IndieAgora Atrium - Site Upgrade Coming Soon

[atreestump]

Hi everyone,

I’ve been working steadily on a major upgrade to IndieAgora, and I want to share an update about what’s coming soon. This new system, called the IndieAgora Atrium, will reshape how the entire platform functions by unifying all the different areas into one consistent and modern interface.

Although the Atrium is not live yet, it is approaching a stage where the core features are almost complete. Below is an overview of what to expect when it launches.

A Unified Portal: Connect, Discuss, Stream

The Atrium is designed to bring everything under one roof. When it launches, there will be three main sections:

Connect – A Facebook-style personal profile wall.
Users will be able to post updates, share content from the rest of the site, and view each other’s profiles in a unified format.

Discuss – A Reddit-style discussion feed powered by phpBB.
Topics, replies, and forums will be displayed in a clean, modern card layout with proper formatting, quotes, link previews, media embeds, and attachment support.

Stream – A video feed powered by PeerTube.
Videos will appear in the same card layout as the forum topics and will include comments, likes/dislikes, subscription options, and full integration with the Connect sharing system.

These three sections will work together cohesively, providing a single, organised experience rather than separate disconnected systems.

Unified User Identity

One of the major elements of the upgrade is a shared identity layer across WordPress, phpBB, and PeerTube.
This will mean:

• One user account across the entire site
• Consistent usernames and profile links
• All profile clicks leading to the Connect profile page
• All activity (posts, topics, videos, comments) belonging to the same underlying identity

This change will significantly simplify how users interact across different parts of IndieAgora.

Sharing Across the Platform

The Atrium will allow users to share content between sections:

• Forum topics from Discuss can be shared to Connect
• PeerTube videos from Stream can be shared to Connect
• Connect posts will be able to contain text, links, media, and references to content from other parts of the site

This turns the Connect wall into the central, personal timeline for each user.

Improved Posting Tools

When the Atrium launches, users will benefit from a smoother posting system:

• Proper BBCode rendering
• Styled quotes
• Link preview cards
• Media embedding
• Attachment support using the WordPress uploader
• A consistent reply interface
• Cleaner, more modern text layout

These improvements will apply across Connect, Discuss, and Stream.

Performance and Integration Work

A large amount of the ongoing work has involved rebuilding the connections between WordPress, phpBB, and PeerTube. This includes:

• Improved database integration
• Higher performance when pulling topics and videos
• Cleaner and more responsive design
• A unified visual language throughout the Atrium
• A solid technical foundation for future features

Most of this work is behind the scenes, but it is essential to making the platform run smoothly.

What Happens Next

The next steps before release include:

• Finalising the Connect profile system
• Completing the Stream video integration
• Establishing the unified user identity mapping
• Preparing the sharing functions across all tabs
• Testing performance and layout across devices
• Ensuring stability and consistency between systems

Once these final elements are ready, I’ll make an announcement with the release date.

Thank you for your patience while I build this upgrade.
I’m looking forward to sharing more updates as I get closer to launch.

The IndieAgora Atrium is coming soon.
— John (atreestump)

[Whisper]

I\'m so excited! I\'m glad that it is going in a social media direction

[atreestump]

Oh yeah.

[kFoyauextlH]

My best log in experience is on this forum site, all my best user experiences so far are on here only. It isn't very modern or impressive maybe, but it keeps me logged in snd doesn't ask me for the verification process that the other one does (the main site), which requires me to go and verify through a slow email, because my password is so pathetic in its simplicity, because I want to remember it.

I'm saying this so you know that there are things about this forum site in particular that have kept it usable even when I have had this recent phone issue. It simply lrts mr log in and keeps me logged in and doesn't send me an emsil for confirmation and doesn't ask me for a more complex password than the very simple one. It has no weird or fancy graphics or boxes, I simply can post quickly, I use the quick post box in here, and it shows posts chronologically, and gives me a lot of editing freedom all over.

I have my little picture now, a username, and can post videos on here as illustrations or additions to assist or inspire the imagination and make things more colorful.

I would like the ability to possibly hide things or make the links to videos not show the thumbnail but only thr link in case it bogs down load times or is easier to copy paste entire posts and pages without clicking edit per post, but for now I'm further away from saving anything than ever before.

I'd like to be able to convert the names of old threads to re-purpose them, but it isn't important and I can use my 33 Themed Temples, Themeples, to cover just sbout everything, including whatever thry have ever bern used for at any point.

If the change keeps sn option for a version of things to be as simple and plain as this forum part of the site, then I will have nothing to fear for my ability to continue to write on here, since I need it to be very simple, or st least an option to have things be as simple as thry are on this forum style site as compared to the fancier modern stuff which isn't very comfortable to use, for me.

I'd even go further backwards and allow for little ankmated gifs to decorate my posts and make them look like old style website pages with torches and bats looping.

