'bout time

[mooniac]

it's about time!  Is this related to MAPA as I made an unsuccessful recommendation to MAPA;  something about too much change!   Are you using Vbulliten as a platform?   If you are looking for ideas right off I would say to visit http://www.carolinaskiffowner.com/.  I would suggest you include avatars, sponsors, tech forum, and possibly a hanger cafe for private talk amoung registered members.  Also,  I would be the first to pay a one time $10 fee to cover your costs.  This "member fee" would help keep some areas closed to the general public. 

I have many more ideas, just keep it coming!

Ralph K

[mooniac]

gee, I missed the avatar field in my excitement! but this is a great way to start the weekend.

[mooniac58]

Hello!

No, this is not directly affiliated with MAPA...but I hope to partner with as many groups as possible.  It is not Vbulliten,  I work with Windows/ColdFusion - so that is not an option.  I started with a free forum package called cf4em and hacked it up to suit the needs of the site - with a lot more modding to go on later (like attaching images to posts!)

I am pretty crazy about building unique and custom websites, so I am really hoping to "step outside the box" with this project...and of course this means a lot of programming will be needed. 

Once this is a full blown site I will probably add a donation button to help cover costs as well as some discrete Google adword tags.  For now it is still a major work in progress and I don't anticipate having a lot of costs until the usage ramps up.

Perhaps we could create some kind of "verified members" board that we can require some kind of "proof" that you are an owner of a Mooney (or any aircraft) to get access.  Just to keep the general public at bay

Thanks for visiting!

[mooniac]

BTW, we share very close names as mooniac, I didn't notice you using it till after I registered. I am known as "mooniac" on at least five other boards, sorry. One sign in, one password... keeps life simple! Ralph

[mooniac58]

No problem at all Also, I fixed the bug in the avatar uploader. It should accept them now.

[meddesign]

Thanks for the spell check and search box. I see too many possible threads, but as I am not much of a forum guy, maybe I am wrong and it will be easy to find just what I need to find. It certainly will be nice not to have to read through the same posts 10 times over and over day after day.

Don B

[Terry]

Found this to help with the avatar image. For what it's worth.

avatar image resizer = http://www.shrinkpictures.com/

Worked for me, a non-computer type.

Terry

[mooniac58]

Thanks Terry!  I will change this later to auto-size and shrink as well.  I have the back-end tools on the server to do this I just need to code it up.  Then you can upload any image without worries of size.

[mooniac]

Craig,

I like what you are doing with the e-mail notification of new posts, but I think once a user becomes comfortable with using this site, he will find the feature redundent and turn it off.  I would prefer a tab for "new post since last login".  This gives one a go-to page to check on whats new in any discussion.  Along with this, though, would be a tab for marking all posts as read to clear out the new message file when one is through reading posts of interest.  This feature has become my first stop when loging in to a forum. 

Quetion about login:  If I leave the site while still logged in does the site still see me as logged in?

Ralph

[mooniac58]

Ralph,

Thank you for the idea.  I was hoping to do another option too which would be a daily recap of forum activity on the topics you are participating in with another option for a digest of all discussion from forum(s) of your choice.

What you ask for is "kind of" here in the way of colored icons next to each forum and topic.  The orange color let's you know that the topic has new activity since your last login. 

The site will see you as logged in for 30 minutes if you do not explicitly logout.  This is the nature of the "stateless" HTTP system for web pages.  You request pages from a web server and it fires it to your browser and cuts the cord - it has no idea you are around until you request a new page.  Using new technologies like Ajax or Flash you can do a better detection, but there is not really much to gain unless you are offering real time chat, etc.

Craig

[mooniac58]

Quote: Terry

Found this to help with the avatar image. For what it's worth. avatar image resizer = http://www.shrinkpictures.com/ Worked for me, a non-computer type. Terry

 I have upgraded the avatar uploaded to now accept ANY image.  It will auto resize it to fit best in a 125x125 box without distortion.  Enjoy! 

[docket]

Thanks for putting this up on the net.  Mapa's email system is just too cumbersome. 

[GeorgePerry]

Criag,

NICE WORK!!!!

Great Stuff!!!...This is exactly what the Mooney community needed.  I for one will be spreading the word to all my buddies who have Mooneys

George

[Greg_D]

I agree with the accolades.  I hope this site really takes off.  I much prefer the web board forums to the email lists.  Several people have been bugging MAPA for years to convert to something like this.

[721lp]

I appreciate the effort you have put into this site. I am sure you will be surprised at the positive response......I certainly will support you in any way I can. I have owned 2 Mooney's....a '68 and my current '67. Best GA airplanes made...period.                 

 

 

 

 

[TurboExec]

Glad to see a forums site for all of us Mooniacs....its about time.  I'll tell all my mooney friends about this, and help in anyway I can...

[N57039]

Craig, I too thank you for your effort. Let's everybody get the word out to other Mooniacs!

[mooniac58]

Thank you guys!

[RobertoTohme]

Well folks, this is the type of forum I hoped for...  I would not mind at all that it becomes a paid subscription one, as it'll keep it sanitized (as much as possible) from posters that like to be "the sugar of all cofees".

Craig, congrats on this effort and keep up the good work.

 

[GeorgePerry]

Quote: RobertoTohme

I would not mind at all that it becomes a paid subscription one, as it'll keep it sanitized (as much as possible) from posters that like to be "the sugar of all cofees".

 

[RobertoTohme]

Craig,

Is it possible to make the page narrower a little bit?  On both of my computers the screen width is not enough to display the full page and the lateral slider comes in...  Just a thought.

Roberto.

[TurboExec]

Quote: RobertoTohme

Well folks, this is the type of forum I hoped for...  I would not mind at all that it becomes a paid subscription one, as it'll keep it sanitized (as much as possible) from posters that like to be "the sugar of all cofees".

Craig, congrats on this effort and keep up the good work.

 

[TurboExec]

Quote: RobertoTohme

Craig,

Is it possible to make the page narrower a little bit?  On both of my computers the screen width is not enough to display the full page and the lateral slider comes in...  Just a thought.

Roberto.

[RobertoTohme]

Quote: GeorgePerry

I agree that strap hangers with no hope of ever owning a Mooney are probably not good for the site.  Craig will have to do some policing as things mature.

[mooniac58]

Quote: RobertoTohme

Craig,

Is it possible to make the page narrower a little bit? On both of my computers the screen width is not enough to display the full page and the lateral slider comes in... Just a thought.

Roberto.

The site is set to run on a 1024x768 screen or larger.  With the large degree of things this site will do, I need that real estate to work with for the galleries, articles, blogs, etc.

Over 95% of users are running 1024x768 or much higher these days...so typically this size is not a problem.  I am not sure if it will adversely affect your other computer tasks, but you can change your screen resolution in Windows by right clicking on your desktop area and selecting "Properties" - then there is a settings tab there for adjusting the resolution.

You might find your PC got a whole lot roomier after doing this!

I could look into making a narrow version of the site, but there is a lot of work in making sure a site looks good in both versions.