I think our fiction group may......

pick up some new contributers when we get over to DU3. It's about 20 past 2pm EST, Monday 5/23/2011 and we now have 91 subscribers over there. Maybe some DUers just realized we have a fiction group. I know that I found quite a few groups over there that I didn't know existed here on DU2.

Well, here's hoping my theory is correct because the more input the merrier, right? What do you think?

Also, what do you guys think of DU3 in general? Like it or are you apprehensive? I like it very much. I think once it's up and running and I get use to it I'm going to be very happy. I actually find it much more user friendly but it may just take a little time to learn the ropes. The only draw back I can see is that all our posts here in Books:Fiction on DU2 will not be transfered over to DU3:( The good thing is we will be able to come back here and at least read them.

Perhaps other members should put up post to attract attention.

It was my first foray into DU3. I was going to ignore it until I had no choice, but to make sure we have a fiction group, I was willing to bite the bullet.

I was not happy to find that there was no spell check----shit. And I absolutely hate having the subscribe to ANYTHING. I did not want to do that, but I did. I like it just the way it is----I see a forum or group that I want to check out, I just check it out. But for you, my fiction group, I did all that was asked of me.

joining anything either! I hardly ever do it, it makes me feel committed. But I have subscribed to a ton of groups over at DU3 because I am interested in all of them. I have always liked the cooking & baking group here but I never participate, I just use some recipes and some advice I see written there. I will probably do the same with some of the groups I've subscribed to at DU3. Thanks for subscribing.

About spell check, they will have it when DU3 goes live. I was worried about that too so I asked Skinner and he said we will have it.

I only spent a minute at DU3 just to subscribe to the fiction group, so I suppose I will have to get familiar with it now. I am with you, I check out a lot of groups here that I do not participate in, but they have good information. Do you know, will all the groups you are subscribed to be available to anyone who looks at your profile? Will you have to subscribe to every group/forum that you post on? I just have this weird feeling that this will be as crazy as facebook, where the world knows way too much about you. One time on FB, I clicked a link of a friend who is a teabagger just out of curiousity about what it was, and then it showed up on my FB page and I couldn't figure out how to get it off of there. I hate the FB model so much, and just do not want DU to go in that direction. Sorry, why am I asking you! I should just look into this myself. Well, thanks for listening. I will head over there and peek around.

I'm thinking of redoing the Fiction Book Authors, except in alphabetical order, with A-thru Z entered separately, with each name entered separately so that comments and opinions could be stuck in after the author, and new names added at the end of the letter.

but I think I miss the "R" ability, and maybe a lot of people will miss the smilie faces...and I notice that our avatars are missing - maybe we can have them after the program has its bugs ironed out. Also, don't see the formatting of stuff like underlining, italics...

But if we get to keep "Books: Fiction," the hell with all that stuff ;)
Losing it is not acceptable no matter what features we lose..

I'm finding it to be much clunkier than the current version. Maybe I'm missing something.

I went ahead and subscribed to all of my favorites, but I'm not planning to go over there until this side shuts down, which I'm assuming will happen at some point. Am I wrong about that?

I prefer everything all in one place. I agree that it seems "clunkier" (good word.)

I feel I must be missing something, too.

That long column on the left all the time is a bit annoying, but things are easier to find without going from site to site looking for stuff. Just wish they'd put the list on on a separate view. The problem is the new names of the forums - I don't know if I want to post in something they call a "soapbox." And the General Discussion "Recommended Reading" is something I don't think I'd ever post to. I get my recommendations from Books: Fiction...

I think maybe they're trying to cut down on the size of the website. Why else would they change it so drastically?

otherwise they wouldn't be testing a new format.

I think we should start putting more "Rec's" on most of the posts to get them on the front page - like for instance mvccdl000's latest post called "The Ass Is a Poor Receptacle..," (if it were an OP) and especially DUgosh's weekly "what're you reading" post...or that "What's the First Line to your Favorite Post"...

We need to attract people BEFORE they pull the plug, no?