Book Board Chat

Hello Bookboarders. Laurie Veness (Wellingtonct) called and wanted me to share this sad news.Ellen Steinberg (Bookleaves) of Illinois passed away in May. You may already know this through your facebook connections but Laurie just wanted to make sure you knew.

Hi everyone...I had to perform required upgrades to the server software, so please let me know if you notice anything out of the ordinary...thanks!

Hi Everyone! Thank you so much for the birthday wishes. I really appreciate it.

Welcome Karen (pawsforbooks)!

Here are some veggies from my garden.

Hi,

I believe I have the Image Wizard working again, so you might want to give that a try. Keep in mind that t's not necessary to use the image hosting site I recommended, any good hosting site will do. The HTML that you paste into the message box should look something like this:

<img src="https://i.postimg.cc/wvgt1BnH/71870241-F4-E9-4-C08-B23-C-3-AD876-C95941.jpg" width="640" height="480">

The width and height attributes are not necessary. The most important thing is to put the correct URL to the image between the quotes as in the example above.

I hope this makes sense, but please let me know if you have questions.

Thanks,
Curt

Hi Everyone! A message from Curt...he'll check on the Image Wizard issue later today. Never hesitate to send him a message if you have any website problems or questions. Take Care, Irene

Hi Everyone,

I added an SSL certificate to this website, so now your password and everything else you enter is encrypted when it travels over the internet. Your old bookmarks should automatically redirect to https://www.bookboardchat.com/. The only difference in the address is the "s" that now appears after "http".

If this all sounds like gobbledygook you can safely ignore this post 🙂

For any chatroomboard users seeing this, I plan to upgrade your sites very soon.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks,
Curt

Hello Everyone!

I think I fixed the birthday glitch you were all discussing the other day. Please let me know if there are any problems in the future.

Take care,
Curt

Thank you everyone for the birthday wishes. Hope you are all staying safe and healthy during these interesting (crazy!) times.

All updates are complete. Please let me know if you notice anything that doesn't seem to be working properly.
Thanks,
Curt

Hi everyone,

I need to update this website's software. I should be finished in about 15 minutes. If you run into any problems during that time, please log out and back in again.

Thanks,
Curt

Thank you everyone for the birthday wishes on Thursday!

Okay to start posting again!

My web host is asking me to do a software update. Please avoid posting for the next half hour and let me know in the coming days if anything is not working as expected. Thanks!

Hi All,
I would recommend that anyone who wants their birthday to show up in the right hand sidebar to please edit their member profile and update it. Hit the "save changes" button even if your birthday looks correct. Something apparently happened to the birthday field during one of the many system upgrades. I apologize to anyone who's birthday was missed.
Thanks,
Curt

Thanks Jane!

JoAnne, Jim, Gail, and June,
Thank you for your birthday wishes. I had a fun day!
Curt

Hi,
The "Load More" link at the bottom of the page is working again.
Thanks,
Curt

Sandy, (@bookbase)

I'm posting this from my iPad, so my best guess for what you need to do is to go to Settings -> Safari -> Clear History and Website Data, and then log back into the book board. Let me know if this doesn't help.
Curt

Hi Everyone,

Thanks,
Curt

HELLO EVERYONE - I wanted to let you know that I will be doing an upgrade
to the Chat Boards tonight. Please refrain from using the board after 9pm
eastern time. When I'm finished I'll post an "all clear" 🙂

Thanks,
Curt

I think that new person was a spammer Diane, so I removed her account....thanks!

Jim and Everyone,

Curt

If you are having trouble logging in, use the new link in the sidebar labeled Alternate Login Page.
Hopefully my web host will have the problem resolved soon.
Thanks,
Curt

if you are one of the people who is still having trouble logging in, then you may want to try the login link that Jim suggested:

-Curt

Some people have been having trouble logging in. I reported this to my web host and they said that they were already aware of the problem and are working to fix it. Hopefully it won't take too long, but they couldn't give me an ETA. I was one of those having trouble, but I just got in, so hopefully everyone else will be able to log in soon too.
-Curt

Update from Laurie (wellingtonct)...
She says hello to everyone, she's fine, her computer died in October, but she hopes to be chatting again soon.

