UKS 2021 - input?

[Crafty Lady]

I would be happy to take on the Friday 5 or share it. I would really like the Off the page to continue, I do lots of different crafts although this year I haven't been in the right frame of mind to do much crafting because of the lockdowns etc. Usually I go to 3 different craft groups every week but this year none of them have been running. Next year I'm planning on doing much more and want to do the challenges on here. I would also like a class perhaps different techniques. Can I also ask, can we digi LO's for the challenges and still earn points? I've only done one digi page so far but would like to practice and learn how to do more of them. I won't ever change over to all digital scrapbooking because I like doing IRL scrapbooking too much and have a lot of stash to use up, LOL.

[tigerlady]

Can I also ask, can we digi LO's for the challenges and still earn points

Yes, Sheila digi away! There is no differentiation between digi and paper for points collection.

MaryAnne/ Karen/ Sue Scrappycats ( the few who still sxrap) are onside and I personally am happy to help out as well.

[scrapdolly]

I think at some point I will need to delete galleries from old members to make space - the hosting is dependent on the size of the storage needed. Paying to store galleries from people who no longer use UKS at the expense of the people who do needing to cull current work is not fair. Photopost is the thing I know the least about. There are ways to set parameters and do an auto-cull based on date or last visit or some other options but I have always been hesitant for fear of getting it wrong and deleting something that should be kept. I will try to look at that again and see if I can sort out a way to do it that won't remove stuff we really want - for example, I think a raw by-date cull might remove cybercrop class pages or things like that. It might be better to look at users with huge galleries that we KNOW no longer use UKS and start with deleting user by user. Then it is very easy to increase the storage for members.

I absolutely agree ... doing it by time could lose valuable stuff but deleting huge galleries from people who no longer use UKS would be a better way. Some of our members were very prolific and a lot of them no longer scrap at all

[scrapdolly]

I would be happy to take on the Friday 5 or share it. I would really like the Off the page to continue, I do lots of different crafts although this year I haven't been in the right frame of mind to do much crafting because of the lockdowns etc. Usually I go to 3 different craft groups every week but this year none of them have been running. Next year I'm planning on doing much more and want to do the challenges on here. I would also like a class perhaps different techniques. Can I also ask, can we digi LO's for the challenges and still earn points? I've only done one digi page so far but would like to practice and learn how to do more of them. I won't ever change over to all digital scrapbooking because I like doing IRL scrapbooking too much and have a lot of stash to use up, LOL.

Absolutely ... that has always been the case ... we had digi designers as sponsors back in the day.

[MaryAnne]

Honestly, I have looked at the forum list and the only change I can see making is to make the teams stuff it's own forum outside of the Challenges and then move all but the current active challenges to Old Challenges. The forum list seems pretty stripped down to me compare to what it once was. It feels like hiding things in lower levels means they won't be found.

On the Adopt-a-newbie, someone coordinated that, I forget who now, it's been so long. Happy to start up that again if there is someone to match newbies with adopters and can look at whether it is possible to send an email to new registrations notifying then of the program. Although this time of year we get a LOT of spam registrations so perhaps better if I review all registrations on say a Monday and delete obvious spammers then send the emails of legit newbies to a coordinator, or something like that.

Might also be worth re-writing the User Guides to UKS that we once had - they needed to be update when the forum got updated and by the time I got my head around the changes, I was in the middle of a house move then got sick. Another area that someone might take on. I can do it but sometimes I think I have tunnel vision and assume everyone sees what I see as obvious, because UKS has lived in a part of my brain forever. They usually don't.

I always did The Library, and the outside of UKS links to interesting information was always a great resource. It need a serious cull of dead links and maybe some fresh eyes. If there is a topic people want to have added or really want to see updated, we should look at that.

Just a bit stream of consciousness here, getting ideas and thought down in writing. All open for discussion!

[scrapdolly]

Mary Anne - and everyone else - can you have a read of this thread

https://www.ukscrappers.co.uk/boards...54#post6752254

[kimmie_35]

I have just caught up on this thread. I have been a member of UKS for quite a long time. I visit the forum regularly and read around but rarely join in.... I keep thinking I should, but my scrapbooking seems to have got less and less..... along with my mojo and this year I have done very little other than crochet. Having said that.... I love seeing what everyone is doing, the challenges look amazing and I am going to make it my mission to give myself a crafting kick up the bum and take part more in 2021. Thank you all for all your hard work, I am constantly grateful that this forum is still going, it gives me a really nice lift when I visit. Hopefully we will all be in a better place next year. xxx

[Crafty Sandra]

If you want to chat pop into the daily chat thread in the community forum be nice to see some new faces. Think we're all suffering from lack of mojo with this year. Im doing a lot more stabbing and before you get worried i mean needle felting lol

[RED HEAD]

I have been reading this thread, and think it’s a good idea to cull older things
to make more space.
I love the weekly challenges and set one when I can. Also like the Friday 5
I don’t come on here to be in a team or collect points,. Can’t see the point in that. Excuse the pun
I come on to do challenges I like and to gather inspiration.
I appreciate all the hard work that goes into keeping the site running, and the people
who do that are amazing.
I love the chat on the photography group, and participate in that.
I will help if I can , but there are more organised people than me who are willing to do so
Ellie.

Forgot to mention the chat thread ,that’s lively and always welcomes new people.
And the Card challenge set by Nat, who does an amazing job every month.
Giving us lots of inspiration.

[Maria in France]

would it be possible to have a 'posts since last visit' type of link, so it was easier to keep up?

Im nervous to say anything that sounds critical as i very much appreciate the efforts you all make and am grateful for all that, but well, the site is a bit cumbersome from a user point of view.

[elainevking]

Maria..as long as it is constructive comments I don’t feel that you should eb nervous. I think we all appreciate the volunteers but UKS can have a shake up and the time does seem to be now while we are all stirred up about it.

[scrapdolly]

would it be possible to have a 'posts since last visit' type of link, so it was easier to keep up?

Im nervous to say anything that sounds critical as i very much appreciate the efforts you all make and am grateful for all that, but well, the site is a bit cumbersome from a user point of view.

Bless you ... it’s an open forum and I for one have frequently asked for people’s views and you are never one to have digs at people ... so go ahead and express your views

Yes there is a way to do that ... use the button that says forum spy ... sounds horrid but it’s not it’s just very useful to see what’s new

[thriftycrafter]

On my PC that takes me to the thread with new posts, but not to unread posts, I still have to go back to where I last posted (or maybe didn't) to find what's new on that thread IYSWIM

I have Pm'd Susan re Friday 5 and it would be great if we could share the challenges, those who have mentioned it.

[g61]

Another one chipping in to say I'd appreciate more space in the gallery, if it can be made to happen. I've culled quite a few of my own LOs to post more recent ones.

I guess you could try a multi-step process of contacting the long-inactive members to remind them UKS still exists and invite them back; if they become active users again, that's a win in itself. If there's no response, a follow-up to say 'your gallery will be deleted in a month's time', would give them a chance of retrieving their images, or reigniting their interest. I realise this would all be a very manual process but I'd be happy to help if I can.

[MaryAnne]

...

Yes there is a way to do that ... use the button that says forum spy ... sounds horrid but it’s not it’s just very useful to see what’s new

I wonder if there is way to rename that? I think Forum Spy is the name of the plug-in so maybe not, but I can look.

Also, I suspect I could make better use of things like the Notification banners. So maybe have one there all the time that says New here? Make these your first clicks and then list things that we have written up like What are Teams? How Do I see What's NEW? How does the Gallery Work? etc.