Slowly,  I say we start fresh.    Save the data,  but lets not let that rule the day.

 

A fresh start has a liberating effect.

 

Anyway,  thats my vote. 

 

 

I just spent an hour typing a new message with pros and cons and explanations why.

 

And the Damn MSN server just blanked it!    

 

 

Oh I will be so happy to leave MSN!!!!!!!!

 

Frustration!!!!  

               AAAAHHHHGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

#1)  Msn is not a happy place.      Too many service drops and outages without any explanations.    

Too many Prudes telling us what we can or cannot do.     "Get that photo off or I will report you!!"

Photo policy =  only allows up to 30 megs of photo storage and that is with a $20.00 per year cost

That equals for me and my Nikon dslr about 50 to 60 photos tops.    I need more.

Does NOT support chat.

 

 

#2)  Multiply is a happy but seriously confusing place.       As a group,  it is amazingly difficult to stay current.

And that is for semi-pro users,  imagine what it would be like for newbies.

The prude factor is here as well.     anybody can come by and apply for membership and either spam us or report us to the jerks in charge.       Multiply is kinda like a "Facebook" set up with contacts and reports on who did what or who wrote in whos guest book.       This is like a big brother situation and I am not comfortable with it.

I like being anonimus(sp?) except to my friends.

Photo policy =  as far as I can tell,  they have no upper limit on the number of images any person can upload.

The only limit is on size of image.      They also have the easiest and fastest uploader I have ever used. 

But there is that wonderful disclaimer that says that Multiply can use any image on their sites for their own use,  now and in perpetuity.     With absolutlly no compensation or notification whatsoever to the original copyright owner of the image.    And they reserve the right to give those images to anyone they choose to let them use said images for free as well.

Does support Chat.

 

 

#3)  Pro Boards is a semi happy place with no limitation to what we can do as long as we all have a little more knowelege of HTML coding..

It is seriously easy to navigate around to whichever board or conversation.     No advanced users needed for this.

It has LOTS more choices as far as toys in the posting toybox to use and play with.      I like that feature!!

Photo policy =  any photo can be uploaded into any board or conversation as long as it is stored on the web somewhere.      There has to have a URL to be useful,  or used on Pro Boards.      So a secondary photo server site is needed.      Some are free,   some are not free.     Some have size or content restrictions while others do not.

This is where the HTML coding comes into play.        I know the basics of what is needed thanks to Dis's very user friendly helper section of her Pro Board.     Thank you very much Dis.

Chat IS supported!     Just not a very large window.    Waaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!     I have a hard time seeing it and it goes by so quickly I spend a lot of time scrolling backwards just to read something I missed that I miss lots more.   Waaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

#4)  I have no idea about any more choices as I have never felt the need to go elsewhere until MSN decided to abandon us.

 

 

Is there anything that I may have missed?

 

Or glossed over??

 

Or went into much more detail then anybody wanted???

 

Sorry,  missed one choice

 

 

 

Ignore #4)   Use this instead.

 

#4)  A private dedicated server for a Pro Board like set up.

A group I belong to has started this option.      This is a PAID site.    

Meaning that there is an annual charge to whoever sets it up and is the administrator.     I do not know the cost.

But,  as this is not from a free hosting site,  there are absolutely no adds or popups.

The administrator is the ONLY one who can tell any user what is or is not allowed on that site.

 

It is easy to use,  like proboards.    Easy to set up,  as long as you think proboards is easy.

Again it requires a secondary photo hosting site to use any photos for the URL.

I have no idea if Chat is supported.

 

The site in question is my Star Trek Legacy site from Msn groups.       The owner is from Australia,

and she is one of the nicest people I have ever met(online),  and does this type of thing for a living.  

She owns several of the biggest fan networks on the web.     

It took her less then an hour to set up the new trek site and that includes setting up the different skins as well.

 

I think she is a genius.    She denies this.

 

 

 

Thank you Dis,  that would be a kindness.  

 

LOL.  Ariel,  not really.    I was just giving my opinions on the choices I have seen.

I look for certain things,  like photo compatibility,  and does it support chat.     And for me,  is it a "Friendly" place?   

I will go a long way to stay in a friendly place.

 

I have been to Dis's board a few times and read most of what she put there.   

Aside from Dis,  I have posted more there then anyone else.

But I have not really posted anything like the number of times Dis has.

 

She has some very easy to understand tips on her board.    

Dis can write a very good explanation and make it easy for someone to follow.

That is harder then it looks!!   Trust me!!!

 

It looks great to me Dis,  thanks!!