What would you like to see added to EC?

[Paul_UK]

This is just a general question, with no promises as I don't know what is possible.

What yould you like to see added to the Empty Closets site? What would make it more attractive to you and what do you think would make it more attractive to others who visit but don't hang around or register? Obviously it has to remain suitable for under-18s so we can't have porn or other obviously "adult" content.

Let's have some ideas and I will try to pursuade the site owners to look into the most popular ones.

Thanks!

[Proud1p4]

Free Chocolate!



Ok, um seriously though, im not a "thinking" person right now because of the lateness. But i'll repost tomorrow and be more constructive......but on the plus side i just drew attention to this thread:icon_wink .

Goodnight everyone!

[Paul_UK]

Here's some virtual chocolate for you. I can't help with the real stuff though - it won't fit through the phone lines. :)

http://www.bbqreport.com/wp-content/resources/chocolate.jpg

OK, does anyone have any ideas - a bit more serious preferably! :)

[Proud1p4]

To be 1000% serious i can't think of a single thing to be added to EC. It's already got everything i need and could want. It's perfect and id be very surprised if anyone can think of something constructive to add.

[Paul_UK]

A couple of ideas that have emerged in the mods section are some sort of blog and gallary system and some sort of arcade games system (both ideas borrowed from ***). Any thoughts on these?

[step49x]

A gallary system might be nice. I have to say, I haven't come upon many good 'clean' galleries yet... :icon_wink

[Micah]

Obviously the galleries would be heavily moderated, and abusal of them would mean you get your gallery closed. I think it would be really cool to be able to post our photos etc. And having some arcade games would give people something to do if posting is slow :grin:

[Paul_UK]

There is a new gallary and blog system over at *** which is still somewhat in beta stage. I could ask them if they can add it here in due course, if there is enough interest.

As Dave says, galleries would have to be moderated somehow so that people don't post porn. It shouldn't be much of a problem at the moment as everyone here seems to be sensible, but could be as the site grows.

[joeyconnick]

People really seem to like blogging options, and I've always been more partial to words than pictures, so I'd say look into the blog side of things.

[Paul_UK]

Yes, it's interesting that the "cute guy" thread which started with someone posting a picture of a young guy became an interesting discussion rather than a thread full of photos. I think blogs could work well here.

[Micah]

People really seem to like blogging options, and I've always been more partial to words than pictures, so I'd say look into the blog side of things.

Ah, but a picture speaks a thousand words! Ooo Photo blogs, now thats an interesting idea.

[step49x]

I'd say try both, and see how they turn out. ;)

[nisomer]

I agree, try them both :)

[zeremonie]

I'd think it would be nice to have a comment system.

[joeyconnick]

Ah, but a picture speaks a thousand words! Ooo Photo blogs, now thats an interesting idea.No, it really doesn't. If it did, we'd have abandoned written language long ago.

[step49x]

No, it really doesn't. If it did, we'd have abandoned written language long ago.
Ok, so pictures may not equal a thousand words, but they sure do equal a lot. For instance, compair trying to describe a hot guy that you met the other day at the beach to us with words, with showing us a picture of him.

[joeyconnick]

Ok, so pictures may not equal a thousand words, but they sure do equal a lot. For instance, compair trying to describe a hot guy that you met the other day at the beach to us with words, with showing us a picture of him.Yes well, try using a single picture to describe how seeing a hot guy you met the other day at the beach makes you feel. And no, an erection just does not cut it, sorry. :)

[Paul_UK]

Plus an erection pic would get deleted by a moderator, whereas a description of your feelings wouldn't (unless it was x-rated). :)

[Proud1p4]

After not looking at this thread since the last 4 posts, im cracking the f*ck up. :lol:

Great point joey.

However, looking at a photo of the best night of my life certainly make more memories & feelings of that night come back than looking at the words on my journal :icon_wink .

[Proud1p4]

Oh btw, just an idea....where the "newest member" thing is on the main page, what if we had a "birthday" one there too...i seen it a couple of other sites....itd help with the birthday wishes coming in quicker....oh, and this post has nothing to do with the fatc my bdays tomorrow :eusa_shhh .

[nisomer]

i think it does that already right? or at least it used to...

[Micah]

Oh btw, just an idea....where the "newest member" thing is on the main page, what if we had a "birthday" one there too...i seen it a couple of other sites....itd help with the birthday wishes coming in quicker....oh, and this post has nothing to do with the fatc my bdays tomorrow :eusa_shhh .

It is there but only shows up when it's someone's birthday - so happy birthday since it's Friday here :D

[Proud1p4]

Oh, my bad, didnt look close enough. lol

[step49x]

Yes well, try using a single picture to describe how seeing a hot guy you met the other day at the beach makes you feel. And no, an erection just does not cut it, sorry. :)
My point exactly. Each has its advantages. So let's just go and add both!

[NACHO]

games

[step49x]

Games might be nice, but personally, I wouldn't play them. There are plenty of places where you can go and play games. Gay blogs seen a little harder to find, as well as gay, non-porn galleries.

[Paul_UK]

I have discussed this with JD (who runs EC and ***). Hopefully they will be able to install the blog and gallary system from *** here once it is out of beta testing, which will be in a month or so.

We'll need to think about rules and guidelines especially for the gallary, and how us mods can keep track of updates etc. We don't want enforced moderation (where new images have to be approved before they appear) but we also need to be aware of what's new so we can check it out. That's for us admins and mods to figure out though.

The games arcade at *** probably won't appear here because it is no longer supported by the developers.

[Proud1p4]

Well although you cant take it for granted i think you wont find yourself any problems with the blogs as we're all pretty lucky here at EC to have such a nice group of people. And where the active posters are in a pretty small amount, it shouldnt be too hard to keep track.

[Paul_UK]

I'm not expecting any problems with current members, and I'm sure most future members will also be fine. The site is small enough for us to keep track of things now, too.

Hopefully the site will grow though, and as it does these things become more difficult to keep track of.

The problem is more likely to be people who sign up with the sole purpose of posting porn adverts or other junk. Maybe requiring a certain number of posts (maybe 10) before blogs and gallery are enabled would help there.

[joeyconnick]

I'm not expecting any problems with current members, and I'm sure most future members will also be fine. The site is small enough for us to keep track of things now, too.

Hopefully the site will grow though, and as it does these things become more difficult to keep track of.

The problem is more likely to be people who sign up with the sole purpose of posting porn adverts or other junk. Maybe requiring a certain number of posts (maybe 10) before blogs and gallery are enabled would help there.You will also need a system so users can report inappropriate images. That will be key.

Edit: and ideally, if an image is reported, it would be unavailable to users until a mod had checked it out.

[Proud1p4]

Two problems in my opinion of the last two posts (i always got something to say lol :lol: )

-10 is far too few. Someone could easily fake ten, maybe 15-20? I think thats pretty reasonable as the average member makes that many in about two weeks?

-good idea joey accept in theory, but then there will be ppl who are jsut trying to be a pain in the ass and report abuse agaisnt innoncent galleries.

In my opinion, i don't think we really need them anytime soon so i encourage the mods to take a month or two (or more) to work out all the kinks they can because this gallery idea comes with alot of possible headaches.

[joeyconnick]

-good idea joey accept in theory, but then there will be ppl who are jsut trying to be a pain in the ass and report abuse agaisnt innoncent galleries.Well if they're not going to be approved before being shown to everyone, then you HAVE to have this kind of functionality. It's a much better thing for some images to be temporarily screened because someone is being a jerk (one expects that a) this forum wouldn't attract that many jerks and that b) if they acted up and indiscriminately and knowingly misreported images that shouldn't be reported, they would have their accounts disabled) then it would be for porn to get posted, seeing as how the mods on this forum are extremely concerned about "age-appropriate" material. You have to err on the side of caution and it's completely unreasonable to expect the two or three mods to police the entire thing without any kind of assist, especially if it happens to become popular.

[Micah]

Exactly. Underage Teenagers + Photogalleries + irresponsibility can cause a few legal issues to say the least. While it would be vital to moderate the galleries fairly strictly, as Paul said, we don't want to over-moderate to an extent that discourages people from using the feature. It really just comes down to creating a balance between the two extremes of moderation (extremely slack and extremely strict). Of course, the level of moderation needed won't be known until the feature is actually in use ;)

[Paul_UK]

Dave has summed it up well. We have to be aware of the legal implications for the owners of the site and also have to make sure it remains a site that is appropriate for underage teenagers.

No doubt it will be tweaked as we go along. Things like this evolve and improve in the light of experience.

My figure of 10 posts was just a random suggestion, just to make the point that someone may have to be a regular here before they could post pics. That's just one idea - nothing is decided yet.

