New Feature Announcement!

by | Nov 2, 2020 | Admin | 170 comments

As you know, I’ve been poking around trying to find out what exactly might be causing the browser issue some of you are having, wherein you post a comment and instead of dropping you back near-ish where you were in the post, it takes you to the top. Haven’t found the glitch yet.

However, this provides a good time to unveil a new feature that we’ve been considering for a while now: a discussion forum.

I know what you’re thinking. Yes, we already treat the comment area on posts as if it were a forum. Yes, we have already built plenty of community just doing that. But, before you dismiss it out of hand, let me explain my reasoning.

  1. The interface should be much faster than the comment section on each post. So, for times like the recent debates, or the election tomorrow, it should make conversing faster.
  2. If this test run is successful, any Glib will be able to start a new topic and it will be there whenever anyone can get to the forum to read…unlike comments on posts that tend to disappear quickly and cause many people to miss many things and never get caught up.
  3. You will be able to “mention” someone using their @nickname, which you can look up in the handy-dandy member directory.
  4. You will be able to see notifications when you login to the forum if someone has mentioned you, or replied to a comment you made.
  5. The forum is nominally hidden from the larger world, because of said membership directory. However, I still wouldn’t be too candid if you have anything to lose.

Now, I mention in the intro post on the forum announcements that while I have a couple decades of experience running phpbb forums, I have never used a WordPress forum plugin. Additionally, because there is a member directory that I want to keep from being too easily accessed, I needed to add a membership plugin, as well. Which has made the login mechanics a little clunky (for now).

You may need to log into the forum separately. However, your main Glibs credentials will get you there. If it wants you to solve a math captcha, just do so and then re-login and you should be good to go. (I’m warning you now: there may be math!)

About the nickname feature for mentioning. In your main website profile in your dashboard, you have a username (which can’t be changed), a nickname, and a “Display Name Publicly As” option. The forum mention function will use whatever is in your nickname field. So, if you need to change that to something shorter and more memorable, you may easily do so yourself. Your Display Name will still be the one that is next to your forum posts, but your @nickname will be below that. Note that your nickname must be unique. If someone else here is already using it, the system will not let you change your nickname to that.

There is a practice forum at the bottom. If you have issues–OK, any forum-related issues–or need help, I’ll pop in that forum from time to time to see if anyone needs assistance.

If you all think it’s a useful feature to keep around, we can talk about adding some extras such as PMs, time and money allowing.

Ready?

Go here.

 

 

About The Author

SP

SP

I've got an idea! How about we just stick to the Constitution as written and then the government can leave me the fuck alone.

170 Comments

  1. Classy Mouthfeel

    Cool! Even a dummy like me figured it out and now I have another place to lurk. Xx

    • Mojo Jojo

      A Tulpa! Welcome!

      • Classy Mouthfeel

        Even better (and much more rare), a lady tulpa!

      • Ownbestenemy

        Careful, you might break the internet with those words.

      • Mojo Jojo

        w00h00!!!!

        Another unicorn!

      • Mojo Jojo

        BTW, I adore your moniker.

      • Classy Mouthfeel

        Thanks!

      • Festus' Mustache

        Is that “Skipper”?

      • Festus' Mustache

        And FOT!

      • LemonGrenade

        Welcome, and a hearty ‘fuck off, Tulpa!’ from a fellow unicorn.

      • Classy Mouthfeel

        Thanks, and gladly!

    • Sean

      *waves hi*

  2. PieInTheSky

    a forum… how 1998. But we’ll see how it goes.

    Wait, are we supposed to comment on this thread or in the previous one?

    • SP

      It matters not.

      • PieInTheSky

        well in the grand scheme of things does anything?

  3. Ownbestenemy

    Thanks SP. Also what dates in January are important for a small business to block off and not schedule any dogs? *hint* *hint*

    • SP

      Will the mobile grooming vehicle be coming too? Wonder Dog is a horrible mess.

      • Ownbestenemy

        We could make an exception on our 20-mile rule 😉

  4. Gustave Lytton

    That membership directory, particularly of non commenters, is…interesting. Real fruit sushi or imitation?

    • SP

      Real

      • Gustave Lytton

        Gonna need to order more tire changing gloves then.

      • juris imprudent

        Now if that was also the mole for The Bee, that would be awesome.

  5. PieInTheSky

    What forums shall we have besides politics? The usual food, cars, gone wild (for safari pictures and whatnot )

    • SP

      If this works out tomorrow and Wednesday, I will definitely be adding other sections. We’ll see if people find it useful.

