Problems with new Board Interface

[PattayaMale]

I am sorry for hijacking the Baht Bus topic. There does seem to be a few small bugs with the new interface however when I did NOT use my bookmark the board opened.

 

Since my password was "remembered" when I used my bookmark, I could not remember my password at first. (My problem)

 

I do not know if others are confused at first by "View New Content". I clicked it could post a reply but not not see how to post a new topic.

 

I learned that I must click on Forums first, go to the forum I want to post in and select "New Topic".

 

Hope I did not cause to much concern.

[Gaybutton]

As I posted on my own board:

 

Starting yesterday, I can get in with Firefox 10.0 only if I first go to the main web site and then click on "Forum." If I click on "Click Here for Message Board" or try to access the board directly, I get a blank screen. If I use IE Explorer, I can access the message board directly. But I don't plan on switching back and forth with browsers. Firefox is my preferred browser.

 

While you, or whoever, is working on board problems, I also have to log in every time I go to Gay Thailand. It's supposed to hold the log in so that I'm automatically logged in when accessing the board. The last time that worked for me was about two years ago.

 

That's how I got to the board now.

 

I'm a firm believer in "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." With the exception of the automatic log in feature (And that feature still doesn't work, at least for me), this board was working perfectly. I fail to see why changing it around was necessary or how anything about it is significantly improved. Messing around with it has caused problems and glitches.

 

Quite frankly and in all honesty, even if there were no glitches at all, the differences now present in the board leave me "underwhelmed." I see nothing impressive or even particularly desirable about the changes.

 

My unsolicited advice is: If and when you get this board working as it is supposed to, unless some sort of really important "can't live without it" improvement comes along, then leave it alone. Why try to make alterations to a message board that is already working perfectly?

 

I don't think very many people go to this board, or any board, because of how pretty it looks or because of bells and whistles. They go to the boards to read and post messages.

 

But in all honesty, when simply trying to get to a board at all becomes an inconvenient chore, that's when I stop going to that board very often or even stop going to that board at all.

 

I hope these problems will be fixed - fast.

[kokopelli]

So far I have had no problems accessing this forum or using the features. So appreciate the efforts of the admins to make improvements. I noticed on some other gay forums there have been "make overs" which did enhance the overall appearance. After a few years the forums have a dated appearance which can use a sprucing up. As in all things the more attractive the presentation the more it is enjoyed or watched. Also mentioned in another post I have been using Chrome.

[Gaybutton]

After a few years the forums have a dated appearance which can use a sprucing up. As in all things the more attractive the presentation the more it is enjoyed or watched.

 

Excellent. Now, suppose you tell me just what on this board is now "spruced up" and is a more attractive presentation than before. I've missed it.

[Rogie]

There was nothing broken about the old software but we have to keep updated on the forum software as there are often security vulnerabilities in older versions. This is the exact same system but was only an upgrade.

 

That's what Scooby wrote in the New skin and what else? thread. Seems reasonable to me, although I agree the visible changes are minor and wouldn't have been worth implementing on their own, i.e.had there been no security aspect. As far as I am aware there was no warning the software was to be updated (but I was offline for a few days so may have missed it) - that was a mistake IMO and regular users deserve to be told as if and when problems arise they are more likely to be supportive and sympathetic.

[Guest]

Everything needs sprucing up now & again. Old products look dated & don't sell. Who would buy a 1970s Ford Escort these days? (In fact, who would name a car after a prostitute now?)

Of course there's a difference between a successful facelift and some of the ill judged fiddling that the likes of Microsoft engage in (for example).

 

From where I'm sat, this forum is taking a couple of steps forward, but maybe we need to give it a few days to sort out some teething problems. [Consider me as unbiased on this matter, as the upgrades were done without moderator input].

 

One thing I don't understand is why the layout is cramming all the important stuff into a narrow column, when selecting the "View New Content" option. That means very few posts are visible at once.

 

The layout is much better when viewing each sub forum individually, so it would be good if the same layout came up when choosing the "View New Content" option.

 

Also, I need to zoom to about 180% to get the pages to fill the screen width. No real problem, as I can select the default zoom level for each web page.

 

The option to "View New Content (In the last 24 hours)" is an improvement, as on the old software the View New Content option frequently came up with nothing if I viewed another thread before selecting it.