There will certainly be some dicussions between the mods, admins and developers as to what can be done sensibly once it is out of beta at *** and we are close to bringing it online here.

[suburbs_of_sodom]

I think what would be kind of cool and a way to regulate what people post on their blogs/galleries would be to do something like once you become a full member you can post written blogs, once you become a regular you can post in the galleries, and then maybe something else could happen once you become an EC addict. I dunno, just a thought...

[Paul_UK]

Certainly worth considering, thanks.

[tired_of_lying411]

Hey! I just had an idea while in another thread.

This place.. it can really change people. It sure has changed me. It can save people.

What if... we could get google to recognize national coming out day next year (in their logo, like thanksgiving, christmas, etc --they didnt this year) and what if the link was to a list of search results leading to us... here .?!?!

I mean, Its a shame that we get all this to ourselves.. we should make it our mission to make sure EVERYONE out there can get here of they want to.

I feel its our responsibility! :) I mean, the more people here, the more advice we'll ALL get and the more people that will be here to GET help... or whatever they need.

This could really become the ultimate saviour to LGBT childhood, and even adulthood, too....

Its certainally helped me in ways I'll never forget.

[step49x]

Any updates on how the photo/blog things from *** are coming along?

[Paul_UK]

I'll try to find out......

[step49x]

Ok, thanks.

[Paul_UK]

Response from Seth:
We are still in beta. We have a ton of bug fixes coming out this next weekend. I think after that we'll be ready to put this over here. I'll also see if we can jazz up this design here and make it more exciting over here. So sorry for the delays.

[suburbs_of_sodom]

Oooh, design jazzing! Always a good thing. I'm quite excited :).

[step49x]

Ok, thanks.

[SparkleSpike]

Music, sure I love music a lot,
We should put music on Ec pages like on My Space
When we lpg on here, we can here the back ground music, and that'll be awsome if we can upload our own song for our own homepage
But I guess that will take a lot of works, right?

[Steam Giant]

that'd be kinda neat, if it didn't automatically play the song (lots of people browse the web listening to their own music). Although I don't know how the system works, I doubt that that'd be within the realm of possibility, however.

[Paul_UK]

I think music would annoy more people than it would please really. I hate sites that play music and usually mute them straight away.

We all like different music, so it would be impossible to please everyone. Plus it would probably stop and restart every time you load a page...

Just play your own music with WinAmp - much easier!

[UnderARock]

i have been wondering if anyone on EC lives near me. I was think that it would be kewl if we added a frappr map to ec. A frappr map for those who dont know is a popular service that allows you place a pin on where you live on google maps. I know that some might be concerned about privacy but this can be optional and it dont put in all your details, just your city name. There is a sample map on their homepage. http://www.frappr.com/

Is this possible at all?

[Paul_UK]

I'll have a look at the weekend. Is it something we just set up on their site (like MySpace or whatever) or does something need so be hosted here?

[UnderARock]

As I understand it they host and you can access it for their site but gives you code to embedded it here.

[beckyg]

The map sounds fun especially since alot of us are from all over the world!

[xxAngelOnFirexx]

i think that in our profile there should be a section that says sex and gender identity instead of just gender. sex is what reproductive organs you haev and gender identity is what gender you identify yourself as. i would be easier to understand who a person is. if i were to look at my profile right now and read 'bi-gender' i would think that the person has two genders. but i'd have no idea if they were physically a boy or girl. for sex you could also put transgender if you changed it. at another i saw for sex you could but mtf and ftm for the transgender section. just an idea



also i saw at this one forum above your avatar or somewhere around there you could have a mood smiley to show what kind of mood you are in. i thought it was really cool (to see how they did it you can check it out at teenmoods.com)

[Steam Giant]

I think that idea about gender identity is a great idea! I would really like to see that done, too ^^

[Paul_UK]

I am wondering whether it will confuse some people when they see the question though....

[xxAngelOnFirexx]

I am wondering whether it will confuse some people when they see the question though....

i don't think so. there's sex and then their gender idenity. i can see sum ppl puting 'yes' for the sex part, but beyond that i can't imagine people being confused. nad they just don't have to fill gender identity out if it's the same as thier sex. it would help in the cases where i girl feels like a guy. they'd put girl for sex and guy for gender identity

[SadConfusedBandGeek]

i don't think so. there's sex and then their gender idenity. i can see sum ppl puting 'yes' for the sex part, but beyond that i can't imagine people being confused. nad they just don't have to fill gender identity out if it's the same as thier sex. it would help in the cases where i girl feels like a guy. they'd put girl for sex and guy for gender identity

First : Putting yes for sex LOL!!

Second: Cool idea,

[beckyg]

How about an advocacy section? I'd like to see more young people get involved in changing laws and making our world a better place for GLBT people?

[Polyamorous]

Ok, small change but it would help alot! Maybe if you had a "check avaliability" on the usernames for new users who make an account. It took me so long to get an account because the usernames i chose were already taken (i was so surprised that even really random ones were)

[Paul_UK]

That may have been due to the length of the name you chose though. I think the limits are minimum 6 and maximum 14 characters currently. It is also set to only allow numbers, letters and space (so if you used other characters it would reject it).

vBulletin tends to give that same error message if it doesn't accept the name, rather than helpful ones that would actually tell you what could be wrong......

I'll see if I can change the error message to give all possible problems though.

[Miaplacidus]

I would like to see more contests... I have some ideas already, closely tied to the ecwebzine project...

[Miaplacidus]

Is it possible to...

1) develop a widescreen version of EC (like ***'s "Phat" style)? I see EC with 2 1/2-inch-wide margins on both sides. (15.4" widescreen monitor @ 1280x800)

2) configure vBulletin so that we can use thread icons like on ***?

3) Add more themes? (Tech isn't precisely the best)

Thanks.

[Double Dubya]

I like all of the ideas on the galleries, especially the ‘report abuse button’.

My idea is more of a question. I know that we have people like a residential doctor, psychiatrist, mom, everything. But is there anyone who is a... umm... religious leader that people can go to with problems in their faith and conflicts of homosexuality? Any religion?

Just a thought:icon_wink
WW

[Paul_UK]

Is it possible to...

1) develop a widescreen version of EC (like ***'s "Phat" style)? I see EC with 2 1/2-inch-wide margins on both sides. (15.4" widescreen monitor @ 1280x800)

2) configure vBulletin so that we can use thread icons like on ***?

3) Add more themes? (Tech isn't precisely the best)

Thanks.

1 and 3 are certainly things I would like to have done. 2 should be possible too.

I am hoping to get a level of access that would allow me to do that sort of thing in due course.

[SpikySpice]

Paul, can we add the YouTube button like on ***?

Cuz I've notice that soemtimes peopel wanna show the YouTube videos, instead of giving us a link, they can show the video right on here, so we dont have to click on the link and have to open another window or tab

[nisomer]

i would like to see EC turn into an actual website...adding more advocacy and support information for both parents and teens.

[Micah]

Paul, can we add the YouTube button like on ***?

Cuz I've notice that sometimes peopel wanna show the YouTube videos, instead of giving us a link, they can show the video right on here, so we dont have to click on the link and have to open another window or tab

This is a great idea... It'd mean people aren't diverted from the forums when they want to watch a movie.

i would like to see EC turn into an actual website...adding more advocacy and support information for both parents and teens.

This is something I've been looking into for a while now. It's taking a lot of work, and mostly likely won't happen for some time, but there are lots of options to consider (not to mention uploading and creating the website takes a lot of work from the owners). But in due time I'd love to see this happen!

[xxAngelOnFirexx]

if possible could you PLEASE take away the stupid message that comes up that says 'must wait * seconds between searches/posts/mail' i know the posts and mail is probably to prevent spammers but it's SOOO anonying!

[Double Dubya]

Paul, can we add the YouTube button like on ***?

Cuz I've notice that soemtimes peopel wanna show the YouTube videos, instead of giving us a link, they can show the video right on here, so we dont have to click on the link and have to open another window or tab

Ditto
Is there a way that we can put in the code like on myspace so that the vid will show right in the post?

[steve1310]

how about a nude picture section sine must of us are gay

please

[BBXL]

Thats just stupid, ever heard of the term "Child Pornography"?

[steve1310]

not pictures of children or us
pics of men from the internet and have a section of it

[BBXL]

You need to be over 18

[steve1310]

No Way

[steve1310]

pics of people over 18
not pics of us

[Micah]

how about a nude picture section sine must of us are gay

please

Pornography, by law, requires you to be at least 18 to participate in, view or upload. Now considering this is a forum with a large portion of its members being under the age of 18 (yourself included) - I hardly think it's appropriate.

[Paul_UK]

if possible could you PLEASE take away the stupid message that comes up that says 'must wait * seconds between searches/posts/mail' i know the posts and mail is probably to prevent spammers but it's SOOO anonying!

