I miss the freedom of not being able to post my freebie finds or sale finds in the Poser Forum here. I'd rather stick to one forum than have to go to numerous ones to get the information I am seeking and wanting to give.  

Poser Shoppers has been a great asset, but not everyone wants to sign up for a Yahoo Group and because of that there are many who are missing out on some great information going around from freebies to sales to Christmas giveaways.  So I'm in the process of solving my own dilemma.

I want to set up a forum that has no store affiliation where poser users can go to get the information they want, all in one place.

I was going to wait until January to move on this. I am back to work and planned on paying the costs and having others do the set up and manage it. However, someone was gracious enough to donate a site that we can use for this purpose. I won't say who, I'll let them come forward if they want to.

Anyway, I need some volunteers. I don't know anything about php and setting up a forum.  So I need someone to do that.  I also need some people to act as admins and moderators because I just don't have the time.    All I ask is for the ability to be able to make sticky threads so that I can sticky the new user essay and bookmark threads and be able to edit them to keep them updated.

Please send me a PM with what you can help out with.

My idea would be to have:

1.  A merchants forum where any vendor from any store can advertise their stores, sales and new releases;

2.  A Poser forum where people can post questions, freebie finds, sale finds, information, WIP threads  etc.

3.  An "Off Topic" forum;

1.  Texturing forum.

And a few forums for other popular programs. But not dozens of forums for every single program available.

And maybe a gallery. Not sure on that. I'll have to see how bandwidth goes.

Very nice idea! Especially since it comes from someone so loved from poser community like you!
I would prefer just one forum using flags for commercial or of topics
As for texturing forum this could be covered from the first one
I would go on an interesting forum where I can get help or fun anyway, I wouldn't care for the gallery :biggrin:

Quote - Very nice idea! Especially since it comes from someone so loved from poser community like you!
I would prefer just one forum using flags for commercial or of topics
As for texturing forum this could be covered from the first one
I would go on an interesting forum where I can get help or fun anyway, I wouldn't care for the gallery :biggrin:

I have been thinking about the "Commercial" flagging too.  Nothing is set in stone, and it wouldn't get underway until January.  So ideas are welcome.

However, without volunteers this project is not going anywhere. 

I wish I had any idea about web building...
However one thing I would like is readable font size and not many annoying graphics, one banner is enough :biggrin:
I wouldn't have any problem with advertisements since the site won't have a store and this would help it have some income....
Black or dark background (please not white!)
Avatars is a nice feature also, helps recognizing the other members...

You can count me in!

No ads :) I can't stand banners and popups :)

they're still letting 'em post freebie announcements in their freestuff forum AFAIK.
the deal is that if we all get the daz e-mail announcing this week's freebie, do
we really need somebody reading said e-mail to us?

Quote - they're still letting 'em post freebie announcements in their freestuff forum AFAIK.
the deal is that if we all get the daz e-mail announcing this week's freebie, do
we really need somebody reading said e-mail to us?

So don't participate :)

Hi Acadia, I did something like that for Carrara:

www.carraralounge.com

Its a blog system and if you need help I can install a SMF system for you in the site, its a great Forum system and its free... Simple Machine Forum have a free gallery too and many other plugins for free:

http://www.simplemachines.org/

Quote - Hi Acadia, I did something like that for Carrara:

www.carraralounge.com

Its a blog system and if you need help I can install a SMF system for you in the site, its a great Forum system and its free... Simple Machine Forum have a free gallery too and many other plugins for free:

http://www.simplemachines.org/

Thanks :) But that looks way confusing! At least to me.  I'd like just an ordinary forum style.

Sound like what you are looking is the content creators guild

Quote - Sound like what you are looking is the content creators guild

Nope. I'm interested in setting up a forum for all poser users, not just content creators.

Anyway, I'm still looking for some volunteers to help get this set up. As I said, the site has been donated, I'll purchase the forum software unless something good can be found for free. But I don't know how to code forums or anything about php, so I need someone to take on that task, as well as others to help run it.

So now is your chance to get in on the ground floor and help set up a forum that you want to be part of.

Acadia,

PHPbb3 is pretty simple to use.. it comes with templates and it pretty much straight out of the box. you just have to set up all your forums, and create the mods. Its been quite some time since I did it, but I've had one for a long time.  its nothing like this forum at all.  I havent updated to 3 yet... seems theres just a slight issue, but it can be worked around till the newest update comes out.

http://www.phpbb.com/

here is a live demo to check out.

http://www.phpbb.com/styles/demo/3.0/

SMF is simple as well. I have a testforum or two set up if you wanted to take a peek under the hood, Acadia. :)

Sending you a pm, Acadia. :)

I'm still working on my sites with html...sigh.
PHP is something I haven't looked into yet.

As for helping out as a moderator, I'd give it a try but there are days I can't even use a mouse due to NFM.
and I'm not sure if my recent comp toubles are over for a bit or not.
Gonna have my brother take a peek next week, he is a computer debugger for Illinois Family Division.

**Acadia if you need help please let me know. I have setup several websites and different forums. I also have a domain not being used called Poserunderground.com
**

I would be happy to help out building the site and as an admin or a moderator Acadia. I was an admin on an unrelated site for about a year or so, and I helped in the complete revamping of the site and rolling out the new version of the forum from scratch.

UA

Acadia, since you are planning a poser community forum, you might also want to look at some kind of irc channel to go with it as well.  I know stratics and gamesurge have them.  It wouldn't be great for indepth answers, but if you just want to chat with other poser users, ask who made this or where can I find something like that, it'd work.

Ok, this is a go!  

