How Do you Like the New Boards

[Globaliser]

Why is last post time showing today but times later than current time?

You need to set your time zone to your own local time. Do this:-

• Go to your User CP
  
• Then click Edit Options
  
• Go to the Date and Time Display section
  
• Choose your time zone
  
• Also choose whether you want daylight saving time adjustments made automatically
  
• Then Save Changes at the bottom of the page
  

You should then have accurate post times in your own local time.

[Globaliser]

How do you post a short quote?

How do you link to another without all the http//etc like you could before?

First of all, make sure you have the Standard Interface enabled. Have you got some "smilies" immediately to the right of the text entry box when you're posting? If you do, then you're set on this one. If not, you need to:-

• Go to your User CP
  
• Click Edit Options
  
• Go to the bottom of the page - the last option allows you to pick which interface you want, but I'd recommend starting with the Standard interface
  
• Save Changes
  

There's a row of icons immediately above the text entry box. These control many of the editing features. Make sure that the radio button is in "Guided Mode".

 

If you want to type in a quote which is to be marked as a quote, then you need to click the icon on the far right hand side. That will bring up a dialog box which will allow you to input some text. When you're finished, click OK. The interface will automatically insert the text to be quoted with the appropriate tags around it.

 

If you want to make a simple link to another page, there are two ways of doing this. If you just type in a link like http://www.cruisecritic.com or http://boards.cruisecritic.com the software should recognise the www or the http bit and automatically make a link.

 

If you want to make a link with other text, then click the icon that looks like a blue ball (it's next to the one that looks like a yellow envelope with mountains on it). A small dialog box will open up. In this first box, type in the text, like "Cruise Critic boards", and press OK. In the second box, type in the URL, like "http://boards.cruisecritic.com", and press OK. The appropriate code for making the link - Cruise Critic boards - should then appear.

 

If what you want to do is quote another poster's post, then just click the Quote button in the bottom right hand corner of their post. The reply screen will come up with the quote code already inserted. If you don't want to quote the whole post, you can then edit out the bits you don't want quoted.

 

When you get familiar with this, then moving to the Enhanced Interface, which works very similarly, should be fairly easy. However, I have to say I don't like it and I'm sticking to the Standard Interface because of the control it gives me.

 

Hope this helps.

[mimicsr]

Thank you for letting me know to use the User CP to view all my previous posts (what used to be under "My space.") Now will someone please tell me where to find the ship reviews by boardmembers?? Thanks so much.

[kreb0322]

It is difficult for me to believe that these boards have actually gotten WORSE. I didn't think that was even possible. They really outdid themselves on making this site even worse this time.

 

I cannot log-in with my ID. I requested my password 3 times and have not gotten it. Even after my "15 minute wait" is still cannot log-in and got a message that it was attempt #6 of 5. Funny, but I always thought computers could AT LEAST COUNT TO 5. I had to re-register under a different name to even be able to post. My roll call for my upcoming August cruise has completely vanished.

 

I doubt I will even continue to use cruisecritic...

[hstrybuf]

mimicsr, you can access older reviews by going clear to the top of the page and clicking on reviews. There isn't a review section on the new board yet, so people have been posting them in the forums.

 

kreb0322, our Roll Call which was started long before April 1st was also lost. We just started a new one. :)

[Globaliser]

mimicsr, you can access older reviews by going clear to the top of the page and clicking on reviews. There isn't a review section on the new board yet, so people have been posting them in the forums.

I think that there are no plans to create a reviews forum - Laura explained in this thread (and other places too).

It is difficult for me to believe that these boards have actually gotten WORSE. I didn't think that was even possible. They really outdid themselves on making this site even worse this time.

There's a special board for people with login problems - have a look here. You might also want to have a look at Laura's post here, and the thread that it's in.

 

But apart from your problem with logging in, and the fact that not all the data could be brought over to the new boards, how are the boards worse than the old ones? At least (a) these are useable (b) the data doesn't get terminally scrambled once every 12 hours and © the boards are searchable.

 

But maybe you're just venting.

[kreb0322]

Thanks for the link for the logging-in problems, but of course it does not work either. I got this message:

 

"The message board e-mail system, which would include notification of posts, is not in operation at this time.

 

Thanks for your patience,

 

Laura"

 

It figures - ANOTHER problem. Don't these people ever TEST their changes before implementing them? I am a software professional and if I implemented projects in this fashion I would be fired immediately.