I'll have a look at those when I am next in the admin section. I'll probably shorten them to something like 15 seconds (which should be short enough not to be a problem most of the time) rather than completely removing them. The delay between posts actually helps to avoid inadvertent double posts, so is useful.

[Kimi]

Ditto
Is there a way that we can put in the code like on myspace so that the vid will show right in the post?

Yeah...cuz I want to put some music(Flash music player) on my profile but since the code doesn't work I can't:tears:

[CrimsonThunder]

Can you please have the amount of people in the chatroom showing. that'll get some action in there.

[davo-man]

Yes thats a really good idea

[Paul_UK]

Can you please have the amount of people in the chatroom showing. that'll get some action in there.

Yes, once we get the chatroom linked to the forum membership database and on the same server, then get some sort of front page for the whole site, that should be straightforward.

[Paul_UK]

Paul, can we add the YouTube button like on ***?

Cuz I've notice that soemtimes peopel wanna show the YouTube videos, instead of giving us a link, they can show the video right on here, so we dont have to click on the link and have to open another window or tab

I think that's just a plug-in for vBulletin so it should be straightforward. No timescale promises yet though - I need to get a proper Internet connection before I do anything like this. Next month, with a bit of luck...

[SpikySpice]

:):):):)

Alright^^, I wish you luck, thanks

[Midnight Angel]

I like the frapper map idea

[SpikySpice]

Yeah...cuz I want to put some music(Flash music player) on my profile but since the code doesn't work I can't:tears:

me 2, cuz I wanna show sum vids

[UnderARock]

How about some location specific forum

[CrimsonThunder]

I like the frapper map idea

Same here!

Also we're discussin in the chat room, UnderARock said there should be worldwide forum sections (like america, australia ect) and these would be good to chat to people in your own area. And good to set up meets.

Edit: Beaten by UnderARock. v_v

[SpikySpice]

We can posts soem links to other great and support forums. I really like the idea of the resources button above

[UnderARock]

Just more place to talk about more things
Maybe the entertainment and technology could be broken up and have several sub-forums it just seems to cluttered as it is atm

[Miaplacidus]

Please DON'T divide EC by geographical area... because I'D BE THE ONLY ONE IN MY AREA... I think that Negasta is the closest EC member and he's in South Africa, thousands of miles away...

[Micah]

Just more place to talk about more things
Maybe the entertainment and technology could be broken up and have several sub-forums it just seems to cluttered as it is atm

What do you mean by cluttered exactly? I don't usually ever find more than 5 new posts in this forum each visit. (Mind you I visit quite frequently!).

[UnderARock]

im saying divide ec im saying we could add some forums

Entertainment and Technology Chat about music, movies, gaming, technology, computer software and hardware, books, fashion, whatever.

Personally i think that too much to cover in a single forum. You might disagree. I think it would be easer if each of those were a sub-form or something.

[Kimi]

Please DON'T divide EC by geographical area... because I'D BE THE ONLY ONE IN MY AREA... I think that Negasta is the closest EC member and he's in South Africa, thousands of miles away...

Yeah, please don't. I think closest members would be in Australia which is about 7000km away and it will take around 7~10(depends on where) hours to get there:tears:

[Micah]

im saying divide ec im saying we could add some forums



Personally i think that too much to cover in a single forum. You might disagree. I think it would be easer if each of those were a sub-form or something.

The problem with further dividing it (remember - that forum used to be apart of General Chit Chat) is that we run the risk of having "dead forums" which are virtually inactive. If we feel that a particular forum is being crowded or cluttered (ie - too many posts in it per day) then we'll split it.

[CrimsonThunder]

Please DON'T divide EC by geographical area... because I'D BE THE ONLY ONE IN MY AREA... I think that Negasta is the closest EC member and he's in South Africa, thousands of miles away...

Well it's a pretty big area you'd have. Im sure theres more than just one person.

Yeah, please don't. I think closest members would be in Australia which is about 7000km away and it will take around 7~10(depends on where) hours to get there

Where you from? Im sure you could come to an Aussie meet when we have one. =D

[UnderARock]

Im not saying dived up EC i saying add some locations (probably by continent) to the front page leaving everything else the way it is. Some may not benefit from this as much as others but i don think thats a reason for not adding it.

[Paul_UK]

As with any other new sections, we consider them when there is enough postings per day to justify it. So far we don't have enough area-specific threads to justify having separate sections.

Anyway it doesn't matter if a thread about something in the USA, Europe or wherever is in a general section, as many of us are interested in what's going on elsewhere in the world. Becky's posts on her campaigning activities are a good example of that - they won't affect me directly but it is still interesting and encouraging to know what's happening.

The Entertainment etc section does cover a wide range of stuff and probably will be divided up in the future, when it gets busier. There were 10 new/updated threads in there today though (after almost 24 hours) so I don't see it as a problem currently. There were a similar amount in Chit Chat and in Fun and Games, so it seems to be spread fairly evenly at the moment. If we get to the point that a section is regularly well onto two pages of new/updated threads in a day, then that's probably time to consider splitting.

As Dave highlighted, what we don't want is sections that get very little use. People will then tend to avoid them because they are quiet. Also when potential new members see a forum with sections that have had no posts for days or weeks they will think the site is quieter than it actually is.

[steve1310]

how about a meeting place so that we can give support out side of EC

[Steam Giant]

if that relates to EC members meeting one another in person, I think that's better handled through PMs. This topic has come up several times before, and it always runs into the same problems. EC members are too widespread, and internet predators are a real danger.

[steve1310]

not in person i mean that poeple from the same age groups meeting and can talk over the internet

[UnderARock]

not really sure how this would be done but better integration between the chatroom and the forums. And being able to put html in forum posts would be appreciated

[Miaplacidus]

not really sure how this would be done but better integration between the chatroom and the forums. And being able to put html in forum posts would be appreciated

Ummm... that's unlikely...

The integration between chat and forum is difficult because they're in different servers (in different countries). Adding HTML code to the posts is something that (I think) only can be implemented in vBulletin by its developers, not something Paul or the other admins can add. I sincerely don't know. Paul?

[Paul_UK]

The chatroom and forums will be better integrated in due course (once my ADSL internet connection is in place) by moving the chatroom to the same server and linking it into the forum membership database. Give me a month or so.

We also want to have a site front page with links to the forum, chatroom, rules (which we need to create), list of recent threads/posts, number of people in the chatroom, website news etc. Now I have direct access to the emptyclosets.com server, this is all now possible without us having to wait for others who have more important priorities. Dave will be helping with the graphics etc too.

There is an option to allow HTML in forum posts but it is a serious security risk so will not be enabled. The forum does use BB Code which allows most of what anyone would legitimately want to do with HTML (font sizes and colours etc, links, images) without the risk.

[Micah]

We also want to have a site front page with links to the forum, chatroom, rules (which we need to create), list of recent threads/posts, number of people in the chatroom, website news etc. Now I have direct access to the emptyclosets.com server, this is all now possible without us having to wait for others who have more important priorities. Dave will be helping with the graphics etc too.

*gets all excited*

[Paul_UK]

Dave has been pushing for this for months in the mods area, but until recently it would have had to be done by the site owners who have higher priorities (***) and never quite got around to it. Now I have full access to the server I can start to take care of a lot of this myself.

[Paul_UK]

not in person i mean that poeple from the same age groups meeting and can talk over the internet

Well we have a forum for longer term more permanent discussions, and a chatroom (including private chats) for instant messaging type chat. That's all this site can reasonably offer.

If specific members agree to chat on MSN/Yahoo/AIM/whatever, or phone/text/Skype each other, and exchange their contact details by PM for this, then that's up to them. But it's not the sort of thing this site can offer or have any involvement with or responsibility for.

Remember that quite a lot of our members are under 18, so we have to comply with the relevant laws for accommodating that age-group.

[UnderARock]

i was asking for html coz i've been doing some online quiz. They give html to post ur results on ur blog and wat not. I thought it would interesting to be able to post them here and compear to what other people get. Thats all i wanted Im not out to hack ec or anything.

[Micah]

i was asking for html coz i've been doing some online quiz. They give html to post ur results on ur blog and wat not. I thought it would interesting to be able to post them here and compear to what other people get. Thats all i wanted Im not out to hack ec or anything.

But someone else might be out to hack EC.

It sounds all paranoid until it actually happens. :p

[Kimi]

But someone else might be out to hack EC.

