[Complete] AusChristmasLighting is moving to a new forum software system + New moderator

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ryanschristmaslights

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Time to get Egg-cited! AusChristmasLighting is moving to a new forum software system

A follow up announcement and outage notice with further details will be made before the move begins.

Why the move?
The current forum software is beginning to show its age in a number of ways, both on the surface such its poor scaling on mobiles and tablets, and behind the scenes. The new software is fresher and mobile responsive.

What is changing?
In brief, AusChristmasLighting is getting new forum, live chat, and wiki platforms. The media section is also getting an overhaul. The display video gallery and display locations areas will return with a freshen up to match the new forum platform. Yes, AusChristmasLighting will be getting a new look. The forum order will remain as-is and the new site will use the same kind of colours found on the existing site.

Will site access be disrupted?
Yes. The move will require the existing website to be placed into maintenance mode for a period of time where all areas including the forums, chat and wiki will be turned off. We'll utilise the AusChristmasLighting Facebook page for announcement updates while the site is unavailable. However don't stress, a temporary chat will be available during the migration! More details will be provided about this in a follow up announcement. The migration won't start until after a follow up announcement is made.



More Details
Display names and Username changes

The new forum software does not support display names and so if you have previously set a display name then your visible forum name will revert to the username you originally entered at registration. A display name is an alternate username you may have entered after registration in the Account settings screen of the Edit profile area, which is separate to your username.

On the new forum software, you will be permitted to change your username once every year. Your previous username(s) will be recorded and publicly displayed on your member profile in an effort to clear up any uncertainty of who you were previously known as. Unlike current display names, any username changes made on the new forum will also change your login credentials.

"Media" section changes
The media section is getting a complete overhaul. Photos and video from the existing media section will not be moved. It is not feasible to properly move photos/videos over as we would need to resort to placing the forum into a readonly state for an extended period.

Instead the existing (old) media section and forum will be accessible in a read-only state for a temporary period of a few months after the website move. You will be able to retrieve any pictures you previously submitted to the original media area and resubmit them to the new media area if you wish. The link to this read-only area will be advised in a follow up announcement.

Regular forum attachments will not be affected and will be moved over to the new site.

Wiki changes
Along with the forum, we are also moving the wiki over to a new software system. The new wiki will have a set of 'Areas' that will help with locating information by grouping certain kinds of article pages regardless of whether a particular article page has been put into a category or not. The new wiki is also more tightly integrated into the forum such as offering a consistent editor and more familiar formatting bbcodes rather than MediaWiki markup.

Code:
E.g. [b]bold text[/b] rather than '''bold text'''

Mini registration changes
The current system for registering for a mini will change, but the registration process will be similar. On the new website you'll be able to click "RSVP" within a particular mini discussion topic to put your name down to attend. Registrations will open as soon as the new website is rolled out, but you may like to use the wiki for the time being.

Generous elves changes
Recognition of members who have contributed financially to the site will not automatically carry over to the new website. Instead, anybody who decided to contribute through 2016 or 2017 will be 'gifted' the Generous Elf badge for 12 months beginning from the changeover date. On the new site members will be able contribute pre-set amounts ($5, $10, $20, $50 or $100 AUD) via PayPal and automatically be given the Generous Elf badge for 1 year on the new forum. Of course any financial contribution is entirely voluntary.

Tapatalk
Tapatalk support will be retired during the move to the new AusChristmasLighting forum. The new website natively resizes to fit tablet and phone screens and you can watch (subscribe to) individual topics or entire forum sections to be sent email notifications when somebody replies. What may interest timeline users is that a small number of newest topics will display on the new website home page and you can view more new posts on a dedicated page under the "Forums" menu item of the new website.

One of the ongoing problems with Tapatalk's app is that only the forums are accessible. Whilst the forums are a large part of AusChristmasLighting, we also have the live chat, wiki, video gallery, display locations map and media area that Tapatalk users can't use. Accessing AusChristmasLighting through your tablet or phone's web browser ensures that these additional site areas will be visible and available to you.

--- ADDITIONS 25 April 2017 ---

Email notifications

AusChristmasLighting email notifications will soon be sent from do_not_reply@auschristmaslighting.com. This is an outgoing/sending email account only and so any email messages sent here will bounce (be rejected) and you'll be reminded to communicate through the AusChristmasLighting site. You may like to whitelist this new account to prevent your notifications accidentally being categorised as spam by your email service or software.

New moderator
AusChristmasLighting welcomes darylc as the latest addition to the moderating team to help with the family friendly vibe we inscribe across the site include the forums and chat. His appointment will become effective once the new forum software has opened to posting. Welcome to the team, darylc.
smiley.gif




The new forum and site has been in planning and testing stages for a number of months behind the scenes, so it will be great to finally roll this out to everyone with its new features and improvements :)

--- ADDITIONS 28 April 2017 ---

The Wiki

Whilst migration of the forum is complete, the wiki will rejoin the site later during a maintenance window. The old wiki remains available in the mean time on a read-only basis: https://old-forum-archive.auschristmaslighting.com/wiki/

--- ADDITIONS 8 May 2017 ---

The Wiki

The wiki has now reopened! There are a few differences with the new wiki platform, like a consistent forum editor (which means standard bbcodes like [b]bold[/b] and not mediawiki code e.g. '''bold'''. Read about it all: https://auschristmaslighting.com/threads/new-forum-system-the-wiki-has-returned.9718/

Old Media section
Submissions to the now former media section were not migrated to the new site automatically. You may if you wish resubmit your content to the media section by accessing a snapshot of the old site. The snapshot will remain online at least until July 2017. https://old-forum-archive.auschristmaslighting.com/forums/index.php?action=media.

Display names and Username changes
To change your name, in your Account settings area locate the "Change username" link. If you can't find it you may not (yet) be able to change your username. To prevent abuse the following restrictions apply:
  • You must be registered for 180 days or greater
  • You need to post 10 or more times
 
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