Is Conversion Mandatory?

[Blind Poet]

Hoo, hello, I looked through the first 6-7 pages of this board, and didn't see anything pertaining to this, so I thought it would be okay to start up a thread about this. Namely, when it comes time for all the forums to be converted, is it mandatory to convert, or can we opt out?

Because, honestly, I don't like the V5 update, and I like what I have right now on all of my boards, so I don't want to change.

[Patrick [ASE]]

At the moment, you can opt in early for the change, the full change is due to happen on 29 April, but there will be an opt out until the end of the year.
After that, then yes it will be mandatory.

If you are having problems getting your betazone to look the way you want it, then please feel free to ask for assistance, there have been many that didn't like v5 at first, but after getting a bit of help or playing with it, they have changed their minds, just look at the praise board.

[Blind Poet]

Least I've got until the end of the year, then...

It's less getting it to look the way I want it, and more the little changes in the new format that add up altogether and irk me greatly. The change in the overall look of the site, the global accounts, the mobile version, the v4 codes not working... Just a lot of little-ish things adding up to make me dislike the new version.

Regardless, thanks for the heads up!

[Chloe]

Yes I have to say that although the overall changes to v5 are excellent, the change in coding language is a real downer for me. Coding that was easy and flexible in v4 is now virtually impossible; I can't seem to get the best look out of anything.

One example is an article I'm publishing later - there are inexplicable gaps after each sentence, making the article twice as long as it needs to be. The gaps are not only unnecessary but indefatigable; I have no idea why they are there or how to get rid of them. And the v5 coding is so complicated I can't even help my own FMs with it because I can barely figure it out myself.

Please help, someone!

[McGani]

Coding that was easy and flexible in v4 is now virtually impossible;

Really? Did you code anything for V4 on your own? I personally have a solid understanding of HTML/CSS and still stooped to copy/pasting everything pre-made because for me, it wasn't easier.

With V5, I can directly access the HTML of the forum, and I understand it a little better now. I of course am overly-cautious and look in the Support areas to see if people have already solved any problems I'm facing, but I feel more comfortable now to play around.

Even if you don't know coding, you no longer EVER have to touch a code again with V5 if you don't want to. Plugins replace Header/Footer hacks for the most part, so anything you had to go through lines of code to edit in V4 are now streamlined in V5. You edit the most basic things, and it's organized.

Even skinning a forum is easier now. I think people are under the illusion that it's harder because there are TONS more options for customization--but how could that ever be a bad thing? Again, skinning can be tweaked in the three levels of difficulty, but skinning in V4 was an almighty pain. You could only choose to color the most basic items, and if you wanted anything customized further you had to use header/footer hacks.

In V5, I can make every. single. element. of my forum a different color if I really wanted to. I can make elements transparent. I can give different elements background images. Those used to be header/footer codes that were breakable. Now they're right there in your skin panel, and you have a live preview so you can see what you're changing as you change it, instead of save>refresh>Admin panel>skins panel>Choose skin>colors>edit>Repeat.

In V5, you don't even have to use Photobucket anymore. You can upload images straight from your computer. HOW COOL IS THAT? Gone are the days of Open New Tab>Photobucket.com>Upload Picture>Back to Album>Copy URL>Paste URL into Code>Save>Crap that's the wrong size>Fix image>Save image>Back to photobucket>repeat

All of those extra steps to perform a simple task are COMPLETELY gone.

I do not understand all of the complaints that V5 is difficult. Yes, at first I was jarred by the Admin panel being a totally separate page. Yes, at first I was overwhelmed by just how many things I had to tweak to create my skin. Yes, at first I was shaking my fist that literally none of my V4 header/footer codes worked, and I had to start over.

But then...

• I got used to the Admin panel, because it truly is more user friendly.

• Because I still trust a page refresh over a Live preview, I found someone's mod to open the Admin in a different tab.

• I geeked out over how customizable skins are now, and how easy they can be to make. You can now make multiple skins without the headache of needing different codes for different skins (such as head/base/middle images, for "Border Around Forum" setups)

• I realized that most of the codes I had hacked in Header/Footers in V4 are now included in V5. And nearly everything else I could want or need that I was missing is now in Plugin form, and it's infinitely easier. My Affiliate scroller, for example. I no longer have to fish through miles of code to put a new Affiliate in. All I need is a URL and an image URL, plug them into some organized cells, and DONE.