It sounds all paranoid until it actually happens. :p

Nah, I'm sure there are many anti-homo hackers all over the world who wants to ruin a very healthy, supportive site like empty closets:bang: :bang: :bang:

[CrimsonThunder]

You can't hack the site by allowing HTML in posts. I think its a good idea or make a custom code for vBulletin that allows embedded vidoes in posts. (its not hard at all, I did it with phpbb3 although its a different type of forum)

[Paul_UK]

You are correct that HTML in posts could not hack the site, but it would be easy to embed code that will install crap on peoples PCs without them knowing (especially if they are using Internet Explorer). Once you have HTML enabled people can embed PHP, calls to scripts on other sites etc. We do not want to go there, so HTML will not be enabled.

Most online quizzes give the results in HTML and BBcode form, and the BBcode version can be posted here easily.

There add-ons for embedding YouTube videos etc into posts, which I will be looking into in due course. These allow specific content from specific sites to be included, rather than anything from anywhere.

[Miaplacidus]

Dave will be helping with the graphics etc too.

Does that mean that the site look will be changed? HALLELUJAH!!!

[Paul_UK]

Possibly, but we will show a few options and get people to vote first.

Initially it would be the graphics etc for the new stuff and the top of the page rather than the actual forum itself. I do want to have a full-width option for the forum though as I don't like it all squashed up in the middle.

[Miaplacidus]

Possibly, but we will show a few options and get people to vote first.

Initially it would be the graphics etc for the new stuff and the top of the page rather than the actual forum itself. I do want to have a full-width option for the forum though as I don't like it all squashed up in the middle.

Great. As I posted a long time ago, I get 2.5" white spaces at both sides of the forum itself. A widescreen version would be great.

[Steam Giant]

Possibly, but we will show a few options and get people to vote first.

I love you guys so much!! (&&&)

[24601]

Spoiler tags would be nice. I posted about it before... but here it is again:

On some forums if you type textextextextext the text will be highlighted black on black so you can't read it unless you highlight over it.

If Paul wanted to add it you can find info here:

http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/showt...threadid=16306

And some other interesting codes:

http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/showt...?t=24595&pp=15

[davo-man]

With Spoiler stuf...you could always put the text that is the spoiler in White colour

Such as this

But it would probably be easier to just have spoiler tags

[CrimsonThunder]

Spoiler tags would be nice. I posted about it before... but here it is again:

On some forums if you type textextextextext the text will be highlighted black on black so you can't read it unless you highlight over it.

If Paul wanted to add it you can find info here:

http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/showt...threadid=16306

And some other interesting codes:

http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/showt...?t=24595&pp=15
Links dont work. >.>

[xxAngelOnFirexx]

This one site had this daily post maxium for newbies. Until you got up to like 50 posts you were only allowed 10 posts a day. That may be a bit strict but i don't like how most peoples posts consist of like 1 word posts for some of the games. There should be like a daily limit. i just don't like how some people say they have like 1000 posts when most of them shouldn't even be qualified as posts.

[Paul_UK]

I don't think there are any options in vBulletin for this, and I really don't see any need anyway.

If post counts became a big deal (which I hope they won't as they are largely irrelevant) I would just remove them from the info to the left of posts. I certainly do not want to get into discussions about whether posts are "good enough" to qualify as posts, and find that suggestion somewhat offensive to some members.

[24601]

Links dont work. >.>

Shoot, I don't have alternate ones... just a copy/paste from a while back. Sorry about that Paul, lemme search around if you're interested.

[davo-man]

Thanx for putting the join date on the box on the left...i like it....thankyou you awesome mods!

[Paul_UK]

I don't actually know why it wasn't there since it's default vBulletin, but it's useful info to include so I added it back in.

[joeyconnick]

I don't think there are any options in vBulletin for this, and I really don't see any need anyway.

If post counts became a big deal (which I hope they won't as they are largely irrelevant) I would just remove them from the info to the left of posts. I certainly do not want to get into discussions about whether posts are "good enough" to qualify as posts, and find that suggestion somewhat offensive to some members.If they are so largely irrelevant, then why are people always going on about "Oh I reached post X, Y, or Z" like it's some kind of achievement? If it is some kind of achievement, one would like to think that's because it represents an actual contribution to the community here--yet as you can tell by looking over some people's posts, the only thing certain people have contributed is meaningless drivel. I can assure you that I've been visiting less and participating less precisely because I don't want to have to wade through a ton of irrelevant microposts.

I think post counts encourage notions of quantity over quality--there has been a decrease in the signal-to-noise ratio on here in the last few weeks/months and my personal opinion is that it's a result of a certain type of poster who seems to feel it's much better to say something, however useless, than nothing at all.

Personally I'd prefer people lurk rather than saying something for the sake of saying it.

[joeyconnick]

While we're on the topic, why was the "Should the post count be removed?" thread closed? Every other time I've seen a thread closed on EC there's been a post from a mod explaining why that was the case.

[Kimi]

While we're on the topic, why was the "Should the post count be removed?" thread closed? Every other time I've seen a thread closed on EC there's been a post from a mod explaining why that was the case.

Because maybe people's gonna make big deal out of it saying "It's not big deal so please don't make big deal out of it"??:rolleyes:

Ooh...drama:rolleyes:

[Paul_UK]

While we're on the topic, why was the "Should the post count be removed?" thread closed? Every other time I've seen a thread closed on EC there's been a post from a mod explaining why that was the case.

I think if you read the closed threads (there are two in Chit Chat) it will be fairly apparent why they were closed. By the time I saw them closed too many hours had elapsed for it to be worth posting in them, as it would bring them back to the top of the list when everyone else had moved on.

Anyway this thread is NOT for discussions about yesterday's drama.


EDIT - I have added a note to the last post in each closed thread (rather than a new post so as not to bump them).

[nisomer]

Maybe we need to create a rules thread...or like an EC constitution!

[Jerr]

I think a flame area could be considered....

on another forum I was at it had one... if you had any issues with anyone you took it there... if you tried to take it out of that area you got banned for a day if the problem happened again then you were gone... ip ban. It was also the place for politics... any subject that might have strong views on either side.... now if the thread in the flame area was on politics... then you had to argue about that not each other if you had issues with another member then you can argue in there... it was a weird set up but it worked very well... kept issues there... if you couldn't keep your issues there then you stayed out of it. I doubt it would ever come here... just throwing the idea out there.


it would have been a great place for the two things I posted that had people with strong views on either side. It is a place were those choice words that are usually frowned upon are able to be openly used.



again just throwing the idea out there.

[CrimsonThunder]

If you want to fight someone do it privately, I don't wanna read it.

[davo-man]

I second that...if you have a fight with someone, its gunna be a lot more offensive if you do it publicly than if you do it privately....It may have worked there, but i dont think we should risk it cos it will probably just end in tears and heartache

[Paul_UK]

Maybe we need to create a rules thread...or like an EC constitution!

We do need some sort of site rules or Code of Conduct now, and it is something being discussed in the mods area. Probably starting with the *** C-of-C and modifying it to suit. It will take a little while because the site owners will need to run it past their lawyer too.

If you want to fight someone do it privately, I don't wanna read it.

Agreed - we don't need flame wars here, and we certainly don't need a section to encourage them. Disagreements would invariably spill over into other sections of the forum and it would all become very unpleasant.

If you must fight with someone, don't do it here. Though I would much rather you didn't fight at all (just ignore each other if you can't sort it out or agree to disagree).

[Hendrix]

I don't mean to offend anybody but the opening picture seems kinda dorky and it may belittle the site. I'm talking about the two guys holding hands when you first come to the site. It may turn people off to the site and it's there first impression. Maybe a live picture would be better instead of a cartoon or just anything that would make the site seem more legitimate. All i'm saying is vamp it up a little bit. I think it would be worth it.

[Micah]

A revamp of the "front page" is coming within the next few months. Stay tuned =]

[nisomer]

Omg Im Excited!!

[SadConfusedBandGeek]

Oh cool, ya no offence i never really liked the front page,
It weirds me out so i always just type in
emptyclosets.com/forum
:P so i can skip it;)

[Paul_UK]

I agree that the front page does not represent what the site is about at all and needs to go. It will be replaced with something more informative and useful soon.

[CrimsonThunder]

Shoutbox?

[Paul_UK]

Shoutbox?

What's that?

[CrimsonThunder]

Basically like a chat room cept the messages stay there for everyone to read. It can be placed anywhere in the forum (to the side of the page on EVERY page or only on one page) can be on the bottom of the front page. Only members can use it and its basically a thing that lets you quickly say something that doesn't belong anywhere else, its alot different to a chat room tho.

Also could you make a thing to the left of the page that says "Call me:" So in posts when you can't remember their name you can quickly look and find it, because it makes replies more personal. And having it as call me instead of real name means you can use you're nick name.

[suburbs_of_sodom]

I definitely like the idea of a call me tab, especially since I have an acute problem with remembering names.

