Big Forum Changes Coming in 2018!

[stomp]

This news is mostly about some big technical changes planned for the Channel 6-8 this "off season". (Sorry to disappoint those hoping for news of a change of site ownership or a total shutdown). The changes should make for what I hope will be a better 6-8 experience and they include the following:

• Xenforo Release 2.0 - This is the first major upgrade to the forum software that is the foundation on which Channel 6-8 is built. Most noticeable for the membership here might be enhanced mobile support and Emoji support. If you're interested, you can read more @ https://xenforo.com/community/threads/whats-new-in-xenforo-2-0.133426/ .

• Xenforo 2.0 Media Gallery Add-On - I finally got the message that making it easier to post photos, especially from your phone, is something that is a must-have for the site. The Xenforo Media Gallery

  " is an add-on that allows you and your users to create galleries of images and videos in your forum, organized into admin-defined categories or user-created albums."

  . It looks awesome and allows you to do things like add notes to and tag users in the media you upload. Not sure about what this might mean (guessing users will be able to insult or otherwise harass me in photo notes now too @Wave Runner ) . You can check it out @ https://xenforo.com/community/threads/whats-new-in-the-official-add-ons-2-0.133425/#post-1171422 .

• HTTPS - Traffic to and from Channel 6-8 is not encrypted today. Google and others are pushing sites, like this one, that require username and password, to accept these credentials more securely. Employing HTTPS will encrypt the web site traffic and better secure your credentials and accounts. I would never recommend that you use an id/password combination here that you use elsewhere. Keep your creds safe! When this change happens you will need to surf to httpS://www.longpoint.on.ca See https://www.cnet.com/news/chrome-becoming-tool-in-googles-push-for-encrypted-web/ if you want to learn more.

I have a Channel 6-8 test site running on a home system and I've converted a copy of the production site overs to Xenforo 2.0 without much trouble. I think you will start to see these changes in the coming weeks.

Wishing you all the best of the Holiday Season!

Warm Regards,

@stomp

 

[Wave Runner]

Xenforo 2.0 Media Gallery Add-On - I finally got the message that making it easier to post photos, especially from your phone, is something that is a must-have for the site. The Xenforo Media Gallery . It looks awesome and allows you to do things like add notes to and tag users in the media you upload. Not sure about what this might mean (guessing users will be able to insult or otherwise harass me in photo notes now too @Wave Runner ) . You can check it out @ https://xenforo.com/community/threads/whats-new-in-the-official-add-ons-2-0.133425/#post-1171422 .
@stomp

Oh yeah the possibilities are endless.... we is gonna have fun in 2018!

 

[Three Bouys]

@stomp the Edit Image and Image Notes will be useful instead of using other software before uploading. Improvements are always interesting

 

[stomp]

Update, with a hiccup or two along the way, the site was upgraded to Xenforo 2.0.1 just before Christmas. As well, I've now added on the Media Gallery feature. You can check out the Media Gallery @http://www.longpoint.on.ca/forum/index.php?media/ or click the Media dropdown above. I'm not entirely sure how best to integrate Media Gallery, but it's there for you to use now. You can add to the Galleries there and/or start creating your own personal albums to share media as you wish.

 

[stomp]

Further Update: After the site meltdown and subsequent issues?... it took me longer to get to Emoji support????... but (if this post looks decent), I think we're there...

Looks like you can use the Emojis available from your mobile device. There is some translation between those Emojis and what appear on a desktop. For desktop Emoji entry, I added an Extension to the Chrome browser which was available for free from the Chrome web store https://chrome.google.com/webstore/search/emoji . I chose the most popular extension I could see. See more details about EmojiForChrome @ https://www.emojiforgooglechrome.com/ .

 

[stomp]

I had on the books for 2018, one more technical update for Channel 6-8; namely, securing the site with HTTPS. Once the ice formed, Channel 6-8 got busy, so I put this change on the backburner. As we move from hard-water to soft-water seasons, I'll try to slip in the switch to HTTPS. Maybe I will get this change in without taking the site down for a day. Look to switch to using https to access the site in the next few weeks.

From above:

HTTPS - Traffic to and from Channel 6-8 is not encrypted today. Google and others are pushing sites, like this one, that require username and password, to accept these credentials more securely. Employing HTTPS will encrypt the web site traffic and better secure your credentials and accounts. I would never recommend that you use an id/password combination here that you use elsewhere. Keep your creds safe! When this change happens you will need to surf to httpS://www.longpoint.on.ca See https://www.cnet.com/news/chrome-becoming-tool-in-googles-push-for-encrypted-web/ if you want to learn more.