 

It's no use. It's too frustrating. I surrender. I quit. Good-bye cruisecritic.

[Globaliser]

Thanks for the link for the logging-in problems, but of course it does not work either. I got this message:

 

"The message board e-mail system, which would include notification of posts, is not in operation at this time.

 

Thanks for your patience,

 

Laura"

 

It figures - ANOTHER problem. Don't these people ever TEST their changes before implementing them? I am a software professional and if I implemented projects in this fashion I would be fired immediately.

 

It's no use. It's too frustrating. I surrender. I quit. Good-bye cruisecritic.

What doesn't work on that link? Did you read any further than the first announcement that you quote? What about the other announcement, and the threads with suggestions and help in the rest of that forum?

 

I suppose that if kreb0322's gone forever, it'll be safe for me to say:-

• It can't be that this move is a failure, or inadequately untested, because most people seem to be able to get on and use the boards.
  
• It's gone as well as any other FREE message board migration I've ever seen. I'm sure if we all paid good money to use these boards, there would have been more resources to pay for expensive IT professionals to manage the migration.
  
• Clearly, you can't please everyone.
  
• There are none so blind as those who will not see.
  

[LauraS]

Hi Folks:

 

I just stopped by to say that I read every post in this thread, and made many notes.

 

A short explanation.

 

After months of planning, and two attempted tries at exporting data from the old boards (database too large) we were faced with a weekend of unparalled glitches (mid June). We had no choice but to make a decision to move as quickly as possible to our new format. The selection of April 1, 2004 as a cutoff date for exporting content was based on the resulting size of the database, in other words...it was exported with no errors and we were able to import into the new software -- also without errors.

 

Of course, we would have loved to bring over all content...believe me, we realize the importance of having a large content database for new members to read. We're particularly disappointed over the loss of the information on the Ports of Call forums. We're hoping we may be able to salvage much of it.

 

Yes, there are problems. The e-mail isn't working (we actually thought we had it up and running yesterday). We are working on it, as we feel it is an important feature -- and I miss it myself! Use Notify all the time for those "iffy" threads :)

 

Will it be perfect? We certainly hope so. Will it REALLY ever be perfect? Probably not.

 

I'd like to thank those of you with an open mind and the patience to give it some time, and realize that just because your graphic wasn't winking or your avatar not showing it doesn't make our choice a bad one. vBulletin is an excellent product. In the past, we've relied on outside companies to do much of the "background" work...now we've taken on the task ourselves.

 

We're learning. We will continue to learn about the software, and provide additional features as we go along.

 

(if anyone is interested, there are much much larger vBulletin communities out there....it is great to see that we'l be able to grow as fast as we have been in this format. To see other large communities that use vB, go to www.big-boards.com)

 

I realize that my short explanation isn't so short any longer.

 

Bottom line: We have implemented some of the suggestions..such as making the font color darker, changing the background on posts to white, and lengthening the number of threads (posts) on a page...plus much more.

 

Laura

[ruttie]

Thnanks Laura for keeping an open mind I am so happy that there are more posts on a page now the other day i was noticing that there were recent post form like an hour previous on page 3 and 4 and felt sorry for the posters that posted cause some had no replies.. prob because they got burried quickly now i notice there are more posts on a page YIPEE!!!! Have a great holiday

[Brneyznfl]

Initially I responded to the poll as "so so". Now I've upgraded that answer to "like them". The more I use it, the more I like it.

 

Things I like

 

1. Search is working!

2. Browsing is SO much faster and I have graphics enabled to view.

3. I love the subcribed threads feature to view at my User CP. Eliminates clutter of notifications to my email box.

 

Things that could use improvement.

 

1. IMHO, the overall look and layout of the boards doesn't have as a polished and professional look as the old boards. This is probably a work in progress at the moment I'm sure. Some experimenting with colors and background contrasts might fix that. Fine tune the layout. Also, at the bottom there is a lot of "white space". Maybe "posting rules" could be moved to User CP and the "forum jump" moved up under page numbers. Need a "forum jump" at the top also. Have to do lots of scrolling to get to the bottom to access it.

 

2. Really hoping there will be a way eventually to permanently default your color and font when you post! :D

Thanks to all of those behind the scenes and the hard work that has been put into this. :)

[newhips]

Does anyone else think that maybe kreb is a typo?

[bUU]

Paint Shop Pro can help you shrink images.

[joeinwpb]

:) when I use my Netscape 7.1 browser I can do all kinds of tricks with it.