    • hayeksplosives

      Fiction, Political: Hat and Hair, some Derpy Satire…

      Fiction, Non-Political: Subaru Horror Theater, Kinnath,…

      Memoirs.

      Poetry

      • SP

        Well, the forum isn’t to replace the articles/posts on the main site. It’s just a supplement.

      • Plinker762

        A fight club section?

      • SP

        We can’t talk about that.

      • Hyperion

        Does that mean we’re bringing back John and Eddie too? Fight, fight, fight…

  6. hayeksplosives

    I might have to explore thoroughly on a full pc later.

    As always SP, thanks for your time and mental energy on this site!

    • SP

      You’re welcome.

  7. Heroic Mulatto

    If anyone wants me to post dick pics in the forum, just let me know.

    • Spudalicious

      I thought that would be it’s own subforum?

      • Spudalicious

        Sub, as in smaller.

    • Brochettaward

      My dick is better than yours.

      • Spudalicious

        I will agree that you are a bigger dick than HM. 😛

  8. hayeksplosives

    Watched another Johan Norberg special on Amazon. “Free or Equal.”

    This time it was about Milton Friedman’s Free to Choose (1980) revisited in 2011. Norberg speaks at one point on what people see as the unfairness of some people being very wealthy. After expounding on the ways wealth creation lifts people out of poverty, He asks the viewer “Is wealth the problem? Or is Poverty the problem.?”

    I thought that was a pithy way to get a liberty discussion going in real life when the topic of income inequality comes up.

    I’m just gonna keep focusing on the positive.

  9. Caput Lupinum

    SP, when I click on the RSS links for “forums” and “topics” I get an XML dump; not sure if it’s my phone or a formatting issue but thought I should give you a heads up. Android 10, mobile chrome 86.0.4240.110

    Looks great otherwise, the hard work is appreciated.

    • SP

      I haven’t spent much time on things like that. In fact, haven’t even looked at it at all! If we decide to keep the forum, I will be working on the niceties. 😉

      • Caput Lupinum

        No worries, I just clicked on them by accident and figured you’d like to know. However my incessant curiosity did lead me to see if subscribing to a specific thread worked, and it did, so that’s good to go.

        If you do decide to keep the forums, my day job is web development and I have to function as my own QA, so I’ll be happy to help test. I’m very good at breaking things, my manager will happily attest to that.

      • SP

        Be careful what you offer!

        Because we’re using a managed WP hosting solution (because, you know, nobody is getting paid for working on this project), we are sorta limited in what we can do behind the scenes, but I might be in touch.

        Thank you.

      • Caput Lupinum

        I’d be happy to help, managed cloud based sites are how I pay my bills, and with rampant insomnia I need something to do besides talk to Digby all night.

      • pan fried wylie

        Digby hardest hit.

      • juris imprudent

        I’m very good at breaking things

        Nearly a lifetime ago, I had a mainframe system programmer who would hand over stuff to me to test. He said if I didn’t break it he didn’t have to worry about it. He also escalated my account’s system privileges which was cool.

  10. Hyperion

    Very cool, thanks.

  11. KSuellington

    Thanks SP, cool feature. And in time for election month too!

  12. Sir Digby Classic

    And, here I was, being all caught up in the forums, expecting everyone to swing by.

    • Don escaped Duopoly

      I’m not sure I can navigate it all.

      I tried to put something together there and it seems it must be approved. It’s probably cool when you figure it out.

    • Festus' Mustache

      Oh you! Stop bragging about your vintage Penthouse collection. It is unseemly.

      • UnCivilServant

        Owning that much skytop real estate must get expensive.

      • Sir Digby Classic

        Oh you! Stop bragging about your vintage Penthouse collection. It is unseemly.

        ::squints at Festus::

        You know, if you were a woman, I’d slug you.

        ?

  13. leon

    This is very cool. Though I’ll undoubtedly waste a lot more time here.

    Also im up at 3:30 because DST and I think I heard a neighbor scream.

    • UnCivilServant

      Deseret Standard Time?

      • leon

        It’s the one true TZ

      • Festus' Mustache

        I’m more concerned about the screams but maybe that’s just me.

      • UnCivilServant

        I figure if Leon is really concerned, he wouldn’t be live posting to Glibs.

      • Festus' Mustache

        That WAS my concern.

  14. Sean

    Time to get ready to vote.

    • UnCivilServant

      I live a half mile from the polling place.

      It it weren’t slushing outside, I could walk.

      but it keeps swapping between rain and snow depending upon whether it’s above freezing at that moment, and I don’t particularly want to walk in that.

