| Archive for countrytalkandtips.myfreeforum.org ........................ smallholding, crafts and country life ................................................... IN IRELAND ....................................................... |
| Róisín |
This Website (A Suggestions Thread)I think it would be useful to have a thread on suggestions for how this forum should be ie creative input.My (hopefully not contentious!) suggestions are: 1. Fix the spelling and the grammar/ capitals on the text of the forum. 2. Appoint some mods/admin. 3. Decide whether you want this forum to follow the same paths as RC or DS, or be something slightly different. What does everyone else think? Edit: Also, a place where we can recommend things which are currently going on, ie things on TV (yay I can finally mention RTE and TG4 without blank looks!) or new local markets or whatever. 
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| blowin |
Certainly worth considering but we might want to bear in mind the old adage about the camel being the result of an attempt to design a horse by committee  That's not meant to be a put-down , it's just that I've been there before, in a previous life , as it were .
Mind you , I did actively invite feedback so let's give it a go . How about running it under this thread to start with ? If there are a lot of action points / debate I'll give it a section of its own . Maybe we should do that anyway and include a header for system "how to's" .... post a pic or whatever ? It's the delicate balance between making enough pigeon holes and not being able to see the wood for trees . Or mixing metaphors ! Everyone should feel free to comment , as you suggest . Just to pick up on your specific points ( please bear in mind that I am not yet very familiar with this system ) :- 1/Fix the spelling and the grammar/ capitals on the text of the forum. -- I initially thought you had in mind something like Spellcheck and Autotext ( spelling and layout / punctuation software ) for members' entries but I have just twigged that you are referring to the fixed section titles and text . I own up . That was all of my own making and it isn't a very good example to students ..... but the absence of upper case is supposed to be less formal , more friendly and the whole lot is written in an intentionally relaxed style . It helps the creative flow , so I'm told 
2/Appoint some mods/admin.--- I agree ! Who ? Seriously - how do we select ? Those titles carry a high degree of access to the core system . The holders can edit , move , delete anything from anybody , set up mass mailings and all sorts . From what I have seen elsewhere their actions or inactions can cause very unpleasant divisions among the community of members and , in extreme cases , can lead to the site being closed down completely . Perhaps we should set a minimum number of sensible posts , following which the members can choose to be short listed for the job and the rest could vote by poll ? Or you could just trust me to be a benign dictator  even if not a very pc one
Seriously -- I agree that we need to think about this . What obligations go with the job ? I don't think there are legal liabilities but at the very least the Mods would have to agree to work specific hours to ensure consistent cover . Hopefully someone here can speak from experience . 3/Decide whether you want this forum to follow the same paths as RC or DS, or be something slightly different.--- I think this will evolve naturally since it will flow from whatever contributors actually say , regardless of any corporate objectives . But we can influence , of course . I have tried to outline the ( my ) intended scope by the choice of section titles . I had it in mind to add / del / amend those once members' preferences can be judged by the volume of posts on the various subject groups . In general terms I see it as : -- Aspirations , animal welfare etc --- like RC but with a heftier dose of reality and a much smaller budget . -- Very much orientated towards opportunities , conditions and circumstances as we find them here , on the ground , in Ireland . This is the main differentiation . -- More personal -- ( not the insults ) -- I mean we might meet someday so lets keep it civil even if we disagree !
4/ a place where we can recommend things ---- How about under "Events" to start with . I can delete reference to one-offs ( eg a particular episode on tv ) once it has passed by if that proves necessary in order to keep the clutter down . Separate header if demand warrants it . Phew , I think you are getting your own back for something I said earlier -- on another site !
Over to you , good people .............
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| Róisín |
I'm not getting my own back on anything!
Thanks for considering what I said though and explaining the options. I very much agree that you would be a most welcome and beloved dictator, especially while the site is in its baby stages And I didn't realise the lowercase text was meant to be informal  *pedant*
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| tringle |
Hi, just joined up. Well done blowin. I was looking at the join up dates on RC and I seem to be one of the longer registered "Irish".
Anyway , on the mods front, I understand that you can appoint a mod for just one or some specific topic/threads and they dont really have huge access to other parts, they are just mods and can delete a thread if its contentious but do not have administrator rights. It might be worth considering as sometimes just having a "yellow" (as mods usernames are) member present prevents some people mouthing off. Anyway, please can this section be as it is titled, chat about anything, not having to be relevant to the forum in general. I know quite often I use forums as a quivk run in to ask an unrelated question like how to spell something or what tempeture to cook something (yes I must be a sad person) and like to know I have the freedom to do that without been frowned upon. Anyway, will go and introduce myself properly in the correct thread. Byeee edit sorry modes are green admin is yellow |
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| blowin |
Hiya . Roisin ( please remind me to get an Irish keyboard ) -- I appreciate all your input and don't have an issue with any of it . Please keep it coming in small doses . . I was a school teacher once  . Gamekeeper turned poacher !
