Networking features for forum?

[nutty]

This forum is all well and good (actually I think it's very good) but seems to be becoming quite a networking site (i.e. members using threads to chat about random stuff). It could do with building in networking features.

As an example I knocked up a quick one on "ning" which can be seen here. Not suggesting we use this but what does everyone think of the general idea?

http://eastdulwich.ning.com/

[Michael Palaeologus]

Sounds like WITCHCRAFT to me.

Burn him on the Green!!

[Keith]

AGGGGGGGGGGGGhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...................

[nutty]

I'll take that as a "No - we don't want that sort of nonsense here" (td)

[Huguenot]

Well I think it's a bit of fun - but I don't think I'd ever get round to creating a profile.

[bumbalina]

A bunch of luddites really - only like texted based arguements with the odd smiley face.

[fractionater]

Its an incredibly slow site

[Ant]

It crashed my browser so I won't be going back.

(Latest Firefox, Windows XP SP2 if that helps.)

[nutty]

wasn't touting ning per se (only just came across it) - just wondered if any users would want functionality such as

- being able to post piccies to photo areas

- blogs

- online chat and profile

- networky/accumulate friends tosh

[mockney piers]

apart from "- blogs - online chat" of which there is a plethora of stuff out there, I think this forum pretty much fulfils the rest doesn't it? Particularly for the last, where it's a bit more like meeting nice people down the local, than networky things like MySpace (yeech), in fact I've noticed a myspacey invasion of flickr (my other addiction) recently.

[dulwichmum]

We have occasional photos on here from CrystalClear et al, and it is grand the way it is surely?

[Ant]

Hm, yes. I think I'd vote no most of those. It does seem fine as it is to me too.

Mockney - do you mean all those awful group-tarting icons people put in comments? Or is it some other horror I've yet to come across?

[mockney piers]

Yes, the egomaniacal group award things are pretty ugly and annoying, the barney rubble pez group is at once a pastiche of these and ridiculously annoying. I was more referring to young'uns getting on flickr and randomly adding hundreds of people as contacts in some sort of bid to get as many friends as possible, and invading discussion groups with things like "can you all look at my photos and affirm me and love me?" or "Who hear loves the Kaiser Chiefs?".

grrrrr

[Ant]

Kids, eh?

[mockney piers]

As it goes I believe flickr's terms of use actually preclude anyone under the age of 16 (could even be 18).

Does the forum have any limitations? Doesn't seem to be anything specific on the TOU, but never spotted anyone on here who smacks of being a young'un (unless they're an eloquent young'un).

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