[Gaybutton]

That is precisely what I'm trying to say. The board was working perfectly. Nobody was complaining about difficulty accessing the board. Nobody was complaining that the board now has an "old" look and is in need of "sprucing up." Nobody was complaining about the format, the layout, or saying they need to zoom in.

 

That's why my opinion is nothing was "broke" and in need of fixing. Sometimes the best intentions are a flop. In my view, the new format is a flop and I'm not alone in having difficulty accessing the board. No matter how much a new look might be appreciated, if some of the membership is having problems accessing the board, you've got a big problem and it needs to be effectively dealt with.

 

The way I see it, now there are three choices: 1. Fix the board. 2. Restore the board to the way it was. 3. Do nothing

[TotallyOz]

I'm a firm believer in "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." With the exception of the automatic log in feature (And that feature still doesn't work, at least for me), this board was working perfectly. I fail to see why changing it around was necessary or how anything about it is significantly improved. Messing around with it has caused problems and glitches.

 

I am a firm believer in people that think "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" when it applies to Internet software don't really understand software. I am not trying to be rude at all but you have had problems with your own board and spammers on many occassions. With each forum version, they create ways to alleviate these issues and they also repair security vunerabilities.

 

I am a firm believer in keeping things updated and working properly. I know people get upset with any changes but you must realize that browsers and operating systems are changing constantly. When you don't keep up with them, you are doing a disservice to your viewers. IMHO

 

I have had zero problems accessing this board since the changes were made. If you are, I suggest that you change your "bookmark" url. The best way to enter any site is through the homepage. This would be http://gaythailand.com You can save you name at the top to fill in automatically. You then only have to click one button to log in. You then click the forums. It doesn't sound like rocket science to me.

 

However, you have have booked http://gaythailand.com/forums/(with any more words) you need to change this. If you only want the forums and not the home page, go to http://gaythailand.com/forums/

 

I will never understand why people don't want to keep up to date with their software on forums or browsers. It is the smart thing to do. IMHO

[Gaybutton]

I am not trying to be rude at all but you have had problems with your own board and spammers on many occassions.

I fail to see what that has to do with problems on this board. Yes, I certainly have had problems on my board. I've also solved them. Are you trying to say the fact that I've had problems on my board means I shouldn't say anything if I experience problems here? And I do understand software quite well, thank you very much. The fact that you have had zero problems doesn't mean everyone else is also having zero problems.

 

I've tried accessing this board via the suggestions you've made. For me, the only thing that works is what I've already said.

 

I've never had to go through the main web site to get to the board before and I don't want to start having to do that now. I also don't want to have to start playing Musical Browsers to access this board. Rocket science or not, until now I had no problems accessing the board with one quick click.

 

What has been done on this board is not my idea of a software update. If that's what it was supposed to be, I don't see any significant changes at all. To me, the purpose of a software update is to improve the functionality of the software. All I see is a change in the appearance of the board. I freely admit I may be missing something regarding improved functionality, and if I am I'd like someone to point it out.

 

You said in your own post that you are "a firm believer in keeping things updated and working properly." The board has now been updated, but if people are having problems as a reslult, that's not my idea of working properly. Is it yours?

 

Pattayamale's, z909's, and my complaints are legitimate and the software needs to be fixed. It doesn't take rocket science to see that either.

[Guest fountainhall]

I am all for changes - and am really sorry that the blue has suddenly disappeared. The general style of the top part of the message Board has been added to over the years and lacks any kind of style consistency. It is in considerable need of a revamp, in my view.

 

I also think the Board attracts too few younger posters. That may be common to all the Boards as far as I know, but a cleaner, more visually exciting look might just attract more. I can't see this putting off any existing posters.

 

All the message Boards seem to have more or less the same format, with only minor design and layout differences. It would be nice if this one had a quite different look, once all the software glitches have been ironed out.

[TotallyOz]

I fail to see what that has to do with problems on this board. Yes, I certainly have had problems on my board. I've also solved them. Are you trying to say the fact that I've had problems on my board means I shouldn't say anything if I experience problems here? And I do understand software quite well, thank you very much. The fact that you have had zero problems doesn't mean everyone else is also having zero problems.