Apparently the login fix only lasted a few days. I called my web host and they're now running the same job that temporarily seemed to fix it last Friday. Another customer has reported the same problem, so they are reviewing this further to try to come up with a permanent fix. For those of you who are experiencing this issue, please let me know tomorrow if it is still happening.
Thank you for your patience.
Curt

I reported the login problem to my hosting provider and they are currently running a process that they say will take a half hour. It shouldn't impact the board while it's running, but it is a first step toward solving this problem. If anyone has problems logging in more than an hour after this post, please let me know so that I can contact my provider and let them know that their fix did not work.
Thanks, Curt.

June, a number of people are having trouble logging in, including myself. I don’t know why yet, but so far I’ve found that if I clear my browser cookies, that seems to solve the problem for awhile. If you’re unsure how to clear cookies, just google it for the browser you’re using, e.g. IE8, IE9, Firefox 23, etc.

Hi folks,

Thanks,
Curt

Good morning...
I just wanted to give you a heads up about a possible outage in the near future due to software version changes at my web host. So if you come to the site and it's down, don't panic. I'll have it back up as quickly as possible.

Time test...don't forget to spring forward.

Sorry folks! The website was down and it took a while for my web host to figure out why. It all seems to be working okay again, so thanks for being patient.

Time test…a little early. Don’t forget to turn your clocks back folks.

Beth (@bethofvt), I've had problems with the sidebar not displaying a few times, but not lately, and I've never been able to figure out why that happens. But as Bill mentions, hitting refresh usually solves the problem. I suspect that it could be a problem with the browser's cache, so clearing your cache might be worth a try, but I'm guessing you already tried that.
As always, if anyone ever has any problems, please let me know.

Got it...thanks mysteryhorse!

Sorry, I think that last post was spam so I deleted it and the new member.

Jim (@dainisjg), your last post had me laughing so hard. Also, thanks for the birthday wishes.

Thank you Char, Patsy, June, Laurie, Diane, Mim, and Beth for the birthday wishes. Went to a quirky/funny movie and ate cake and ice cream. Now it's time to renew my AARP membership 🙂

Looks like another lively discussion, which is fine, but I've seen a few flags tonight. Remember, no personal attacks, no innuendos or nastiness, and be respectful of others opinions.

If you would like me to set up a board for the discussion of hot topics, I'd be happy to do that.

Just a quick fyi...

I had several requests to bold the "Post Message" button, since the natural inclination is to click the Refresh Messages button, so that change has been made. Hope it helps you avoid losing future posts.
If you don't see the change, you may need to hit the refresh icon at the top of your browser.

Hi all...just a few things...

...and remember, never hesitate to contact me with your ideas, concerns, or questions.

Hi... it appears that some people were having problems loading the board. I was one of those having trouble, but I also was having trouble getting to some other unrelated websites, so it may have been a problem depending upon your ISP. My web host checked the server and could not find any problems, so hopefully everything is okay now.

I’ve added a birthday feature to the chatroom.

On your profile page you can add your birth date (no year necessary). On your birthday it will show your avatar in the sidebar and wish you a Happy Birthday…and hopefully others will too.

Hi all. Sam is correct...you can't flag your own posts.

Hi everyone. Thought I should check in and let you know I'm still alive. I've been way too busy for the past month, but things are finally settling down.
I've added instructions to the How-To Manual for updating your profile, and also for viewing another member's profile. Quite a few of you signed up before I added a field for linking to your eBay auctions, so you may not be aware that it's available. Both sets of instructions are at the very bottom of the How-To page.
As always, if you have any questions for me, send me an email.

FYI...
I've added an "In Memoriam" link to the sidebar.

p.s. - the aforementioned features will also be made available on the other boards, in case anyone was wondering.

@otherdawg307 ...regarding the future "ignore" button...yes, it's still on my to-do list. After my grandfather leaves on Thursday I should have time to get back to my list which also includes an In Memoriam page, a plug-in for posting recipes, and instructions for going to a member's eBay listings...not necessarily in that order.

snurri... nastiness and personal attacks are unacceptable. You have been suspended.

