Come back from Deployment and ThinkAtheist is gone
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This topic contains 28 replies, has 9 voices, and was last updated by 
Rebel 9 years, 1 month ago.
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July 21, 2015 at 1:02 pm #1116
That is a big disappointment. This web layout is just horrible. And where is chat?
July 21, 2015 at 2:05 pm #1118Welcome back Adam!!! It’s still work in progress…I would provide your feedback to @Umar so it can be added…I agree we need a chat…
July 21, 2015 at 3:37 pm #1125I am new here, and the layout and use seem very limited. I feel like I am missing every thing.
July 21, 2015 at 5:41 pm #1129I was equally distraught…here is a reply from @Umar on the old site as to why the changes needed to happen…the most important reason in number 1.
Quote:
1. Think Atheist is using Ning social network. I have installed Buddypress on atheistzone.com. Ning is closed source while Buddypress is open source. Practically i do not own content of TA. I searched a lot. There are no working tools/script to export content to some other social networking software. It means if Ning decides to close their services, we shall lose all the content. That is why sooner we leave Ning and move to new site, more content we shall save.
2. Buddypress is flexible and has more options in form of plugins. I have not installed any plugin on atheistzone.com yet. I shall search for them according to needs. Currently what you are seeing on atheistzone.com are core features.
3. Currently TA is using Ning 2 that is a bit outdated. Ning 3 is latest. Ning 3 costs more but has less features. They are not updating Ning 2 and focusing on Ning 3.
4. TA is a white elephant for me and costs $60 per month. I am bearing $15 to $25 loss per month. Buddypress is free. I only need to buy theme and hosting that i can use for my other sites also.
5. Buddypress is official wordpress plugin. It will last/survive longer as compared to Ning.
6. Buddypress has also cons but i think it does not matter as there is no alternative to buddypress.
Ultimately it came down to the interest of preserving the years of content. Think Atheist is archived and saved, and we can always refer back to it without having to worry that it’s going to be erased….and all the same people are still here. We’re still a community. Now we need to just work on building the community. I think if we can get a chat going again that’s great. I suggest you voice your opinion strongly about what you don’t like so it can be improved.
Example: The font was hard for Unseen to see so he complained, and Umar darkened and enlarged the font. Changes like can that be done and in that way we can sort of re-design the site as WE want it. It’s just that we have to say what we need/want.
I’m very glad you’re home safe. Thank you for your service to our country. Please don’t be a stranger.
Hugs.
July 21, 2015 at 5:45 pm #1131Here is the link to that discussion. I was livid….but it was in the best interest of doing what was right…it wasn’t easy, but it was for the best.
July 21, 2015 at 8:06 pm #1133Oh, just checked that TA link there. There is now a “.website” domain. The idea is to use it as a replacement for “.com”. It’s cheaper to register that domain now too. Surprised me to have TLDs now having more than three letters, but I’m getting used to it.
July 22, 2015 at 12:40 pm #1168The same thing happened to an Atheist forum/chat that I used to be part before I joined TA. It too fell apart after the owner quit because it became too expensive. People tried to revive it back but any type of flash based web hosting is very expensive and I can understand why the owner would prefer this.
Ugh I hate these new concept of content based module layouts that are trying to cater to smart phone/tablets compatibility.
July 22, 2015 at 12:59 pm #1169Thanks ((hugs))
Yea Buddypress/Wordpress has tons of free chat plugins so it should not be a problem. Then it also depends on how fancy he wants it. Like for example, this is supposed to be a good one http://www.bowob.com/
I loved the black background, it was very peaceful to my eyes lol. I just HATE WordPress. It is really a module for blogs and its pretty much the ANTI-FORUM module.
But its all kool, having TA is better than not having TA at all.
July 22, 2015 at 1:43 pm #1170Welcome back Adam!
Honestly chat is not a priority at the moment as
1. I would like users to participate in forums and other activities that can be seen publicly.
2. I have heard chat is a bit heavy on server.
3. As it is beginning there are other important things that i must focus like photos.
4. I have not monetized Atheist Zone yet therefore i have no idea how much should i invest on it at the moment. Keeping cost low is a better idea so that new site can survive.July 22, 2015 at 4:58 pm #1180Hey Umar, did we get the Twitter account?
Hi Adam, welcome back, missed your arse 🙂
July 22, 2015 at 5:06 pm #1181Twitter handle @atheistzone is already taken. Please suggest some good name. I have one in mind that already shared when i suggested domains names for new site.
July 22, 2015 at 9:42 pm #1194I have no idea who Umar is going through for hosting. I pay less than $4.00 USD/month for mine, and that includes unlimited storage, unlimited emails, unlimited databases, unlimited bandwidth, and CPanel functionality with all the connected bells-and-whistles. Last I checked WordPress is free software (though they absolutely take donations!) unless you want a business site or are a professional organization (Think Atheist/Atheist Zone is none of these as far as I know). There are other tools/people available if you want to roll your own custom design/code (I’d do it, but I don’t the time right now do it for free – urgently need paying gigs at the moment). FYI, web designer/programmer by trade with my own business… As far as the mobile friendly bit… a web site can be set up so that it has entirely different layout for mobile vs desktop, but a lot of designers get lazy about this and just optimize for mobile now.
July 28, 2015 at 4:27 pm #1619Umar, have you considered maybe just adding the word “the” in front of atheist zone for a Twitter handle? I searched on Twitter and @TheAtheistZone is actually available.
Other suggestions would be:
@AtheistZoneOffical
@AtheistZoneForumJuly 28, 2015 at 4:35 pm #1621As @atheistzone is already taken, i would like to have completely different twitter handle. It should start with the word atheist. It should have 12 or less characters.
July 28, 2015 at 4:52 pm #1626Atheist is seven letters so we are looking at a five letter or shorter word to append to it.
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