RAFchat Name Change

Our RAFchat Audiobook Project room's name has been changed to RP & Projects, including various other subjects such roleplaying and projects.

Enjoy!

RAF Chat Issues

For the past few days many were not able to access the RAF Chat. This was caused by subdomain issues which did not redirect users to the right host.

This caused the RAF Chat to point to the old host which does not have the updated member database. Because of this all users who tried to log in that registered or changed their password after September 2009 received an error.

This has been resolved and now our proper database is being used to feed the Chat. In other words things should be fine now.

In addition to this fix, I have decided to make the registration process more simple. So if you haven't registered for the RAF Chat has of yet, feel free to do so now.

Happy RAF Chatting.

Are you a New Member?

I am making out this blog post to all the newer members out there (older members are allowed to use this too)! First I would like to Welcome you to RAF! This is the Ultimate Animorphs Forum.

I have composed a short list of helpful things that you may want to look at and/or use and/or do, so here we go!

1. Introductions and Departures Sub-Forum

This is probably the first place you should go if you have recently joined, or just want the other forum members to get to know you better! You make your own thread, talking about yourself and who you are! This is really the only way to make sure that all the members have a chance to get to know you. This is a "Sub-Forum" of the "RAF Social" board.

2. Member Profiles Sub-Forum

After you have created your Introduction, you may want to create a 'Member Profile' for yourself. This is your own topic where you can basically make blog posts, post pictures for the forum, answer questions asked by other RAFians in your thread, and more! This is also a "Sub-Forum" of the "RAF Social" board. NOTE: A good example is Richard's Member Profile.

3. Attend a RAF Chat Meet & Greet

This is a great idea for any member, new or old! A RAF Chat Meet & Greet is basically what i see as sort of "Dinner Party" at which the members of RAF can mingle and talk with other RAFians and get to know everyone better. Held in the RAF Chat, it allows New members to meet Veteran members and vice versa. Also, Richard has shown up on occasion so you can get to know the Creator of RAF a little better.

4. Read the rest of the Animorphs Series

If you haven't finished the series (missing books, pages, etc.), then I would STRONGLY recommend that you DON'T enter the Animorphs Discussions yet. You may ruin the ending for yourself and that isn't fun at all. But have no fear, for the eBooks are here! RAF, the original uploaders of the eBooks, has them available for download here. Best part: they are FREE!! Every Animorphs book (also has the Vegemorph book, a parody) is available for download either as PDF or in a ZIP file.

5. Get involved in a RAF Project

There is no easier way to feel included, than to become involved. RAF has many projects on the go, from recording the Audiobooks, fixing the eBook errors, creating Smilies/Emoticons, creating the Animorphs Graphic Novel, and many more. Go here to see the RAF Projects board and get involved in one!

5. GET OUT AND POST

While we do allow lurkers (and have created a member class for such people), we much prefer posters. There are may topics on RAF spanning a very wide range of subjects, so it's very easy to find something to suit your fancy.


Well I do hope this little guide (that isn't finished I bet, and i'll probably come out with a 2nd Edition in the near future) has helped you figure out what to do next, and if you have any questions, don't be afraid to PM me, and ask me!

- Adam

RAFChat... Again.

I certainly hope that everytime RAF Chat gets unused, that I don't have to make a Blog Post, but today I noticed something pretty annoying. So, I opened up RAF Chat, after noticing that Zero people were online. But i noticed that there were also 17 users online on RAForum. I was like: WTF? Especially since half the people online on RAF, are frequent RAFchat users. Its the WEEKEND people, a time when we should have tons of people on RAFchat. I know that some of you are doing your finals, but some of you are in High School, and i know that in Canada, High School exams aren't until June. I don't know if its the same in the USA. Here, I took a screen shot:

So please people, GO ON RAFCHAT. It's just an extra tab to have on your browser. It's there for a reason, and if people stop using it, it's not going to be useful. I don't want to have to make a post like this, just to remind people that it's there. Ok? Thank you.

-Adam
A.K.A. Ell¡m¡st

RAFChat

Hey everyone,

I know this has been touched on before in the RAFBlog, but I thought I would bring it up again. Everyone should go on RAFChat when they are on the forum. I mean, it's not that hard to open it up, sign up, and log in. It's just another window (or tab, depending on your browser) that makes a funny sound every once in a while (it might get annoying, but i got used to it!).

