Buttercup
Junior Scholar
Ain't life grand?
Posts: 316
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Post by Buttercup on Nov 1, 2006 23:16:44 GMT -5
Funny, though I haven't been around lately, I find that I suffer from the same boycotting syndrome as everyone else seems to be. I never really considered it "boycotting" but I guess it is because I just didn't feel like wading through all of the BS, (hey, I didn't think the board would allow those two letters like that, to the so called proscribed bad unallowable words!) Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, I couldn't stand going through all of the not so nice stuff and half the time I would get bored before I even got to any new topics I hadn't read yet so I quit about a month after I came here. I visited a few times but the last time I gave it any real effort was the whole Triceratops debacle and you all know how that went, so, end of story for me as far as the OMB was concerned. Now if it was shaped up, yeah, I would certainly go back because I too found out about the OMB before the ToP. I made my first Dinotopia friends there when I had no idea that there were people who seriously cared about the story lines and the culture, etc. The OMB opened up so many doors for me and new friendships at a time when I desperately needed them and i am very thankful to that. I really hope that it can be fixed and that Brokehorn can be convinced. She seems very nice because before I understood how to function on the OMB, I actually e-mailed her with questions about Dinotopia and she not only responded, she took a little time to teach me about the board itself, so I know she isn't a bad person, she just may be having very, very long RL issues that get in the way. I just felt that since so much was being said against Brokehorn, (even though i have never spoken directly to her since) that something positive should also be said. After all, we Dinotopians should always remember to see the good....even if we are almost out of patience and there is an awful lot of bad to see. The longer you look for the good qualities, the more those qualities are usually worth!
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Dakota
Junior Scholar
Breathe Deep, Read Fast
Posts: 363
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Post by Dakota on Nov 2, 2006 10:55:13 GMT -5
I know. The OMB is where I made alot of good friends and where i first found other people that love Dinotopia.
I wish Brokehorn would take care of the OMB (Or at least care).
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Barry
Scholar
You Steal me Mountain Dew, I kill you!
Posts: 634
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Post by Barry on Nov 2, 2006 14:51:04 GMT -5
Or at least she could ask any of us to help her. And I just now sent her another Email about it too.
As for boycotting the OMB, I still visit it occasionally while I still can, But when I get my new computer I will have to stop going there. Because I don't want the board messing up the new computer with all that spyware, popups, and viruses it has. If the OMB get a new board then I'll be back. And if not, when I'm at the library I'll post from there. For now, I'm have trouble trying to get rid of some of the spyware I have already installed on this machine. Whatever Spybot, Adaware and Trend Micro doesn't get, I had to dig it out manually with the Windows registry utility.
— Barry
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aric
demi-admin
I drink your milkshake!
Posts: 989
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Post by aric on Nov 6, 2006 6:17:27 GMT -5
Question:
Who all on this board is boycotting or going to boycott the OMB?
I figured that if we want to get a message through to Brokehorn, Boycotting might just do the trick. Perhaps... Though I think it's quite clear that she intends to make up for whatever membership losses that are incurred by the crappy board with new traffic from the publication of the fourth book. My boycott is less about attempting to change Brokehorn's administration policies and more about ditching that mud hole. so I know she isn't a bad person, she just may be having very, very long RL issues that get in the way. Well, I don't think anyone is saying she's a bad person. She just isn't doing a very good job at administering the OMB. Whether she is unable to or unwilling to do better is immaterial. She's negligent pure and simple. I should also point out that both Dwaggie and Azonthus have offered to help with the old board. Both of them have been rebuffed. If Brokehorn's disappointing performance as admin were really from real life distractions, then it would have been even more prudent of her to bring in more people - especially Azonthus and Dwaggie considering their experience with message boards. BTW, did you recieve the... *ahem*... item? <_< >_> ^_^ - Aric
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Post by Azonthus on Nov 7, 2006 12:33:01 GMT -5
Now that I am done with those two classes in school, I can get to working on the problem of the OMB. I think one of the things we need to do before even mentioning the need for a new board to James Gurney or Brokehorn, is to make a comprehensive list of what we feel is wrong and needs to be fixed. We need to make a really, really good case for creating a new MB. So far, I have come up with these issues. Please, let me know what else needs to be added to the list!
Problems with the OMB
1) Adware, Spyware, and viruses are installed onto members computers whenever they visit the OMB. It takes a minimum of three anti-spyware/adware/virus programs to keep out the worst of it, and even then some bugs will get through. Az's, Barry's, Aric's, Vorchia's, Vira's, (please insert name) computers have all needed hundreds of dollars of repairs because of the bad programs installed by the OMB.
2) Lack of control- There is no way to ban people who have consistently caused trouble. We have had the same flamer for the past two years now, and still can't get rid of him, despite ignoring all of his posts.
3) Spam is not removed unless someone e-mails Brokehorn about it. Even then, not all of it is caught. The spam removal is only temporary as more will pop up the next day. Some of the spam contains extremely offensive and vulgar language and will be up for at least a day until someone e-mails Brokehorn and Brokehorn reads the e-mail.
4) Impostors- As the OMB does not currently allow accounts, it is VERY easy for anyone to show up and pretend they are an existing MB member and cause a lot of problems under the assumed identity.
5) Difficulty in knowing which messages have already been read- If a MB member wants to check the OMB posts from the library, school, work, or any number of different computers, there is no way to tell which posts have already been read other than the members memory. Replies to posts get stuck in any order on the threads, so it's hard to keep track of where the conversation is going.
6) No quote feature- the OMB does not allow previous posts to be quoted unless a member does the HTML for it themselves.
7) The background makes text difficult to read
GOOD- Hey, we have to know what the good things about the current OMB are too! If we don't make a list of the good, then we could end up getting a new MB format with just as many problems as the old.
1) Posts bump to the top 2) Anyone can join, membership is not required 3) HTML can be used, instead of BB Code. HTML allows for more flexibility in displaying fonts, colors, images, links, or special effects than BB Code does. 4) Doesn't have downtime when the board is not accessable 5) Loads quickly
This message will also be posted at the OMB after I get home tonight.
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Barry
Scholar
You Steal me Mountain Dew, I kill you!
Posts: 634
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Post by Barry on Nov 7, 2006 15:11:46 GMT -5
I have nothing to add at this time. It looks like you have all the bases covered so far. =) Oh wait, There is one thing you didn't mention Az. The OMB dosen't have a way to hide the IP address. That would cut down on some of the problems that get installed on some computers and SPAM as well.
— Barry
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