Forums Overview

We added a number of Forums Option Settings to enable Eric Prydz to get his particular look and feel for Forums - and now you can use those same settings to achieve your own specific look and feel - your Forums can be as textured or minimal looking as you wish.

The new settings allow Forums to be displayed with stripped-out functions, but this is still an advanced threaded discussions board with technical functions, which include:

• Answers - Posts marked / indexed with Answer
• Bug Reporting - Two-way bug reporting and referencing between originating Thread and Bugs Forum
• Media Embeds - Oembed functionality allows several file types to be included in post simply by entering URL
• Media Uploads - Upload Images, CSV files and Zip Files to Forum for Reference purposes
• New Posts Listing - posts added since you last visited Forum
• Numbered Posts - Indexed posts for better referencing
• Numbered Threads - Indexed, searchable thread references
• Post Queue - moderation queue for pre-moderation enabled Forums
• Post Rating - Enter 1-5 Post Rating when enabled
• Quote - include / reference a previous post in your reply
• Rules - mini terms for Forum use
• Search - advanced Search with filters
• Sticky Threads - Marked Threads which stay at top of listings
• Task Management - Assign mini-workflow on Tread - ’Manager’ can assign Task to be completed by ’Agent’, on behalf of another User / ’Client’
• Today Listing - listing of posts added Today
• Smileys - Set your own set of Smiley Icons
• Spam Prevention Profile - limit Forum spam!
• Subscriptions - Notifications of replies, and listings of Forum Subscribers
• User Signature - Specified signature can accompany every post
• Violation Report - Report Forum abuses via button

NOTE - Lower half of screen is recently introduced ’Group Chat’ functionality - Post Message

Forum Posts

The single biggest advance in Forum posting has been the inclusion of oEmbed media; exactly the same functionality as used on Blogs and Comments; by entering just a URL, you can include the following Media Types:

• Affino Images
• Flickr Images
• Mixcloud Sound Files
• Slideshare Slideshows
• Soundcloud Sound Files
• Tumblr Images
• Vimeo Videos
• YouTube Videos

In the right hand screen capture you can see an example of a Soundcloud embed, as well as a number of ’Smileys’ peppering the posts.

Forum navigation has been much improved with quick access into very deep / populous threads, as well as improved paging and post referencing.

At the base of the screen is a separate ’Who’s Online’ Design Element, which is particularly useful for Forums and Group Chat - so you know whom you can direct your discussions towards...

Message Boards

Message Boards are Affino’s simpler consumer-oriented Discussion Boards, since we optimised Forums though, most sites now use Forums by choice - with technical features stripped out; whilst Message Boards are used almost exclusively for threaded discussions within the  ’Groups’ functionality.

Message Boards feature:

• Media Embeds - Same Oembed functionality as Forums, Blogs and Comments
• Message Preview - Posting Preview State
• Problems Reporting - Simple Report issues button
• Simple Navigation - clear, linear structure
• Smileys - Use smileys throughout posts
• Subscriptions - Receive notifications of replies
• Thread Icons - Select thread icon to illustrate tone or nature of thread

Lots of sites are also replacing Message Boards with individual ’Group Chat’ pages, note though the ’Group Chats’ have no subscriptions / replies notifications, and are really just intended for casual, informal chats - in one long stream of consciousness!

Works very well on Eric Prydz, although during twilight hours tends to get filled up with some very odd discussion topics and visual references! Not necessarily suitable for all sites.