• Any codes that you might be missing--be patient. We're still in beta. Make a feature suggestion, or request a plugin/mod. I switched to V5 only last week and already, I've gotten every bit of support I've needed, and it's come to me at a speedy pace. I'm never left hanging for more than a couple of hours, and that's only when it's late at night.

• V5 not only built in features from V4 that you used to have to hack, but they've added new ones. Ever been annoyed that you didn't get automatic notifications that someone responded to your thread? Especially on an RP forum? Well now, that's built in. You can tag people in posts now, too, which is nice if you need to get the Admin's attention without PMing them.

• Mini-Profiles are more customizable than ever.

• Member Groups are more customizable than ever.

• Category/Board Creation/Modification is easier than ever.

My advice to EVERYONE worried about the conversion to V5: don't be. Get EXCITED. It's shiny. It's new! And it isn't the end of the world.

I advise everyone who is worried to upgrade NOW, while it's in beta, so you can get used to it. Don't let your forum get automatically merged over out of the blue one day--that's only going to make the transition worse.

A nice feature about converting to V5 is that you can duplicate your forum into a test forum, so you can play around without screwing up your currently active forum. When you're done, exporting your skin is CRAZY easy.

I feel the need to stand on this soapbox and defend the switch to V5, because people just don't realize:

• V4 was ridiculously outdated.

• V5 truly is a more user-friendly, less-mess interface.

• Complaining about it just because it's new and hard to adjust, is unfair and disrespectful to ProBoards. Lots of hard work and consideration for its members went into this Upgrade. They had YOU in mind. And they really did make it better. Give it a chance first.

• This service is 100% free. For ProBoards to make an upgrade this awesome at all is impressive, in my opinion.

• By the way, if you're complaining about V5 here, I KNOW you haven't given it a chance because it is still in Beta and has hardly been released. Again, I implore you, I BEG you: give it a chance. I'm not talking about trusting the opinions of people you know who have tried it. I'm not talking about giving it a week and giving up. I'm talking about giving it a REAL chance.

You know how some of your favorite TV shows suck in their first season, but after that they're awesome? And how when you try to get your friends to watch it, you try to warn them that Season 1 isn't as good, and to just give it that chance? And how saddening it is if they get halfway through Season 1 and give up because they don't like it? Sometime going the extra mile, going as far as to say they hate it? Before they even gave it that chance? That's kind of how I feel about V5.

You know how jumping into a cold swimming pool is harder to do, but ultimately wiser and less painless than wading in slowly? That's my advice to weary admins who don't want to make the plunge--JUST DO IT. It'll be a lot better for you to jump in now than sit on your hands until you're literally pushed in once the upgrade is made mandatory.

I'm sorry if I sounded rude at all! I'm just very enthusiastic about the new version and it's so frustrating to see others just throwing up their hands and shaking their fists just because there's a learning curve/adjustment period.

Give it a chance! *Chants this phrase endlessly*

[Stinky666]

Feb 1, 2013 9:28:40 GMT -8 McGani said:

Coding that was easy and flexible in v4 is now virtually impossible;

Really? Did you code anything for V4 on your own? I personally have a solid understanding of HTML/CSS and still stooped to copy/pasting everything pre-made because for me, it wasn't easier.

With V5, I can directly access the HTML of the forum, and I understand it a little better now. I of course am overly-cautious and look in the Support areas to see if people have already solved any problems I'm facing, but I feel more comfortable now to play around.

Even if you don't know coding, you no longer EVER have to touch a code again with V5 if you don't want to. Plugins replace Header/Footer hacks for the most part, so anything you had to go through lines of code to edit in V4 are now streamlined in V5. You edit the most basic things, and it's organized.

Even skinning a forum is easier now. I think people are under the illusion that it's harder because there are TONS more options for customization--but how could that ever be a bad thing? Again, skinning can be tweaked in the three levels of difficulty, but skinning in V4 was an almighty pain. You could only choose to color the most basic items, and if you wanted anything customized further you had to use header/footer hacks.

In V5, I can make every. single. element. of my forum a different color if I really wanted to. I can make elements transparent. I can give different elements background images. Those used to be header/footer codes that were breakable. Now they're right there in your skin panel, and you have a live preview so you can see what you're changing as you change it, instead of save>refresh>Admin panel>skins panel>Choose skin>colors>edit>Repeat.