Although I have emailed you all individual notes, I just want to thank you all again for the donations and kind words. My cats are excited and thankful too...this morning they handed me a shopping list for PetSmart and PC's Pantry (their favorite stores).

Also, I've added links to the other chat boards in the sidebar.

Just a reminder to everyone to keep all comments "above board", so to speak. When in doubt, please refer to rule #3 in the guidelines.

Just a quick update...
The new pottery board went live yesterday. You can check it out at http://pottery.chatroomboard.com
I'm working on a few more chat boards, and now that JB has announced that the eBay chat rooms will be shutting down by the middle of the month, I guess I'll have to up my production. Do you remember that episode of I Love Lucy where Lucy and Viv were working on an assembly line and it started picking up speed? Yep, I can relate!
Of course any enhancements I've promised are currently on hold until things settle down, but we'll get there eventually.
Goodnight.

@trezchick ...Lois, try to combine your posts into one post if you have a lot to say at the same time. I also want to let you know that I should have the pottery board up-and-running some time this week.

@trezchick ...Lois, I saw your message and I sent you an email. But basically, yes I'll set up a pottery board.

@kathleen ...I have an idea for posting recipes that I can implement rather quickly...maybe even tonight. I'd do it now except that I have two trellises that need to be painted because the roses can't wait for them much longer.

@otherdawg307 ...I have a Kobo eReader but I only bought 1 book for it. I bought it to read free classics. Borders has been sending me emails for the past 2 weeks telling me to transfer my book over to Kobo, which I recommend that you do. I removed the Borders software on the eReader and replaced it with the Kobo software shortly after I bought it. The Borders software was just rebranded Kobo software anyway. In fact you didn't have to look very far below the surface of the Borders website to see that it was really Kobo. Obviously Borders never had a clear strategy, but for some reason I'm still sorry to see them go.

Just checking in...
Remember, if you ever have any questions or concerns feel free to send me an email.
It's been a busy 7 days for me, but I do plan to get to the board's to do list soon.

Hi all. Wanted to let you know that the new glass board is up and running here: http://glass.chatroomboard.com
I'll add a permanent link in the sidebar soon.

@bethofvt ...as soon as the glass board is ready I'll be announcing it here. I believe there are quite a few glassies in the rafters who will probably fly off when they get their own board.

Actually, I'm working on a glass board at the moment. A pottery board may follow since I'm not any good at saying no.

There are some new informational book links in the sidebar. If you have any more links I should add, let me know.

@otherdawg307 ...the "ignore" button is next on the list. I'll try to get to that soon.

@kathleen Just saw your middle ages help desk video...it was hilarious!

oh, one other note...
We can definitely add permanent pages in the sidebar for things like the LIttle Yellow Post (@kathleen), recipes (@mingomom), or pages for significant accomplishments by our own members. For example, I'd be thrilled to have a page promoting @bookleaves new book (though I understand she would be too modest to ask for something like that).
I can add a link to the little yellow post tomorrow. I need to think about the best approach for recipes though I think it's a great idea, especially if there are some good rhubarb recipies.
If you have any more ideas for permanent pages, please let me know.

A few notes:
1. I added a section to the end of the How To Manual on how to use the messaging functionality that is built into this website. I realized earlier today that it wasn't adequately explained in the overview section and can be a bit confusing.
2. Someone asked how you can increase the font size if you're having trouble reading the posts. It's actually quite easy. Just hold down your control key and then click the button with the "+" symbol on it. Note that you DO NOT need to also hold down the shift key at the same time as you would if you were actually going to type it. You can decrease the font size by holding the control button and then clicking the "-" key. I noticed that this not only affects the text but the pictures as well. These shortcut keys will work on any website, not just this one, and it works on both IE and Firefox.
3. You may have noticed that we've had some visitors from the eBay glass and pottery boards. I've had requests from these boards to create glass and a pottery versions of this website. I haven't yet made a decision, partially because I'm not really sure how many people from those boards are actually interested. As I said to them, there's a big difference between 5 and 50. Also, there's the additional time commitment which is really my biggest concern...so we'll see.
4. On a bright note, I checked with my hosting provider and discovered that my plan provides unlimited bandwidth, so there are no worries there. Hit refresh often and with gusto!
That's all for now....goodnight.

