ways.

I would love for the cellar gang to figure out another way to continue. You guys are the best, and even if we’re friends on Facebook, it’s not the same because you can’t tell the truth there. The Cellar gives me a perspective on the world that I can’t get anywhere else.

Shame we will lose all the old posts. Too much nostalgia isn’t healthy, but it’s nice to know I can go back and revisit old threads if I remember something and want to look it up. Like when I first learned of the pandemic, and what I thought.

Does the Wayback Machine have any of that stuff?

I think ‘Toad said he’s leave it all here for a while at least?


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I would miss The Cellar.

Not having you guys around to irritate would leave a fair-sized void in my life.

I'm definitely in dudes. I'd prefer a not Facebook option but will play either way. I don't want to miss you guys.

In. Also prefer not facebook. especially because that would alienate some of my favorite dwellars..... oh and Grav

No facebook.
Why does it have to change. When UT got a job that paid a decent wage he stopped accepting donations.
Why can't he accept donations again to pay for the hosting? He did it before he can do it again.

Oh well, he'll be married soon and we can just bypass him and go to the top. http://cellar.org/2012/bwekk.gif

What about Discord as a platform? I don’t know much about it, does anyone here?


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You had me at "I'm open to a wide variety of options"

I'm In, I want to keep the Cellar alive.

Discord--and Slack, a similar tool--are more for ongoing conversations on a somewhat limited number of topics. The number of threads-within-forums we have isn't as conducive to their layout, and when a new post goes in a thread, it just gets bolded, not bumped to the top, so you'd have to scroll a bunch to get to active threads that were started a long time ago. (It's possible that setting can be changed, but I've never seen one that does it.)

On the other hand, Discord does have a built-in voice chat option, and their "private messages" interface is a little easier than the standard web forum layout. And as UT pointed out, we aren't starting nearly as many threads these days. But if, say, a new person came along and spammed the board with a bunch of new threads, they'd sit there clogging up the top of the list unless someone made the executive decision to archive them.

I'm definitely in.

The cellar brings me joy.

...


Thinking out loud here, during the "whatever" time,

> I think it would be useful to have reliable contact information exchanged with the people I'd like to remain in contact with in the absence of the cellar. Most of the friends I have are on the cellar and most of them I know through the cellar. I think PMs are a good first step to sustaining our ability to communicate. If any of you want my contact information, send me a private message. I will be sending out PMs of my own.

> Money. Now that I'm gainfully employed, I can "hit the tip jar" as we used to say, back in the Before Times. I think it's fair to expect some startup costs, probably not in proportion to $2700 in 1991 dollars ($2,700 in 1991 is worth $5,152.56 today). Perhaps we can gather money now, put it in escrow for inevitable expenses.

> Which makes me think of people. Several core people have already identified themselves here in this thread and around here. Maybe what I'm thinking of is Roles and who could fill those roles. Some roles, Moderators, Escrow officer/treasurer (maaaaaan, does that sound bureaucratic), Admin(s), SuperAdmins. ... Members, ombudsman, Point of Contact for name registration,

> I do not want to have to use Bacefook. In the immortal wisdom from Clodfobble "I can't/won't do Facebook. It sucks in countless ways."

> What do we want? Well, ideally, for the cellar to continue uninterrupted. Duh. But failing that maximally optimal scenario, I'd like to keep as much of the functionality as we enjoy here now.

Things I like:

text centric
no advertising. I am willing to pay cash money to avoid advertising.
the ability to post photos and videos
the ability to embed links
I use the "new posts" link to help me understand what's happened since the last time I looked or refreshed
I really like the permanence of the cellar, also noted by others in this thread. being able to go back and reference something from back in the day brings me joy and satisfaction.
The spirit of the cellar and its light moderation, its open doors.
this list is not comprehensive. I'm still just thinking out loud.

Things I miss or would like to have that aren't here or easily to hand:

real time communication, one to one, one to many, many to many. Text, voice, video. These kinds of ad hoc remote connect at a distance technologies are here to stay, thank you covid. Having them built in is not a requirement, but they should be alongside at least. We've all had the experience of doing more than one thing at once in different windows on one (set of) display(s). Having this new thing going on in window 1 and a link to a xyz setup (pre built) to make a connection for voice/chat/video as part of some banner/control panel, would be nice. They could easily be separate applications. I have already created a slack channel, lightly promoted, still active (I'll double check that after this post/thinking out loud).

> done thinking out loud for the moment.

This bears repeating: I love the people that make up the cellar. You are my friends. They say it takes a village to raise an idiot, and I'm your idiot. ... I don't know, I know I'm not an idiot--done my share of idiotic things.. yeah. I kinda feel jokey now and sad and fearful. Also excited about my improved life circumstances, which, without you here, about five people would know or give a shit. I know that says a lot about my social life, but it also says this, I've fortunately chosen quality over quantity, profundity over proximity, and smarts over smart asses. (now that I think of it, I might have gotten that last one backwards. ... actually, it works both ways. nvm)

I'm definitely in. I'm renewing my vows to all y'all. [insert favorite cheering meme here].