What really bugs the heck out of me is when I see that, for example, 24 people are online on the forum, yet only 8 people are online in chat (admit it, it happens). What the heck??

I understand that some people can't be on chat, for reasons such as your country doesn't allow it, or your cell phone doesn't support it, or your Playstation 3 doesn't open it (like me) and I'm not mad at you. Its the people who choose not to go on chat, for whatever reason, that I'm talking to.

Chat is useful because it allows you to talk to your favorite forum members in Real Time. This is neat because you are probably used to only talking to the members in the topics, where you might have to wait a whole day for the response, maybe longer! With RAFChat you ask a question, and you get an answer (if anyone wants to answer it) within seconds! Also, very notable things happen in RAFChat that, if you aren't there, might be missing out from. Examples of things like this that have happened in the past are:

1. Ken and Anna's RAFWedding
2. Pootang's Miraculous Birth
3. Various RAFParties
4. Many of the quotes in the Quotable Quotes thread
5. and many more...

If you don't know what #2 is about, then that's the exact reason why you should be in RAFChat!

And hey! I'm not the only one who thinks so! Here's a quote from a member of RAF, when asked what has happened in RAFChat that they can remember:

"Not much really... RAFchat is dieing kinda... With the more talky people leaving or lurking more, less and less is happening..."

So please people, go on RAFChat!! I'll most likely see you there!

Sincerely,

Adam
AKA Ell¡m¡st

Blog & Chat back up

After 24 hours of being down, both the RAF Chat and Blog are now up, and online. The reason why they were down is that XEHost, our service provider for both the Blog and Chat upgraded, and changed the IP address for the server.

Long story short, I also changed the IP, and now you're able to read this, and enjoy our chat room. If you were following me on Twitter, you would have seen a tweet saying I will move from them because of this downtime; I have decided to, because they did not go down, keep their services until it expires in a few months.

Edit: They apparently moved servers, and I failed to get the email, so some files have been lost. I'm definitely not renewing my plan with them. XEHost, you suck.

RAF Chat Smilies Codes Changed

On the RAF Chat, you don't have to remember some lame codes to get the emoticons (smilies), see the list below:

is now ;)
is now :lol:
is now :P
is now =)
is now :s
is now :Oo:
is now :D
is now =D
is now 8)

Thanks to Goom for the suggestions.

If you don't know what the RAF Chat is... then here we go: The RAF Chat is the area of RAF (Richard's Animorphs Forum) which allows you to chat directly with members and non-members in an instant message format.

If you haven't registered yet... what are you waiting for?

RAF Chat Upgraded

The RAF Chat (the chat-room) has been upgraded again.

If you have any problems accessing it, check this thread.

RAF Chat Now Has A Logo

I knocked up a logo for the RAF Chat, since it has become so popular and who doesn't love logos?

RAF Chat Upgraded

As you may, or may not be aware, the RAF Chat has been upgraded.

New Features:
1. Registrations (this prevents multiple members and spammers)
2. Better User Control (for staff and moderators)
3. Private Chats
4. Dedicated Rooms
5. User Profiles with Avatars

Please Note:
The Opera Browser does NOT work with the new Chat.

RAF Chat - Now Open All Week!

The RAF Chat (where members and non-members alike chat about Animorphs in an IM style) will not be closed throughout the week anymore. I've decided to have the chat room remain open 7 days of the week.

To allow you to gauge when there is activity in the chat room, I've placed an online notification at the bottom of all RAF Forum pages.

RAF Chat

The idea came from Russell who suggested we create a chat room situation for the Record Breaking day attempt. Ok, fair enough. But then I got the idea that why not open the room on a scheduled basis? I thought about it for a few minutes, and said, ok, sounds good. Today Sunday Feb 17 will be the trial day for the Chat room.

RAF Chat will be open every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at the following times.

2100 GMT
5 PM EST (East Coast USA)
4 PM EST CDT
3 PM CST MDT
2 PM MST PDT
1 PM PDT (West Coast USA)

... so come in and enjoy the chat!