What about the non-optical folks?

[Brad Gelb]

Do you think we need a forum for those non-optical people who stumble upon us for help? Also, do you think that requiring registration will disuade them from posting?

Brad "slow day" Gelb

[John R]

Think that could be a good idea a forun for joe public to ask general questions, But think that registration is still the way to go, as most people will not be put off by it. You have to register for most things on the net now, and most have a sepperate email for this.

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Every day a grind
Every week a bind
www.iooi.co.uk (http://www.iooi.co.uk)

[Steve Machol]

(Oops! I added the wrong icon to this post. I meant to make is a "thumbs up" one. Although I can edit the message, there doesn't appear to be a way to change the icon.)

Brad,

I like the idea on a forum for consumers. I'll add something like this once I switch over to the new system.

As for the registration feature - there are pros and cons to this. I agree that some people will be turned off by "registering". However this does offer significant advantages. In particular, this is what allows the software to show you which new messages have arrived since you last logged in.

I also have another reason for liking this. Many people don't realize that OptiBoard is plagued fairly often with obscene messages from anonymous sources. In fact, I have had to remove about 8 such messages in the last couple of weeks. I think you'd be surprised by the immature nature of these messages. This software has many options that'll make it much more difficult for people to do this.

Nonetheless, I do have the option of creating a forum that does not require registration before posting. Perhaps I can set one up as a test forum for people to try out the Board before registering.

Steve

[This message has been edited by Steve Machol (edited 05-16-2000).]

[JRS]

Keep the registration. Although it seems that only 39 have registered? Seems there are quite a few 'turned off'. Unfortunate.

[Test User]

I hope that only 39 have registered because it's just a test board right now. I'm afriad I can;t keep running OptiBoard on the old software. It's constantly breaking and it requires an enormous amount of time to keep it up and running.

My hope is that people will see the benefits of the new system once they've given it a try.

Steve

[Brad Gelb]

I agree that registration adds great features for the optical folks. I was wondering about a moderated consumer question area without registration. That way "normal" people can get help.

Brad "just lookin' out for the little people" Gelb

PS I don't know if I've mentioned it, but I love the new board.

[Steve Machol]

Brad,

I like the idea of a consumer forum that doesn't require registration. I'll add it once I've taken care of the switchover. If I don't do this within the next couple of week, just remind me.

Steve