Attention: Regions who use Zetaboards forums!

[Queen Yuno]

Thanks for the warning!

Is Proboards safe?

[Sanctaria]

Ugh.

Ugh!

Thanks for the heads-up, HEM.

[New Rogernomics]

Since people are discussing alternatives.

With Proboards it is as good as you are prepared to put effort into modify the themes and implement mods and plugin.

I took this theme, and modified it into this theme when I was putting together a region concept, and that looks pretty similar to ZB.

So you don't need to settle for basic Proboards themes, you can actually modify Proboards to look pretty decent.

Edit: Though I'd say that Jcink is kinda similar to Zetaboards/Invisionfree in looks: https://jcink.com/

[Greater vakolicci haven]

Since people are discussing alternatives.

With Proboards it is as good as you are prepared to put effort into modify the themes and implement mods and plugin.

I took this theme, and modified it into this theme when I was putting together a region concept, and that looks pretty similar to ZB.

So you don't need to settle for basic Proboards themes, you can actually modify Proboards to look pretty decent.

Edit: Though I'd say that Jcink is kinda similar to Zetaboards/Invisionfree in looks: https://jcink.com/

Problem is, on proboards when I log in it says 'welcome, Diol!' That's when I start to feel really old.

[Miss Bad Life Choices]

Well this is going to be absolutely lovely to deal with. Thanks for the warning!

[Indo-Malaysia]

Let me guess, does Tapatalk wanna make NationStates3?

[New Rogernomics]

Problem is, on proboards when I log in it says 'welcome, Diol!' That's when I start to feel really old.

I'd go with jcink then, as it has a lot of ZB like features and looks pretty similar depending on the theme/skin you choose.

[Varidien]

Well doesn't this just throw a wrench in things. TT is by no means pretty, nor is it very good for those that may use mobile when they're not able to access a computer. Mobile is slow loading, cluttered, and choppy as you scroll.

[Greater vakolicci haven]

Problem is, on proboards when I log in it says 'welcome, Diol!' That's when I start to feel really old.

I'd go with jcink then, as it has a lot of ZB like features and looks pretty similar depending on the theme/skin you choose.

I don't need to, I host my regions forum myself.

[New Rogernomics]

I'd go with jcink then, as it has a lot of ZB like features and looks pretty similar depending on the theme/skin you choose.

I don't need to, I host my regions forum myself.

Fair enough.

[Ever-Wandering Souls]

TBH has received our beta/preview link. I'd love to be able to give y'all feedback on how it looks, however, the link does not work at present. We've reached out to TT support.

/sigh

[Reploid Productions]

Relevant, and while I wish I could say more, this is all I've been cleared to share:

The techies are working on an overhaul to make RMBs more forumlike (threads and the like!) While obviously this will lack the advanced level of customization that offsite forums can provide such as custom CSS skins and all that, it might help out for some regions that don't want to deal with setting up webhosting/futzing with forum software installations or whatever the hell TT is about to inflict on ZB users.

Unfortunately, development on it is slow going and we haven't got an ETA for it yet, though it is pretty close to the top of the techies' priority list.

[Ever-Wandering Souls]

Relevant, and while I wish I could say more, this is all I've been cleared to share:

The techies are working on an overhaul to make RMBs more forumlike (threads and the like!) While obviously this will lack the advanced level of customization that offsite forums can provide such as custom CSS skins and all that, it might help out for some regions that don't want to deal with setting up webhosting/futzing with forum software installations or whatever the hell TT is about to inflict on ZB users.

Unfortunately, development on it is slow going and we haven't got an ETA for it yet, though it is pretty close to the top of the techies' priority list.

It's worth noting in kickback - obviously I don't know the details of your project, but many of the type of things that come to mind have been covered well by discord. In terms of chatting and threads, discord's channel formats allow that easily. And you can do stuff with masking too. All that is why many communities can drop forums altogether in favor of discord.

Where forums retain some major and more unique relevance for large regions is longer but slower moving content, record keeping, archiving, and other forms of more storage-type processes, in a better format than Discord is built for. From guides to more permanent storage of applications for regional entry, masking, etc, the latter in a format tied to a fairly solid, not-self-delectable user profile, forums are kinda king at. We in TBH have even explored moving towards more of a "website for guides and google from for apps" format, and found that the loss of things being tied to a user profile was really a pain. Unless this RMB upgrade fills *that* niche, it's competing with Discord use, not forum use.

That's still great for the site, mind you! If the site can offer a better place for chatting and interaction, hell yeah. Just saying, if it's generally what I'd expect, I'm not sure at all that it'd fill a forum-sized hole.

[Christian Democrats]

Is Proboards safe?

ProBoards is safe, but it's ugly.

