TromboneChat

With the apparent instability of this forum, maybe it might be a good idea to pool some ideas for other places to do internet-socializing of trombones.

I know that JamTrek is working and maintained by Michael Lake. It's a pretty different structure from here.

https://jam-trek.com/

Can someone reach out to Matt? The reason the last forum Hindenburg'd was that the guy running it was incommunicado for basically years.

There are several on Facebook, also mostly centered on selling/buying stuff.

The only guy who can fix it is nowhere to be seen. Sounds like the previous board situation.

Just in case someone is listening, I migrated my phpbb to Discourse. It's not that hard and you get a much better platform.

I'll let you know what Matt says... he was talking about doing an upgrade and I suspect something about it was problematic.

I’ve looked around before joining and honestly this is the best place—as a trombone forum—so I vote we fix it. Sounds like reaching out to Matt is the best way forward.

If he needs help and somehow my skillset lines up, I don’t mind helping out any way I can. I’d like to see this place continue, succeed, and thrive.

Thanks Doug!!

I really appreciate this is an independent forum and not on Facebook, Discord, etc.. Those sorts of platforms are easy to get started, but there are usually headaches and trade-offs down the road.

One question: is there enough resource for running the forum? Cash and/or time.

I'm a computer programmer by day and willing to help out running the board. Give me a shout if I can be of any use.

The facebook forums are pretty useless as the structure doesn't support the degree of exchange that takes place here.

There are always options to improve, but overall the structure of this forum is quite good in my view.
Apart from the performance/availability issues. I would assume that this can be fixed if someone can take care.

Yeah, the forum structure is different, and better at the type of interactions we do here than any social media. Solution is to make sure the forum stays online (and eventually keep improving it), rather than migrate somewhere else.

LeTromboniste wrote: Thu Jul 10, 2025 4:21 am Yeah, the forum structure is different, and better at the type of interactions we do here than any social media. Solution is to make sure the forum stays online (and eventually keep improving it), rather than migrate somewhere else.

Agree!

Discord and Discourse are different things. Discourse is a forum platform like phpbb, but much more modern and better supported. You can import phpbb site data into a Discourse site.

Not all here are in a financial position to donate but having dumped my professional career decades ago for financial security in a non-music field, I am and am happy to. I’d like to see this great resource continue.

See the main page for the donation options. index.php

There's a TromboneChat.com group on Facebook. What's the traffic like there compared to here?

tbdana wrote: Thu Jul 10, 2025 9:46 am There's a TromboneChat.com group on Facebook. What's the traffic like there compared to here?

I think that one is quite new and was opened after the political discussions on Tariffs in here.

EriKon wrote: Thu Jul 10, 2025 10:16 am I think that one is quite new and was opened after the political discussions on Tariffs in here.

No, that's The Trombone Hobbyist.

tbdana wrote: Thu Jul 10, 2025 9:46 am There's a TromboneChat.com group on Facebook. What's the traffic like there compared to here?

There used to be more discussion (although the format on Facebook makes it very clumsy), now it's mostly promo posts, and few comments.

At one time the Facebook group was a way for Chat members to communicate about downtime (this is not a new problem). I remember posting on there a couple of times to update the users on the status of the main board.

LeTromboniste wrote: Thu Jul 10, 2025 4:21 am Yeah, the forum structure is different, and better at the type of interactions we do here than any social media. Solution is to make sure the forum stays online (and eventually keep improving it), rather than migrate somewhere else.

Burgerbob wrote: Wed Jul 09, 2025 8:06 pm The reason the last forum Hindenburg'd was that the guy running it was incommunicado for basically years.

When TTF went south, we lost most of the archives. When the OTJF went south, we lost them all. Maybe now is the right time to back up all the threads somewhere.

AtomicClock wrote: Fri Jul 11, 2025 11:55 am

Burgerbob wrote: Wed Jul 09, 2025 8:06 pm The reason the last forum Hindenburg'd was that the guy running it was incommunicado for basically years.

When TTF went south, we lost most of the archives. When the OTJF went south, we lost them all. Maybe now is the right time to back up all the threads somewhere.

Pretty sure Matt has done that, although possibly not recently.

Well, my worry is that Matt himself might disappear, taking his backups with him.

AtomicClock wrote: Sat Jul 12, 2025 4:30 pm Well, my worry is that Matt himself might disappear, taking his backups with him.

Exactly