Sorry for the delay. I had chosen a domain name which was available, but I had a request to not register it as someone wanted to pay for the registration and have that be their contribution.  I haven't heard back so I went ahead and  purchased the domain name.

www.poserusers.com

I will be contacting those who expressed interest in setting up the forum (I'm technologically challenged),  to see if they are still interested.

I am starting off with the 1&1 Home Package.  If need be, depending on the popularity, I can upgrade to a larger package. 

Now I just need some forum software.   This was suggested, any comments?

http://www.phpbb.com/

http://www.phpbb.com/styles/demo/3.0/index.php

Again, there will be no store affiliation with the site.

It will also be a place for me to keep ALL of my bookmarks threads and the best part is that I'll be able to edit them to update them instead of having to continuously redo them, which is a real PITA!

Things that will be:

1.  Avatars

1.  Signatures

3.  A  commercial release forum. I wasn't going to do this but I think it's a good idea because there are a lot of vendors and stores around and if these posts were in the Poser forum, the forum would be quickly flooded and other posts would get lost.

4.  An  off topic forum with a separate password access  for privacy so the average person doesn't see you all fighting amongst yourselves,  LOL  However,  I don't tolerate people making things personal and using a means that I'm providing as a platform to be mean spirited and personally attack others.  I'm a firm believer in debating and discussing topics, so it won't be a no holds barred where anything goes.  There will be a trial period for this forum, if it turns into a gank fest and is used for personally attacking other members, it will be closed.

5.  A Tutorial Forum.  However, if people want to post their tutorial in the Poser forum, that's just fine too :)  

Things that are a maybe:

1.  Gallery:  We'll have to see how the bandwidth issue plays out

Other ideas are open to suggestion and consideration.

So if you are interested in helping to get this project off the ground, please send me a PM. I need people to set up the forum and moderate.  As I said earlier all I really want is the ability to make sticky threads and to edit them.

Just to toss in my two cents, I'm in where I can help out. Sounds like you've got plenty of tech support. Just wanted to say that there are a few excellent FREE bbs software packages out there. One looks surprisingly like this as a matter of fact. Just let me try to remember the name. It was pretty simple to set up. Even I could do it, but one of the more experienced computer gurus out there might be much better at it. As I recall, it involved only setting template and file paths and the rest took care of itself.

Nope, can't remember at the moment, but if you're interested I can find its name for ya.

Quote -
Nope, can't remember at the moment, but if you're interested I can find its name for ya.

I would appreciate that, thanks :)

Attached Link: YABB

YABB - Yet Another Bulletin Board

Actually, I prefer SMF to YABB, as it's more widely used / supported and there are a lot of plugins for it.

http://www.simplemachines.org/

It's also free. :)

Well there ya go! :)

Another option would be to use WordPress, as there are a couple forum plugins available for it.

phpbb works great, I use it on Bad Kitteh forums.

I just saw this and was going to offer Bad Kitteh forums, but it looks like it's too late, and it may not fit your requirements. But, if it does, the offer is open.

My thing with new forums (even my own) is that poserdom is so spread out, and everyone's time and attention span to check out all the places worth checking out is limited. I've been hanging around commons and DAZ forums more and more, because they don't have the restrictions they do in this forum.

phpBB is completely free and easy to set up (5 minutes and you're running). It's BTW the forum software DAZ is using (although they use an old version).

That been said, BadKittehCo has a point: There are about as many forums as there are users in Poserland, and people only visit their fav 2-3 ones. You really need a strong reason for people to go there, and, most important, to come back again, and again, for months and years to come.

Exactly my problem. I'm a member in several places, but the only forums I ever actually go to are here and DAZ.

Yea, the main reason I have a forum is that it gives me a nice access restricted place for beta testing and interaction with collaborators.

There's a spot for freebie downloads and product support, but they are very seldom visited.

I'm 'hooked up' with Posershoppers, but I always forget to go there, for the exact same reason that there are too many places to go. Between promoting my stuff in the galleries here, and DAZ commons and a few emails and PM's, the time I have for it is gone. I don't go to RDNA and CP nearly as much as I would like to, for the same reason.  I don't even visit the remaining forums here and at DAZ very frequently for the same reason.

I really wish the no commercial no freebie rule was not in existance here. Like I said, it's one of the main reasons I'm at the commons more and more, and showing my work there too. As a consequence, it looks like my products are likey to gravitate in that direction too. It's a bit of a bummer because Renderosity is my place of origin - so to speak. But, it's gotten too restrictive here. DAZ not only lets me advertise my stuff there, in their busies forum, but it doesn't even require that it be sold at DAZ. Eventually you start asking yourself, why do I hang out at DAZ, but sell at Rendo, especially since DAZ wants my creations.

Interestingly, I'm seeing a number of people whom were vocal about putting those "no commercials" rules in place at DAZ commons too. Content, purchased content is a big part of this hobby. Not being able to advertize or talk about content (without people getting suspicious someone put you up to advertizing) is, well, too restrictive for my comfort.

Sorry, I'm sidetracking the thread here... :(

I don't have anything on the market yet (I hope Sharon is available this year....), but I hear ya. I find it amusing that so many DAZ threads are commercials for products sold elsewhere... it's like they're not threatened by it at all.

Until someone puts out a product that can really compete with v4 and offer enough items for it to draw people away, daz doesn't have much to worry about in the ds/poser community IMO.

Acadia - check out my site.

It is a all in one package (except the gallery). It has a download area, user upload, forum,and  very user friendly  from head to toe. Also if you want I can create a customized theme for you if needed.