Also, going back to the idea of the flame section, I agree that if you have a personal argument with someone, work it out privately, but what we should have is a politics/opinion section so that non-personal arguments/debates could be contained there. Of course, we might have to come up with certain provisions in the C-of-C regarding a section like that, but it would nice to have a specified area for people to flex their debating muscles.

[Psych!]

I second that...if you have a fight with someone, its gunna be a lot more offensive if you do it publicly than if you do it privately....It may have worked there, but i dont think we should risk it cos it will probably just end in tears and heartache

good point, fighting and arguing shouldn't be encouraged, and creating something like a flame board would put up any silly argument and end up worse than it already was. another point is to keep fights private, no one wants to look at them.

[ppreston9]

I would like to see more contests... I have some ideas already, closely tied to the ecwebzine project...

i agree to that all the way

[Behling]

I would love more contests!!!!

[Kimi]

Since I have a lot of pictures in my gallery I would like to see more attachment storage. Right now, it's only 10 MB and I wish I could use bit more. Because right now I'm using 6.75 MB now and if I do added more photo I might won't able to add more or attach pic to posts.

[Micah]

Since I have a lot of pictures in my gallery I would like to see more attachment storage. Right now, it's only 10 MB and I wish I could use bit more. Because right now I'm using 6.75 MB now and if I do added more photo I might won't able to add more or attach pic to posts.

Make your photos smaller >.>

[Miaplacidus]

Kimi, you can link from photobucket, for example, so that you don't use the space.

However, I'd like the maximum size to be increased to 1280x1000...

[davo-man]

I also would like to see the storage limit increased, but i understand that you guys have to have to put some restrictions on it cos you actually have to store it somewhere, so maybe ill go back and smallen (so not a word but anyway) my photos to fit more...Perhaps people who have been here for longer/higher postcount could get a bigger gallery...dunno if that will create conflict if it becomes all about the postcount again, so maybe how long youve been here would be a better option

What i would REALLY like to see is on the fron page, a box that says who is in the chatroom at the moment. That way people dont have to waste time poking there heads in to find it empty. Also on the chatrooms, i think it would be cool to make it so that when there is a new msg, the little tab down the bottom of the page (like where the start button and other icons are) flash like in MSN...i can understand if you cant do that, but i just think it wouold be an improvement cos sometimes i have my comp on mute, so i have to keep checking back every 15 sec to see if someones said anything.

Thanks for your time, see ya later

[Paul_UK]

I also would like to see the storage limit increased, but i understand that you guys have to have to put some restrictions on it cos you actually have to store it somewhere, so maybe ill go back and smallen (so not a word but anyway) my photos to fit more...Perhaps people who have been here for longer/higher postcount could get a bigger gallery...dunno if that will create conflict if it becomes all about the postcount again, so maybe how long youve been here would be a better option

I'll have a look at the storage limits later. It shouldn't be a problem to increase them and the image sizes. I'll probably make big increases for those with 500+ posts and smaler increases for those with 10+ posts.

What i would REALLY like to see is on the fron page, a box that says who is in the chatroom at the moment. That way people dont have to waste time poking there heads in to find it empty.

That should be added as part of the new front page that Dave is working on.

For now, put this link http://www.emptyclosets.com/forum/chatroom/info_embedded.php in your favourites. That's the bit of code that will be on the front page. :)

I may see if I can include it on the forum pages somewhere too, but no promises.

Also on the chatrooms, i think it would be cool to make it so that when there is a new msg, the little tab down the bottom of the page (like where the start button and other icons are) flash like in MSN...i can understand if you cant do that, but i just think it wouold be an improvement cos sometimes i have my comp on mute, so i have to keep checking back every 15 sec to see if someones said anything.


I don't think that will be possible. It's just in a browser window/tab and can't do anything else on the system. It's probably easiest just to leave the sound on low.

[davo-man]

Awesome Thanks for that Paul

[davo-man]

Ok, Ive got an idea, but you guys might like it, you might hate it

In this other forum Ive visited, they have anual "Awards" for things like funniest member, most posts in a day etc, and I was wondering if people might wanna do it here? The only prob is that people might get offended or something if they dont win, but personally I think it would be a bit of fun. Categories could be like Best Avatar, Best Homepage, Best Advice Giver etc

Anyway, what are your thoughts on it?

[Paul_UK]

Personally, I don't think that's a good idea.

Some of the threads that cause problems are ones with popularity subjects, such as some post count discussions and "name your favourite two members" games. I don't think we want to be singling out people as being better for no specific reason. It will cause problems, and I don't think it will achieve anything useful.

Contests are different because we are judging a specific entry in the contest and not the person generally.

[Tom]

paul i have 2 agree with u, were not here 2 be given awards on being funny or havin the best profile etc. and to do somet like tht cud cause unwanted tension if sum1 didnt win yet quite afew ppl fught they shud.

personally i think the site how it is is amazing but i wud like when changing ur profile usin advanced options u dont have 2 change ea option every time u want to change somet, gets anoyin, im not good with the code so i cant do it tht way but ill have a go with it tho and try tht way but yeh its stil anoyin after a while esp if its only 1 thing u have 2 change. thts not really somet tht cud be added but an improvement (didnt chek for a thread for improvements)

[davo-man]

Okey Doker, that's cool, just putting it out there...and i agree that this site is amazing how it is drazarian

[SpikySpice]

It'll be awesoem if we can have the music play on our profiles or on the main page or on any page on here :)

[Paul_UK]

Oh no it wouldn't! I HATE sites that play music.

Plus there would be copyright issues unless you are planning on using music that was recorded over 50 years ago....

[davo-man]

I totally agree Paul, as soon as a site starts playing music, I search for the stop button...its gets in the way of my music that Im playing

[davo-man]

Hey Moderators...are you up to something sneaky? cos there seem to be numbers appearing underneath some people's user names...for instance, right now there is a :6: under Paul_UK...and there was a :9: under mine before...I was just wondering what's going on....then again it is 1:30 am here, so i may just be seeing things....if I am just ignore my ramblings...


Oh wait i see your sneaky plan now...the :6: has changed to "EC Admin"...interesting...awesome!

[Paul_UK]

Yes, I was trying to set it to show the status of admins, forum mods, chatroom mods and competition winners under our names, separately from our titles. This means we can now edit our custom titles without losing our status indication. I changed mine to "Here to help" to prove this.

It took a bit of fiddling and testing to get it right, hence the numbers and other bits appearing and disappearing, fonts changing etc over the last hour or so. The numbers were the usergroups we are in, which is what I have used (with a bunch of IF statements) to display the status text.

I don't have a test version of the site currently, so have to play around with stuff like this on the live site.

[SpikySpice]

um, can we add a youtube botton on here, liek on ***, i mean thd one that put the utube link so thzt thd video can appear on here, becasue soemtiem peoplel have to click on the link instead, and have to open another tab or window

[Psych!]

I would just like to know if there is any possibility to activate the use of HTML code.
'Cause when you check in the bottom of the page, the HTML code is off.
Plus, it would be easier for people that have knowledge of HTML, plus the ability to posts videos in the threads.
I understand if there's any kind of restriction to this.

[Vates]

How about a 'Panic Button'?

It's like a link at the top of every page that you can click on whenever there's a risk that someone might see what you're doing/what site you're on or what you're writing. You could link it to Google or a news site or something.

I've seen it work on other sites and although I'm not sure if you'll think it's necessary, I'd hate for someone to be outed because their friend/sibling/parent decided to google 'Empty Closets' after seeing the logo. (of course the success of this depends on the members ability to click really fast)

Anyway, this is an example of a vBulletin forum that has one (and it's helped me out many times) - http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=169q0d2&s=2 (I screen capped it 'cause it's a rather private forum :icon_wink )

[Behling]

How about a 'Panic Button'?

It's like a link at the top of every page that you can click on whenever there's a risk that someone might see what you're doing/what site you're on or what you're writing. You could link it to Google or a news site or something.
If you wanna close everything in a hurry, press ALT and F4 at the same. Well on a windows anyway. I would like to see a space under our names for what we prefer to be called on the forums and chatroom.

[Paul_UK]

um, can we add a youtube botton on here, liek on ***, i mean thd one that put the utube link so thzt thd video can appear on here, becasue soemtiem peoplel have to click on the link instead, and have to open another tab or window

That's on my to-do list, but I'm busy with other stuff currently.

I would just like to know if there is any possibility to activate the use of HTML code.
'Cause when you check in the bottom of the page, the HTML code is off.
Plus, it would be easier for people that have knowledge of HTML, plus the ability to posts videos in the threads.
I understand if there's any kind of restriction to this.

No, HTML is too much of a security risk. It would be possible to embed stuff that could cause problems for users.

If you wanna close everything in a hurry, press ALT and F4 at the same. Well on a windows anyway. I would like to see a space under our names for what we prefer to be called on the forums and chatroom.

