The Transition
Before I write here, I think I’ll take the time to make some introductions.
My name is Josh, though I go by the name of Jeren quite often online. As such, you’ll find my posts here and on the support forum to be under the name ‘Jeren’. To tell a little about myself, I’m a software engineer for a network performance monitoring company. I also am a web site designer and developer and have some experience in the web hosting field.
That said, now I can write!
I remember my early days of forum communities. My first experience was on a phpBB2 forum (going back to version 2.0.6, I believe). Over the past six years, in fact, most of my online communities experiences have been with phpBB2 (and more recently, phpBB3). To be honest, looking back on how phpBB2 used to be, I’m quite glad I’ve stuck around and used it.
I also remember my days of using ezBoard. For a while, it did seem ez. Yet, it also seemed quite bulky compared to how phpBB2 operated. I suppose that was one reason why I always stuck to phpBB.
Now, seeing GrabAForum, I see a site that can provide one of the most successful message board software services to people. All you need to do is sign up! Thats it! Then you can have your own phpBB board! If only I had found sites like this years ago…
For the most part, I’ve seen message boards used for online fiction and role-playing. However, they also make good environments for gaming clans and guilds, as well as technical support areas. Given the versatility of phpBB, I’m sure GAF has its variety of uses (in fact, the category choices speak for themselves!).
As I get settled into GAF, I look forward to seeing how you, the user, use your phpBB set up and, most importantly, how GAF can be improved to make it a better site for all of us!
