FAQs

Q: What are the new “beta” club forums?
A: Threaded discussions running on the club’s web server, to support communications about news, events, and other club member interests and activities.

Q: What technologies support the forums?
A: The forums use the bbPress plugin to WordPress, and some additional features are provided with the bbp Style Pack plugin.

Q: Who can post to the forums?
A: Club members who have logged into the DLARC.CLUB website.

Q: Who can read the forums?
A: Currently, anyone with a link to a forum page can read the content on that page. Link addresses can be emailed to others or gleaned from search engines. This is by design: For example, if you post a “For Sale” item, you can email a link to that post to someone who is not a member. However, only club members are able to “reply” or post new content.

Q: Should being able to read forum content be restricted to club members?
A: That’s a question for the club. Familiarizing ourselves with the tool should be helpful in informing a discussion about that question.

Q: Can I include a link to a photo or other web content in a post?
A: Yes. Our preliminary tests show that including photos can be tricky, but they can also be helpful, e.g., in a “For Sale” listing. We’ll be sharing tips for doing that soon. Usually, photos will not be stored on the club server; they’ll be linked to from elsewhere. This is a limitation/feature of the forum-hosting software. (It helps avoid problems with hacking, spam, storage limitations, etc.)

Q: After I write a post, can I go back and edit it?
A: Yes.

Q: Can I have content from a forum sent to me automatically by email?
A: Yes, but there are limits to the emailing function. For example, the platform does not currently support daily or weekly digests (compilations) of posts. We’ll share more info as we learn more. Try clicking the Subscribe button at the top right of a forum or post that interests you. (Note: We haven’t tested this function thoroughly yet).

Q: Can I be emailed a notification if someone replies to my post?
A. Yes. You’ll see a checkbox to enable that function at the bottom of any posting form. Automatically generated emails are sent to the email address associated with your DLARC website account. Please note that we have no way of monitoring email bouncebacks: If your email account doesn’t work, notifications just disappear into the ether.

Q: Will the forums here replace the current DLARC Forum at MAILMAN.QTH.NET?
A: That’s up to the members. The bbPress approach has some advantages and some disadvantages. Advantages include auto-enrollment for new club members, threaded discussions, formatting for style, options for linking images and dynamic content, custom displaying for tablets and cellphones, and integration with other club web-based tools. Some disadvantages include limits on digests, greater complexity, and reliance on third-party software.

Q: Have you encountered any problems with the software (e.g., bbPress)?
A: Yes. Most of the tools we are using are free and open-source. They rely on volunteers to keep them updated, and can become buggy as other technologies evolve. In developing this prototype, we’ve discovered lots of software quirks and anticipate discovering others. We’ve done our best to stabilize the tools to fit the club’s needs, but we’re not Google. Patience and a sense of humor will be welcome companions in this exploration!