If you are using Firefox or IE7 just have something "safe" open in another tab and click that tab or close the EC tab in the event of an emergency.

[MalibuGuy]

make it like nexopia or facebook.

[Micah]

make it like nexopia or facebook.

In what ways?

[Steam Giant]

Heh, just had a thought that I thought I'd vocalize. I wanted to change my "gender" in my profile, but found myself unable to describe both my physical gender and accurate gender identity in just 20 characters, heh. I know adding more characters, if possible, wouldn't be such a good idea because of what it would do to the profile listed on the left of everyone's posts, as well as the fact that I personally don't really want to read a novel for what I could otherwise learn from a glance, but I do find it a bit humorous (again, this isn't a criticism!) that a GLBT forum has a restriction of 20 characters on the gender description! Heh, and to think that most forms restrict you to only one letter!

Edit: I think I recall a discussion at some point of adding a "gender identity" section to the profile, but I think I remember it being shut down. I know personally I'd get a little sick of seeing "gender: male, gender identity: male" lol. Additionally, someone who's not transgendered and/or doesn't know much about being transgendered would probably be confused by the selection.

[Paul_UK]

I have increased the max length for user Gender, Orientation and Out Status to 50 characters each. Is that long enough? ;)

Hopefully people won't fill them all out that long otherwise there would be a mass of text on the left!

We do need to stick with titles for the options that most people would understand. Otherwise we could confuse new members with questions and terms they haven't come across before. Hopefully with more room people will be able to explain themselves as necessary.

[Steam Giant]

Wow, thanks Paul! ^^ I'm sure a TON of people will thank you for increasing the Out Status character length! I remember struggling with what I could fit before ^^ having to crash two words into each other to fit them both, etc. I'll be sure not to use all 50 ^^ I just hope everyone else does the same!

[Urman]

i can help u code with the bb codes and other mods if u want i mod my forum

[miner4800]

this is a great idea :D

How about a 'Panic Button'?

It's like a link at the top of every page that you can click on whenever there's a risk that someone might see what you're doing/what site you're on or what you're writing. You could link it to Google or a news site or something.

I've seen it work on other sites and although I'm not sure if you'll think it's necessary, I'd hate for someone to be outed because their friend/sibling/parent decided to google 'Empty Closets' after seeing the logo. (of course the success of this depends on the members ability to click really fast)

Anyway, this is an example of a vBulletin forum that has one (and it's helped me out many times) - http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=169q0d2&s=2 (I screen capped it 'cause it's a rather private forum :icon_wink )

[Paul_UK]

You'd probably have to scroll up to it though, which would take a few seconds. If you're using Firefox or IE7 (or some other browser with tabs) you could have some other "safe" page open in another tab then in emergency close the EC tab so the other one appears.

[Behling]

You'd probably have to scroll up to it though, which would take a few seconds. If you're using Firefox or IE7 (or some other browser with tabs) you could have some other "safe" page open in another tab then in emergency close the EC tab so the other one appears.

Thats a good idea, I always have Itunes up, well I did when I wasnt out lol. But tabs is an easy way to cover up what you are doing online

[Ty]

On a mac, whenever someone comes close to me i press "Apple + H" That command hides all windows related to that program, so its pretty useful and it does it immediately - also the programs hasn't been shut off.

[JSG]

-Maybe some tests or quizzes that we could compare with each other. (Internet Addict?, TV Addict?, Sex Addict? Shy?, ...)
-A column showing the most prolific user of the day/week/month, newest members.
-Some sort of voting system. (I don't know what for yet, but people love voting for stuff)

I don't know if any of this has been posted (don't want to read 9 pages of text...)

[Psych!]

What about adding more, or updating the styles.

[Paul_UK]

We discussed styles a while ago and didn't come to any real conclusions. I will have a look over Christmas if I get time and suggest a few we could look at. It's more than just uploading them though as some of the stuff we have added here involves edits to the style templates, so whatever style we install will need to be modified to suit.

I will go through this thread over Christmas and see what suggestions can be implemented relatively easily.

I would like us to do more with the front page etc at www.emptyclosets.com so some suggestions for there would be good.

[Steam Giant]

Um, there's a feature of some other forums I've used that I was wondering if this one could duplicate...basically, in somebody's user profile, it says what percentage of their posts were made in what section of the forum. I really liked that, and was wondering if it's ever been considered for EC.

[CrimsonThunder]

I honestly think styles are a waste of time. Unless you just do one and dismiss the default template. As you said re-having to do edits is extremely annoying. Plus some mods might not work on a certain template.

[Paul_UK]

Personally I think having the generic style could be an advantage. Once you scroll up to lose the EC title off the top it looks just like any other forum, which if you're viewing on a shared computer or someone sees the screen doesn't give anything away. It also means if you are familiar with other forums using the vBulletin software you'll know your way around easily.

I would like to have a full-width option though (that resizes to the width of the browser), as this fixed narrow one is only about half the width of my screen.

Does anyone actually use the "Tech" style here (select it from the bottom left corner of the page), or shall I get rid of it? It is missing some of the changes already (such as the chatroom link and the extra info under the avatar) so it would need sorting out if it is to remain.

[joeyconnick]

I would like to have a full-width option though (that resizes to the width of the browser), as this fixed narrow one is only about half the width of my screen.Reading long narrow columns is easier on the eyes, actually--they've done studies. It's one of the reasons newspapers and magazines use columns rather than the full page's width.

The first thing I do if someone is using full width for text is to narrow my browser window because it drives me batty!

[Steam Giant]

Personally I think having the generic style could be an advantage. Once you scroll up to lose the EC title off the top it looks just like any other forum, which if you're viewing on a shared computer or someone sees the screen doesn't give anything away.

That is exactly what I used to do, and still do sometimes. At my old job I'd do that, I still do that at the library, and I used to do that when checking EC at the domicile of a friend I haven't come out to yet. This is why I'm in favor of the generic style.

Tech was neat-looking, and I liked it, but it was taking me way too long to get used to, so I stopped using it.

[Paul_UK]

I would like to have a full-width option though (that resizes to the width of the browser), as this fixed narrow one is only about half the width of my screen.Reading long narrow columns is easier on the eyes, actually--they've done studies. It's one of the reasons newspapers and magazines use columns rather than the full page's width.

The first thing I do if someone is using full width for text is to narrow my browser window because it drives me batty!

If I did that it would be an option (like at ***), and not the only way.

[InaRut]

Perhaps with private chat a webcam option too.
Then again that could get REALLY risky...

[Paul_UK]

The problem would be that everything in the webcams would have to be recorded for review by moderators. Because some members are under 18 we are legally obliged to log everything that happens here. It would be a lot of work reviewing it all and would take a lot of disk space keeping all the recordings. It could also attract more of the wrong sort of people to the site. I think the risks and hassle outweigh the benefits.

If people want to have private chats with webcams then it would be better if they used MSN or some other instant messaging system that supports them. Then it is not on EC at all.

[Ty]

Yeah, Some guy might wanna play "sock puppets" and then EC gets tarnished. Blah

[CrimsonThunder]

Webcam action already happens on msn ^_^

>_>
<_<

[Nicknikko]

haha web cam...
lol...

[InaRut]

It was just a suggestion..

[waitingsucks]

Leave the Walrus Alone Guys!

This may have already been said but It would be good if EC could have more of a myspace-y look. Like having our profiles completely private until we accept ppl as our friends or buddies. I know that EC is a lot like that already but It would be good if we could request to be someone's friends with out a PM and when they accepted we'd instatly have added eachother to our friends list. Just a suggestion don't maul me!

[davo-man]

I disagree, I don't think EC should become more like myspace, I like it as is. Personally I think that if you wanna use a myspace like thing, go to myspace and just invite your friends from here to use it

[waitingsucks]

I disagree, I don't think EC should become more like myspace, I like it as is. Personally I think that if you wanna use a myspace like thing, go to myspace and just invite your friends from here to use it

well... *punches* jks lol

I don't want it to be completely like myspace I just want it to have some of myspace's easy to use features and maybe make the main page and threads more colourful. The grey gets depressing sometimes. that's just me and pls some constructive criticism would be appreciated. Don't just shut ppl down at least give some explanation of what you'd prefer. Not that Davo wasn't being constructive *gives davo a big hug*

[CrimsonThunder]

It practically is already. Pics, comments, friends.

[Kimi]

It practically is already. Pics, comments, friends.

Except for we can't put any music that starts automatically, which is just annoying:)

[davo-man]

Okay, sorry my comments seemed a bit harsh before, Ill put it in a more constructive way (if that sounds sarcastic and bitchy, it's not meant to be)

Personally, I dislike myspace, that's why I usually come on a bit strong when talking about it. To be constructive about it, I dislike the method of personalising your homepage, the competitve nature of friend-getting and the auto playing music.