In V5, you don't even have to use Photobucket anymore. You can upload images straight from your computer. HOW COOL IS THAT? Gone are the days of Open New Tab>Photobucket.com>Upload Picture>Back to Album>Copy URL>Paste URL into Code>Save>Crap that's the wrong size>Fix image>Save image>Back to photobucket>repeat

All of those extra steps to perform a simple task are COMPLETELY gone.

I do not understand all of the complaints that V5 is difficult. Yes, at first I was jarred by the Admin panel being a totally separate page. Yes, at first I was overwhelmed by just how many things I had to tweak to create my skin. Yes, at first I was shaking my fist that literally none of my V4 header/footer codes worked, and I had to start over.

But then...

• I got used to the Admin panel, because it truly is more user friendly.

• Because I still trust a page refresh over a Live preview, I found someone's mod to open the Admin in a different tab.

• I geeked out over how customizable skins are now, and how easy they can be to make. You can now make multiple skins without the headache of needing different codes for different skins (such as head/base/middle images, for "Border Around Forum" setups)

• I realized that most of the codes I had hacked in Header/Footers in V4 are now included in V5. And nearly everything else I could want or need that I was missing is now in Plugin form, and it's infinitely easier. My Affiliate scroller, for example. I no longer have to fish through miles of code to put a new Affiliate in. All I need is a URL and an image URL, plug them into some organized cells, and DONE.

• Any codes that you might be missing--be patient. We're still in beta. Make a feature suggestion, or request a plugin/mod. I switched to V5 only last week and already, I've gotten every bit of support I've needed, and it's come to me at a speedy pace. I'm never left hanging for more than a couple of hours, and that's only when it's late at night.

• V5 not only built in features from V4 that you used to have to hack, but they've added new ones. Ever been annoyed that you didn't get automatic notifications that someone responded to your thread? Especially on an RP forum? Well now, that's built in. You can tag people in posts now, too, which is nice if you need to get the Admin's attention without PMing them.

• Mini-Profiles are more customizable than ever.

• Member Groups are more customizable than ever.

• Category/Board Creation/Modification is easier than ever.

My advice to EVERYONE worried about the conversion to V5: don't be. Get EXCITED. It's shiny. It's new! And it isn't the end of the world.

I advise everyone who is worried to upgrade NOW, while it's in beta, so you can get used to it. Don't let your forum get automatically merged over out of the blue one day--that's only going to make the transition worse.

A nice feature about converting to V5 is that you can duplicate your forum into a test forum, so you can play around without screwing up your currently active forum. When you're done, exporting your skin is CRAZY easy.

I feel the need to stand on this soapbox and defend the switch to V5, because people just don't realize:

• V4 was ridiculously outdated.

• V5 truly is a more user-friendly, less-mess interface.

• Complaining about it just because it's new and hard to adjust, is unfair and disrespectful to ProBoards. Lots of hard work and consideration for its members went into this Upgrade. They had YOU in mind. And they really did make it better. Give it a chance first.

• This service is 100% free. For ProBoards to make an upgrade this awesome at all is impressive, in my opinion.

• By the way, if you're complaining about V5 here, I KNOW you haven't given it a chance because it is still in Beta and has hardly been released. Again, I implore you, I BEG you: give it a chance. I'm not talking about trusting the opinions of people you know who have tried it. I'm not talking about giving it a week and giving up. I'm talking about giving it a REAL chance.

You know how some of your favorite TV shows suck in their first season, but after that they're awesome? And how when you try to get your friends to watch it, you try to warn them that Season 1 isn't as good, and to just give it that chance? And how saddening it is if they get halfway through Season 1 and give up because they don't like it? That's kind of how I feel about V5.

You know how jumping into a cold swimming pool is harder to do, but ultimately wiser and less painless than wading in slowly? That's my advice to weary admins who don't want to make the plunge--JUST DO IT. It'll be a lot better for you to jump in now than sit on your hands until you're literally pushed in once the upgrade is made mandatory.

I'm sorry if I sounded rude at all! I'm just very enthusiastic about the new version and it's so frustrating to see others just throwing up their hands and shaking their fists just because there's a learning curve/adjustment period.

