New Site - Captivereefing is Moving to Captivereefs

[jimsflies]

http://www.captivereefs.com/banner-small.png


I would like to take a few minutes to introduce myself. My name is Jim Watling and I live near Lansing, MI. On all the reef boards I use the name "jimsflies". One of the things I love most about the hobby are the online forums. I'm positive if it hadn't been for forums, I would have become bored with the hobby by now. For me the ability to make new friends, share, discuss, buy, sell, and trade adds to the hobby in an exponential way.

I have spent the past year contemplating starting a forum. Finally about two months ago, I decided to try to get my idea off the ground. In my search for the perfect domain name...no easy task, given that most anything you can think of is either taken or being held by scalpers...I was researching the name "CaptiveReefs.com" and came across CaptiveReefing.com. It is apparent that CaptiveReefing.com had a lot of activity at one point, but had waned in the past couple years. I contacted Dakar (CaptiveReefing's owner) and came to an agreement to purchase the forum. To signify a new start for CaptiveReefing.com, I also acquired the domain name CaptiveReefs.com and moved the forum to a new site. It is my hope to rebuild CaptiveReefing.com into the thriving community it once was.

It is unknown how many members and staff out of the 2,500+ registered users of CaptiveReefing may come back. But I plan to work tirelessly, to bring new life to the forum. I am planning to have contests, giveaways, add modules that will encourage participation, add forums for reef clubs, etc. to achieve the goal. I also plan to add site sponsors with expectation that they will help grow the community by donating prizes for the giveaways and provide banner advertising on their sites back to CaptiveReefs. I am also very open to any ideas that members and staff have. (I am not a IT or web programmer like Dave, so I am on a steep learning curve.)

Currently, CaptiveReefs.com has a copy of the CaptiveReefing database as of 8-15-09 installed. Any posts made after this on CaptiveReefing.com will not carry over to CaptiveReefs.com. Although there are numerous functional and cosmetic upgrades to be completed, please feel free to start posting on the new site. Your existing log-in from CaptiveReefing.com should be fully functional on CaptiveReefs.com. In the near future traffic coming to CaptiveReefing.com will automatically be redirected to captivereefs.com.

I look forward to meeting everyone and rebuilding the captivereefing community. Please share the news of the "new" forum with your reefing friends...forums are more fun with lots of people to talk, share, and trade with. Also if you get a moment please post in the Meet and Greet Forum (http://www.captivereefs.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=44) and tell us a little about yourself. We'd also like to hear about your current tank(s) in the Member's Tank (http://www.captivereefs.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=44) forum.

Please be sure to share word of the "new" forum with your friends.

-jimsflies

[The Rugger]

I noticed that the "Unread Post" counter/link is not here on the new site. It there any way to add that here? I found it the easiest way to find the new active conversations.

[jimsflies]

Since there haven't been many unread posts, I'm not 100% sure how they are/aren't showing up. Where did they show up on the old forum?

There is a New Posts link in the navigation bar across the top. I personally like the Get New (which should show any new activity since your last visit). I need to figure out how to add a "Today's Posts" link which will show any new posts for the past 24 hours.

[graphixx]

that pretty much does the same thing.... on the old site it actually told you there was unread posts and you click on that and it brought up all the unread posts since y our last visit... it was in the top left corner right by your "welcome"

[speedstar]

Jim, I think we need a picture of your tank somewhere around here.

[The Rugger]

I concur! Let's see what you got!

[The Rugger]

Here is a copy paste of the header I was refering to about the " Unread Posts" from the old site. It is not the end of the world if we can not get it back, but it sure was nice, especially if you checkin a few times a day.

Welcome, The Rugger.
0 Unread Posts since your last visit.
You last visited: Today at 03:21 PM
Private Messages: Unread 0, Total 10.

[jimsflies]

I started a thread in the Member's Reef forum with my tank's info.

I will look into the unread post issue.

[The Rugger]

Any luck with the Unread Post Deal? I just got back from traveling for 10 days or so and never had a chance to checkin. Sure would be nice to have that link to catch up on what I missed without searching around.

[jimsflies]

I still have the unread posts on my check list. Do you think the "unread posts" were different posts from the "new posts" ? Currently, if you go to the home page, when you log in, right above the announcement area (where the captive reefs banner is currently showing) you will see a "userCP" box in this box it displays the number of new posts. I am thinking this may be the same just called something different?

[The Rugger]

I don't think it is the same thing. Your reply to this post would have showed up as an "Unread Post" and when I select the link it would show me a page that would list all activity since my last login. It was a very nice tool.

[jimsflies]

Check your welcome box and let me know if that is what was there before.

[The Rugger]

That's It! Thanks so much. Sorry if I was a pain.

[jimsflies]

No problem. Just a matter of figuring it out.

[The Rugger]

Lots of stuff I missed. Gives me some good reading to do :)

[carpenterwrasse]

i have been gone way too long

[jimsflies]

Glad to have you back. I am hopeful that our site's new look will be installed tonight or tomorrow. Once we get all the dust off the site, I plan to send an email to the old captivereefing membership to try to get some folks to come back to the fun.

[graphixx]

GEORGE!!!

Good to see you back also... slowly there are "the old members" finding their way to the new site!!!

Hope all is well over in Pittsburgh!!!

[jimsflies]

BTW- What is that on your avatar?

[ReeferMike]

just curious and hoping some of the old-timers can answer it. what happened to this site that made everyone leave in the firstplace?

[jojo22]

I contribute it to lack of new member, all of our tanks where up and running, not a lot of questions and as we all know these tanks do not mature over night. So slowly we just had less to talk about and slowly started checking in less and less. Also some of us (like myself) had things come up and had to get out of the hobby for a bit I plan on a nano again in the spring). So just a lot of small things that added up to the site dieing down.

[Sea~Horse~Whisperer]

Hello. Just wanted to pop in and say hi. Lots of changes to the board, that is good to see. It's also nice to see some of the old crew again. I will post as I can. Life is crazy now. Just moved 2000 miles from WI to Las Vegas. Recently got my seahorse tanks up and running again. Now that they are done, I can start collecting everything for my 210 twv set up. 155g tank w/55g sump. That will be a long project since most of my time and even more of my $ is tied up in my seahorse tanks. oh well...Nothing good happens fast in this hobby. Looking forward to seeing how the new site grows.

Angie