Any interest in a more modern Discussion board?

[gamey]

I have no dog in this fight, but has anyone looked at the SMF plugin site?  Has anyone determined that the 'force multiplier' type functionality doesn't exist already, just waiting to be plugged in?

One thing I can confirm is that SMF is not developer friendly.  The plugin architecture was added afterwards and has a steep learning curve as far as those things go.  However... is it really worth spending time on ? Seems like people interested in supporting bitshares would find other things to develop ?  I agree with Fuzzy that social media is a good thing ... just not sure how good and is it worth losing all the history in the posts here and forcing everyone to migrate/create new accounts.

[Thom]

I saw kencode's post about nodeBB and looked at xeroc's github link for the import plugin.

I also run an SMF forum for a local community group. I really like nodeBB from what I saw, and it's integration with other popular social tools like slac. However, the import tool doesn't do a very good job of migrating important info like passwords. This may not be a big deal to many people but it would be for my community forum users.

Also, it means the sharebits bot will need to be updated (perhaps totally rewritten) to work under nodeBB. I don't know what that will entail, whether a big task or small.

As for migrating this forum it will require everyone to reset all of their info - avatar, notifications, password etc. We'd need to hear from BitSaphire on what level of effort would be required of them to accomplish such a migration.

[JonnyB]

bump

@kenCode

[fuzzy]

a forum correctly designed for bitshares would become a vital part of the governance and information-propagation infrastructure.  Imagine if I could tweet any post on here and get people to sign up and chime in...that is only one example.  It is called  a "force multiplier".

Forums are the foundation of our community's activity and will either enable or hinder our growth.  Do not underestimate the power of forums.

[cass]

http://www.haobinliang.com/2015/07/discourse-nodebb-flarum-notes-about-next-gen-forums/

[davidpbrown]

A change to Discourse would be a big positive.

Discourse is really good for seeing quickly what has changed. https://www.discourse.org/
Example is MaidSafe https://forum.safenetwork.io/

[mint chocolate chip]

I am content with what we have here.

[JonnyB]

We need a trollbox in Open Ledger. The current discussion board is fine and I think we need to get away from discussion boards and put the discussions into Open Ledger.

The more time we spend on the forum the less time we are spending in Bitshares.

I Agree.
Bring on the trollbox and keep this archaic forum, it works.

[TravelsAsia]

My comment was pretty straightforward. I'm kind of amazed that anyone likes phpBB. It's like a fax machine. I have one so I might as well use it till it dies.

I disagree that a trollbox and a discussion board serve the same purpose. While I agree a trollbox can be searchable, I think it's analogous to using twitter as a support desk. Trollboxes help identify issues, but they do not provide a platform for other users to learn from the experience of others.

Based on the participation in this thread, seems like there aren't many people who care one way or another, and there are a few who do seem to care. Not a huge issue to me one way or another.

I'm also not opinionated on the brand. Would just like something that's based on a modern web technology that doesn't reload the page with every post, one that shows me in real time when I have replied and/or inline direct messages.

It is not phpBB, it is SMF. This is one of those issues only pushed by people in their 20s as older types seem to not care for things to change for minor reasons.  Bitsapphire tried to push this back when they took over the forum.

Do you use this forum enough to worry about real time etc?  Email notifications worked fine for me when I was a active participant. Likewise page reloads were not an issue.

I think cryptocurrency is so tech oriented that a gee-whiz-bang forum would not particularly help.  If users are going to be scared off by forum software, then they probably never messed with crypto.

edit - Just for a reference, I don't like forums where people post pictures.  Sometimes it is funny, but often it just lets the brainless mimicking the thoughts of other. (Think facebook..)

 

I'm not against it, I just don't rank it high on any list of existing priorities.

[gamey]

My comment was pretty straightforward. I'm kind of amazed that anyone likes phpBB. It's like a fax machine. I have one so I might as well use it till it dies.

I disagree that a trollbox and a discussion board serve the same purpose. While I agree a trollbox can be searchable, I think it's analogous to using twitter as a support desk. Trollboxes help identify issues, but they do not provide a platform for other users to learn from the experience of others.

Based on the participation in this thread, seems like there aren't many people who care one way or another, and there are a few who do seem to care. Not a huge issue to me one way or another.

I'm also not opinionated on the brand. Would just like something that's based on a modern web technology that doesn't reload the page with every post, one that shows me in real time when I have replied and/or inline direct messages.

It is not phpBB, it is SMF. This is one of those issues only pushed by people in their 20s as older types seem to not care for things to change for minor reasons.  Bitsapphire tried to push this back when they took over the forum.

Do you use this forum enough to worry about real time etc?  Email notifications worked fine for me when I was a active participant. Likewise page reloads were not an issue.