Finally got the day/date in the post header. Hopefully I didn't break anything else in the process. For a little while we had warped back to 1/1/1970.
I also added tips at the bottom of the How To Manual on the easiest way to find a post and how to link to a post.
Added a table with all of the possible smileys that you can use in your posts 😐
Goodnight

It's okay to keep posting...don't wait for me.

Believe it or not, this is actually fun for me 🙂

I'm going to try to fix the date, so if everything suddenly looks all wonky, don't panic...it's temporary.

stamphick... No need to pass the plate around...at least not yet. I'll be watching the bandwidth usage for the first month to get a feel for what the average will be, and if it starts pushing the limits of what my hosting package includes then I may be forced to put out a hat. For now though no worries, but the thought was appreciated. But if Rusty can figure out how to slip an organic donation past the postman, my garden would appreciate it. I have vivid memories of walking through cow pastures when I was a kid...your focus is on the ground right in front of your feet and you do lots of leaping.

A Few Quick Notes:
- Glad to see a few people where able to figure out the shush tag. Keep trying...you can always delete the post and try again if you get it wrong. You could also copy one of the examples from the How To Manual and just replace the inside text.
- You can link to images, or anything else at the moment, but displaying images is temporarily turned off. I'll let you know when it gets turned back on.
- A few people have requested to see the actual date of the post rather than how long ago it was posted. That's my next task, so hang in there.
- Another request was a link to your eBay auctions. That's also in the works.
Unfortunately I have to get back to the activity that pays the bills 🙂

Paula ...posts will hang around forever unless I delete them, which I don't plan to do. Losing everything after 200 posts was just sad.
Diane ...not sure what you did wrong either. Maybe forgot the ending tag, or maybe you didn't use the custom brackets, like [shush]some text to hide[/shush] ...hard to say after-the-fact. Some day in the future I may add a helper widget that will make it easier.

Patsy ...some people have trouble remembering passwords so they use the same password for every website.

Someone asked a good question that I feel I should address. The question was, "Now that I've registered, does that mean that you (i.e. the webmaster) know what my password is?" The answer is a big NO. Your password is encrypted before it is stored in the database and it just looks like a very long string of gobbledygook. I have no way of logging into this site or any other site with this encrypted value and I can't reverse engineer it to determine what your password was. For those who want the technical explanation (and since I've been dying to use the "shush" tag... Continued...Hide

kaceysaces & Liz... no worries, I'll ignore those flags. When the "Flag" button is clicked on a post, I receive an email indicating that someone has "flagged" the post for some reason. I'll take a look at the post and if it's spam or inappropriate in some way, then I'll delete it. If a message is flagged by at least 5 members, then the author of the message will receive an automated warning message.

The avatar "cropping" bug has been fixed. My apologies to anyone who may have been frustrated by this. I would encourage you to update your avatar if you're unhappy with it. See the last section in the "How To" Manual for instructions.

The ability to crop your Avatar image seems to be broken, so for the time being I recommend that you crop your image before you upload it. The picture should be 150 x 150 pixels. I’ll let you know when this is fixed.
I’m still working on the ”How To” Manual, but I’ve made extensive changes to it, so you might actually find it useful now.

Thanks to all of you for helping me flush out the bugs and don’t be shy about a sending me a message if you notice anything that’s broken. Suggestions for improvements to the site are also welcome.

We're almost there! Today we're having an unadvertised, "soft" opening. So feel free to sign up and post messages, and don't forget to click the link in the confirmation email you receive. Your registration is incomplete until that is done.

There are one or two more features I want to add such as an "ignore" button that will allow you to hide the posts of disruptive members. I also need to finish the "How To" page.

Please use the notifications feature to send me feedback and suggestions. The "official" opening will be announced soon and your participation during this phase is very much appreciated.