Re: The Defias Forum - (RP) locked :S

[Nayan]

So, if the transfer is to copy-paste important threads, I can do that.

No, no, not like that

I'm not sure about the entire process, but basically, they (the new forum host) take the structure in a file, the data (threads, users, permissions, attachments) in a backup and simply use the structure template to create your new forum and then apply the backup into it, so that things "slide" in their slot...


...and yeah, blame the movie thread, I am still not thinking about movies (or forum transfers) >.>

[Jeanpierre]

As far as I know, the "transfer" is taken care of by the receiving forum (and yes, it's perfectly doable, same as you back up forums), not the sending forum

I'm not following here. Can I tempt you to clear my doubt on what you mean?
There are 2 steps into a backup process or transfer:
- extracting the information
- importing the information

What your post seems to suggest is this: usually, extracts only offer a single format, namely the format of the forum you use. The import, if it uses a different structure, is handled by the new importing forum. Forumotion won't help you import that.
- This isn't necessarily a problem. If you get the data in a structured format, you can transform it to another structured format usable by another forum system. It takes some work, but in a matter of hours (or less) you have completely transformed the entire database.

This is what Julia meant (I think): Forumotion doesn't allow you to extract the information at all. The structure of the data itself isn't even relevant... you just don't get the data.
- I confirm(ed) this.

The solution she tried to hint at and I reported on: by writing a program that simply reads the forum from the front end, (not a data extract) you can perhaps extrapolate the topics, posts and users.

[Nayan]

As far as I know, the "transfer" is taken care of by the receiving forum (and yes, it's perfectly doable, same as you back up forums), not the sending forum

I'm not following here. Can I tempt you to clear my doubt on what you mean?

What I meant is that if you transfer from Forumotion to Zetaboards, it's Zetaboards that handles the transfer, not Forumotion.

Forumotion doesn't allow you to extract the information at all. The structure of the data itself isn't even relevant... you just don't get the data.
- I confirm(ed) this.

I don't know if Forumotion doesn't include the structure in its backups, nor did I ever have the chance to check, so I'll take your word on it. Other forums I've worked with, have it included. Might be I misunderstood Julia there, I thought she meant she contacted Forumotion support and they told her they can't give her the information.

[Jeanpierre]

Most forums I know do indeed offer to extract your data. Forumotion does not As such there is no data to be handled by "Zetaboards". I don't know if Julia contacted Forumotion support personally, but I have found a similar request on their support forum that was denied (quite harshly).

[Sophie]

Forumotion doesn't allow it nor offer the option to buy your content out in any way. Importing a Phpbb export is allowed by a lot of possible forums but, you cannot do this in forummotion, they have a different (custom) backup module which allows you to revert the forum to previous states, but it doesn't allow you any access to the files whatsoever. Basically you're stuck with them, or start from scratch somewhere else.

In theory a script could run and copy over content, in practise I don't think such a thing exists and/or can be trused or used reliably, and has to be made to match the new forum system. It also wouldn't deal with accounts properly.

If anything I'd consider the possibility of contacting FM or Google to see if certain ad types can be avoided, but from what I gather from Forumotion, I don't think their customer service is in any way interested to spend any time on it at all, nor offer any functions to. Seems pretty much "take it or leave it".

[Sophie]

We'll see what happens. I'm pondering to make a whole homepage for Defias RP and attach a forum to it. But it'd take some time as I'd have to copy over important info to the new forum before it can even be used. But right now that's probably what will happen.

Why not make an ad-free homepage that can be linked in realm forums and have these forums attached through the homepage? Blizz CM's would see their ad-free page and you'd have to be a member to see the link to the forums. Everyone happy.

Perhaps add some featured articles in the homepage. Maybe even "move" the wiki there, with all the wikia issues lately. Can also have a flash section there for screenshots and such, to not clutter threads with them. Just thinking out loud, here.

Good ideas really. Would also save hosting / traffic, since Forumotion offers that for free anyway, and text or wiki-style pages don't require a lot. Make a DB RP Community info page/news page, as you said screenshots or, well really any site feature you can think of could be done there. Having people sign up for the site only to sign up for the forums will be a pain though, but not sure if Blizzard checks secondary sources. I mean MMO champion links to pages with gold-ads at times, and they're used on the realm forums regularly. Possibly just having the forum go through an add-free site may be enough. If not, site registration could be made as easy as possible to keep the added time there to a minimum.

There are a ton of things we could do with a front-end site, for example newsletters/papers people make, or guild-specific (or recruitment) or something pages, screenshot galeries and what not. May be worth considering.

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