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~~~~~ Yes!!! I was totally checking out the XenForo forum resources. (Still there.) They even have a background migration from Invision v4 to their software suite that will allow the site to continue to function during the transfer for the most part. And it appears that they support Themes that would allow this site to maintain the look that we have grown accustomed to, but with some tweaks. The way The Farmer site is set up is exactly what I was thinking, format-wise. I would just need to know what the admin control panel is like in the software. Most communities have moved to a cloud based setup with A.I. functions which is monitored by the developers so I have no idea how that works when I would need to make edits to the site settings on the admin side. On a personal note, I am just wondering why this software site never showed up when I was searching for other "forum" style community based software sites. Everything lead back to Invision. So I re-registered the site with them because we had been down for so long...and here we are. There just appears to be so much more site potential with XenForo.

I love the whole idea I think you're onto something. Not to push the issue, but did you check out that other forum site I mentioned? Idk a whole lot about the differences between this and that forum software but I think the XenForo software they are using has all that and more, I'm not entirely sure but I like the way that site is set up and ran. They also have a store where you can buy seeds and they have the ability for members to sell things there, as well. I believe it's all included in the forum software they use. I personally know the guy who owns and admins that site so I can ask him for more info if you're interested. IDK how hard it would be to transfer everything from here to there, though, so that's one issue unless we were to just archive this and start anew. But I am totally cool with whatever route you decide on, you put forth the time, effort and initiative to keep DGN alive, so I think you've earned the right to do as you wish 🤠👍

After I got the site working again, I mentioned that this version will no longer be supported in the near future as Invision is upgrading to version 5. We are currently on version 4 as it was the quickest way to get the forum back after we lost it the beginning of July to GoDaddy due to non access and the site being lock in their system account by Troy. My idea moving forward was to change things up a bit as this is basically my ballgame. In the past, there have been a lot of concern about adding a chat feature to the site due to how quick people can get into heated discussions, but I was wondering, since there are already Discords out there for DGN groups, wouldn't that be a place for that type of interaction in conjunction to access to the forum. Of course, if someone accesses it through this site, they would have to enter as a legitimate member. My other thought was to have store links added to the forum since the hosting site actually offers SSL certification. Members with items to sell would be able to link their store through the main forum front page that will be available to public traffic. They would also have the option of members only sales which would only be accessibly in the members section of the site. Also, having the SSL certification will allow for the public version of the forum to host links of outside seller sites which would also create seller/buyer hub traffic. The Invision software package allows for "Clubs" inside the forum. The Club creator would take on the roll of MOD to the Club they create with permissions bestowed by admin. That would be another way to have more streamline discussions among like minded individuals while still being within the forum community as a whole. Essentially, I was thinking of being the main presence of the new version of the forum. Prior to COVID, I would plan personal outings to visit as many offsite members as I could reach, just to say "Hi". It was actually fun. The furthest we made it, however, was Adrian, Michigan to visit Class-Punk. Others were around the Metro-Detroit area. Before things were shut down, we were planning a trip to Toledo, Ohio to visit sekhmet2002. Drive-wise, we made it up to Holly, Michigan for the Michigan Renaissance Festival. Later, I had read where a few ideas were being tossed around about having a DGN day at Ren-Fest. I would still be open to something like that if people were interested in going. There was also a post about Walk Around Detroit nights/events where you get dressed up and just hit the entertainment strip...was my understanding. That definitely sounded like fun as that was already something I did on my own...lol. Lastly, I was thinking about hosting/organizing various types of "Get Out & Mingle" events/outings like hired DJ venue events, Karaoke outings, Lounge meet ups and free location hangouts like Belle Isle, parks and other spaces open to the public. Since things are getting shaken up anyway, I figure why not go all out. I'm currently using a website building tutorial, that came with the site security account, to learn how to add dimensions to the community forum to enhance user experiences. If I get this right, TDGN might share some Facebook-like qualities and more. I didn't want to limit the site to only being a message board. I'm thinking more along the lines of an interactive virtual community forum with a real world presence. ~~~~~ Therefore: New forum layout New software upgrades New platform for public and member additions Varying in-person interactions Redefined internet footprint Although, this is my vision of things, they are not set in stone. Ok, so, thoughts?