Aces High Bulletin Board
Special Events Forums => Friday Squad Operations => Topic started by: Dawger on March 16, 2017, 01:23:58 PM
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It seems frame planning and general camaraderie would be facilitated by a password protected forum each month versus the rather clumsy email list.
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It seems frame planning and general camaraderie would be facilitated by a password protected forum each month versus the rather clumsy email list.
Skuzzy would be pretty busy.
By the time he got them set up every month and someone (CiC presumably) got everyone added (different every month)...we'd be flying frame 1 before anyone even utilized it.
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The CMs could moderate (add and remove users) , but as Stampf mentioned, it would be a huge task every month to get players and squad command added and switched around.
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Too many squads change sides from month-to-month to make it practical. It would require a great deal of management from the CM team to ensure that only the correct users have access to the correct forum.
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The CMs have enough to do IMO. Thats just a potential disaster.
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1. It does not need to be a HTC forum. It could be a forum hosted elsewhere.
2. Each month the sides are switched by the CM's and emails are rearranged accordingly. Once that is done, all they have to do is email the PASSWORD for each forum to the email list they are already creating and utilizing.
3. End of month, delete password. Create new ones for use in the next months email.
I don't mean to dump the present email system, only to augment it with a private discussion area.
This isn't rocket surgery.
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1. It does not need to be a HTC forum. It could be a forum hosted elsewhere.
2. Each month the sides are switched by the CM's and emails are rearranged accordingly. Once that is done, all they have to do is email the PASSWORD for each forum to the email list they are already creating and utilizing.
3. End of month, delete password. Create new ones for use in the next months email.
I don't mean to dump the present email system, only to augment it with a private discussion area.
This isn't rocket surgery.
Got to admit it worked quite well in the S3 in the other game. Not sure how it'd work here as the mentality's a bit different.
Wiley.
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Got to admit it worked quite well in the S3 in the other game. Not sure how it'd work here as the mentality's a bit different.
Wiley.
(https://cretoniatimesdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/shortbus2.jpg)
I keed. I keed.
:aok
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Lol! I swear both communities would laugh at that pic thinking it was for the other side. :devil
Wiley.
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I've helped manage tournaments in other games that have similar setups; sort of a mix between scenerios and FSO where we did change around the teams on a bimonthly basis. It's actually not that difficult to manage the forum permissions. It doesn't even need to be on an individual basis, the access can be assigned to entire squad groups with one check box.
However, like it's been mentioned, this would require more work on the CMs and quicker organization of the teams so that the sides are given access at least a week before the next FSO.
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Lol! I swear both communities would laugh at that pic thinking it was for the other side. :devil
Wiley.
I can tell you with certainty that the WB community aint what it once was and is now definitely packing the short bus with window lickers.
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Just to be clear.....
So you create an AXIS forum and an Allied Forum. You password protect them.
At the start of each FSO series you send out the password to the respective squad leaders for THEIR SIDE on that FSO series.
The only thing to manage is already being managed (who is on what side). You can also eliminate some of the folks on the email because the squads are then responsible to disseminate the password to each player, so essentially it makes it easier.
Once that SERIES FSO is over, you remove passwords....other side can see "what the plan was", and when the next series starts you password protect them again with a new series password.
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Yaknow that just might work!
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you've obviously never run a forum before. I have some access for AVA axis and allies forums. each person has to be given rights, its not on a "password the door" type bases.
its a ton of work if you are forever moving people from one forum to another. people have to be removed and added constantly because of the side switching going on.
as an example, JG54 switched this month for allies instead of axis. there are 12 consistent members that would need to be taken out of one forum and added to another.
no lets take a larger squad like claimjumpers or JG11 in its heyday. whole different ball of wax.
the other problem you run into is if someone is forgotten? now you have to deal with issues like "cheating" or "spying". yeah not much fun.
im pretty sure email is the better solution and so far has worked ok. while I wouldn't mind such forums, I know how much of a nightmare, logistically, they can be.
and lets not forget, no one is getting paid to do this. this is stuff that's done on our own time.