      • UnCivilServant

        I already remarked on the experience over on the forum.

        So, do I double-post in the active comment thread?

  15. Yusef drives a Kia

    Good Morning my fellow Glibs, this should be a very, interesting day, be safe,

    • hayeksplosives

      Good morning, Yusef. Today will be interesting in the Chinese curse.

      I intend to bury my head in the sand until 10 PM or so tomorrow evening.

  16. Festus' Mustache

    So something going on today in Canada’s basement? I can never keep up…

      • Festus' Mustache

        Ah. Parents are going out of town for the weekend and only two friends allowed over? Sounds like a recipe for disaster. In all seriousness, that’s a great idea SP. Some subjects deserve more in depth discussion. Pity that my schedule doesn’t really allow real-time interaction with the majority of the community.

  17. hayeksplosives

    2chis at TOS has a bit entitled “Make Elecctions Not Matter So Much Again”.

    https://reason.com/2020/11/02/make-elections-not-matter-so-much-again/

    This is the point I was trying to make this season with my acquaintances who are involuntarily forced to think a great deal about politics:

    The cultural climate around politics would be much calmer if government were not so intrusive into our lives. It simply shouldn’t be a big deal who wins and who they appoint as judges, etc.

    The stock market is freaked out too.

    Let’s stick to the rule of law so that a routine election cannot bring about revolutionary-level change.

    • hayeksplosives

      Tucilli. Dang autocorrect.

      • Yusef drives a Kia

        I read it correctly,

      • Festus' Mustache

        Funny that. He has a huge “To be Sure” sticking out like a horse’s dick right near the start of the article. Exactly who are the people punishing wrong-think in this election cycle?

    • Stinky Wizzleteats

      That’s good advice but good luck convincing anyone. Most people, conservative and liberal, like crushing their perceived enemies and they don’t want to dismantle the means of doing just that.

      • UnCivilServant

        “What is Best in Life?”

      • Stinky Wizzleteats

        Marrying a Kennedy and getting elected a Governor of California?

      • Festus' Mustache

        “Crushing beers, filling the ashtray and chatting with Glibs.”

      • Festus' Mustache

        Everyone talks a big game before the fight but you get a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach right before the first punch is thrown. There has been a shit-ton of trash talk and bravado bandied about leading up to today but I’m hoping that cooler heads prevail. I don’t believe that the vast majority of any of us actually want to do harm to their neighbors if push came to shove. I say this as one of the most cynical judges of Humanity that I know.

      • R C Dean

        What about doing harm to just one of my neighbors?

      • Festus' Mustache

        If he’s a cunte then all bets are off. I’ve got one but she’s just a Karen and has been for 23 years. We are a weirdly blended family and not in the Appalachian way so I grit my dentures and ignore. My Step-daughter married her former Husband’s step-son. She thinks of herself as “One of the Grandmas” which pisses off the actual Grannies.

      • Fourscore

        Won’tcha be my neighbor?

      • juris imprudent

        And in this, the progressives are the party of the first part. Because govt had to be used to improve all of us. It is sad that that infected the conservative branch of the tree as well. No idea what kind of pruning would cure that, I suspect that kind of rot spreads no matter what you do. It’s human nature.

  18. Gender Traitor

    Arrived at my polling place right before it opened at 6:30. Line clear across the large church parking lot. Glad I brought my coffee.

    • UnCivilServant

      Sorry to hear that. I got to my pollling place a 5:57, cast the third vote, and was on the road by 6:07, but the line I passed on the way out was growing longer and had already passed the door.

      Hope it doesn’t rain on you (it is raining here)

      • Gender Traitor

        No rain – crystal clear, but cold. Fingers getting numb.

      • Gender Traitor

        I will vote for anyone promoting global warming.

      • Festus' Mustache

        Pissing rain and windy here. Pineapple express. Guess I was a little premature about winter being here to stay last month. Still have important chores that need tending but I’ll take this over snow any day. Good luck on your vote for Butthole McButtface today! 😉

      • PieInTheSky

        Pineapple express – I think I went to see that movie in a cinema with some buddies.

      • Festus' Mustache

        It was a silly movie but a real meteorological phenomena (Doo-Doo-De-Doo-Do!) here. We get crazy warm ocean currents from Hawaii sometimes. Blustery winds are not helpful whilst laying tarp.

    • Gender Traitor

      Just heard -only two machines, a new style than what we had before, and the rest paper ballots. ***SIGH!!!***

      • UnCivilServant

        VOTE SUPPRESHUN!!!!111!!!ELEVEN!!!