Give it a chance! *Chants this phrase endlessly*

And the award for best post goes to..
PB should pay you for that

[AshFR]

Feb 1, 2013 9:28:40 GMT -8 McGani said:

Coding that was easy and flexible in v4 is now virtually impossible;

Really? Did you code anything for V4 on your own? I personally have a solid understanding of HTML/CSS and still stooped to copy/pasting everything pre-made because for me, it wasn't easier.

With V5, I can directly access the HTML of the forum, and I understand it a little better now. I of course am overly-cautious and look in the Support areas to see if people have already solved any problems I'm facing, but I feel more comfortable now to play around.

Even if you don't know coding, you no longer EVER have to touch a code again with V5 if you don't want to. Plugins replace Header/Footer hacks for the most part, so anything you had to go through lines of code to edit in V4 are now streamlined in V5. You edit the most basic things, and it's organized.

Even skinning a forum is easier now. I think people are under the illusion that it's harder because there are TONS more options for customization--but how could that ever be a bad thing? Again, skinning can be tweaked in the three levels of difficulty, but skinning in V4 was an almighty pain. You could only choose to color the most basic items, and if you wanted anything customized further you had to use header/footer hacks.

In V5, I can make every. single. element. of my forum a different color if I really wanted to. I can make elements transparent. I can give different elements background images. Those used to be header/footer codes that were breakable. Now they're right there in your skin panel, and you have a live preview so you can see what you're changing as you change it, instead of save>refresh>Admin panel>skins panel>Choose skin>colors>edit>Repeat.

In V5, you don't even have to use Photobucket anymore. You can upload images straight from your computer. HOW COOL IS THAT? Gone are the days of Open New Tab>Photobucket.com>Upload Picture>Back to Album>Copy URL>Paste URL into Code>Save>Crap that's the wrong size>Fix image>Save image>Back to photobucket>repeat

All of those extra steps to perform a simple task are COMPLETELY gone.

I do not understand all of the complaints that V5 is difficult. Yes, at first I was jarred by the Admin panel being a totally separate page. Yes, at first I was overwhelmed by just how many things I had to tweak to create my skin. Yes, at first I was shaking my fist that literally none of my V4 header/footer codes worked, and I had to start over.

But then...

• I got used to the Admin panel, because it truly is more user friendly.

• Because I still trust a page refresh over a Live preview, I found someone's mod to open the Admin in a different tab.

• I geeked out over how customizable skins are now, and how easy they can be to make. You can now make multiple skins without the headache of needing different codes for different skins (such as head/base/middle images, for "Border Around Forum" setups)

• I realized that most of the codes I had hacked in Header/Footers in V4 are now included in V5. And nearly everything else I could want or need that I was missing is now in Plugin form, and it's infinitely easier. My Affiliate scroller, for example. I no longer have to fish through miles of code to put a new Affiliate in. All I need is a URL and an image URL, plug them into some organized cells, and DONE.

• Any codes that you might be missing--be patient. We're still in beta. Make a feature suggestion, or request a plugin/mod. I switched to V5 only last week and already, I've gotten every bit of support I've needed, and it's come to me at a speedy pace. I'm never left hanging for more than a couple of hours, and that's only when it's late at night.

• V5 not only built in features from V4 that you used to have to hack, but they've added new ones. Ever been annoyed that you didn't get automatic notifications that someone responded to your thread? Especially on an RP forum? Well now, that's built in. You can tag people in posts now, too, which is nice if you need to get the Admin's attention without PMing them.

• Mini-Profiles are more customizable than ever.

• Member Groups are more customizable than ever.

• Category/Board Creation/Modification is easier than ever.

My advice to EVERYONE worried about the conversion to V5: don't be. Get EXCITED. It's shiny. It's new! And it isn't the end of the world.

I advise everyone who is worried to upgrade NOW, while it's in beta, so you can get used to it. Don't let your forum get automatically merged over out of the blue one day--that's only going to make the transition worse.

A nice feature about converting to V5 is that you can duplicate your forum into a test forum, so you can play around without screwing up your currently active forum. When you're done, exporting your skin is CRAZY easy.

I feel the need to stand on this soapbox and defend the switch to V5, because people just don't realize:

• V4 was ridiculously outdated.

• V5 truly is a more user-friendly, less-mess interface.

