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..

Stan, there are quite a few of us who do freelancing for UBB customers who are quite capable of creating css based themes at this time (and whenever the new system comes about will be able to work with that as well)

I'm inclined to agree with Stan, I would happily pay (although I doubt I have as many sites as Stan )

The thing I'm seeing with several CMSs and Forums though, are 'directories' of skins/themes.

So anyone is able to browse through many variants to choose the one best suited.

I think if skin authors had a place to publish their designs (and started making some money) it could all take off.

Perhaps if more people understood the how to make styles and what all that stuff was for in the style editor and stuff perhaps more users would make them and feel freely about sharing them.

It appears that many love to use others styles but very few actually make them and distribute them to the rest of the UBB community.

This all falls back on better documentation and perhaps a full administration manual for the administration and operation of all aspects of the program, perhaps something in PDF format that can be printed. The ones actually built in to the program require to much time to find the stuff as if you don't know where to actually find the proper place your not going to find the documentation attached to it in the program.

I'm betting there are many administrators out there who do not know what half of the stuff is in the control panel or how to use it properly. I would be willing to take on the task but I wouldn't be willing to actually spent all that time to do it and pass it out for free either.

I would rather not learning that. Some are gifted at those things, some are not.

I would rather allocate my time to other parts of growing a forum.

Why not start a store that sold copies of styles for $10+ each? are there enough potential buyers to make that worthwhile? $30+?

We have a few styles that were created for my community. Currently were only running the one main stock style I created for it.

I would be happy to sell my styles for $5 USD a pop for some of my styles someday when I get my site totally completed.

that may be to little, because folks like me are going to ask some 'plain dumb' questions after the install..

And we dont know if with the new updates coming if the New GUI
will mean a whole new style sheet or what will break and what wont lol....

Were in a world of Flex at the mo,
we dont know if were coming or going.. . .

Me wants to see Road map

Personally Stan,
Dont get too hung up on the styles its the content and the community that make it work.
I for one have my fingers crossed that updates will come on the 3 month cycle again.

I find it frustrating when the last few updates have been more for the Admin (Behind the scenes stuff)
And our users look at a tiny little list of updates.
Where Admin has loads of updates which mean nothing to our members.

I hope now the worm has turned and its going to be more members features than admin.

I remember why i chose UBB over the others and one of the reasons for me was it didn't look like the rest and the customibility of the skins / themes was IMO unique.
Yes its freaky and complicated in v7 but we look different to the rest and i like to stand out.

When we get the UI updated, I was thinking about making a better place for uploading skins. Something where it will have a graphical preview right up front for each one, contributor could choose for it to be free or a pay skin. Might do it within the ubbcentral.com domain, or maybe just setup an entire new domain for it.

Good idea

i don't like paying but that's me lol

Skins and styles are pretty much different.

If you look at this site it is a style.

If you look at UBBDev it is a skin and style.

If you look at my site it is a skin and style.

Styles are pretty much nothing but a little part of the site making the board conform to the color layout of the site. If you add a custom header and footer then your adding skins and styles together. My interpretation anyways.

My site has a custom designed morphing header. Yes it is written in javascript and easy to steal I know. But the site template changes daily if I want it to or even can change from day to night depending on the template displayed. That is a skin not a style.

You have some valid points about the speed of new things around here. But, I try to think positively about it. Most of my competitive forums are running VB. In fact, none of the forums I consider competitive to me in my geographic area are running Threads. I like that fact. My forum looks unique.

Here's to a good 2009 with more stuff from Rick!

We have give him a hard time lol

but if we dont theres only his wife we can depend on lol