would be good if it was like that. 

Hi Nic, Thank you. I think Richard must be indisposed at the moment. Things are so unsure who knows what tomorrow will bring?

Onward and upward!

Alison xx

I see nothing done at all regarding this. I am sorry but if we want the site to be up to date we simply HAVE to move on and listen to member's suggestions. Richard has always been very helpful but I am sorry if this comes over wrongly...but if he i so busy with this 'pandemic' maybe we need to think of other ways. As things stand I am becoming less and less interested in being a part of a sinking rudderless ship!

There I have said it!

@stormwolf I sympathize and agree with your concerns, Alison. It is very frustrating to note that the improvements needed to make the site more functional are not being carried out and this diminishes members' motivation to contribute. 
It's obvious that the webmaster has more urgent commitments and it won't do any good crying wolf. Is it possible to appeal to any members with the necessary technical know-how to volunteer and give a helping hand? There must be someone with expertise who is not an ignoramus in computer matters like me. 

Or me. Calling anyone who knows how to set up a zoom conference to come forward. We might have to pay something but unless it is a king's ransom I will be prepared to pay in order to have us all as a cohesive whole. 🙄  

I don't know if others are finding this but time seems to have speeded up lately and the day has gone before I have got half the things done I want to do.

  🙁

Posted by: @stormwolf

Or me. Calling anyone who knows how to set up a zoom conference to come forward. We might have to pay something but unless it is a king's ransom I will be prepared to pay in order to have us all as a cohesive whole. 🙄  

I don't know if others are finding this but time seems to have speeded up lately and the day has gone before I have got half the things done I want to do.

  🙁

I recently looked into zoom for a friend and it can be difficult to get it to run on an older computer. Someone advised me to use Skype Meet Now. I haven't tried it myself but it seems quite simple. Skype vs Zoom: Which video chat app is right for you? | Tom's Guide tells you about Skype and Zoom.

If you prefer Zoom. Here's a guide that tell you how to use Zoom for meetings How to use Zoom app on iPhone, Android, Windows and Mac | Tom's Guide. Free ones are limited to 40 minutes.

For Skype Meet Now, you simply go to this page - Organize conference calls on Skype with one click | Skype ,give your meeting a name (UKAuthors, for example) and click on Create A Free Video Call then share the link you're given to the people you want to be on the video call. If you click on the Share box, it gives you options for giving the link to people from just copying and sharing, which could be sent in a direct message, to others. Then you start the video call. As I say, I haven't tried either or them, but the guide makes it look simple and there's nothing to download onto your computer. 
Hope that helps.

Thank you for the time and input Gee. 
I have weekly Zoom meetings with a group I am part of and even last night it took me 20 mins to get on board. I know the fault was mine but it is so worth it to engage in real time with people from all over.

If ANYONE could set something up it could transform the site and sooth a lot of issues there and then.

I wish I had the ability .

Alison x

Zoom is by far the easiest for people to join calls either through the browser or a desktop app. You get 30 minutes with the free version , but all you have to do at the end of that is just rejoin the same meeting to continue.

Teams requires a microsoft account with all the paraphernalia associated with that. 

I'm afraid that unless we can persuade the Administrators (i.e.Richard and Andrea) to join a zoom session, nothing can be resolved as ordinary members haven't the know-how nor the authority to make changes.

I have limited experience using Zoom (my wife more than I) and she inevitably asks me for help with the sound settings or something like.  The other day I spent about quarter of an hour trying to increase the volume on her Tablet (running Android 10): There was no control for it in Zoom itself - that I could find - and I ended up adjusting the audio in the OS settings instead.  When we used to use Skype it seemed so much easier but then Microsnot got involved and it suddenly became complicated. (Not surprising IMHO.)  I reckon they are now both as bad as one another as far as complexity goes.   Just my pennyworth.

I agree with the proposal regarding 'picks', Alison et al

Blessings folks.

My wife does a weekly zoom 'craft club' - mostly its chat; but it is set up by someone else, and I believe they have 45 minutes free. I also join a monthly Christian meditation group on zoom, which lasts an hour. As far as I know its not so difficult to set up a zoom meeting then send out a blanket invitation to the participants. Having a zoom meeting here could be interesting, as not everyone would choose to be engaged on that format - showing ones face; and of course there is the time differences for non U.K. members.

As I've indicated before; much of the 'backroom' work and policies on the site are still a bit of a mystery to me. As a new member I don't yet have a mental map of how the community operates, and who is who in terms of an organisation; that said I'm very glad I found my way here. If I grok it right, there is a shadowy conclave of 'nibbers' who agree among themselves what are to be the 'pics' in the current batch of submissions, which is vey encouraging when one is fortunate to be chosen: it certainly is in my case. As to where all the previous pics/nibs should be available, I agree that it would be beneficial to have them more accessible.

In a previous life I was a moderator on a ship drawing site, spending many happy hours pixelating my own drawings, while also keeping the peace between some of the more vociferous members; so I can appreciate the time and effort that is put in here, by our own admin. Again, as a new member find that the conversations I enjoy with other members, re theirs and my own work is something I value, but I need to guard against my tendency to 'rabbit on'. Perhaps I should be looking for another outlet for general topics, I don't see the actual forum is attracting much of that, and I'm a bit hesitant of starting my own. And the chat section seems more like tweets - perhaps it is? 

Anyway, head over the parapet done, and all the very best to our dedicated members. 🙂  

p.s. Please ignore all the waffle about the forum. I've just been doing some browsing and found plenty of topics. Embarrassed 😳  

Dodgem said:

Again, as a new member find that the conversations I enjoy with other members, re theirs and my own work is something I value, but I need to guard against my tendency to 'rabbit on'. Perhaps I should be looking for another outlet for general topics, I don't see the actual forum is attracting much of that, and I'm a bit hesitant of starting my own.

The General Forum used to be quite lively, entertaining and informative few years ago but people eventually drifted away because of the disruptive behaviour of certain members (now long gone) and it dried up.  

I've tried starting threads but there doesn't seem to be much interest in the social aspect any more. Give it a go and see if anyone picks up on the conversation. I'll be there. 🙂 

Thanks stevef. But of course, I'll need to think of something that might interest others. How about grammar? Or will I risk being lynched?  😉  

Bring it on, Dodge! I like discussing grammar and breaking its rules when it improves a story. It probably sounds odd but I've got no idea what the various terms mean any more. Put me on Mastermind with grammar as a specialised subject and I'd get a full-fat zero! 

Conjunctions, determiners, adverbial phrases, clauses and predicates etc are like Chinese text to me these days; I was taught how to use them at school over fifty years ago and promptly forgot the lot, once I got into the wage-earning world. I think grammar is like learning various musical scales - once you've got them in your muscle memory they can be used without conscious thought in the right context. I know within milli-seconds if I try to play a major scale over a minor progression. Anyway, over to you. 😉