      • Tres Cool

        /made in Leningrad

        In Soviet Russia, Chad hang you!

    • hayeksplosives

      The spousal unit did early voting yesterday in North suburbs of San Diego. Zero people in line at 3 PM.

      • juris imprudent

        We’re heading over late morning to avoid the early and lunch rushes.

  19. PieInTheSky

    Today you should all cast a vote for decency

    • UnCivilServant

      They weren’t on the ballot. Maybe I should have written them in for DA, the dem was running unopposed.

    • mrfamous

      C’mon man!

  20. Tres Cool

    mornin’ ya’all

    • PieInTheSky

      how can you just casually say that on the most important day in US history?

      • UnCivilServant

        Ulster Sandwich is having its IPO?

      • PieInTheSky

        I thought the Irish didn’t do sandwiches

      • UnCivilServant

        They just have to be made with sugar-free bread.

      • PieInTheSky

        sugar-free bread – i don’t know what kind of bread SF makes but I would avoid it

      • Tres Cool

        I saw “Ulster Sandwich” open for Stiff Little Fingers back in the 80s….

      • Festus' Mustache

        1st amendment. He can say whatever the fuck he wants for a little while yet.

      • PieInTheSky

        Oh there are plenty of things to say that’ll get you canceled.

        Fire Tres!

  21. PieInTheSky

    I’m gonna go on my walk. Don;t do anything I wouldn’t. Remember your vote don’t matter anyhoo. Morning scotch is OK on election day.

    • hayeksplosives

      EX SOVIET BLOC INTERFERENCE!!!

      VAMPIRE INTERFERENCE!

      • Gdragon

        With all of the bloodsuckers out there to potentially be influenced, vampire interference could really swing this election 😉

  22. Yusef drives a Kia

    Sup Tres! I call furrin interference!

    • Tres Cool

      Hey YUFUS! Its a balmy 36º here (in americanheit)

      Breakfast SMALL CANS!

      • Tres Cool

        I shoulda made that 496º Rankine

      • Gender Traitor

        And I’m out here feeling it.

      • UnCivilServant

        How much line is left ahead of you?

      • Gender Traitor

        A couple dozen people outside. Poll worker tried to shoo us all back to the 100 feet from polls mark, but someone with brains just gave us a reprieve.

      • UnCivilServant

        Sheesh. even here the line starts in the middle of the room where you would have to head to the various ward/district tables where your address falls. (those then had smaller lines that broke off from the main line at that middle of the room spot)

      • Yusef drives a Kia

        So am I, every day

  23. hayeksplosives

    I was just listening to Hugh Hewitt. He had a caller Sacramento who had just voted for the first time. She’s an 85 year old Irish Immigrant and registered to vote specifically so she could pull the lever for Trump.

  24. The Gunslinger

    I posted this in the dead Trump thread before I saw this here thread so I’m posting it again here.

    I woke up at 1:41 this morning from a weird dream where I was looking for an elephant or an elephant was looking for me or something super strange like that.

    Morning. Happy I voted day!

    • hayeksplosives

      Must be political if elephant.
      If it had been a cassowary, we’d just have you committed.

      For the greater good.

      • The Gunslinger

        I had to DDG what in the hell is a cassowary. Never heard of it. Definitely not what was in my dream.

    • UnCivilServant

      Clearly you are the elepahnt and you were trying to find a mirror.

      • The Gunslinger

        I haven’t ruled that out.

  25. Festus' Mustache

    Did you guys see the clip of Biden reacting when Jill came up behind him and gently touched his back? Jesus, I’ve had elder dogs react that way when surprised. Thought he was gonna bite her throat for a half-second.

  26. The Late P Brooks

    I don’t know what any of that means.

  27. The Late P Brooks

    I woke up at 1:41 this morning from a weird dream where I was looking for an elephant or an elephant was looking for me or something super strange like that.

    Was he in your pajamas?

    • Tres Cool

      Did you have an abundance of peanuts ?

    • The Gunslinger

      That’s not an elephant in my pajamas I’m just happy to see y’all.

      • Tres Cool

        Whats big, grey, and writes gloomy poems?

        TS Elephant

      • Surly Knott

        I miss elephant jokes.

      • UnCivilServant

        With a target that big? You need more range time.

  28. The Late P Brooks

    The cultural climate around politics would be much calmer if government were not so intrusive into our lives.

    DEFUND THE GOVERNMENT!

    *laughs hysterically, rides off on stick pony*

    • Festus' Mustache

      You’d better be wearing a cheap, straw Stetson with a whistle on the neck string and some chromed plastic six-shooters on your hips or I’ll be sorely disappointed , Young Man!

