I keep on loosing members to other sites, that are serving the same group of people, they seem to have a lot more options etc etc.

Even finding a new skin is not all that easy anymore for threads.

I so appreciate the technical and other friendly support that I have had here.

Even flashchat no longer has a current installed for threads.. I gave up on making photopost work correct, the support there dropped off..

No drupal intergration etc etc..

Even the support for hacks for here... UBBDev is slow these days.

Had 282,000 listing in google in version 6, hard to get anything now.. think i am around 12,000..

Yeah it is Christmas day... and I am being a humbug...

Just wondering what the future holds for threads.

I don't mind paying for options, but there seem to be few anymore.

If you need the CMS file for Flash Chat for 7.4 I can give it to you.

As far as the rest....

I went to Wordpress for the blogs.
I have eClassifieds for the classifieds software.
I'm using Flash Chat tied to my UBB member database.

After the Blogs and then the full CP updates I plan to start making my own modifications and additions to the UBB software and stop upgrading from the stock UBB software. I don't know what to tell you other then to either make your own modifications and extend the current version of the UBB your self or look for something else. I have decided to write my own code into the UBB and make my own features and additions to the software to get back what we had in the UBB.Classic and what we currently have in UBB.threads.

I miss some of the feature that were in the classic that were never added into threads, so do most of my members that have been in my site for years. Even after numerous requests by many members here to place the old classic stuff in threads they have not been to hefty in installing them. Not a good thing on my part.

Anyway I feel your pain as others do and not to many will speak up for fear of the general popular groupies lashing out, I my self do not really care either way.

I hope/trust this will not be taken as hostile.

I think infopop needs to put more resources into this.

IMHO they were the market leader, and dropped the ball on us. Just my opinion.

It seems that Groupee (there is no Infopop) basically abandoned the UBB after putting Rick in charge and are focusing on other routes of making money

Didn't Rick like use to own the company that created the message board system or something? Changed names so many times you cant tell who is doing what any more.

The time between 6 and 7 I think set things back the most, if I recall correct, he was put in charge close to the end of that.

I am not trying to say that I do not appreciate all Rick does, and all the support he gives, just saying it needs more than Rick to stay/get back in front like it once was.

For other forums that I run, I can get a zillion skins, or whatever they are called now, it is hard to find one new one for threads...

I wish this could be moved to a thread that the visitors would not see.

I support Rick, but I need more than one person can give. The http://www.ning.com/ folks are blowing us away, and yes I know they are different, but am loosing a lot of my membership to that kind of software..

I agree.

My first board by the company was Ultimate Bulletin Board Version 3 back when it was Ultimate Bulletin Board. Then the name changes to Infopop and then Groupee err what ever it is now.

I like Rick's work and dedication but as the name changes this product keeps taking more of a back seat.

At one point in time I got the impression that this product was the company main goal for communities all across the internet and such. But lately some where Rick has stated that they are not a community product oriented company but rather just a message board product.

My thinking is that in the near future this "message board" product will become at an end for lack of company involvement. I personally would like to stay with this product and help it continue but times are changing with what users of sites want and from the feeling I'm getting with in this site and its community is that the UBB product is no longer interested in keeping up with that demand.

I would be sorry to see that happen but I have a community to cater to and if the product can no longer satisfy my community I either have to change products or take on the task of writing into this product my needs and my communities desires on my own.

I hope my comments were not offensive, I have several thousand dollars invested in ads etc... and i can see things dieing to ning.com and other similar sites

The problem with threads skins and the lack thereof is there a bit difficult to create right now and they are pretty limited, hence the need for the UI update and a better skinning method. Also the fact that not a lot of people share the skins they have created. I'm guilty of that as well as I've done quite a few skins for customers, but have failed to make them available here.

My comment that Thelockman referenced as just being a message board, is a bit limited. What I said is we'll always be a forum first. Things change, we have to adapt. We'll end up with many features that social networking sites have, but it all extends around the forum itself.

The big gap between 6.x and 7 really set us back. Since then we've had to get many of the big features in and it's taken quite awhile for each one and it's left little time for other things. Once we get beyond that I'd expect things to evolve a bit quicker.

the skins do NOT have to be free, I pay $30 per quarter for quality simple machine skins.

When a person heavily invests in advertising etc, a few bucks for skins is nothing..