I find myspace to be very anti-user friendly when it comes to personalising your page, in that I think that you shouldnt have to go to a third party to get the page you want (To clarify I am referring to changing the font colour/style, background image/formatting and page layout. Other things, such as flashing banners etc arent necessarily included in this). In a perfect myspace, it would give you all the relevant options in easy, drop down menus such as we have. Now Im not saying that our system is perfect (do you know how hard it is to get a simple black background on the title?) but I much prefer just being able to customise font and stuff using our type of system
Now I know this isnt really what you were referring to when you said to make this place more like myspace, but when I get in a rant, its no holds bars hehe

More importantly, though, is what I percieve to be a competitive nature to friend getting, and what I mean is that a lot of people (and yes I am generalising, but its from my observations of my friends) feel a need to have a stupid number of friends, like 500-600. Maybe Im socially inadequate, but I dont think I could stay in contact with 500 ppl and still remember all of them.
I think that if we were to implement a system here where admission to profiles depended on your friend status, people would feel left out if they werent on a certain person's friends list etc. But more importantly, I like the way I can find out more about a person just by looking at their profile (not in a creepy stalker way).

Lastly (and my most important point) is that I really dislike the auto-playing music on myspace pages. Personally, I am usually listening to music when on the computer and when I go on a website that has any type of music playing I always immediately turn it off, cos it badly interfers with the music I am playing. I dunno if anyone else agrees with that, but I find it really annoying.
Also, people on Dialup may find it really annoying cos it might chew up their downloading, and thus make the loading of the page slowing
I know thats more of just a personal opinion, but I think that if we were to have it it shouldnt be automatic, but play if you press play, like the YouTube videos

Okay, just to clarify, this isnt a personal attack on waitingsucks and I didnt mean my post before to sound like that, more of general observations on Myspace vs EC.

But to sum up, I agree that this place definately could use some more colour or at least some new themes. I mean, personally I dont mind the whole blue theme, but I can understand that some people would want a bit of variety, however I disagree with the friends and auto0music points.

[waitingsucks]

Thanks for being one of the first people to be constructive in this thread. :)

[davo-man]

That's alright, i just hoped I worded it as to not offend anyone

[waitingsucks]

nah that's fine, everything serious can easily be confused for sarcasm when typed so it's annoying but it's necessary to make sure ppl know or they'll get offended.

[Paul_UK]

Except for we can't put any music that starts automatically, which is just annoying:)
Music annoys a lot of people, and also causes copyright issues. Unless the music is copyright-free (which would mean recordings over 50 years old or your own compositions) it could not be legally used.

With the homepage system, the developer is no longer with ***/EC. Until there is someone else available who has the time to work on it (bearing in mind that *** makes the money so gets the priority) nothing is going to happen to it. My PHP knowledge is such that I could probably make minor tweaks and fixes, but that's about all.

If anyone here is a PHP and MySQL programming guru and has the time to look into improving the system (for free), send me a PM. Some knowledge of vBulletin and Wordpress (parts of Wordpress are used for the blogs etc) would help too.

[joeyconnick]

Except for we can't put any music that starts automatically, which is just annoying:)Music annoys a lot of people, and also causes copyright issues. Unless the music is copyright-free (which would mean recordings over 50 years old or your own compositions) it could not be legally used.Isn't it WAAAAAY more than 50 years now, anyway? I know the big conglomerates, like Disney and Warner Bros., have been fighting successfully to have copyright extended with respect to cartoon and comic book characters--I assume that's also the case for music.

With the homepage system, the developer is no longer with ***/EC. Until there is someone else available who has the time to work on it (bearing in mind that *** makes the money so gets the priority) nothing is going to happen to it. My PHP knowledge is such that I could probably make minor tweaks and fixes, but that's about all.You seriously mean *** has no on-staff developer? That's... wow, that's sad.

Oh, and I think self-starting music on webpages is pretty much the bane of the web. I invariably shut pages like that IMMEDIATELY if I ever come to any. It's just poor web design and pushy, plus not everyone has high speed connections so it can really screw up some people's browsing.

That being said, if a webpage starts playing music that is hosted somewhere else, my (admittedly non-legal background) impression is the host of the webpage wouldn't be liable for that because it effectively wouldn't be acting as "publisher" of the music. But really, who knows with the US and its regressive laws like the DMCA?

I have a constructive suggestion, though, although I think it may have been mentioned before. When you are viewing photos (and I think blog posts), the comments are listed in reverse chronological order, which is opposite the default order of the rest of EC. On top of that default, which I think should be changed, when you go to manually change the order of the comments, you get an error message because the resulting URL is definitely missing some information. So my suggestion is getting the order of comments in the homepages fixed!

[Paul_UK]

Except for we can't put any music that starts automatically, which is just annoying:)Music annoys a lot of people, and also causes copyright issues. Unless the music is copyright-free (which would mean recordings over 50 years old or your own compositions) it could not be legally used.Isn't it WAAAAAY more than 50 years now, anyway? I know the big conglomerates, like Disney and Warner Bros., have been fighting successfully to have copyright extended with respect to cartoon and comic book characters--I assume that's also the case for music.

I think if music is reissued in a different format (such as in a film soundtrack) it restarts the 50 year countdown.

With the homepage system, the developer is no longer with ***/EC. Until there is someone else available who has the time to work on it (bearing in mind that *** makes the money so gets the priority) nothing is going to happen to it. My PHP knowledge is such that I could probably make minor tweaks and fixes, but that's about all.You seriously mean *** has no on-staff developer? That's... wow, that's sad.

I think there is nobody who knows much about how the homepage system works, and until they need to do something significant with it it'll remain that way.

I have a constructive suggestion, though, although I think it may have been mentioned before. When you are viewing photos (and I think blog posts), the comments are listed in reverse chronological order, which is opposite the default order of the rest of EC. On top of that default, which I think should be changed, when you go to manually change the order of the comments, you get an error message because the resulting URL is definitely missing some information. So my suggestion is getting the order of comments in the homepages fixed!

That is a good idea. If we find someone who can help with this stuff here that'd be a good first thing to sort out. Otherwise I will have a look somewhen.

There are several silly little bugs in the system that would probably not be difficult to clear up once someone has their head around how the whole thing works.

[Alexander]

Not to be a noob or anything, but what is ***?

[joeyconnick]

Not to be a noob or anything, but what is ***?It's the site **********.com, which is a guy porn site that spun off EC when it got a lot of people under the age of 18 signing up for it.

[Paul_UK]

*** of course is the revenue stream so obviously gets the priority. EC doesn't make them any money and actually costs them money (mostly on the Google advertising), so we only get use of *** programmers etc when they have nothing to do on ***, which is rare.

Because of the adult content, *** are legally obliged to ban anyone under the age of 18 and indeed go to some effort to detect such people. Because of the lack of decent sites for under 18s, EC was created.

[Kimi]

Except for we can't put any music that starts automatically, which is just annoying:)
Music annoys a lot of people, and also causes copyright issues. Unless the music is copyright-free (which would mean recordings over 50 years old or your own compositions) it could not be legally used.

With the homepage system, the developer is no longer with ***/EC. Until there is someone else available who has the time to work on it (bearing in mind that *** makes the money so gets the priority) nothing is going to happen to it. My PHP knowledge is such that I could probably make minor tweaks and fixes, but that's about all.

If anyone here is a PHP and MySQL programming guru and has the time to look into improving the system (for free), send me a PM. Some knowledge of vBulletin and Wordpress (parts of Wordpress are used for the blogs etc) would help too.

Ooh, I meant music that starts anutomatically on myspace is annoying!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry about my poor English skill:eusa_doh:

[CrimsonThunder]

I got what ya ment Kimi. =]

[SkyTears]

Mini-games! like where we can 1v1 other EC members (like pong or something) I don't know.

[CrimsonThunder]

An arcade.

But I doubt the owners of *** would allow us the bandwith.

[waitingsucks]

Yay games!

[davo-man]

Actually that arcade game sounds really fun. I dont know how it would be done (damn my lack of internet skills) but being able battle each other on simple games like pong or chess would be really fun. In fact, we could have like Pong tournaments and get a grand champion. I know it would probably be difficult to do, but it would be quite fun

[Tom]

tht wud be fun, atm all we can do is find common onlinbe games we play and organise it like tht but games on this site that we could all have a giant competition with cud be fun =]

[Paul_UK]

*** used to have the arcade games add-on for vBulletin but had to remove it due to copyright issues affecting many of the games. It would certainly be good if it could be done legally, though.

[CrimsonThunder]

*** used to have the arcade games add-on for vBulletin but had to remove it due to copyright issues affecting many of the games. It would certainly be good if it could be done legally, though.