 

What I said was not to be taken personally and I should have known better than to put my two cents worth into this. My comments about problems on your board were related to spammers figuring out board software and how to get around it. They do this with every single update and good board software normally takes this into effect and makes it harder for them. For example, with Invision's spam software, once a board reports a spammers IP, it goes to a spam based collection system and then others do the same, that IP and that e-mail is banned across all the boards unless an admin approves it.

 

I am sorry you got upset with my response, It was not meant toward you. It was meant to acknowledge the issues that all boards have. Well, sorry, all boards but yours. Yours is perfect and never any issues and no spammers. My apologies for thinking otherwise.

 

Pattayamale's, z909's, and my complaints are legitimate and the software needs to be fixed. It doesn't take rocket science to see that either.

 

I could not agree more. I was trying to tell you that I thought the issue was with the url you have saved. If that is not the case, can you show me a screen capture of what happens when you try to access the board? Quick Time has this free feature built into the software and it lets you records a quick screen capture. I am only trying to find out the issue as I tested this on all my computers and it works perfectly when I log in. But, I use the two urls that I listed above:

http://gaythailand.com

http://gaythailand.com/forums/

 

Thank you for reading and I do apologize if you thought I was trying to insult your lack of rocket science intelligence.

[daddydawg]

I can understand the importance of keeping the board's software up-to-date. However, I think it is just as important to keep "content" up-to-date. For example, if you go to City Guides (which I would suspect is viewed quite often) it is woefully out-of-date. Again as an example, within the City Guides if you click on Phuket Bars you get the same as when you click on Pattaya Bars...which are mostly bars in Bangkok. The same with hotels, restaurants, etc.

 

I would suggest that if you do not keep it up-to-date, then get rid of it. The same observation applies to all areas on the board (and for that matter, ANY board or website.)

[PattayaMale]

Actually I like the new "skin" or look. I do really like the "View New Content" since all sub forums show newest posts.

 

I have never been very good at going to each sub forum. Scooby did at one time say to post everything in the main GayThailand sub forum and he would move it to the correct sub forum later.

 

The "View New Content" option is much better. Things can be posted in the correct sub forum. I still see all the new posts but now if I am interested in JUST "GayThailand" I do not have to sort through posts that have nothing to do with Gay Thailand. Actually if I had originally seen the sub forum for "Problems and Suggestions" I would have posted this in the correct sub forum. (Maybe some moderator would move it there).

 

So I like this but would suggest if it is at all possible, use the ENTIRE screen as the other Boards do. 1/2 of the screen here is not being used at all. Is it possible to have the forum spread across the entire screen?

 

Other than that I like this. (Now that I understand to change my bookmark)

[Guest buckbee]

Im slowly getting used to it, its the same software version that Thai VISA is now using

[Gaybutton]

can you show me a screen capture of what happens when you try to access the board?

 

There's nothing to show. I get a completely blank white screen, just like the inside of the posting box in the "Reply to this topic" below.

 

It also seems to me that I'm not the one taking it personally. As I recall, you sold this board, but your posts are coming across as being upset about the board software having problems. Unless this is still your board or you designed the current board software, what does it have to do with you and why all the condescending remarks you're posting? None of it alters the fact that a software problem exists and it needs to be fixed.

[TotallyOz]

There's nothing to show. I get a completely blank white screen, just like the inside of the posting box in the "Reply to this topic" below.

 

It also seems to me that I'm not the one taking it personally. As I recall, you sold this board, but your posts are coming across as being upset about the board software having problems. Unless this is still your board or you designed the current board software, what does it have to do with you and why all the condescending remarks you're posting? None of it alters the fact that a software problem exists and it needs to be fixed.

 

I came to the response to say why boards change software. I have as much right to defend this board or any board as you do. I was not condescending at all. Perhaps, you are just not use to anyone saying what they want with regards to one of your posts? The comments you make are not unquestionable. I have as much right to respond as you do to reply. You gave your unsolicited advise about how if it is not broken, don't fix it. I find that absurd when it comes to software. I stated that. You didn't like it and got upset. That is your deal, not mine.

 

My first response on this thread was simply to say that I couldn’t see the issues. I still can't. I was only trying to help find the solution to the problems you were experiencing. Lighten up!

 

Your response and nasty post really does baffle me!