• Complaining about it just because it's new and hard to adjust, is unfair and disrespectful to ProBoards. Lots of hard work and consideration for its members went into this Upgrade. They had YOU in mind. And they really did make it better. Give it a chance first.

• This service is 100% free. For ProBoards to make an upgrade this awesome at all is impressive, in my opinion.

• By the way, if you're complaining about V5 here, I KNOW you haven't given it a chance because it is still in Beta and has hardly been released. Again, I implore you, I BEG you: give it a chance. I'm not talking about trusting the opinions of people you know who have tried it. I'm not talking about giving it a week and giving up. I'm talking about giving it a REAL chance.

You know how some of your favorite TV shows suck in their first season, but after that they're awesome? And how when you try to get your friends to watch it, you try to warn them that Season 1 isn't as good, and to just give it that chance? And how saddening it is if they get halfway through Season 1 and give up because they don't like it? Sometime going the extra mile, going as far as to say they hate it? Before they even gave it that chance? That's kind of how I feel about V5.

You know how jumping into a cold swimming pool is harder to do, but ultimately wiser and less painless than wading in slowly? That's my advice to weary admins who don't want to make the plunge--JUST DO IT. It'll be a lot better for you to jump in now than sit on your hands until you're literally pushed in once the upgrade is made mandatory.

I'm sorry if I sounded rude at all! I'm just very enthusiastic about the new version and it's so frustrating to see others just throwing up their hands and shaking their fists just because there's a learning curve/adjustment period.

Give it a chance! *Chants this phrase endlessly*

That was amazing..

Coding that was easy and flexible in v4 is now virtually impossible;

Coding didn't change, all you have to do is copy and paste the codes and it's much easier to use plugins, but I don't see the difference between V.4.5 codes and V5 codes it's just one doesn't work on another they're like entirely different sofwares I don't quite understand this post, do you mean you coded or..?

[McGani]

And to those who are threatening to switch Forum providers because of this upgrade:

• You do realize that you're going to lose ALL of your posts, members, stats, etc.?

• That switching forums is more inconvenient for your members than asking them to bear with you through an upgrade? If I was on a forum where I had thousands of posts, and threads, I'd be frustrated with my Admin for moving the forum rather than having the patience to adjust to a new upgrade. I'd be especially miffed if I had paid the $2.99 for the mobile app, only for it to be rendered useless due to the Admin's decision.

• You do realize that switching Forums is going to require just as much adjustment/learning as switching to V5, right? It isn't going to be the interface you're used to no matter what. 

• From my experience, you're not going to get the support you get here from other providers. Think about that next time you have a question that needs a quick answer.

• Most other forum providers are using interfaces more similar to V5 than V4, because as I said in my OP, V4 is ridiculously outdated.

• Do you realize how rude that sounds? Don't threaten a free service with taking your business elsewhere, simply because you personally don't want to change. 

[Sophia]

You, McGani just won the Internet What a great post, so true!

I simply cannot understand why so many people seem to think that this upgrade requires knowledge of coding... it was tweaking v4.5 that was a major pain where the sun doesn't shine!

[Sophia]

Feb 1, 2013 6:05:28 GMT -8 Blind Poet said:

Least I've got until the end of the year, then...

It's less getting it to look the way I want it, and more the little changes in the new format that add up altogether and irk me greatly. The change in the overall look of the site, the global accounts, the mobile version, the v4 codes not working... Just a lot of little-ish things adding up to make me dislike the new version.

Regardless, thanks for the heads up!

I agree with you that the mobile version (I've got the Android app) doesn't seem to work that well yet with version 5. However it is early days yet, and I think it may be a bit of headache for the Proboards staff to marry v4.5 and v5 in one app. Give it time though... it'll improve.

If you are worried how your upgraded forum will look, ask here and you'll find people more than willing to help you out. I think you'll end up loving this new version - as already said, many who started with major reservations have now wholeheartedly embraced the new and improved features - most wouldn't go back for all the tea in China

[McGani]

It restores my faith in humanity that more people tend to be on the "love it" side than the "hate it"! Haha. You really just have to give it a chance. That's what it boils down to. Give it a chance, ignore outside negativity, give it a chance, spend some time playing around, and GIVE. IT. A. CHANCE.

I honestly just think people forget what it was like when they were brand new to ProBoards; I'm 99% positive it was an adjustment then, too. New things always have a learning curve. I remember being wide-eyed and intimidated when I first joined ProBoards. "There's no way I can learn how to navigate this!" I screamed internally.

