I've found the automatic logout thing also irritating but also found a workaround.
First, take your time composing. When you hit preview, you're logged out.
In the left column you should now be able to see a login button, press it.
You are taken to a screen where your post is gone, now hit the back button - twice I think.
Your post is there again but it looks like you aren't logged in again.
Hit the refresh button or the preview button.
Your post is there and you are logged in.

BTW, I use Mozilla Firefox with cookies enabled for this site. It has the XML feature which I like and it may handle the logout situation better.

Hit the back button, copy, login, hit reply, add Subject and then paste text.

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Keeping it real and to the core of the issue, not the peripherals.

The use of forums would help to target discussions and would likely broaden participation. With organized forums, contributors gravitate to those that match their interests and tone of discourse and have some insulation from those areas that would otherwise detract them.

Personally I’d like to have an ‘ignore’ option so I don’t have to see posts by selected users – for my tastes there are too many personal attacks in this online community.

On my newer forum script, we already have built back to over 5,000 posts on over 700 topic threads. A good number are consolidated from the old board, or the numbers would be much bigger, not to mention hundred we pruned.

But they are all organized by:
Category
--Forum
----Thread
------Post
---SubForum
----Thread
------Post

And with a good search engine, you can find things.

Indeed, posters find those categories and forums of interest to them. The others simply do not get entered.

We could not begin to function with them all run together as they are here.

But it won't happen here. It takes an Admin/Mod structure to keep posts and threades where they belong. Cal is not going to hire one.

Ignore function? Usually no problem on a forum script.

At a minimum, it stops reply alert emails. Another thing not offered here. So you have to dig to see if someone responded to something.

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Keeping it real and to the core of the issue, not the peripherals.

First, let me say, again, a Blog is a terrible script as regards to posting functions for a full scale forum.

But, no one pays attention, so, we are stuck with it, instead of having a REAL forum to post on.

First, three technical issues:

1. This absolutely amateurish time-out feature. This board seems to log you out after x amount of minutes with no warning. Nothing is worse than spending 10 minutes to compose a thoughtful reply to someone and have it vanish into the ether without warning.

It is worse than the time out setting being short.

I have had times where I did a 30 second quick post immediately after logging in to fine a white sheet on the Pre-View.

That is a script bug or corruption. Needs fixed.

I have logged in to have it argue with me I am not logged in. Had to switch pages to show logged in.

That is a redirect error. Needs fixed.

And other times I have logged in and forgot to log out. 2 hours later I was still logged in.

Yes, another bug or script corruption.

2. Fix the stupid search engine! Pressing "search" will guarantee you a locked screen and a blank page after 10 minutes or so.

Yep. I use carefully selected searches on Google and have far faster and better results.

3. Open up "forums" for people...there's a "forums" button down in the lower left corner, but no one is allowed to post there! This has the net result of 'recent comments' scrolling quickly off the page as people add one line responses "I totally agree"!

Indeed better. But I can tell you that Drupal Modules, while being better than the Blog, is a sad sad thing.

There are better ways to keep the advertising showing while adding a real forum.

Then there are some human/social related issues as well...

1. A few weeks ago, the Citizen published some blog comments in the print edition and urged people to visit here. We had about 30 new users in two days. Virtually none of them stuck around, because the "old guard" was very protective of their sandbox, they (particularly "Git Real") were very dismissive of newcomers and often accused them of being aliases for other posters. People encountered this animosity and said, heck I don't need this.

OK. This links back to some statements I made about multiple user names and such in the past.

And, board etiquette.

A board without 'Old Guard' is a dead board.

But one that is not moderated has issues as well.

As for new posters, statistically many sign onto a forum but many never come back and fewer become regulars. The Citizen is not unique in that regard.

To do what you want here required a full time Admin/Mod. Cal ain't gonna pay for one.
2. There were quite a number of younger posters (high school/college age) posting here. There is a palpable undercurrent of resentment against the perception that our community's children are children of privledge. There's a subset of folks posting here that believe that age somehow implies wisdom and children should be seen and not heard.

An issue of discussion and proof. Those with the wisdom to know how to handle such discussion win.

No. Young folk should be encouraged to post and discuss. No. Coming on as if they have all the answsers and experience means nothing is equally foolish to allow unchallenged.

Again, and Admin/Mod issue. Again, Cal isn't going there.

3. Certain posters continually attempt to stifle meaningful conversation with mass postings on a thread, they evidently feel compelled to respond to each and every post they don't agree with, as if the quantity of their posts makes up for the lack of quality.

Meaningful is a subjective word. Think about it.

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Keeping it real and to the core of the issue, not the peripherals.

Bad_ptc and PTC Guy have made some great points. Yes, some of the people on this site have to learn to agree to disagree. Calling a poster a nazi, loser or worse doesn't simulate debate. If you notice, a lot of people will read the site, but will not post a comment.

As for the forum feature, I think that Cal Beverly should take some of the more meaningful blogs, letters or free speech entries for the week and post excerpts in the forum section for comment. That would keep some interesting topics visible on the site longer for comment.

My two cents worth.

Vote Republican

On a good forum script you can accomplish these easily.

Maybe spoiled by being use to good forum scripts, but I find the setup here frustrating.

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Keeping it real and to the core of the issue, not the peripherals.

Oh Crap. I'm agreeing with basmati. I am now going outside to see if I can catch a flying pig.

All comments posted so far are exactly what I expected.

Cal, you, or the webmistress, obviously have some work to do. Get it done.

Those that give a damn rose to the occasion.

Those that simply read the forum/blog are either not interested or simply don’t comprehend the meaning.

I’m sure other s will contribute as the day goes by.

If we, as a community, are going to effect change we must not give up on posting our ideas, thoughts or convictions.

Like I said earlier, I may not agree with everyone all the time, but I might just learn something.

Rule number one: Fight ignorance!

Get Real, skyspy, MOMMY, eyeinvest, tonto707, oodlesOpoodl, IMNSHO, did not know , and the rest, if you want to effect change, lets hear about it.