Hi everyone,

This forum is closing on March 31, 2018.

For a while I have been looking for a way to integrate (1 registration per user) my online store, this discussion forum, and website to be mobile (phone) friendly.

At the moment, online store is based on software Zen Cart. It uses email address to login. This discussion forum is based on phpBB, it asked for a username to login.

I was able to upgrade Zen Cart - so that it is mobile friendly. This discussion forum would rely on a third party app 'Tapatalk' for use on mobile. I used to like Tapatalk, but it is irritating lately that their advertisement covers 3/4 of my phone screen on initial use.

Another important reason to move forward with migrating from current forum to new software is that I want a way for new user to self-register. Currently I manually register new user. This method works to filter out spam, but it requires that I manually create user account etc. I want registering to this forum to be better experience for new user.

So if you get a chance, please take a look at the new forum here

http://bigleaforchids.com/forums/

The new forum is very simple. It doesn't have complex features as current. Therefore the layout of the new forum is easier to mobile phone.

I'm also starting a new blog where I can use Wordpress app on my phone - and it will update my blog. This will help me set keyword and place photos in correct categories. I've been uploading photos to Facebook for sometime now because it's easy. But my problem with Facebook is that I cannot easily locate specific photo at a later time.

You can find my blog here

http://bigleaforchids.com/blog/

Please let me know what you think and any issues you may find.

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Peter Lin, Admin
Big Leaf Orchids

Hi Peter,
thank you for your announcement and your explanations.
I understand your reasons well - and to me it is most important, although I couldn't be as often here as I would have liked for several reasons, that the forum isn't lost. The post are there and the people. It is great that you keep the forum going. Thank you!
Best greetings from Olaf, too!

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Bye-Bye, Sylvi & Olaf

Flickr!
Album Homepage

Thanks Sylvi.

After evaluating the new forum for a week, I concluded that it is not going to be ready by March 31.

Even though I was able to transfer old topics from this forum to the new forum, pictures don't get transferred over. The new forum will need additional features installed like photo attachment and private message.

Which means this forum will stick around longer - and I will have to schedule time to update its software. Not sure when that will be but that's the current status.

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Peter Lin, Admin
Big Leaf Orchids

Peter - will you be installing Tapatalk on the new forum?

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Ray Barkalow, Orchid Iconoclast
Using science & logic to improve orchid growing

Hi Ray, not going to do the new forum. Will just stay with this forum for now.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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Peter Lin, Admin
Big Leaf Orchids

Hey Peter, when you do move to the new forum...just make sure you setup redirects in your htaccess and request google to reindex because otherwise...you'll totally wreck your page ranking and it will be like starting all over in google search which will be bad for your business.

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"It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter." (Proverbs 25:2 NKJV)

- Orchids are like a marriage, they require investment, patience, and improve with age.

I discontinued Phalaenopsis.net where this forum was hosted. Forum redirected to bigleaforchids.com but few people have issue logging in. Forum on WordPress is not full featured like phpbb and that’s the reason I’m not moving forward to it. I thought it would be nice to have one login to my store and forum. It’s just easier to leave this forum as is.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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Peter Lin, Admin
Big Leaf Orchids