I think that's also a good suggestion if it can be done.

If there's a will, there's a way and it certainly appears there's a will...the "way" is now in process.

So, we have it that taking an extra step to edit it in notepad is not acceptable as a suggestion. I don't agree that it would be taxing for admin/mods, but understand that it would be for members working the posts.

We now have the suggestion of making (at least one person) a moderator for editing purposes only on the forum if it can be done software-wise.

What do y'all think about that, and are there any more suggestions?

Thank you!

KD

I don't have much time this morning but did want to pipe up and reassure everyone that support of this site and its members has never been in question.

First of all, this excellent forum cannot accommodate everyone... we understand that and are fully accepting of it. Life is full of choices. We have some choices to make now re: our database.

We are merely speaking aloud about what/where we should store our research and database. This has nothing to do with 'withdrawing support' from this place... as has been noted several times re: people who are on other boards here that would not otherwise be able to access information re: the implications of dietary control.

Many people just want support and are not really interested in our 'research' anyway. They're not interested in the process... just the end result... and that is a-o-k!

DocJohn,

Thank you so much for your note. My goodness, it makes me think that this is being blown way out of proportion!

We appreciate everything you do for people. Opening this place was a real gift to many, many people. There is every reason to run it in a fashion that is as easy as possible for yourself and the mods. We absolutely respect that.

My take is that the decision made, to withdraw editing and deleting abilities, was something that was obviously felt to be the best road to take for this community. I believe that everyone respects that (even though we may not like it) and we do not want to be demanding in any way at all, as you have done so much for everyone already!

Our 'oldies' group just needs to decide how/where to get our other needs (more unique than most groups) met and I appreciate being able to discuss that here so that new people who are interested in reading/contributing to the database that we are rebuilding will be able to do so.

That discussion is simply how to expand support/effectiveness without asking for 'special considerations' here. If everyone asked for special considerations of this forum, it would be a full time job!

Thanks again... for EVERYTHING! Neurotalk is absolutely a boon for people trying to get support and get well.

I think I mentioned this before, but perhaps it is worth mentioning again. There are "wikis" (like Wikipedia) out there that are free. It might be a reasonable way to keep our research and recipies and also make it easy to search, categorize and find on the Internet. If there were a way to backup the information it might even be possible to move it from one wiki server to another without much fuss (if a server died).

The only issues I can forsee would be:

- Exercising Editorial control but I'm sure that can be easily addressed.
- Making sure the wiki can be (and is) backed up by someone(s).
- Making sure the wiki we use has an easy to use interface for posting articles.

Here's a good starting read on wikis:
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Wiki_Sc...o_start_a_Wiki

My thinking is that we need a way to store longer term stuff that needs to be editable forever and reasonably server independent so if one server goes away, we can move it elsewhere without too many tears.

The forums are GREAT for support and communication but compiling a store of ever-changing knowledge and information they have some drawbacks.

If you'd like I will hunt for a good Wiki. Shoot... maybe I will anyway. Someone should get the GF wiki ball rolling!

Kim
I really do want to thank you for the understanding and support you have shown in your last post.

It isnt always easy to please everyone, and at the end of everything Doc has to do what is best overall for the Community, while trying, where possible, to meet everyone's needs.

That said, wherever we can help for as long as you are here, we are willing to try. Cant promise it will always be exactly as folks may want it, only because of the size of the community and the overall need...but we sure can promise to always be willing to listen to member concerns and to try to solve any problems as we are able.

Cheri

Yes! Thank you, Kim! This is exactly what I wanted to say. (However, I felt some trepidation about saying anything else on the subject after the other thread was locked because of past issues with BT and banning. I'm so glad to see that isn't happening here!)

Doc John stepped in and created Neurotalk at a time when so many of us were hanging in the wind and I'm so thankful for that.

Anything we say in regards to what we need in a forum is a reflection of us and our needs and not anything negative at *all* about NT. What a blessing NT has been for us!

Rachel

Nancy, I agree with you. Forum formats are not really designed for the purpose of storing data. Being the creative bunch we are, we made it work for us in the past, but I don't think it is the best way to store data either.

Wiki sites, google pages, blogs... even indexed PDF files like this
http://homepage.mac.com/sholland/celiac/GFfoodlist.pdf
stored on someone's home ISP site would work for various applications. These type of things would be good for recipes, getting started lists, looking for cross contamination, how to do an elimination diet, recommended book lists, etc.

Still, there are things like the Journey's thread that sort of just evolved... that people liked to update when they found out new information/ new test results/ new diagnoses. There are other examples, too, were we relied on editing for our day to day things, like cross referencing threads into other threads when we came across them, keeping all good things together. Those are the sort of things we can't just recreate anyway... they evolve over time.

By the way, I am thinking of adding out a page of 'GF stories' to TGF if there is interest... so anybody who has a story to tell... start working on it . I think telling our stories is the best way to get the message out there... we all have such unique backdrops of how we got here.

Cara