What's your honest opinion of the ADD Forums?

[Fuzzy12]

Originally Posted by allesandro1

Not sufficiently interactive or supportive. Also, there are some very nebulous and arbitrary rules regarding admission to private forums. I've only been a member since 11/17/17 but since then I've contributed 85 posts, most of which were responses to questions about ADD experiences and experience with taking ADD meds and their side effects. Despite that I'm told I can't access private forums because that would 'violate the privacy of other members.' This site does not meet my needs, and I find myself contributing a lot more than I am benefiting. I think I am done with this site

I'm sorry you feel this way. I like your posts and would miss your contributions if you left. I'm genuinely sorry that you didn't receive the support you needed. Is there a particular thread thst got lost or didn't get many replies? If yes could you bump it so it appears in the new posts again?

I think there's a minimum number of posts before you can access the private boards but even if you've got that number you still need the password from one of the mods. Have you contacted them?

[Fuzzy12]

Originally Posted by wonderboy

I encourage more people to donate. I am not a moderator nor affiliated with the site in any way, but I think it is productive enough to do so

http://www.addforums.com/forums/vbdonator.php

I'd really check with a mod first before you donate to make sure the money is going where it's supposed to be going. Maybe it's ok but I think the owner of the site has forgotten about the site so who knows if iyainked to the right account etc

[namazu]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy12

I'd really check with a mod first before you donate to make sure the money is going where it's supposed to be going. Maybe it's ok but I think the owner of the site has forgotten about the site so who knows if iyainked to the right account etc

Thanks, Fuzzy. The staff (moderators and administrators) are all unpaid volunteers. While we appreciate members' willingness to open their wallets to support the site (and some staff members have done so as well), we have not seen follow-through from David on a number of promised upgrades in recent years. We do not know where money donated to the site goes. Therefore, we cannot in good conscience recommend that members donate money to David/ADDF at this time. Please see Andrew's [2014!] comment here.

[OyVeyKitty]

Originally Posted by namazu

Thanks, Fuzzy. The staff (moderators and administrators) are all unpaid volunteers. While we appreciate members' willingness to open their wallets to support the site (and some staff members have done so as well), we have not seen follow-through from David on a number of promised upgrades in recent years. We do not know where money donated to the site goes. Therefore, we cannot in good conscience recommend that members donate money to David/ADDF at this time. Please see Andrew's [2014!] comment here.

Is there a contingency plan in place in case David decides to stop paying for the domain name and/or the server? Are frequent off-site backups taken? The domain name going down wouldn't be the end of the world as ADDF could get a new one, but it would be awful if the server provider discontinued the service and there were no backups available to restore the site.

[namazu]

Originally Posted by OyVeyKitty

Is there a contingency plan in place in case David decides to stop paying for the domain name and/or the server? Are frequent off-site backups taken? The domain name going down wouldn't be the end of the world as ADDF could get a new one, but it would be awful if the server provider discontinued the service and there were no backups available to restore the site.

That's an excellent question. I'll ask David/Admin.

[midnightstar]

I can never repay my debt to this site that's how highly I think of this site

in fact there's no words in the English language to describe my gratitude to this forum

[midnightstar]

When I arrived, I was in a *really* bad place and this forum literally saved me, the support I got here (and still get here) is wonderful

No exaggeration, if this forum did not exist I would be dead by now, that's how much this forum has done for me (and I'm being serious)

[namazu]

Originally Posted by OyVeyKitty

Is there a contingency plan in place in case David decides to stop paying for the domain name and/or the server? Are frequent off-site backups taken? The domain name going down wouldn't be the end of the world as ADDF could get a new one, but it would be awful if the server provider discontinued the service and there were no backups available to restore the site.

I just heard back from David. He said that hosting is via Amazon Web Services, and that backups are made both incrementally and weekly. David also indicated that one of the site administrators would inherit ownership of ADDF if he were permanently incapacitated.

He did not mention it, but if he were simply to decide to walk away from the site then the domain name would likely be up for grabs. It would be more difficult to reconstruct the forum contents, unless he handed that material over to an administrator. But his message made it sound like he was hoping to follow through on some promised upgrades when he had a chance, and has not forgotten about ADDF.

[InvitroCanibal]

Many people come by looking for information and inspiration. Many posts repeat themselves, and many great ones are lost in the nexus of the void.

I think the site would work better if it were restructured more as a Wiki.

It needs mobile optimization as well, so that it is more accessible.