      • Festus' Mustache

        Yelling “Giddy-up!” is optional but preferred.

  29. UnCivilServant

    Hrmm… odd thought of the morning…

    Voting Conga line.

    • Gender Traitor

      That would help us feel warmer. But I’m not getting out of line to go get my congas.

  30. Festus' Mustache

    But the real question remains, who was the hunter and who was the hunted?

  31. Gender Traitor

    I’m inside!

      • Gender Traitor

        …and done!

        I wore sturdy shoes, but my feet are still numb.

      • UnCivilServant

        Well, I sent a rather lengthy response around midnight for whenever you get to your email.

      • UnCivilServant

        There was another half of that thought, something about sympathies or empathies with regards to standing around too long.

      • Festus' Mustache

        That’s what I said for a microsecond the first time, too.

    • UnCivilServant

      I keep rotating between several renditions of “Stepping Up to Boston” (sans “lyrics”) and “Conga” (with lyrics)

      • UnCivilServant

        Shipping, Stepping, what’s the diff?

  32. The Late P Brooks

    Domestic terrorists!

    Supporters of President Donald Trump who recently harassed Democratic candidate Joe Biden’s campaign bus in Texas were armed and organized their operation in a private QAnon Facebook page, according to a new report.

    The report, which was published by the fact-checking site, Snopes, states that the convoy of trucks that were seen on video surrounding a Biden-Kamala Harris bus on Texas’ Interstate 35, organized the event in a private Facebook page called the Alamo City Trump Train. The report also notes that messages between the group’s members suggested that they were armed with guns.

    I thought we already knew they had guns, from the pile of dead bodies and the bullet-riddled burn-out bus upside down in the median.

    • R C Dean

      “a private QAnon Facebook page”

      If we somehow came to Snopes’ attention, I wonder how they would characterize us?

      • Psycho Effer

        Does it need to be said?

  33. The Late P Brooks

    Yelling “Giddy-up!” is optional but preferred.

    I usually go with, “Hi ho, Silver! Awaaaaay!”

    • UnCivilServant

      Still fixated on the bimetallic standard?

  34. The Late P Brooks

    Still fixated on the bimetallic standard?

    Paper money is for lighting cigars.

  35. The Late P Brooks

    If we somehow came to Snopes’ attention, I wonder how they would characterize us?

    What’s the intellectual equivalent of “visigoth”?

    • Festus' Mustache

      Trumpalo? Literally Hitler?

    • Festus' Mustache

      Fuck that. Glib’s theme song with associated dance moves. Thing Bigger. Be best!

  36. Fourscore

    C’mon, SP, life is too confusing without all this new stuff. Oh well.

    • Festus' Mustache

      I think it’s for more detailed convos than we can manage on the regular site. Did you vote dead Six-pointer and stew?

  37. Rufus the Monocled

    Does it matter? WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE.

    DON’T ANY OF YOU WATCH THE NEWS?

    DON’T ANY OF YOU WORK ANYMORE?!!?

  38. DEG

    Thanks SP.

  39. Toxteth O'Grady

    Yeah, confusing. But PMs would be cool.

  40. Surly Knott

    I for one, and I am perhaps alone in this, would deeply appreciate the ability to block certain member’s posts. Both on the forum and in the discussion forum.

    • Hyperion

      We’ll still make you vote for Rethuglicans, there’s no escape! Anyone who doesn’t love the Donald is a libtard fake news! And drink your Ovaltine, snowflake!

      • Surly Knott

        Neither you nor the other Hype bother me in the slightest.
        Ovaltine is not permitted on my diet, the Donald is an odious buffoon, and I voted for the first time in my life this year — against the Democrats.
        😉

      • The Hyperbole

        He is the other Hype!

    • Ted S.

      Why do you want to block my posts?

      [runs from forum sobbing]

  41. Tulip0Hare

    Since the addition of a forum seems to be bringing all the Tulpae out of our basements, I’ll join in.

    *Waves hello, climbs back into basement*

    • The Gunslinger

      Fuck off Tulpa.

      • Tulip0Hare

        Aw, thanks for the welcome!

        …wait. This is glibs. Uh, sip a glass of merlot, faggot!

        (Am I doing it right?)

  42. Ayn Random Variation

    SP – My apologies for my part in last night’s uncivility.

    Just voted. Took 5 minutes, no line. There were Biden/Harris campaigners outside in front of the entrance, complete with a Giant cardboard cutout of the 2. I thought you couldn’t do that?