There is no legal issues if you use games that are free. >_>

[Paul_UK]

There is no legal issues if you use games that are free. >_>

Most of the games in the vBulletin Arcade add-on that was at *** were based on and named after early arcade games from major publishers (things like "Space Invaders", "Asteroids" and "Pac Man"), without the appropriate permission, acknowledgement and royalties etc. So they were illegal and had to be removed.

[xxAngelOnFirexx]

i think it would be cool to add a whole section dedicated to poetry, short stories, art, photograpghy, ect. that way all the creative people here would have somewhere to post it instead of some thread that is practically dead. if everyone could easily post in that section than it would be very popular.

[Behling]

i think it would be cool to add a whole section dedicated to poetry, short stories, art, photograpghy, ect. that way all the creative people here would have somewhere to post it instead of some thread that is practically dead. if everyone could easily post in that section than it would be very popular.

wow, I love that idea!!! ^_^ that would be a great new addition to EC

[Paul_UK]

Sections are normally added when there is a clear need from the number of threads on the site that would belong in a new section. I have not noticed that many recent threads that would belong in the section suggested so far.

[xxAngelOnFirexx]

thats because none of the other sections say anything about posting art and stuff. so people feel its irrelevant to the section. they just made a thread about how artistic everyone is. if we had the section i'm sure it would be used.

[Paul_UK]

There been no posts in this thread http://emptyclosets.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1374 (which is specifically for poetry and short stories) since 12th December, and on average it has had less than two posts a day in it during its life.

Then there is this thread http://emptyclosets.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4274 for photography which lasted just over a month with about 2 posts per day.

If people were interested these threads would have had a lot more activity and wouldn't have fizzled out. With this evidence I cannot see how a whole section for these subjects will get much use.

[Miaplacidus]

On Full Spectrum we are willing to publish that content. We are not a forum (that's EC's function) but we can, and will, publish art content. In fact we are going to publish some photos and artwork from EC members on version 1.0.

[Ty]

I thought of a really good idea earlier while I was in the shower (where all great ideas come from:P) but i can't remember what it was now... And im sure i thought it was good... urgh

[joeyconnick]

There been no posts in this thread http://emptyclosets.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1374 (which is specifically for poetry and short stories) since 12th December, and on average it has had less than two posts a day in it during its life.

Then there is this thread http://emptyclosets.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4274 for photography which lasted just over a month with about 2 posts per day.

If people were interested these threads would have had a lot more activity and wouldn't have fizzled out. With this evidence I cannot see how a whole section for these subjects will get much use.I think what Morgan's saying is "if you build it, they will come," which seems reasonable. Sometimes you have to let people know you are open to certain things before they will start to happen. Look at the Anonymous section.

[Micah]

There been no posts in this thread http://emptyclosets.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1374 (which is specifically for poetry and short stories) since 12th December, and on average it has had less than two posts a day in it during its life.

Then there is this thread http://emptyclosets.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4274 for photography which lasted just over a month with about 2 posts per day.

If people were interested these threads would have had a lot more activity and wouldn't have fizzled out. With this evidence I cannot see how a whole section for these subjects will get much use.I think what Morgan's saying is "if you build it, they will come," which seems reasonable. Sometimes you have to let people know you are open to certain things before they will start to happen. Look at the Anonymous section.

I think the anonymous section is a bit different in comparison.

At the moment, people are perfectly able to post their art/poetry/images in the general forum, yet very few people do. While creating a new forum may slightly boost the number of people posting on this topic, it would only be 'slightly boosting' a few posts.

Whereas before the anonymous section was created such posts weren't actually possible, so gaining an indication of how many people would use it was more difficult.

[xxAngelOnFirexx]

well trying it won't hurt anything! if it doesn't work simply take it down! or better yet have us vote on it! your reasons are ridiculus! the otehr sections do not mention to put your stories or art so we don't so its not spam!

[SkyTears]

Sorry but I'm sideing with the mods on this. Although I would love to read stuff in the subject I don't think it will increase the post in its area a whole lot and therefore it's kind of a waste of space/time.

ps: I really don't mean to be dissing the subject because I love the idea.

[CrimsonThunder]

Admins always do it that way, and it tends to work.

But I also agree with Angles "just give it a try and see" approach. I wouldn't be posting in there btw, so it doesn't bother me.

[Kimi]

I love photography so if there are section like that I would post, but the question is how many of us wants to go to the section and see poems or stories or photos.

Even not many people will post there, if alot of people go to there I think there will be more actions.

Though, I don't see why it's necessary to make a section.
Of course, I don't mind it:)

[Micah]

well trying it won't hurt anything! if it doesn't work simply take it down! or better yet have us vote on it! your reasons are ridiculus! the otehr sections do not mention to put your stories or art so we don't so its not spam!

Well no, it would not be spam because spam is inappropriate posts and topics, usually posted multiple times.

There is absolutely nothing stopping you from posting your art in the general forums.

[xxAngelOnFirexx]

i just don't see why we can't even TRY its not murder.

[biisme]

if it doesn't work, take it down.

will it hurt anything to try it? i don't see any negative consequences that could come of it. is the issue here, "it might not work" ? well, no matter how much everyone speculates and argues, we won't evr kno unless it is done. and i don't see why we can't? what horrible thing will happen?

[CrimsonThunder]

if it doesn't work, take it down.

will it hurt anything to try it? i don't see any negative consequences that could come of it. is the issue here, "it might not work" ? well, no matter how much everyone speculates and argues, we won't evr kno unless it is done. and i don't see why we can't? what horrible thing will happen?

Then someones going to ask for an Anime section.

Then a Hobbies section... Ect.

[step49x]

I might like some more ways to sort the Home pages, like by number of blogs.

[step49x]

I would like to have a full-width option though (that resizes to the width of the browser), as this fixed narrow one is only about half the width of my screen.Reading long narrow columns is easier on the eyes, actually--they've done studies. It's one of the reasons newspapers and magazines use columns rather than the full page's width.

The first thing I do if someone is using full width for text is to narrow my browser window because it drives me batty!

If I did that it would be an option (like at ***), and not the only way.
This sounds like something that would be determined by the skin. New skin options, perhaps?

[CrimsonThunder]

We already discussed that and it would be more work than necessary. (Well I think we came to that conclusion)

[step49x]

SELECT * FROM users_blogs ORDER BY number_blog_entries DEC
Or something like that, I don't have the slightest idea what the tables for the database look like... Then you just add the option from the drop-down menu. Yeah, it's probably way more complex than that, but it's certainly not impossible...

[Paul_UK]

Then someones going to ask for an Anime section.

Then a Hobbies section... Ect.

Exactly. We would end up with several new sections that someone suggested and hardly anyone uses, and would then have to get rid of them and move the threads around. This is why forums add sections when there is a proven need rather than just because someone suggests it.

The anonymous section was an exception to that in that it provides a different way of discussing the same stuff rather than a place for different stuff.

It may be worth us having a look around "Chit Chat" and "Entertainment and Technology" to see if there are any obvious themes for new sections or whether E&T can be split.

Full Spectrum magazine would be an excellent place for photographs, artwork, short stories, poetry and other creative work that can be published. It would be more prominent and permanent than just in some forum thread. There is also your homepage system where you could make a blog section for your creative work and perhaps mention it in your signature.

[Martin]

Yay, finally found this thread. I feel like i spent 10 hours looking for it. :p

Anyways, how about a map (http://www.vbulletin.org/forum/showthread.php?t=123148)? :D

*flutters eyelashes*

[sngl]

a map would be fun I think
let's get one :icon_bigg

[Paul_UK]

I'll have a look into that once I have finished the homepage redesign. A couple of weeks, probably.

[Grof142007]

How bout a Welcome to EC Icon I Would so use loving it to welcome people maybe like 3 different ones so everyone wouldnt be using the same one

or make it even possilbe to make our own icon to welcome people

[sexyalex]

Except for we can't put any music that starts automatically, which is just annoying:)
Music annoys a lot of people, and also causes copyright issues. Unless the music is copyright-free (which would mean recordings over 50 years old or your own compositions) it could not be legally used.

With the homepage system, the developer is no longer with ***/EC. Until there is someone else available who has the time to work on it (bearing in mind that *** makes the money so gets the priority) nothing is going to happen to it. My PHP knowledge is such that I could probably make minor tweaks and fixes, but that's about all.

If anyone here is a PHP and MySQL programming guru and has the time to look into improving the system (for free), send me a PM. Some knowledge of vBulletin and Wordpress (parts of Wordpress are used for the blogs etc) would help too.

Ooh, I meant music that starts anutomatically on myspace is annoying!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry about my poor English skill:eusa_doh:

humm, funny enough...that's what