David,

I'm very early on in the setup of the software for these message boards, so I don't have a lot of answers for you.

I purchased the new "Pro" version of the Webbbs software in July and had it professionally installed by a gentlemen in Germany. My initial purpose was to have software that I could more easily maintain across thirty-four (34) sites (and there will be more!).

Recently, I'm sure many of you have noticed "spam" appearing on some of the message boards. Unfortunately, our message boards became a target of a Russian group of spammers who post ads and even malicious software on sites they hack into by exploiting security weaknesses. This new software should help me block these intrusions and protect our posters.

I had hoped to do a smoother transition from the old software to the new, but about one week ago, the spammers "upped the ante" and hacked the website, adding a virus-laden series of pages which could have downloaded to our participants computers. I think I caught this hack within a few hours after it occurred, but it was so pervasive and so sophisticated, that I had to shutdown the site and since the cleanup of the old software would take as long as installation of the new software, I have spent the last week setting up the new boards.

What you're seeing is the basic message board, which will be "prettied up" and added to over the next few weeks. I will continue to advertise our participants books and Civil War-related products on the sites. I should also be able to add "pinned" messages which will appear at the top of the main message index page for announcements and news.

For added security it may be necessary for me to implement two levels of usage on the site, a registered and unregistered level. Registered users will need to send me a name and working email address. I will respond to that email with a password. Registered users will have the benefit of having their messages appear instantly, included "html" and possibly include uploading of images. Unregistered users may post, but will have their messages delayed in appearing until they are scanned by a board administrator. The delay could be up to 24 hours.

There is still a great deal to do, so I'm going to get back at it. I apologize to everyone for having to take down the site temporarily, but it was necessary to protect our posters and visitors.

Please feel free to experiment with things and offer suggestions or complaints.

Jim