New forum updates incoming shortly!!

[TheCollector]

Hey folks,

So in an effort to permanently get a handle on these spammers I'm going to be upgrading the forum to the newest version of PHP (3.2.2) and installing a new cloud based anti-spamming mod. I've been told it's excellent.

The bad news is that the currently "style" (a red/black/grey that matches the site) you're seeing when you hit the forums is an older style not compatible with the latest php release. I'm hiring out a member of the phpbb moderators to help me with both the upgrade and to modify the default phpbb style to match the color scheme I'm using.

Likely it will look somewhat different with newer icons, etc. More info as we get closer to upgrade time. I'd guess in the next week or so.

[jhanic]

Looking forward to the changes!

John

[TheCollector]

Ok guys, the forum upgrade will be happening in the next 24 hours....chances are good by the time you read this you may already see the new template

[TheCollector]

The forum upgrade is done at a macro level. New backend, new theme. There will be some minor tweaks happening over the next few days but I'd say we're 90% done.

You'll notice a new rating system where you can upvote or downvote posts for karma (Starting tomorrow).

Also we have the ability to directly link to individual threads now, so you're not limited to linking to just the top level forum anymore.

The new theme features better menu navigation, hyperlinks that are a different color than text (a small but annoying thing I coudln't get working on the old system), easier moderator controls and other minor improvements I'm sort of discovering as I go... and of course much better anti-spam countermeasures!

Please report any issues/odd behaviors you have so I can address them ASAP

[jhanic]

I like the changes!

John

[Mr. Rabbit Trick]

Looking good.

[amd013]

Looks like spammers are getting in though. First two unread posts I saw today were from spammers.

[TheCollector]

Looks like spammers are getting in though. First two unread posts I saw today were from spammers.

If you saw the couple in this Technical Issues thread, they got in within the 6 hour window between when we went live with the new forum and when we went live with the anti-spam service. I've left them there purposely to test against, they'll be removed within the next day or so.

If you're seeing them anywhere else, you can let me know by hitting the red exclamation icon that's next to each post. It'll send me a notification

[TheCollector]

Hey Guys, just a quick note that we're 100% up with all the back end add-ons. Here's a breakdown of what's new:

• Forum version updated to the latest 3.2.2

• New style compatible with 3.2.2

• Share extension installed (you can now see sharing icons at the top of each individual post to FB, Twitter, Reddit, etc)

• Karma extension installed (you an upvote/downvote comments)

• SEO extensions installed (easier for google to find the forum)

• Similar Topics Mod Installed (at the bottom of each thread you'll see a list of possible similar topics)

• Cloud based Anti Spam mod installed (I get weekly reports, it blocked over 300 spam attempts last week!)