This forum - still free to participate?

[elliot_n]

Is this forum still open to non-subscribers?

I'm a long-term forum member, but I do not subscribe to the main site.

During the recent changes to the forum back-end I got locked out (my username + password were not recognised, and I'd forgotten the email I originally signed up with many years ago). Chris Batt, the webmaster, kindly helped me out, and eventually I found my way back in. However, whilst waiting for his fix, I tried to sign up to the forum with a new name, and I couldn't find a way to do so without becoming a subscriber (I tried both 'register' links on the forum front page).

Is it still possible for newcomers to participate in the forum for free, or has it become for subscribers only? If it's subscribers only, is this a recent change or has it been like this for a while? The forum stats show a sudden decline in new members in 2016, so perhaps this is old news - see bottom of this page: https://forum2.luminous-landscape.com/index.php?action=stats

The forum could do with some young blood - it seems a shame to lock people out.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

There have been some glitches recently, so it is more likely one of those, rather than a change in policy.

For instance, I can not log into the main site, in spite of being a subscriber, on my iPad and iPhone, but can do so on the desktop. Go figure.

[elliot_n]

Neither of the login links on the forum front page work for me — 'ERROR: Your username or password was incorrect'.

To get access, I need to find a thread in which I've participated, then click on my name, then enter my username and password there.

[Mark D Segal]

In the forum reply notification emails I receive, the URL to the forum post is no longer hyperlinked, so I must copy-paste them to another browser tab to get to the right place. Are any of you having to do likewise?

[Christoph B.]

I just wanted to create a "For Sale " post but got kicked to the "Membership Subscription" page.

Does that mean that you can't put up anything for sale unless you're a subscriber?

[Arlen]

In the forum reply notification emails I receive, the URL to the forum post is no longer hyperlinked, so I must copy-paste them to another browser tab to get to the right place. Are any of you having to do likewise?

Yes that is happening to me too, Mark, ever since the problem when no notifications at all were coming in.

[Mark D Segal]

Yes that is happening to me too, Mark, ever since the problem when no notifications at all were coming in.

Thanks Arlen, that confirms it's not just my computer.

[Chris Batt]

There have been some glitches recently, so it is more likely one of those, rather than a change in policy.

For instance, I can not log into the main site, in spite of being a subscriber, on my iPad and iPhone, but can do so on the desktop. Go figure.

Yes, we have experienced some inconsistencies in the login and subscriptions processes. But not to worry, the subscription policies and free nature of the forum have not changed. We will iron out any issues members are experiencing, kindly email details to <webmaster@luminous-landscape.com> and you will reach me personally.

The site and forum should be accessible on all devices, so please let us know of any failures to log in. Also try clearing caches, as we have made changes recently that may not have been updated in the device cache.

Thank-you everyone for your emails and comments directing us to difficulties and where we need to make corrections and improvements.

Chris

[Chris Batt]

I just wanted to create a "For Sale " post but got kicked to the "Membership Subscription" page.

Does that mean that you can't put up anything for sale unless you're a subscriber?

Posting in the Marketplace is reserved to subscribers, yes. The rest of the forum areas is free to use, absolutely.

We are currently working on some login issues and difficulties for new members to register, but this is not a change in our policies or how the forum is structured.

Thanks for your patience.

[Mark D Segal]

You may also want to look into why there are no longer any hyperlinks to forum posts in notification emails and get that fixed too. A big nuisance having to copy/paste the URLs.

[Christoph B.]

Posting in the Marketplace is reserved to subscribers, yes. The rest of the forum areas is free to use, absolutely.

We are currently working on some login issues and difficulties for new members to register, but this is not a change in our policies or how the forum is structured.

Thanks for your patience.

Maybe you should mention that somewhere in the "For Sale" Forum (like a sticky threat with a few infos etc), otherwise it's a bit confusing and hard to find.

[elliot_n]

The 'register' links on the front page of the forum have now been fixed and lead to a free forum registration page, rather than the subscription registration page. Thank you!

The 'login' links on the front page of the forum are still not working. They lead to a subscribers login page, which rejects valid username/passwords of non-subscribing forum members. I'm sure Chris is working on this, but for now a non-subscribing forum member can login by finding his/her forum profile, and then following the login procedure there.

[Chris Batt]

Yes, we are working on the non-Subscribing member forum login issue.

However, the database error some member's experienced when registering has now been fixed, and new member registration, activation and login flow (from the welcome email) should be unencumbered.