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Over the past year, we’ve been researching ways to meet your requests for a board service that is dependable, powerful in its search capabilities, and enhances the flow of the discussion. We’re pleased to announce that Taunton has partnered with Prospero Technologies to bring you that service. Beginning March 20, The Taunton Press will deliver Cooks Talk, Breaktime, Knots, Sprout Off, and Gatherings on Prospero’s feature-rich environment.
Taunton and Prospero are committed to making this a smooth transition. As with any launch of a new product or service, we might encounter some bumps in the road, but we’re confident that we have the resources in place to handle any issues that arise. Along the way, let us know how we’re doing and feel free to ask for assistance at any time.
In this message, we’ll tell you dates and details about the transition from WebCrossing to Prospero and what you need to know to help us make this a smooth and successful switch.
b Important dates
Most material from the our current forums will be moved to the new forums. Please be aware of the following key dates in this process:
b By 5 a.m. on Tuesday, March 19: Copy any of your valued material that won’t be moving (see “What won’t be moved” below).
Tuesday, March 19: We’ll put our existing forums into “Read-Only” mode in order to move material to the new forums.
Wednesday, March 20: We’ll throw the switch, and our new forums will be live!
b Existing data
Technical constraints and time limits mean that we won’t be moving the existing forums in their entirety. Please read carefully the following information, and make plans to preserve any of your valued material by 5 a.m., Tuesday, March 19.
b What won’t be moved
• Posts from the off-topic folders: The Woodshed Tavern, The Woodworkers Cafe, Ipke Kitchen Kvetch, Gather for a Chat, and The Gazebo. These folder topics will exist in the new forums, but for reasons of expediency the data in those folders will not be included in the move.
• Attachments (photos, graphics, etc.)
• Links to other existing discussions will no longer work in the new forums.
b Registration
We will not be able to transfer your existing WebCrossing accounts to the new forums. Instead, you will be required to register a new Prospero account on your first visit to the forums, providing your name and current email account and selecting a nickname and password.
b Help will be available
To ease the learning curve, we will create a temporary Sandbox Forum as a place for you to try out the new Prospero features without the worry of your posts being permanent. Then, when you feel comfortable, you can move over to the general boards.
We hope you continue to share your suggestions, opinions, and vision with us to make the new forums just as enchanting, and even more so. We can’t wait to see where you take us next!
Mark (sysop), your forum hosts, and the Taunton New Media team
