I've run a phpBB forum for ten years now. The community for the forum I run is small but very close-knit and we share a lot of our personal lives. We have grown to know each other quite well over the past decade. Some of us are quite colorful, others very knowledgeable and others just plain fun to be around. You know, neighbors and friends.
One my users was a die-hard 'direct-link-in' person: one who could not be bothered to use the standard front door entrance, he always used a set of direct links to access precise areas of our forum that he frequented; considering he spends many hours every day perusing literally dozens of online communities, he has found direct links to be his best option to get to the areas he most wants to read. However, he recently became a bit upset at having missed some new threads and posts of a subject matter on which he would normally be quite vocal. This fellow was advised by me and others to try the portal link (or the direct www. link to our domain that is set to redirect to the portal page) and it's "latest posts" and "latest threads" links, as well as the "latest news" section listing many of the latest threads in public areas. After grudgingly trying this out for a couple weeks, I believe he has become a believer in the portal system. I received a private message from him, stating in part:
While it may not seem to be a very big deal in the grand scheme of things, I was quite happy to have chosen a portal system that my frequent and valued visitors find useful. As the board administrator that sort of compliment makes my day. I wanted to share the positivity with the creators of the Board3 Portal system who made that positivity possible. Thanks folks!... One of the things I've missed about Delphi was being able to see and go directly to any "new action". The Portal here has made that quicker and easier than any board I can remember. ...