[Gaybutton]

My first response on this thread was simply to say that I couldn’t see the issues. I still can't. I was only trying to help find the solution to the problems you were experiencing. Lighten up!

 

Your response and nasty post really does baffle me!

 

Remarks such as "Well, sorry, all boards but yours. Yours is perfect and never any issues and no spammers. My apologies for thinking otherwise" and "I do apologize if you thought I was trying to insult your lack of rocket science intelligence" are not condescending? Ok.

 

I don't know what we're arguing about. All I'm saying is the current software has problems and the problems need to be dealt with. That has nothing to do with "defending" the board. The board itself is not the problem. The software is the problem.

 

I've already explained the problem and I don't see a need to debate about it. I'm not making it up.

[TotallyOz]

I don't know what we're arguing about. All I'm saying is the current software has problems and the problems need to be dealt with. That has nothing to do with "defending" the board. The board itself is not the problem. The software is the problem.

 

I already sent Scooby an e-mail to let him know of the issues with the forums and the issues daddydawg brought up about the cityguides.

 

I have nothing to argue with you about. Other than you are in LOS and I am not and that really pisses me off!

 

All I have here is Cali is the homeless people on the beach wishing me well on my bike rides!

 

[Guest fountainhall]


if you go to City Guides (which I would suspect is viewed quite often) it is woefully out-of-date.

I had never even looked at the 'City Guides' - until today. Sadly, they are indeed woefully out–of-date. That said, though, I reckon it must be almost impossible to keep these anything like up-to-date unless there is one designated individual or a small army of posters prepared to do so on a regular basis.

 

I agree with daddydawg. There are major problems in that section which I will try to analyse below. That being said, though, I fully accept that no site in English to my knowledge manages to keep such information current. Dragoncastle tried and often fails. Fridae tries, and mostly fails. Utopia-asia used quite regularly to be out-of-date, but I find it is much better now - at least, in the cities and countries I visit

 

And that surely is the real problem. When one site does get it reasonably correct, it shows up the weaknesses of the others that fail.

 

On gaythailand, the intro pages on each city seem to have been written quite some years ago. For example, under ‘Bangkok’, the text mentions Future Boys as a ‘must visit’, but that closed well over a year ago (if memory serves me correctly)! In my view, the format of the information is too much like an essay (indeed, it seems as though I might have written it – as I know my posts are generally overlong! ). I suggest someone needs to update it, perhaps with a few sub-headings, perhaps in a more bullet-point, more punchy style. The same goes for the other cities.

 

The next problem. Look up Bangkok’s ‘Bars’ and only six are listed – not even Tawan makes the list! Only one ‘Disco’ is listed. There are certainly more ‘Massage’ parlours there, but masses are missing, including Hero, Albury and Lookme (had to give Lookme a plug as he frequently posts and runs a very pleasant massage establishment).

 

Even worse, unless my computer is playing up (which I suspect not as daddydawg mentions the same issue), there seems to be a glitch in all other listings. Click on Bars in Chiang Mai and Pattaya – and up come the same out-of-date list of Bangkok bars! In order to access those bars, you first have to click on Chiang Mai or Pattaya, and then click on the bars/discos, which seems quite off-putting. If you list ‘Bars’ under Pattaya, why must you first have to click ‘Pattaya’?

 

However, once you get into the Chiang Mai and Pattaya pages, the ‘Bars’ and ‘Discos’ have a notice - “no records found”! Huh? No bars at all? If I wanted to check out Boystown or Sunee bars, I’d be pretty pissed off. Which makes me wonder: how many of those who are drawn to the gaythailand site for the first time – it is a fabulous site name, let’s face it – in order to check out gay venues, are then put off because of the lack of even the most basic relevant information under ‘City Guides’?

 

I don’t think Scooby has yet moved to Thailand, and perhaps correcting these pages is on the back burner. Yet, a new section opened up as part of the ‘Message Board’ with a whole host of information under ‘Thailand Businesses/Establishments’. I do wonder, though, how many potential new readers never get that far, giving up on the site because the basic ‘City Guide’ info is so inaccurate? Even if they do make it that far, unfortunately some of the information again remains outdated – e.g. the Lavender Lana Hotel thread.