From an administrative perspective, the only thing I like better about ProBoards is the built-in ability to view votes in forum polls, including usernames and IP addresses. ProBoards is better for administering regional elections; it's worse for practically everything else.

[Ever-Wandering Souls]

Hey, I have some input to give. Been talking with some other non-NS ZB forum owners, and learned that Jcink (which is very similar to ZB and has...somewhat comparable CSS) owners and admins are willing to write a script that would convert Zetaboards Database exports into Jcink forums - meaning we could transfer all posts, etc, to Jcink.

The problem with this is that ZB does not at present have a DB export feature, and has almost never exported DB's to communities, even on request. Jcink cannot, for legal reasons, write a comparable script that runs off the export from a scraper or similar shifty hacked solution. They need it to be something we obtain from ZB willingly.

We we've got one great door, and the stopping block on it is ZB. We're suggesting that everyone open a ZB support ticket, and beg for their DB or an option to download their DB. It's got very low odds, but maybe if they get enough emails requesting it...

/sigh

[Christian Democrats]

Do you have any links to examples of Jcink forums?

[Captain Albert Alexander Hamilton]

Do you have any links to examples of Jcink forums?

Our old forum was on jcink. It can be viewed here.

[Ever-Wandering Souls]

Besides tickets, we're looking into a private appeal from very large boards to ZB for a DB export feature. HEM is now in the convo I'm in, and working more of that angle, especially in regards to GCR's.

[Consular]

TBH has received our beta/preview link. I'd love to be able to give y'all feedback on how it looks, however, the link does not work at present. We've reached out to TT support.

/sigh

Lol why am I not surprised

It took them over a year to answer our last support ticket...

[Ever-Wandering Souls]

Re: support tickets to ZB asking for export...

if it helps, I wrote in ours basically

"hi, I'd like a copy of our DB or the option to download it please, thanks."

or to be exact,

Good evening,

We'd like to request a database of our forum, or the option to download it ourselves. While we're still undecided as of yet, we're not super happy with the impending transfer, and would greatly appreciate the ability to archive and store our half-decade of data ourselves.

Thank you for your time,

-The Hawks

I suggest not copying that, but it's a basic idea of what's being suggested.

[Vincent Drake]

Relevant, and while I wish I could say more, this is all I've been cleared to share:

The techies are working on an overhaul to make RMBs more forumlike (threads and the like!) While obviously this will lack the advanced level of customization that offsite forums can provide such as custom CSS skins and all that, it might help out for some regions that don't want to deal with setting up webhosting/futzing with forum software installations or whatever the hell TT is about to inflict on ZB users.

Unfortunately, development on it is slow going and we haven't got an ETA for it yet, though it is pretty close to the top of the techies' priority list.

This sounds awesome! Any chance that the default HTML for this feature can be made coder-friendly (more so than the existing NS hodgepodge)? As in like #unique-IDs for important elements, .classes that aren't repeated or shared with other parts of the site, pretty much any scheme that doesn't involve inheriting existing settings from other parts of the site.

Because, if that ^ is possible, it would then be super easy for users to write scripts to custom skin their RMBs and recover some of the visual appeal of their current offsite forums. I'd be super excited about this feature if it's not a nightmare to customize with JS/extensions.

[Mount Seymour]

Oh god.

Don't have much to say beyond what's already been said. IF's forced migration to Tapatalk a couple months ago was a complete headache for Forest and I can't imagine this will be better, especially given that half of NS is on ZB. Jcink looks intriguing, and I'd encourage everyone to follow Souls's suggestions. But it's not a great picture overall.

[Ever-Wandering Souls]

Oh god.

Don't have much to say beyond what's already been said. IF's forced migration to Tapatalk a couple months ago was a complete headache for Forest and I can't imagine this will be better, especially given that half of NS is on ZB. Jcink looks intriguing, and I'd encourage everyone to follow Souls's suggestions. But it's not a great picture overall.

That noted, it's worth reminding that IF-TT was a conversion to vanilla TT, as I understand it, while ZB conversions are being promised a hybrid, with notes like "your CSS will be grandfathered" (straight from a TT admins). Take with a grain of salt, distrust, etc, but it's worth not totally giving up on the hybrid quite yet.

...we're just going ahead and pursuing groundwork for the "go elsewhere" path too, in the event the hybrid sucks ass.

[KhanterWinters]

If it is true that everyone spent time to design their forums, why the worry and concern, if you have the CSS file, you have half of the work done. There is lots of forum servers that works with free CSS style, premium or free.

besides, do I have to remember the down times from Zetaboards?
Invision is a good choice, PHPBB is another, forumotion. and well that thing "proboards".... (ignore my -not-like-it-proboard- form plz)

[Consular]

I'll submit a similar DB request Souls but I wouldn't hold my breath on that one.

The thought of our half million posts being deleted for inactivity is concerning.