I've also heard people complaining about the default look/feel of the V5 forum. That makes my eye twitch--don't they recall what a brand new, unskinned V4 forum looked like?! ATROCIOUS! Haha! They aren't supposed to look pretty to start with--that's YOUR job! They all start off looking very basic and plain--I actually think V5's default looks a ZILLION times better than the V4 default!

[Stinky666]

Feb 1, 2013 11:11:27 GMT -8 McGani said:

I honestly just think people forget what it was like when they were brand new to ProBoards; I'm 99% positive it was an adjustment then, too. New things always have a learning curve. I remember being wide-eyed and intimidated when I first joined ProBoards. "There's no way I can learn how to navigate this!" I screamed internally.

You have to keep in mind though, we as a society, have become lazy and we "want now", so "must have now", rather than putting any effort into anything.

[Patrick [ASE]]

Last i heard, the mobile version is in the works, first we get the internet version working as it's where most people are, then the app gets worked on.
remember we are still in beta

[Chloe]

Feb 1, 2013 9:35:10 GMT -8 Stinky666 said:

Feb 1, 2013 9:28:40 GMT -8 McGani said:

Really? Did you code anything for V4 on your own? I personally have a solid understanding of HTML/CSS and still stooped to copy/pasting everything pre-made because for me, it wasn't easier.

With V5, I can directly access the HTML of the forum, and I understand it a little better now. I of course am overly-cautious and look in the Support areas to see if people have already solved any problems I'm facing, but I feel more comfortable now to play around.

Even if you don't know coding, you no longer EVER have to touch a code again with V5 if you don't want to. Plugins replace Header/Footer hacks for the most part, so anything you had to go through lines of code to edit in V4 are now streamlined in V5. You edit the most basic things, and it's organized.

Even skinning a forum is easier now. I think people are under the illusion that it's harder because there are TONS more options for customization--but how could that ever be a bad thing? Again, skinning can be tweaked in the three levels of difficulty, but skinning in V4 was an almighty pain. You could only choose to color the most basic items, and if you wanted anything customized further you had to use header/footer hacks.

In V5, I can make every. single. element. of my forum a different color if I really wanted to. I can make elements transparent. I can give different elements background images. Those used to be header/footer codes that were breakable. Now they're right there in your skin panel, and you have a live preview so you can see what you're changing as you change it, instead of save>refresh>Admin panel>skins panel>Choose skin>colors>edit>Repeat.

In V5, you don't even have to use Photobucket anymore. You can upload images straight from your computer. HOW COOL IS THAT? Gone are the days of Open New Tab>Photobucket.com>Upload Picture>Back to Album>Copy URL>Paste URL into Code>Save>Crap that's the wrong size>Fix image>Save image>Back to photobucket>repeat

All of those extra steps to perform a simple task are COMPLETELY gone.

I do not understand all of the complaints that V5 is difficult. Yes, at first I was jarred by the Admin panel being a totally separate page. Yes, at first I was overwhelmed by just how many things I had to tweak to create my skin. Yes, at first I was shaking my fist that literally none of my V4 header/footer codes worked, and I had to start over.

But then...

• I got used to the Admin panel, because it truly is more user friendly.

• Because I still trust a page refresh over a Live preview, I found someone's mod to open the Admin in a different tab.

• I geeked out over how customizable skins are now, and how easy they can be to make. You can now make multiple skins without the headache of needing different codes for different skins (such as head/base/middle images, for "Border Around Forum" setups)

• I realized that most of the codes I had hacked in Header/Footers in V4 are now included in V5. And nearly everything else I could want or need that I was missing is now in Plugin form, and it's infinitely easier. My Affiliate scroller, for example. I no longer have to fish through miles of code to put a new Affiliate in. All I need is a URL and an image URL, plug them into some organized cells, and DONE.

• Any codes that you might be missing--be patient. We're still in beta. Make a feature suggestion, or request a plugin/mod. I switched to V5 only last week and already, I've gotten every bit of support I've needed, and it's come to me at a speedy pace. I'm never left hanging for more than a couple of hours, and that's only when it's late at night.