I think cryptocurrency is so tech oriented that a gee-whiz-bang forum would not particularly help.  If users are going to be scared off by forum software, then they probably never messed with crypto.

edit - Just for a reference, I don't like forums where people post pictures.  Sometimes it is funny, but often it just lets the brainless mimicking the thoughts of other. (Think facebook..) 

[Xypher]

Forums have been at the crux of how we share information and conduct discussions for over 2 decades now. From the beginning,its been a simple platform that allows basic functions : sharing text, sending PM’s and occasionally uploading media content. However, with the arrival of blockchain, one would expect the system to evolve. To somehow be able to transfer value on the blockchain, maybe login with a wallet id and engage in business and discussions while being able to access the wallet right through the forum. However, in spite of all the progress we’ve made in the crypto-sphere over the years, we are yet to see how the blockchain and forums can be brought together.

User experiences are dispersed across exchanges,wallets and a laundry list of services. Why is it that forums have to be so mundane when they can be redeveloped to bring together the best of both worlds ? Why is it that plugins have to be developed to be able to tip a user whose posts actually helped you ? Probably because no one attempted to combine the blockchain and a forum in an intuitive manner.

The way discussions are held in the community today is completely decentralized. Ideas are dispersed across skype chats, slack discussions and the deepweb. Who knows what kind of treasure trove is lost on a daily basis between the piles of chat logs. This also creates a system where people have to run through multiple systems to keep on with what’s going on in the industry. The new system will be a central home-base of sorts that allows users to keep a check on the progress of projects, and socialize at the same time.


ULTRA is our attempt to bring a change to that. We believe, it is possible to bring the blockchain and a forum together and create a sustainable business around it. We believe, it is about damn time, someone took a system that is over 2 decades old and made it appealing enough to the masses.


The key aspect to successfully combining multiple communities that in themselves are successful due to micro niches and other factors, is to integrate the features that draw the users without sacrificing the experience for something completely unique and foreign, to this end the data structure can not take place entirely on the blockchain, it will have to function much like a centralized forum system with chat logs and other functions being passed between database servers for failover, that being said - user information such as identity could be placed on the blockchain so even outside of the system, it can be accessed.

Privacy is an aspect that draws all users to congregate in more secure systems, to that end the goal of this system will be to make everything from chats, to personal information optional and stored in an encrypted manner such as that the administrators can not access it without permission from the user.  Private groups and direct messages will naturally never be stored, and integrated voice features will use an encrypted method.

Core features

Hybrid Logins

We believe it is time we combined user names with blockchain identities. The core login aspect would be made on the blockchain. In order to login to a system, a user will be made to login to his wallet, thereby giving him instant access to his funds in the system. The money will be stored on the blockchain, with the servers having zero access to funds. This would work as an open authorization on the blockchain.



Tipping

The function would allow users to tip those creating threads of valuable information, thereby creating incentive for users to post content with depth and quality. In the current model of the forum, connecting an external tipping service has become impossible due to outdated systems. We believe a tipping system can be connected right onto the forum, with the ability to see the statistics of amount tipped, received and other details right on the forum without need for external services.




Moderation techniques

Communities could be moderated by means of moderators that are voted into power in real time using the nxt vote feature. This could also be used to upvote and downvote threads in real time, thereby creating a user regulated system that allows for the propagation of information that appeals to the end user and  helps avoid spam of unnecessary services by miscreants. 




Social integration

The new forum will be targeted at the new stream of users that come searching about Nxt as some of the core projects explode. The concern is to make an intuitive interface for people to explore what nxt offers in an easy to access fashion. The idea is to make them feel accommodated as they come searching about us. While there will be traditional forms of login and a method to access the forum with the wallet , there will also be something along the lines of a “hybrid” login. This feature allows a user to combine the wallet id, with his social id.  The possibilities of what this could offer to the forum are countless. Imagine being able to tip directly to someone’s twitter account from the forum. Thereby ushering in a new age of virality to the community.


Current systems suffer from several key problems, such as the restriction of information due to lack of knowledge, for example a user may be too intimidated to pursue knowledge about NXT due to supernet being somewhat tough to access and understand. ULTRA is, among other things, an attempt to break down the intimidating barriers and large requirements of knowledge that come with using crypto-currency, while simultaneously allowing the advanced users to have a central location to connect and explore projects and niche communities that otherwise would be separated by an immense gulf of required understanding and expertise.

Other possible areas this system could expand to could include freelance and smart contract systems, to allow linking crypto developers together and let them start, crowdfund, manage and promote projects all in the same place. Current forums and chat systems make this process extremely impersonal, no one can decide on a contract or what project management suite to use, which svn or git service to use, the problems are endless when connecting professionals with entrepreneurs who need them.

