Reorganising the discussion forum

[DorianLS]

When I visit the site I try to read new posts. Although there is a ‘recent topics’ button I would find it particularly helpful to have a ‘recent posts’ button. That would make it easier to keep current with all posts I haven’t yet read.

[emilio]

Thanks for this DLS. I’ll note this when we start tinkering. Dr Freeman I’m liking the private messages shortcut up in the top right hand corner. DLS I always operate the site from recent topics and I’ve been saying that we need to have main menus etc, however if you operate from ‘index’ you have these main menus. Therefore I’m thinking that when people enter the forum this should be the front page. Maybe it is I’ll have to test. Em

[emilio]

Yup can confirm that ‘index’ is automated as the front page. It’s interesting the things we take for granted when we move around sites until we have to think about it in a structural user friendly capacity. Em

[Dr James]

Private Messaging now appears as an item on Forum Drop Down Menu

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YMMV

[Chester]

These are the forum guidelines of a forum I’ve been a member of since its inception.

http://forums.applenova.com/guidelines.html

As a bit of background, all the original members were a bunch of Apple tragics who were members of another forum, appleinsider.com. That forum was set up in the mid 90s when Apple was on the verge of bankruptcy. That forum went through a very acrimonious split mostly because of Americans arguing American politics in an unconstructive way. Applenova formed. But then Apple took over the world, we all moved on with our lives and got a lot older. So we’re not very active today but keep the forum going so we can stay in touch.

These are, however, still some of the best drawn up forum guidelines I’ve ever come across. They served us well and I can assure you we were a very opionated bunch who didn’t shy away from robust discussion.

For me, points, 4, 9, 10 and 16 have always been the most important. I am guilty of breaching point 9 myself on this forum by calling my VL result thread “Science vs HCV” instead of “Chester’s 4 week VL results”. But as I never thought I’d see a medical breakthrough like the DAAs for hep c in my life time, I continue to be overawed by what science has achieved. So I cut myself a bit of slack.

In terms of this forum, 9, 10 and 16 are my biggest issues at the moment. Although experience tells me the issue of disputes and bad behaviour will inevitably rear its head sooner or later. However, a well run forum that doesn’t form its own internal cliques will largely self moderate that sort of thing from what I’ve seen.

But at the moment I struggle with the organic nature of the forum. I want to be able to find stuff more easily. It was difficult finding the drug interactions link at the hospital last week and twice I resorted to calling Greg for help. Which I prefer not to do.

I think there is room for a compromise though by setting up a separate sub forum where more organic discussions can take place. I think this is especially pertinent regarding people’s experiences on treatment. These discussions are well suited to rambling threads where everyone can compare notes rather than individual experiences threads which seem to turn into rambling threads with everyone comparing notes anyway.

Edit: all the credit for applenova’s guidelines go to our admins and mods of which I am not one. They have ruled us well. Like a rose in a fisted glove.

[emilio]

Thanks chester, I agree with the concept of having some upfront order/structure and allow the organic stuff to keep happening at the sublevel. Em

[emilio]

Also I’d like to see a shoutbox inside the forum vs outside however provide reasonable access to those who don’t wish to come in. The whole public chate on top of private chat is a bit messy, however, we’ve fixed this somewhat witht he Private Message link up the top. Em

[chertes]

You: chertesit would be nice if we have a button to see the last posts on the forum no matter what area they are posted …..on the forum

[chertes]

sorry , got it -recent topics

[Jolie]

Hi Emilio,
Just to say I’m grateful for this discussion forum in any form or shape, “dog’s breakfast or cat’s dinner”
There are some invaluable informations here but I can see the forum is growing really fast so maybe a small re organisation is a good idea.
This place have now become a global hub & not just for Australian members.

What I think could be helpful, keeping in mind this is now Global, is to have some pinned info about the Global Access of Generics Suppliers, much along the lines of Alsdad’s forum, you have seen it.
I hope he does not mind me putting the link to his page here, this is very well organised:

http://killthedragon.freeforums.net/

That part about the Access to Generic Meds, where & when & how is very important as this is the main reason why we’re all here in the first place.
There should be a space to ask questions under each Generic Supplier & maybe this is where the representatives of those Suppliers can come & introduce themselves, offer help, & we can ask questions in return, etc. otherwise they are all lost somewhere in the past threads & the questions are being kept repeated by many new members.

In that Generic Suppliers board other things can be added such as what Tests have been done for any of those meds & where, maybe pin the results of those tests there as well as they keep coming in.

Assuming the interest in generic meds tx will grow at such a fast pace as it has done here so far & I recon it will, maybe it’s a good idea to think along the lines of developing the brand-name of FixHepC across the world ? into a global website brand ? – like: FixHepC UK, FixHepC USA, FixHepC Canada, FixHepC Russia, etc.

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Geno 3, Fibro 8.7 pKA, tx experinced in 2005 – Peg/Riba, relapsed.
Started tx 1/12/2015 with Indian Sofo & Chinese Dac.
5 weeks result all normal, ALT 18 – down from ALT 73 at the start of tx.
5 weeks HCV PCR RNA – UND. – down from 2 ML
9 weeks HCV PCR RNA – UND.

[Alsdad]

The fixhepc.com forum is far and away the best hepc resource on the www. Notwithstanding all the great info and discussion about generics, this place (and particularly Dr Freeman) cuts through all the bs surrounding pharmaceuticals and medicine that is created by Big Pharma and the big healthcare providers that is in turn worshipped on most of the hepc-related www.

The forum needed tidying up and re-organising because it has grown so quickly, and that is now happening. Any and all suggestions regarding this are most welcome for consideration.

The ‘fixhepc franchise’. Could be a money-spinner Doc. The thing is, we need to spread and diversify to really make this thing grow and work. More forums, blogs, Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, Google groups and more are all needed (and all cross-referencing and working with each other) to make it impossible to suppress/marginalise info about what is out there and what we can do.

[Jolie]

The ‘fixhepc franchise’. Could be a money-spinner Doc.

why not? I believe Facebook profit is around $250 Billions ! ? hmy:
How do they do that??? I mean they don’t sell anything on the Book Face ??

Just imagine what FixHepC Global can do with the money, like employ a few hundreds Doctors, Pharmaceutical Chemists & staff to run surgeries, shipping & offices worldwide, etc. that would be fun

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Geno 3, Fibro 8.7 pKA, tx experinced in 2005 – Peg/Riba, relapsed.
Started tx 1/12/2015 with Indian Sofo & Chinese Dac.
5 weeks result all normal, ALT 18 – down from ALT 73 at the start of tx.
5 weeks HCV PCR RNA – UND. – down from 2 ML
9 weeks HCV PCR RNA – UND.

[emilio]

Well a bit of branding wouldn’t be too bad for a price lol. I’m struggling with the frontage editor atm and want to discuss this with you AD? At work I use a cut down version of joomla (restricted to a degree) to edit and maintain our intranet pages? I can’t seem to find this function, I guess what I’m wanting is real time editing from frontpage? Now when I’m signed in as admin I can do this on the fixhepc front page but there doesn’t seem to be an editor for the next layer being forum? Em

[klhilde]

NO!

Branding is one thing, but any hint of profit would run this service afoul of the law. In no way, shape or form should we be suggesting that this site should make profit.

[Joy]

I think it was a joke?

[Author]

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