Hello from the U.S.!

[Catherine]

We had two together posting back and forth and they called it troll train. The forum was new then and we were not sure what to do. I no doubts about how to handle them now. One troll post is one post too many.

I did not know that non members could post until I can across a non member's post...spam of course.

Hacking sounds scary. If I get our stuff stored in our cloud would we get rid of hacker damage by going back to a stored version of the forum? Am I understanding how that works?

[Bock]

I think I'm seeing what you mean. After I deleted a spammer the other day, I went to delete his posts and it said there that he was an unregistered member. I think that's just a bug that happens when you delete someone?

And I think cloud storage would work for that, yes. Backing things up is a very crucial task.

[Catherine]

I get it. They were nor posts by unregistered members. They may have been deleted members. I never delete the member until I have banned and removed every trace of them. Once you ban them it is hard to get at the info you need to block them.

I will sort out how to put our info into our cloud. I have paid for it for the same amount of time as the other forum stuff. I still have to send a test email to our members to be sure the email account works. There is a lot to do when you set up a forum.

[Libby]

so I skimmed over the conversation and I would like to say welcome Bock!

And I think I need a tutorial on banned, blocking, and deleting members lol. I've been so busy with finals at school then work has been slammed cause of Christmas and a lot of extra hours there. By the time I get home I pass out for 10 hours or more. I haven't really had time to look into the guts of this forum. Although I can't lie there was some time in between the 2 where I got sucked into a couple video games. But I'm better now though I definitely like the look here better. It's still sad to not have any of the information from the old forum and the memories. I remember when Catherine and I first started overhauling the old forum trying to get it cleaned up a couple years ago. It was a task for sure. I can remember a few good threads I might restart here if they haven't already been started.

[Bock]

Thanks, Libby! This software is actually a lot easier to use than some other kinds. Catherine made a good choice when she picked it! And yeah, if you ever need a tutorial on anything, feel free to PM me. (also, yay, video games!!!)

[Catherine]

Sometimes you need a session of video games to relax. They can be mindless and entertaining and that is their charm.
I will send you a detailed message about how I deal with new members. We can ban IP and Email much easier with this software.

Please do start some of the old threads. I want to replace our sticky threads. Some of them were very helpful. We need to do the one about early detection of kidney disease in dogs(and cats). I did rainbow bridge, but I still need to sticky it.

I am sorry we lost our archives, but all the work we did on the old Forum is not wasted. I used that as a pattern for setting up the sections. We can add more sections any time we want. We have made a good start and we will have a new history built up in no time. We will always remember the old forum fondly, but we will also laugh at all the glitches the software had.

Once I started researching software I was impressed with just how many choices there were. I found a site that evaluates forum software, tells you what it can do and what people think about it. I chose the one that had good reviews and did what we wanted software to do. Independently, LPC recommended the same software.
When you have time you can explore the Admin control Panel. I am still checking it out. I am not sure I ever figured out EBlah.

[AnimalFamily]

Funny thing, Bock is playing a game at the moment with Papa Bear. lol!
I guess I don't get the 'relaxing' part. I am a very good spectator when it comes to video games.
If you were to see me playing, I would be the one endlessly running around in a corner, unable to find my way out

[Catherine]

I like various solitaire games and Mahjong as quick fun. For more complex games I like Zoo Tycoon or Sims. I go to a site that has jigsaw puzzles and I enjoy that. Games that involve time and rushing and tension don't relax me. I more prefer to build things or design things. The real appeal of the Sims is decorating and designing the houses.
If they invented Garden Tycoon for planting and designing different styles of gardens(parks really) I would play it for sure.

I think there is a style of game for everyone. I think a game that involved designing quilts would be fun. You could actually make the quilt later if you want.
So what kind of game would you want to play. Maybe there is a spectator game. If not someone should invent one.
It could have a quest to find snacks at the snack bar and testing chairs to find the most comfortable. No one wins and no one loses. It is all about relaxing and having fun.

[Bock]

I would play that game!!! Like a multiplayer Sims game or something. (It might exist, who knows?) Relaxation games are very fun. I've always been a fan of quest/adventure games, myself.

[Catherine]

I liked the Sims and Zoo Tycoon. I have to replace them because the old versions do not work on my new computer.
I liked the fact that you couldn't really control things with either game. At best you are directing things, but stuff still turned out different than you planned. That was the fun of the game.
The idea of using cheats to succeed in a game made no sense to me. The fun is in the actually playing the game and you succeed when you actually play it.
Maybe I should get the new version of Zoo Tycoon this Christmas. I could play it in my spare time.