It’s important to remember the reason users connect; information. To this end, one of the main goals of ULTRA will be to organize users into their respective niches, suggesting connections that allow them to expand their social horizon and explore opportunities they had not considered. the creation of groups, subgroups, teams, committees and all sorts of other groups should be allowed and enabled through the system to enhance a user's ability to congregate, explore and decide things together. 

Once past the primary development phase, a mobile application will need to be made, and a heavy campaign should be made to bring other crypto communities onto ULTRA - there should be no reason why the majority of the features can not be used with other blockchains, though some clearly will not work, NXT should always be the central blockchain we use for storing data and secure information. Ideally, a user could come in and manage their bitcoin wallet, tip with bitcoins and earn bitcoins for posting on a forum or participating in a group chat, all because they chose the option bitcoin instead of NXT.

ULTRA should look to expand its offerings on every front and partner with every possible technology driven market niche, things like allowing users to pay for a lyft car with their ULTRA wallet or sign a contract with the ULTRA app should be not only possible but easily integrated into our daily world once adoption is mainstream, the possibilities for ULTRA as both an identity verification system and payment processor are endless because of the trustless environment.

As development expands, ULTRA could be made to take over the roles of many market, advertising, social and business functions to allow a central location for people to meet and discuss, not just about one currency or one niche, but all of them in any array of subject - we envision a system that has the power of facebook with the privacy you have always dreamed of and the powerful features from every system you have ever used, ULTRA aims the first place you look for all the important information that makes your world go round.
Other possible features:


Portfolio management

Users could have their account listing and their portfolio displayed in real time. Users could also look up at the portfolio held by other members of the community in real time, adding more transparency to the ecosystem.


Asset Exchange

We believe it is time we quit with the asset exchange  listing on external sites or wallets. Why not have asset listings and transactions made right within the forum ? If asset listings could be made right from the forum then the need for an external login would be removed thereby adding to the user experience. Think of what secureae offers right within the forum itself.


DB Decentralization

Given the high amount of downtime faced by services like BCT it becomes incredibly important for users to be able to access the forum in a secure fashion even if one or two fo the servers goes down. By basing the service on the cloud and using dns failover and db synchronization techniques a high level of uptime could be maintained. while the server will still be in a central location, security will be managed by cloud services and failover can ensure that users never truly see the system down.




Just some of the things, I think we should evolve into.
Am happy getting this dev’ed through a fund raiser or something.

Hey guys,

Been bouncing the concept at Nxt forum.
Wanted to know what bitshares guys thought of this.
I am not sure something similiar is being built for Bitshares.


P.s - Am only bouncing a concept here, checking if there's sufficient interest.

Sharing a concept I'd posted way back.
Been doing some research on digital governance.
Happy to chip in.

Regards

[donkeypong]

I'm supportive of modernizing it. Sorry if my post was vague; I was just trying to brainstorm where the different functions could go, because I think this forum is a poor place to try to get all of those things done.

Text messaging seems like a step back in time. So do these credit cards with chips that you have to stick in the reader for half a minute. Yet people get used to things.

[wmbutler]

My comment was pretty straightforward. I'm kind of amazed that anyone likes phpBB. It's like a fax machine. I have one so I might as well use it till it dies.

I disagree that a trollbox and a discussion board serve the same purpose. While I agree a trollbox can be searchable, I think it's analogous to using twitter as a support desk. Trollboxes help identify issues, but they do not provide a platform for other users to learn from the experience of others.

Based on the participation in this thread, seems like there aren't many people who care one way or another, and there are a few who do seem to care. Not a huge issue to me one way or another.

I'm also not opinionated on the brand. Would just like something that's based on a modern web technology that doesn't reload the page with every post, one that shows me in real time when I have replied and/or inline direct messages.

[fuzzy]

Why not go with making our own forums like the one freebie and team wanted to build and customize just for bts?

To my knowledge they were planning on making it so forum leadership positions were voted in and out by the community...and would give us the license to own it...which would be just one more reason for future graphene chains to sharedrop on our community in return for using our infrastructure.

Ill go find the post.

[donkeypong]

The only reason I would say to update the board would be to decentralize it for when it gets DDOSed. At some point if Bitshares ever takes off there will be jealous people in the Bitcoin community who will for sure DDOS just as they did when Bitcoin was rising.

That is something to do right, and do from scratch, and build into OpenLedger. If anything from within OpenLedger a person should be able to communicate on this forum or in many other ways so that DDOS is not effective.

I would separate the forum's uses into some different categories based upon function.

Everyday chatting: integrate it into OL/wallet
Customer support: have some friendly topical FAQs linked + chatting available via OL/wallet
Decentralized community: keep it here or modernize the forum if you wish. Some better proposal and voting pages will spring up.
Additional info/news: Cryptofresh and users' news sites
Developers and marketers: can use Slack or another platform
Others?