Forums are ON but Re-decorating will take a while

The saved data for the various colors etc. doesn't map to the new templates, so it's going to take me a while to get things settled. Please be patient.

The Forums are Off for Routine Maintenance

The Absolute Write Forums are currently off for routine maintenance. We'll be back in a few hours. The hamsters are re-decorating.

We Are Back!

The forums are on!

The forums are on now. This is essentially a public beta test. There are some things to know first: * This is new software. The mods and I are learning it right along with the rest of you. * There will be glitches; I’ll fix them as soon as I can, but you’re going to have to be patient. I’m juggling a lot right now, and there’s only me. * I am writing new FAQs about how to do things; the software is pretty good, but their documentation is somewhat lacking. I’m learning on the fly. Please be patient. * Some avatars have gone missing. I’m sorry about that. Not something I can fix. Because the forums are still very new (I changed to a new host yesterday) things may be a little shaky. I may turn the forums off again briefly to make adjustments, but I don't expect to have to turn them off for long, if at all. * So far, it’s been smooth sailing, and we can’t wait to “see” you all again. Lisa AW Admin

Absolute Write Migration Update

* The server is up and running. 

* The old vBulletin posts are in.

* The new software is installed. 

* We’re days away. 

I’m still configuring the way that Share Your Work will be protected. We’re waiting for one last security package to be installed, and an more robust backup method for the forum. 

Things have delayed by a family medical crises; my elderly mom broke her hip, and that’s been my highest priority since April. 

But we’re very very close. 

Much Much Closer to Putting Absolute Write Forums Online Again

 We have a date for the database conversion and import. This is a massive undertaking, since it involves over a million threads, and millions of posts. 

* I’ve moved to a new server and host. 

* We’ve installed the new forum software.

* I’ve installed some of the security software.

* I’ve moved the Absolute Write Web site, which is separate from the Absolute Write Water Cooler Forum

There are three things we still need to do. 

* The consultant (we hired an expert) has made an appointment to move the database, convert it, and import it into the new forum. That will take a while; days not weeks, but the appointment is a few weeks away. 

* We will need to tweak the forum and test it. 

* We will need to install the rest of the security software, and test again.

We’re going to open the forum as soon as possible, with the warning that the volunteer staff, the Mods and Admin, will be learning new software right along with the rest of you. 

The basics of posting will be very very similar, but you’re going to have to be patient as we figure stuff out. 

We've made more progress!

We’ve made some more progress. Right now, we're waiting on two consultants schedules. But we’re closer! 

PLEASE STOP JUST CHECKING

We’re moving the entire server, and converting to new forum software. It's going to take some time. 

 We will absolutely let the world know when we’re ready for you to log on. 

In the meantime: Contact Points 

AW Status Blog 

https://absolutewritestatus.blogspot.com 

AW Discord 

http://www.zanzjan.net/writing/awchat.html 

Twitter 

AW Admin: https://twitter.com/AWHamsterHerder 

MacAllister: https://twitter.com/AbsoluteWrite 

AW Peeps on Twitter: https://twitter.com/i/lists/1208577447106633728 

Facebook 

AW FB Page 

AW Facebook Group

 

We are asking people to tell us their AW Username when they sign up, so we can avoid spammers. We aren’t approving people who don't already currently have a Forum account. You’re welcome to check out the Facebook Page though. 

Absolute Write is Offline

 * Absolute Write is down.

* We know what the problem is, but rather than pay to fix it and then move days later, we’re just going to take the server offline a few days early. 

* We’ve got a new server and we’ve licensed new forum software. 

* We have a bid for a contractor to migrate and convert the database to the new forum software.

* We’re looking at a few weeks offline. As soon as I know more, I’ll let folks know.

* And yes, we’re still being hammered, but it should be much better on the new server. 

This is a perfect opportunity to get some writing done; and we've got some ideas to help with that. 

In the meantime:

Contact Points

AW Status Blog
https://absolutewritestatus.blogspot.com

AW Discord
http://www.zanzjan.net/writing/awchat.html

Twitter:
AW Admin: https://twitter.com/AWHamsterHerder
MacAllister: https://twitter.com/AbsoluteWrite
AW Peeps on Twitter: https://twitter.com/i/lists/1208577447106633728

Facebook
AW FB Page
AW Facebook Group
I'm asking people to tell me their AW Username when they sign up, so I can avoid spammers. 

Email List
I’ve set up a small one-way only announcement list as a Google Group. 
Absolute Write Announcements
Click Apply for membership to subscribe. 
It's helpful if you include your AW Username. 
If you want to receive the news via email, you need to set it to send all email. 
Only admins and mods can send or post.