Tringle - thanks for the input . I think you might just have got yourself a MOD JOB . ( I'm just going to search the entire net to check the standard and civility of your contributions to other sites then I'll get back to you if I may .... ) . Seriously , good stuff . Maybe we should do a bit more research , put a sort of job description together and ask whether anyone actually wants it ? Go from there . ( Pay is poor , that is to say zero ) . Loads of sites must have been thru' this before . Can't we get a mole in somewhere . Or just ask them
And to everyone else who has contributed in the various ways -- MANY THANKS ! It certainly makes me feel that it has been worth the ?? effort ( not quite the right word ) . Great community spirit . Don't forget to thank yourselves , too . It isn't intended to be "my" site -- it's OURS
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| Moonwaves |
To do fadas, you use ctrl+alt+u to get ú, ctrl+alt+a to get á, ctrl+alt+e to get é, crtl+alt+o to get ó. But it doesn't work with i so you have to use the old fashioned method of alt+161 (have to use the numbers on side of keyboard and not along the top)
For all old fashioned method it's: alt + 160 = á alt + 161 = í alt + 162 = ó alt + 163 = ú alt + 130 = é As far as I remember (but I'm no gaelgoir, as you may have guessed) you're not supposed to use accents on capital letters. WRT moderating - you could try contacting someone on www.boards.ie or www.askaboutmoney.com, both Irish sites and askaboutmoney in particular used to have (IMO) very good moderation going. Brendan Burgess is the guy who runs/ran it. |
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| Róisín |
To spell my name you could use the faster option of copying and pasting from wherever it says it already on the page.
alt-gr + i does work on my keyboard. And capitals do have fada's (for non Irish people a fada is the little accent or tick above a vowel, literally means 'long' in Irish), but there is no shortcut to do them on a normal keyboard, AFAIK. It's an 'insert symbol' job in Word anyhow. That felt like a very selfabsorbed post on my behalf! I really have no problem with any spelling of my name - just shout 'YOU!' like they do at home ...
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| Moonwaves |
That's interesting about the capital letters. I've definitely been told otherwise - it's possibly one of those things that scholars argue about ! 
I've barely spoken a word since the Leaving - had a silver fáinne and all but never made it to a gold one. Some capitals can be done with alt combinations: alt + 144 = É alt + 181 = Á Didn't find any others. |
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| wayland |
This is all a black art to me
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| Róisín |
Just think of RTE and picture their logo. Or look at the TG4 website. Thanks for those shortcuts but my laptop won't cooperate! Grr. Is there any corner of this forum where we could use Irish rather than English please admin? I know some people wouldn't be able to understand it as they are after moving here from England, but then it would be easier for some of us ... Also maybe ye would like to learn the basics! Just an idea. It's probably a contentious issue. 
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| quarryman |
I want a corner where we could converse in Swahili....:] | ||
| blowin |
Funny you should say that !
Jambo ! Habari yako ? Mzuri ? Ne , mzuri sana . U na taka mojo Tusker ? Greetings ! How are you ? Good ? Yeah , really good . Do you want a Tusker ( local ) beer ? I used to live there . A very long time ago . I'll do a serious response to the Q in a mo'
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| wayland |
I think its a good idea Róisín. This is Ireland after all but responces could obviously only come from those who could read Gallic. I personally would find it fascinating. Sitting here with me book trying to understand what you guys were saying
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| admin |
The previous responses sum it up , really . I would love to learn the Irish and had fully intended to do so when we moved over but your phonetics aren't even the same as ours  ! ( There was a documentary on tv a while ago , about brain activity . Said that one's ability to learn new languages starts to decline after the age of ?? 18 I think it was . Unfortunately they appear to be right ) I am getting better at pronouncing local place names correctly but that's about it .
The setting up would not be a problem , that is to say not difficult , but it would be time-consuming . MOH and I are already passing like ships in the night ! The main and ongoing "issue" would be the Admin and Mod bit , which as we all know means firm but polite guidance or censorship if necessary 
I obviously couldn't do this myself and , in the nicest possible way ( honestly ) , how could I be sure that a mischief-maker wouldn't let something slip in under the net ? I could appoint someone , I know , but I don't actually or really know anyone out there . I hardly know myself on occasions . I could be the young girl living next door to you , just writing under this pseudonym
On a more positive note there should be nothing to stop you from adopting a free site like this one yourself . You then make the rules . It is that simple . I'd be very happy to help in any way I can and we could put plenty of links into the posts to encourage flow from one to the other . I think that about covers it
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| Róisín |
OK no problem, thanks for considering it anyhow. | ||
| Róisín |
Sorry to spree, this was in the Irish Times today, breaking news bit ...
http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/breaking/2006/1219/breaking1.htm So ye will have to get the skates on!
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| quarryman |
There must be an election on the way.
Roisin will you do the English sub-titles for any of the Irish language posts? |
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| Róisín |
I had a better idea, which I've asked Admin for permission to do (are Admin and Blowin the same person? I didn't know so I PMed Admin to be on the safe side ) and my idea is a little tiny thread where I could teach ye the rudiments of the language, of course it would all be in English. I will let you know how I get on
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| blowin |
That's a very good question ! The delphic oracle will respond under the
section headed " suggestions about your forum .. etc " .
The language lesson thread is a brilliant idea . Would you like to put it under that same forum just for now ? If we take your new one together with the "Irish-English translations for .. etc " and that very clever keyboard stuff it would warrant a category of its own . Possibly there are other headers which could go there too ? If you ( all ) would like to suggest title or content please PM them to Admin . I say pm because if we get loads of suggestions it may not be possible to accomodate them all . I wouldn't want anyone to be disappointed in public . |
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| quarryman |
Quote from Blowin
Possibly there are other headers which could go there too ? I must give you the local meaning for "header" because I'm sure there are a couple lurking about. Yes Roisin, you can include me as one of the headers !!!!! |
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| admin |
He keeps putting his foot in it , doesn't he
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| blowin |
Ooooohhhhhh noooooo I don't | ||
| Róisín |
Thank you for the lovely encouragement - I have started it - hope it is ok.
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