Allowing anonymous thread posts, but not replies would be nice as well. Since most adhd individuals do not have the patience to create an account. (I didn't for a long time.)

I think that its organization could be restructured over all though.

It does not need as many sub topics, and it would be better if it used tags instead of subtopics for its indexes.

Well I could add more, but I probably should just build it myself

[sarahsweets]

Originally Posted by InvitroCanibal

Many people come by looking for information and inspiration. Many posts repeat themselves, and many great ones are lost in the nexus of the void.

I think the site would work better if it were restructured more as a Wiki.

It needs mobile optimization as well, so that it is more accessible.

Allowing anonymous thread posts, but not replies would be nice as well. Since most adhd individuals do not have the patience to create an account. (I didn't for a long time.)

I think that its organization could be restructured over all though.

It does not need as many sub topics, and it would be better if it used tags instead of subtopics for its indexes.

Well I could add more, but I probably should just build it myself

I personally am not in favor of anon thread posts because its too redditt/4chan/ like even if you cant reply. Its a support forum and the only way to get support is to have some sort of interaction and connection with others. I have adhd and lurked awhile but not because I didnt have the patience to make a profile but because I wanted to get the feel of the forums first.

[sarahsweets]

What would really blow my mind, trip the light fantastic and topple my tower would be if David sent me a pm explaining what he wanted to do with this place and if he needed help. Once I saw an update that he said was coming and I straight up said he stole my heart-and meant it. There is a lot of good that could come from some small changes. I dont mean the sweeping sh*t that people write here in list form on this thread, as if we should take notes and get right on top of it. Change never happens like that. But just a teensy bit, one foot in front of the other part would be a start. The thing is too, maybe David needs help?

[InvitroCanibal]

Originally Posted by sarahsweets

I personally am not in favor of anon thread posts because its too redditt/4chan/ like even if you cant reply. Its a support forum and the only way to get support is to have some sort of interaction and connection with others. I have adhd and lurked awhile but not because I didnt have the patience to make a profile but because I wanted to get the feel of the forums first.

Not quite like that. I built a prototype. If you want I can pm you the link.

[midnightstar]

Originally Posted by sarahsweets

What would really blow my mind, trip the light fantastic and topple my tower would be if David sent me a pm explaining what he wanted to do with this place and if he needed help. Once I saw an update that he said was coming and I straight up said he stole my heart-and meant it. There is a lot of good that could come from some small changes. I dont mean the sweeping sh*t that people write here in list form on this thread, as if we should take notes and get right on top of it. Change never happens like that. But just a teensy bit, one foot in front of the other part would be a start. The thing is too, maybe David needs help?

I believe Andi or Andrew would be happy to help him if necessary but they can't because they don't have the right buttons and things?

I have no idea how the admin side of things works, I am certain though that for me, even if there was a big neon flashing sign above a button saying "do not press this button, it'll break and delete the forum" I would still miss it

[Fuzzy12]

Just please don't change anything major. Like the layout or structure. Even if it's an improvement. I don't deal well with change. another forum i.used to frequent just got rid of vbulletin and though it's supposed to.be better I just can't get myself to.use it anymore. I think.its fine the way it is. The only thing I'd like is for it to be totally members only...so posts can't be read by anyone who.is not a member.

[namazu]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy12

The only thing I'd like is for it to be totally members only...so posts can't be read by anyone who.is not a member.

The private sections do function this way, though they are seldom-used.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you see it!), if all posts were members-only, then very few new members would ever find the forums. Most people end up here after doing a search for keywords that take them to a particular post, and they may register in order to respond to that post, or to start a new thread. In addition, some people are just looking for others' experiences or information, and don't want to contribute. While we're thrilled when those people decide to join us and "de-lurk", we're not going to force it on people.

At the moment, the benefits of being a member include a) the ability to post, b) no ads while viewing the forum, and c) access (after a little while) to the private forums, the arcade, and other members-only areas.

As for reorganization: A wiki is an interesting model, and lends itself well to our "information" mission, but not so much to the "support" mission. I don't think ADDF is likely to ditch the BBS format, though I'm not sure whether David plans to stick with an upgraded version of vBulletin or move to a different platform. When some of those upgrades move forward (please, David!) -- which should improve site security, stability, and mobile support -- that will also provide a natural opportunity to look at streamlining the sections. (I agree that there are many, and there are quirks of how they're organized that can be confusing.) As I think I mentioned upthread, David said he is planning to move ahead with upgrades once he deals with some other pressing obligations.