 

So, in providing much inaccurate information and with a great deal that is totally missing, is this putting people off reading the rest of the site? I have a feeling it may be.

 

It is not my intention to knock anyone – only to make suggestions that might eventually bring more readers to the site. After all, I think this situation has been there for a long time. Whilst those of us that post will generally only hit the Message Board and fail to read the rest of the site, I do sincerely believe that some major reconstruction has to be done about the ‘City Guide’ section. Either kill it altogether whilst it is revamped and then reintroduce it with far more – and more up-to-date - info. Or go into some form of partnership with another site - or perhaps with James ‘ publication 'OUT in Thailand' - which does the job so much better and more accurately – at least until such time as thailandout.com has someone who can be constantly checking and updating such information on a reasonably regular basis.

 

This is meant to be constructive and I trust it will be taken in that light.

[Guest buckbee]

I own a couple of boards and you need to keep them up to date for security reasons. Sometimes the updates come quite often and its a pain to update but I do as this ensures that the boards are secure and stable. However with this you need to also update plugins and themes and sometimes they don't work with the upgrades as they are no longer supported by the original authors, so you have to look for new alternatives for themes and plugins

[TotallyOz]

First, I want to thank everyone for participating in the forums. They have a great deal of good information in them and I hope they continue to flourish.

 

We needed to upgrade the forums due to security vulnerabilities. When we upgrade the forums, it is easy to do except for one key issue and that is log in. We use our own login system as opposed to the one for the forum board. The reason for this is that the profiles on the main part of the site and the board is integrated. They need to be in order for the site to function properly.

 

I tried to upgrade the boards myself and I messed things up a bit. I then got in touch with the people who developed the board and asked for assistance. Between them and a programmer, we were able to solve the problems that we saw with the board.

 

However, if others are still having issues with this, I guess not all is solved. I did ask Invision about the white screen and they suggested that if you get a white screen that you completely clear your browser’s cache. Another way to determine if it is your cache is to try another browser and see if the same problem exists. If so, just let us know and we will try to work on things ASAP.

 

Thank you all for bearing with us during this change.

 

As for the City Guides, they were working properly a few days ago. We just installed a new way to access the info and apparently all information now goes to Bangkok. We are working to fix this as well. Thank you for your patience.

 

We have hired programmers to redesign the entire front end of the website and hope to have a revamped site in the coming months.

[Gaybutton]

Clearing the cache doesn't help me. I still get the blank screen.

 

I don't encounter this problem if I switch over to IE Explorer, but the browser I use is Firefox. I had no problem at all until you did this upgrade and it's just too inconvenient to have to switch back and forth between browsers.

 

I'm sorry. I know the problem is not your fault, but the programmers trying to blame the browser is ridiculous when that same browser had no problem until this upgrade. They need to find what is causing this problem and they need to fix it. That's what you're paying them for. If they can't fix the software they're busy selling to people, then they need to hire someone who can.

 

I'm not even convinced their upgrade actually resolved any security issues in the first place. What security issues were they resolving?

[kokopelli]

Excellent. Now, suppose you tell me just what on this board is now "spruced up" and is a more attractive presentation than before. I've missed it.

 

Where did I say this board was spruced up? I said other forums have made changes that improved their appearance. I said forums get dated and need some sprucing up to make them more attractive.

Also said I appreciated the efforts of the admins to make improvements.

Better a kiss on the cheek then a kick in the balls.

 

Previous post was made using Chrome; current post made using Firefox. Have had no issues viewing the forum, logging in, or sending PMs. But have not tired all the features, just the ones I commonly use.

[Guest]

the programmers trying to blame the browser is ridiculous when that same browser had no problem until this upgrade

I'm not sure anyone was actually blaming the browser, rather suggesting a work around. Of course that should be a temporary work around, as we'll all agree the forum should work with all the main browsers.

Actually, in my case it IS working with the latest released version of Firefox 9.0.1.

I think you are using 10.0, which isn't due for release until 31 January, so maybe the programmers could look at that.

[Guest fountainhall]

As for the City Guides, they were working properly a few days ago

 

I appreciate the efforts to solve the problems and update the overall look of the site. However, is the paucity of information in the City Guide contents, much of it out-of-date, a result of the security upgrade? If not, then I suggest that issue should be addressed as a matter of priority.