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you've obviously never run a forum before. I have some access for AVA axis and allies forums. each person has to be given rights, its not on a "password the door" type bases.
its a ton of work if you are forever moving people from one forum to another. people have to be removed and added constantly because of the side switching going on.
as an example, JG54 switched this month for allies instead of axis. there are 12 consistent members that would need to be taken out of one forum and added to another.
no lets take a larger squad like claimjumpers or JG11 in its heyday. whole different ball of wax.
the other problem you run into is if someone is forgotten? now you have to deal with issues like "cheating" or "spying". yeah not much fun.
im pretty sure email is the better solution and so far has worked ok. while I wouldn't mind such forums, I know how much of a nightmare, logistically, they can be.
and lets not forget, no one is getting paid to do this. this is stuff that's done on our own time.
Being a part of a forum that operated exactly as Dawger describes (he runs our own squad forum as well), forums can work like this. The axis/allies forums would be a part of the standard "user list", however you need to know the password to access it. Password gets sent out the same way orders are distributed now. The onus is on CO's to disseminate or not. The risk of someone being left out is the same as it is now with the email list, so not really that much of an argument.
That said we don't know how this forum operates, just that the theory works. I could refer you to a guy named jabo if you don't believe me.
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But is Dawger's squad forum you mention on this BBS? What Jaeger is referring to are squad and event forums here on the HTC BBS. If you are talking about off-site FSO forums then that would be pretty much a non-starter for official FSO use.
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Make them here.... Dawger just said "doesn't even have to be here".
That way they are in "official" HiTech control....
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I was referring to the assertion Dawger has no idea how to set up a forum. He does. The S3s run by Jabo is the example I was a part of as the XO of II./JG77. Incidentally I've also set up the squad forum for II./JG77 that also allowed password setups independent of user groups. Yes these are offsite examples, hence the part where I said we don't know this forum's capabilities.
Skuzzy's answer to the OP is what matters and he's a busy man.
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Wise man once said if it's not broke don't fix it. You guys want to help GREAT. We need players go in main tell everyone what their missing.
Fill guest spots. Really feel like being a part of FSO we need CM's. We have had 3 retire in the last year. We would love to see players stepup and help keep all events running.
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Make them here.... Dawger just said "doesn't even have to be here".
That way they are in "official" HiTech control....
I manage several private forums here. There is no option for pw protected forums as suggested in this thread.
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It all hinges on the issue of whether or not SMF has the ability to have password protected forums, which it doesn't. There are modifications out there to protect the entire board, but probably not child boards. Other software such as phpBB3 has this ability built in.
Good luck trying to get everyone onto a third party board.
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I manage several private forums here. There is no option for pw protected forums as suggested in this thread.
So the SAPP private forum has no password?
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So the SAPP private forum has no password?
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If it's a squad sub forum here, No. Moderators are assigned and players are added and removed. Basic moderators can be added as well.
But there is no function that allows you to enter a private forum via a password. You're either in or you're out.
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I've used SMF for years and am currently an administrator on another website that uses the same version of SMF as here. I can say that changing permissions is not as difficult as it may seem. As a group moderator, yes you have to assign people individually and doing that for 100+ people can be a PITA.
However, we don't need to do it that way IF an admin can do it (Skuzzy). Side assignments are done by squad, so access to the Allied/Axis forum can just be given to the specific squad groups. For example, JG11 is assigned to the Axis for coming FSO. You just go in to the settings for the JG11 usergroup that already exists and add visibility to the Axis forum. If they get swapped to Allies, then you just tick the box for Allies and remove Axis. Doing that for 20 or so squads is much more simple than doing it for each individual person. The only problem is that it requires an admin to do it... which may be asking too much.
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So the SAPP private forum has no password?
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Have you ever had to input a password to get into it? :)
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Have you ever had to input a password to get into it? :)
Hell I don't remember:)
So with no password capability....going to say forget forum use and just keep the present Model T method going:)
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Mainly logistics as stated above. :salute
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I really didn't expect "It's too hard" to be the primary response.
I must lower my expectations.
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I really didn't expect "It's too hard" to be the primary response.
I must lower my expectations.
CM Application Sent.
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I really didn't expect "It's too hard" to be the primary response.
I must lower my expectations.
