Message Boards

How does it work?

[webboy86]

Hi
I would like to create a message board that allows members to post messages - but after submitting it, NO ONE must have the ability to edit it (not even the poster).Posts are read only. Is it also possible to create a table of continent of all the messages on another page?
Help would be appreciated, coz I have no experience in this.
Thanks

[rogerd]

Hi, Webboy86, welcome to WebmasterWorld.

Most forum software has what is called an "edit window" - that's a length of time set by the admin during which a member can edit his own posts. Many forums set it to 10 or 15 minutes, so that members can go back and fix typos or formatting errors, but not change things after the thread develops. If you set the time to zero, no edits will be allowed. (A related feature is adding an "edited by" note if there are replies during the time the edit window is open.)

I'm not sure exactly what you mean by a table of contents for all the messages. Typically, a "forum page" IS a table of contents of the threads posted in that forum. Can you explain what you are trying to do?

You might visit some forum software sites - there are lots of different forum software packages that have all kinds of standard features. Some of the ones commonly discussed here at WebmasterWorld include phpBB, vBulletin, PunBB, and Invision.

[webboy86]

Hi Roger, thanks for the reply.

I do apologize for my language and spelling use – English is not my home language – but ill try my best. J

What I want to do with my message board: I want members to create their own threads that can be freely viewed by others (even non-members). But I don’t want them (the viewer or the poster) to edit it after submitting.

A feature I would also like to add (if possible), is a time limit for the threads? Eg. After 72 days the thread automatically deletes itself. Any info on this – how does it work etc.?

Thanks for the forum software sites, I’ll go and have a look – What do you recommend is the most user friendliest and easiest software to use and can it be downloaded?

Thanks again for your help
Kind Regards

[rogerd]

The second feature you want is "pruning by date" - some forums may do this automatically, with others it's something you can do every month or two, or as needed.

Note that if you remove content pages, it will reduce your search engine traffic and make it harder for new people to find your forum.

[Oldiesmann]

Most forum systems allow you to be pretty flexible as far as post-editing is concerned. The one I'm with (I'm on the support team) allows you to specify how long a user has to edit their post after it's been made as well as an individual permission as to who can modify posts.

[Casethejoint]

It's very common to allow members a short window to make corrections to their posts. This could have some positive effects: better quality of writing, no follow-on posts with "Oopps, I forgot to add that..." etc.

Very few forums allow members complete control of the posts they make. I don't know of a forum that allows users to delete their contributions.

[LifeinAsia]

I don't know of a forum that allows users to delete their contributions.

We rolled our own software. The "Delete Message" button (available only to the poster of that message) was a no-brainer after getting several "Please delete my post" e-mails.

[FourDegreez]

I really don't like giving the option of deleting or modifying a post after it's been submitted. Immediately thereafter there may be other people reading and responding already. I only allow people to add additional comments at the end of their post.

[Casethejoint]

It's a common issue; deletion works for some, but I think can devalue your board by removing good discussion, disaggregating threads etc. Anyhow, this is familiar [webmasterworld.com] ground [webmasterworld.com] on this forum.

[webboy86]

Hi All,
Thanks for all the information.
What forum software do you recommend I should buy? I hate struggling with difficult programs that no one understands. The software must be plain and easy to use/understand. I paged through phpBB, vBulletin, PunBB, and Invision’s websites and I like phpBB the best. Any suggestions from you guys who specialize and works with these forums would be great!
Thank you.

[Casethejoint]

Check out this thread [webmasterworld.com] containing quite a long overview of what software admins buy and why.