It was recently brought to my attention that we're now listed (although it doesn't seem to be complete yet) on big-boards.com. Big-boards is just that, it tracks the biggest and most active forums online, and somewhere around 600k posts, they started watching us. Size, of course, is a mixed bag. Bad with the good, but it still says something positive about this community "experiment" we took on collectively some years ago. So a huge grats and pat on the back, to people like osugrad21, 3yardsandacloud, lordjeffbuck, bucknutty, buckskin86, as well as all of our admins, mods, contributors and users.
As many of you know, inter-connectivity, really being a community, has been at the core of my interests. For a few years now, I've had this feeling that forums like ours are little islands, and that connecting some related islands would be of value to our users, and those of other sites. I became aware of a project called Zoints some time ago, and have quietly followed it for a while to see how it would shape up. At this point, I find myself impressed enough that I've enabled it here for the sake of a trial run to see what people think.
Most here are familiar with Facebook and MySpace. Zoints isn't exactly either of those, at the same time, some of its elements will be familiar to people who use those profile sites. It is entirely opt-in, and will have zero impact whatsoever on anyone here who finds themselves uninterested, but I encourage you to check it out just to understand what it is either way.
What follows is their "welcome message."
I'm pleased to announce that we now utilize Zoints! To get an idea of what Zoints offers, please take this quick tour.
What is Zoints?
Zoints is a forum network and profile system utilized by more than 250 forums, including many of the largest in the world. It provides you with new features such as your own highly customizable personal webpage, photo albums, blog, page to show off your vehicle, means to keep track of friends, and MUCH more. In turn, Zoints is designed to help bring new members who share the same interests as we do to this forum. An example profile of a car forum member can be seen here.
[strike]Before I go further, if you don't want to use Zoints, don't worry, you can turn it off by going to your user control panel options page and unchecking the boxes at the very bottom.[/strike]
(Clarity: Doesn't apply here. You have to go out of your way to partake. By default, the system puts a little notice at the top of the page if you have an unlinked profile. I've chosen not to do that, even though it's likely to really minimize user participation. Everyone knows my positions on opt-in vs. opt-out, so I won't revisit the issue.)
Getting Started
To link to your profile, follow these easy steps:
Step 1:
Go to the Zoints dropdown at the top and click on "My Profile". This will take you to Zoints.
Step 2:
If you already have a Zoints account, login via the link at the top. Otherwise, register an account (it takes seconds).
Step 3:
That's it! You can now play with the most powerful profile system on the net :)
Various Helpful Tours
How to add a profile picture
How to add someone to your network
How to add a video to your profile
How to setup group permissions
How to add interests to your profile
How to add new blocks to your profile
How to message other members
How to create a custom content block
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Do I HAVE to use Zoints? Can't I just turn off the box and links without linking to my profile?
A. No, you don't have to use Zoints. To turn it [strike]off[/strike] on, go to your user control panel, then edit options. Scroll to the very bottom and [strike]un[/strike]check the two boxes under "Zoints Options".
(Clarity: Again, doesn't apply here. You're already turned off. Follow the directions above if you want to go turn it on, even if just temporarily.)
Q. Does Zoints have a privacy policy? I'm concerned about them sharing my information.
A. Zoints' privacy policy can be read here.
Q. If i'm not sure how to do something on Zoints, who should I contact?
A. You can submit a support request on Zoints by going here or clicking on the
at the top of your screen at Zoints.
Q. How is Zoints different from all those other social networks I already have a profile at?
A. Zoints is designed to benefit our forum. For example, they actively work to drive traffic to our forum. By using Zoints, you will help this site gain new members. In addition, Zoints doesn't suffer from many of the problems that plague other social networks.
Q. I really don't want anyone except members here to be able to view my profile. Is that possible?
A. Yes! Just set your group permissions accordingly.
As many of you know, inter-connectivity, really being a community, has been at the core of my interests. For a few years now, I've had this feeling that forums like ours are little islands, and that connecting some related islands would be of value to our users, and those of other sites. I became aware of a project called Zoints some time ago, and have quietly followed it for a while to see how it would shape up. At this point, I find myself impressed enough that I've enabled it here for the sake of a trial run to see what people think.
Most here are familiar with Facebook and MySpace. Zoints isn't exactly either of those, at the same time, some of its elements will be familiar to people who use those profile sites. It is entirely opt-in, and will have zero impact whatsoever on anyone here who finds themselves uninterested, but I encourage you to check it out just to understand what it is either way.
What follows is their "welcome message."
I'm pleased to announce that we now utilize Zoints! To get an idea of what Zoints offers, please take this quick tour.
What is Zoints?
Zoints is a forum network and profile system utilized by more than 250 forums, including many of the largest in the world. It provides you with new features such as your own highly customizable personal webpage, photo albums, blog, page to show off your vehicle, means to keep track of friends, and MUCH more. In turn, Zoints is designed to help bring new members who share the same interests as we do to this forum. An example profile of a car forum member can be seen here.
[strike]Before I go further, if you don't want to use Zoints, don't worry, you can turn it off by going to your user control panel options page and unchecking the boxes at the very bottom.[/strike]
(Clarity: Doesn't apply here. You have to go out of your way to partake. By default, the system puts a little notice at the top of the page if you have an unlinked profile. I've chosen not to do that, even though it's likely to really minimize user participation. Everyone knows my positions on opt-in vs. opt-out, so I won't revisit the issue.)
Getting Started
To link to your profile, follow these easy steps:
Step 1:
Go to the Zoints dropdown at the top and click on "My Profile". This will take you to Zoints.
Step 2:
If you already have a Zoints account, login via the link at the top. Otherwise, register an account (it takes seconds).
Step 3:
That's it! You can now play with the most powerful profile system on the net :)
Various Helpful Tours
How to add a profile picture
How to add someone to your network
How to add a video to your profile
How to setup group permissions
How to add interests to your profile
How to add new blocks to your profile
How to message other members
How to create a custom content block
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Do I HAVE to use Zoints? Can't I just turn off the box and links without linking to my profile?
A. No, you don't have to use Zoints. To turn it [strike]off[/strike] on, go to your user control panel, then edit options. Scroll to the very bottom and [strike]un[/strike]check the two boxes under "Zoints Options".
(Clarity: Again, doesn't apply here. You're already turned off. Follow the directions above if you want to go turn it on, even if just temporarily.)
Q. Does Zoints have a privacy policy? I'm concerned about them sharing my information.
A. Zoints' privacy policy can be read here.
Q. If i'm not sure how to do something on Zoints, who should I contact?
A. You can submit a support request on Zoints by going here or clicking on the
Q. How is Zoints different from all those other social networks I already have a profile at?
A. Zoints is designed to benefit our forum. For example, they actively work to drive traffic to our forum. By using Zoints, you will help this site gain new members. In addition, Zoints doesn't suffer from many of the problems that plague other social networks.
Q. I really don't want anyone except members here to be able to view my profile. Is that possible?
A. Yes! Just set your group permissions accordingly.
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