It isn't too hard. Who said it was too hard? Creating the system isn't too hard, but it would be a logistical nightmare
With the current software (SMF) there is no support for password protected child boards. So there goes that idea. Now we have the idea of groups for each squad. I am sure Skuzzy already has enough to do babysitting this board to want to spend even 30 minutes of his day adding and subtracting groups from a forum. On top of that, he would have to add and subtract users from each group, unless they managed to allow moderators per group, which is asking a bit on a board where they like to keep things locked down.
A third party forum would work and you can do whatever you'd like to your heart's content, but people use this forum for convenience. Having another account at a totally different domain doesn't sound convenient.
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CM Application Sent.
Replied
Careful what you ask for
:D
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It isn't too hard. Who said it was too hard? Creating the system isn't too hard, but it would be a logistical nightmare
With the current software (SMF) there is no support for password protected child boards. So there goes that idea. Now we have the idea of groups for each squad. I am sure Skuzzy already has enough to do babysitting this board to want to spend even 30 minutes of his day adding and subtracting groups from a forum. On top of that, he would have to add and subtract users from each group, unless they managed to allow moderators per group, which is asking a bit on a board where they like to keep things locked down.
A third party forum would work and you can do whatever you'd like to your heart's content, but people use this forum for convenience. Having another account at a totally different domain doesn't sound convenient.
Ahevents.net is a totally different domain yet we somehow manage to muddle through.
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When the side assignments are done you guys have a ready made email group for the squad leaders and deputies. One for Allies and one for Axis. That's every setup. I think that suffices.
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When the side assignments are done you guys have a ready made email group for the squad leaders and deputies. One for Allies and one for Axis. That's every setup. I think that suffices.
Suffice is by definition adequate or meeting the minimum requirement.
I am looking for a higher level of engagement by the FSO participants. Email, especially now when everyone gets a flood of email, is an especially poor method of building the sort of engagement that FSO needs.
A forum would allow and encourage a higher level of participation and since the forum would be available to players beyond the squadron staff, a much wider group would be involved.
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Suffice is by definition adequate or meeting the minimum requirement.
I am looking for a higher level of engagement by the FSO participants. Email, especially now when everyone gets a flood of email, is an especially poor method of building the sort of engagement that FSO needs.
A forum would allow and encourage a higher level of participation and since the forum would be available to players beyond the squadron staff, a much wider group would be involved.
Maybe it would usher in a new era of FSO engagement.
And, it might wind up looking very, very similar to the scenario forums, where it's the same dozen people posting similar things and thunderous silence from the vast majority.
I'd love to be wrong though.
Wiley.
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I think your heart is in the right place, Dawger...
The issue isn't necessarily lack of a private forum to communicate orders and intent when assigned to a particular side.
The issue is the lack of response when the orders are issued between squads assigned to work with each other.
Time and time again, as Operations Officer for G3-MF I have reached out every time orders were sent to coordinate a defense or an attack. Sometimes squads communicate great, some wait until the 30 minutes prior to launch to discuss, yet never read the email or looked at the maps I spent hours working on. Some times, you get no response and the squads you are supposed to work with cowboy up and simply do what they want vs. work together. Heck, often times, I'd have my own squad mates logging into FSO only to ask, what are we doing? What base? What plane? Quite frankly, it is enough to burn a guy out. After over 3 years, I burnt out.
What we do at G3-MF is we have our own private forums. We have a voting booth, we have many subjects with sub titles. One is specifically for FSO. When we receive our orders, we draw up our operations orders using OSMEAC and BAMCIS (my veterans will appreciate that). We set up maps, routes, patrol sectors, scouting zones, etc.... Then we reach out to all other squads we are working with announcing our intent and ask for feedback or acknowledgment.
The fact is, you cannot expect that everyone will read and work with the site. Those of us that are really into it will. But many won't. That is simple human nature. One could argue that we set something like a forum up and the leaders that receive orders, etc... could be the ones with access and you communicate there. But the question I ask is if we can't do that already through email, why would we add layers using a forum system that an already simpler system isn't being utilized to the max already?
No offense. My intent is to have us ALL think this through before setting up another layer. Thanks all!
:rock
SlipKnoT
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Spot on Slip.
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ok dawger. since you want forums so bad, here you go. I build this just for you. www.fsoforums.org/forum (http://www.fsoforums.org/forum) sign up ill make you the moderator. you can run it as you please. get all your friends in there. it set up for axis and allies. have at it.