• V5 not only built in features from V4 that you used to have to hack, but they've added new ones. Ever been annoyed that you didn't get automatic notifications that someone responded to your thread? Especially on an RP forum? Well now, that's built in. You can tag people in posts now, too, which is nice if you need to get the Admin's attention without PMing them.

• Mini-Profiles are more customizable than ever.

• Member Groups are more customizable than ever.

• Category/Board Creation/Modification is easier than ever.

My advice to EVERYONE worried about the conversion to V5: don't be. Get EXCITED. It's shiny. It's new! And it isn't the end of the world.

I advise everyone who is worried to upgrade NOW, while it's in beta, so you can get used to it. Don't let your forum get automatically merged over out of the blue one day--that's only going to make the transition worse.

A nice feature about converting to V5 is that you can duplicate your forum into a test forum, so you can play around without screwing up your currently active forum. When you're done, exporting your skin is CRAZY easy.

I feel the need to stand on this soapbox and defend the switch to V5, because people just don't realize:

• V4 was ridiculously outdated.

• V5 truly is a more user-friendly, less-mess interface.

• Complaining about it just because it's new and hard to adjust, is unfair and disrespectful to ProBoards. Lots of hard work and consideration for its members went into this Upgrade. They had YOU in mind. And they really did make it better. Give it a chance first.

• This service is 100% free. For ProBoards to make an upgrade this awesome at all is impressive, in my opinion.

• By the way, if you're complaining about V5 here, I KNOW you haven't given it a chance because it is still in Beta and has hardly been released. Again, I implore you, I BEG you: give it a chance. I'm not talking about trusting the opinions of people you know who have tried it. I'm not talking about giving it a week and giving up. I'm talking about giving it a REAL chance.

You know how some of your favorite TV shows suck in their first season, but after that they're awesome? And how when you try to get your friends to watch it, you try to warn them that Season 1 isn't as good, and to just give it that chance? And how saddening it is if they get halfway through Season 1 and give up because they don't like it? That's kind of how I feel about V5.

You know how jumping into a cold swimming pool is harder to do, but ultimately wiser and less painless than wading in slowly? That's my advice to weary admins who don't want to make the plunge--JUST DO IT. It'll be a lot better for you to jump in now than sit on your hands until you're literally pushed in once the upgrade is made mandatory.

I'm sorry if I sounded rude at all! I'm just very enthusiastic about the new version and it's so frustrating to see others just throwing up their hands and shaking their fists just because there's a learning curve/adjustment period.

Give it a chance! *Chants this phrase endlessly*

And the award for best post goes to..
PB should pay you for that

Without doubt! Respect!

[alluvialric]

Feb 1, 2013 5:30:50 GMT -8 Blind Poet said:

Hoo, hello, I looked through the first 6-7 pages of this board, and didn't see anything pertaining to this, so I thought it would be okay to start up a thread about this. Namely, when it comes time for all the forums to be converted, is it mandatory to convert, or can we opt out?

Because, honestly, I don't like the V5 update, and I like what I have right now on all of my boards, so I don't want to change.

I am feeling the same as Blind Poet and many others that I read, I do not like the new version and myself and the other admins of our forum are quite happy with the current version. It suit our requirements.

Why not keep the change as optional until if and when any law changes are actually enacted.

The biggest negative to the new version is as many many others have highlighted the inability to view email addresses of members and also the restricted viewing of IP addresses.
We have a very good system running which has to date kept ALL spammers, Phishers and general local trouble makers at bay.

Even the IP search is good as often these jokers will cycle their modem so a slightly different IP shows to try and divert suspicion. It might not be an exact science but it works well for us and your auto system can never match this.

We currently can do a search of our group as well as a search engine search on an email address and also variations of it say for instance with a different email host/ISP or variations of the name and this has proved very efficient at highlighting spammers, offshore phishing emails and also general trouble makers who have attempted to upset the harmony of our forum
I would challenge you that your new version can do anything near as efficiently as a thinking person can using their own methods.

We do not need the new apps and functions. We are a discussion board. We are not 'IT' geeks, just average Joe blows with limited knowledge.Talk of codes and apps and plugins does not interest us.

We have been very happy to date with the functionality of Pro Boards since the demise of msn forced us and I guess thousands of others to seek new platforms for their groups.
The one and only function we would have always liked is still not available and that is the ability to stop poss being deleted, especially opening posts.

Regards
Ric from Downunder