:mad: When I use IE6 I can't use any features.

 

:confused: Can you explain that one Laura? There must be a lot of people out there using IE with the same problem, thinking their doing something wrong, and all the while it's their browser.

 

:confused: Are there some settings that are set wrong in my Explorer browser?

[que sarah sarah]

At first I was quick to jump in and say I didn't like the new boards ,but now I have got used to them and I am getting E-Mail notifications . I think these boards are alright .

[izzyvet]

I'm also liking them better and better. I really like the "User CP". It's where I go to first to see if anyone had posted on threads I'm interested in. I also like the "jump to" feature on the bottom of the page. Took me a little while to figure everything out, but now, no problem.

[newhips]

I could have written this myself - I think a lot of other people would agree, also!!! :)

 

I'm also liking them better and better. I really like the "User CP". It's where I go to first to see if anyone had posted on threads I'm interested in. I also like the "jump to" feature on the bottom of the page. Took me a little while to figure everything out, but now, no problem.

[Noreen411]

Hi

 

I'm still getting used to the new boards. They seem OK with the following two items I'm not crazy about:

 

1 - The limitation on the number of characters allowed in a single post. I love to read the reviews people take the time to write about their cruises (the longer and more detailed the better). I like to print them out to read them. However, with the limitation people are forced to post their reviews in parts (part 1, 2, 3, etc) so I have to search for the next installment. One person (sorry don't remember who) had a good idea and posted the subsequent parts as a reply to his original part 1. That's a great idea and made it easier to read. I know people can also post in the "Reviews" section - but that takes more time and you don't see the train of responses to your posting.

 

Which brings me to...

2 - I miss the separate section in the Boards for "Cruise Reviews". It was great to be able to click in one place and see any new reviews for all the different ships/lines out there that someone posted. I know you can post in the "reviews" section but as mentioned above it's not instant and you can't see all the new reviews at once - you have to choose by ship.

 

I guess if those are my only complaints - it's not a bad thing. Just my personal opinion.

 

Thanks

Noreen

[CaribbeanCruisesRock]

I love the new boards. I like how you change fonts and such hehe.

[beachchick]

Well, after taking time to get used to the changes, the boards are mostly oaky to me.

 

One thing, though, that is really bad is the font/color thing. The default blue is not great, but, for example, lime green in teeny-tiny serifed font is nearly impossible to read. I understand it's fun to have choices; just please keep in mind that other people have to be able to read your posts. I am not trying to say we shouldn't have fun; it's just that I am interested in what people have to say, not whether it's written using 3 fonts in 5 colors.

 

I also don't like that when I want to post a reply it is difficult to go back and reference an earlier post in my response, like a poster's name or specific wording. I really don't like to quote an entire previous post in my response--that just wastes space, IMO

 

I haven't tried the search function yet. Hope it works.

 

beachchick

[Globaliser]

I also don't like that when I want to post a reply it is difficult to go back and reference an earlier post in my response, like a poster's name or specific wording. I really don't like to quote an entire previous post in my response--that just wastes space, IMO

 

I haven't tried the search function yet. Hope it works.

Oh, the search works. Beautifully!

 

As for quoting, once you've got the quote within the text entry box it's easy to edit out the bits that you don't need to quote. As I've done in respect of your post.

[Brneyznfl]

When you're posting and you want to go back to refer to the orginal post, here's a little trick. Hold down the shift key at the same time you click "post reply". This will popup a separate window for you to post and you'll be able to go back to the other window showing the thread. :)

[Globaliser]

When you're posting and you want to go back to refer to the orginal post, here's a little trick. Hold down the shift key at the same time you click "post reply". This will popup a separate window for you to post and you'll be able to go back to the other window showing the thread. :)

Wow - I never knew this. Fantastic shortcut - I will be using this one all the time. Thanks!

[winncove]

I love the new fornat now that I'm learning more about it. This was a new idea totally. Just figured out a few days ago about the down arrow to lt. of subject going to last post I'd read. Had been using the arrow on rt. side to go to last posted on older topics & had to backtrack! Pays to read all these notes. Someone wrote a small "tutorial" in the beginning that helped a lot...esp. if I'd memorized it after printing it out! Even the e-mail of posts I'm interested in are back in the groove. :D

 

Totally agree about the faintly colored & bright colored fonts. Very hard on the eyes and what's the point?

[brn2crz]

lets try that ;)