If you also integrate A.I. replies, A.I. functions like being able to ask A.I. stuff, make art, make videos, a chat functions, live chat, private chat boxes, shared viewing for those simultaneously viewing a thread, pdf conversion, turning the site or posts or threads each into a small pdf, or also an option for one huge navigable pdf or something.

I hope I'll be able to start using the site more again, but I am a little apprehensive about losing the current ease snd convenience I experience with the design of this current forum site that I use exclusively.

[atreestump]

I will add Spoiler bbcode that will hide anything within it with a button.

Added in 1 minute 32 seconds:
The Discuss section will be as easy to use as this platform.

Have you ever used Reddit? It will be very similar to that. Reddit is an evolved version of forum software.

Added in 2 minutes 23 seconds:
Does that look simple enough? Those pictures show the basic structure (more will be added later.

[kFoyauextlH]

It looks alright, could you put up a side site or page where I can test it out? Unless that is too much extra. I just wanted to try to practice with it to see if any issues come up for me.

It looked fine though based on the pictures, pretty close to any forum like this, but maybe you could preserve this format as a version that I can use which sends all the stuff normally into the Reddit format. I have never really gotten into Reddit, I don't like a number of things with Reddit, like the fuss with usernames, the way that I can't see all replies automatically, the way that it only lets me load a few and then goes to a seperate page where it only loads a few more and not the whole side interaction, the way the people talk and behave there makes me want to smash through the screen but that is because of the types of people they seem to be wherever I happen to go on there, I also don't like how it separates out the name of the original poster in the first post.

Reddit has become one of the most popular websites and comes up at the top of so many of my searches, and even lots of females post on there, albeit also in infuriating ways.

The dark color is something I've seen somehow weirdly bring out the worst in people too.

Sorry, I don't want to sound too finnicky or annoying, lets see how it goes, but it will be even less of an issue if somehow I have a secret button or key to be able to post using this interface as usual which is also easiest to log into but all my posts are visible to the futuristic people with their vr headsets and words they can touch and feel.

It is like asking Gramps to get off his old typewriter and start using an Android Phone or dancing like Tom Cruise in The Minority Report, which became what the majority is doing today with all the swiping.

I'm even becoming a bit suspicious of writing altogether but there is no easier way for me to communicate since I am very secluded and cut off from the world and have been increasingly for decades now.

Is Reddit chronological? I like it if I can see everything from the first to the last, fully displayed, chronologically, even a lot more on a single page that fully loads without scroll to the bottom loads or load more buttons, I like as much as possible there, maybe even a little thing that has each post numbered which can be clicked to or used to skip to posts, but it could cause things to become very slow, particulary if there are lots of videos automatically loading. Maybe the video boxes could be smaller and then could be expanded, it would also be helpful if the video link shows above or below them so that I could just copy the writing including links without going into edit to see and capture the links when copying.

The slightly lighter colors here, but not as bright as the main site, are also pretty relaxing for me. I'll be the ghost on the ghost version of this old abandoned version of the site pretty much no one but me has ever used so farif there will be some way kept for me to see it like this and use it.

Another thing I like about this forum site and style as opposed to what I've seen of Reddit is how I use the threads here in multiple ways, as symbols that move around, it is similar to how I play with things in my Amazon cart too, moving up things by bumping them, and they then take a position in my feelings, it is almost like in video games when people put in different power gems or things like that in their armor or various slots, so then that bevomes what they are focused on and a few others.

I'm not sure if it would be looking or feeling that way in another style.

Most human beings probably don't consciously, or in any way, use threads and writing, images, and songs the way I do, but I view them as objects and as having some kind of power or influence, on the very least on my thinking and feelings, almost like amulets, jewelry, idols, clothing, banners, devotions, energies, things that charge up and move and call and are used in an oracular way too.

That is why I was fine refurbishing the 33 threads that I did, because they already seemed suitable to host and continue to build up more woth the ingredients added, already in the nature that they seemed to be aligned to since 2017.

The changes, if any, I'm most interested in, or would be, would be for anything to make those things even more influential upon my mind and imagination, which is why I thought little pictures or thumbnails one could upload which are automatically shrunken or sized or a re-sizing or cropping option for them to keep them smaller, but that might give certain impressions to me. For me, these are also like places, 3d locations or illustrated realms that have certain scenery and characters inhabiting the areas, like a game or a storybook, and each zone is to be used by me for collecting things that strengthen and give nuance to various ideas those threads are meant to hold and be used for meditations and even diving into again and covering oneself with the colors and feelings contained there, to be used, for art or psychological reasons or even magical and superstitious ones.

Reddit seems like a place where people ask questions and act like they know stuff and argue with each other, but the threads seem very flimsy, to be used (r*ped even) and thrown aside by people who are just getting something quick and not lingering or returning much unless they've gotten into a fight they have to continue because their pride demands it.

I've not seen much close to a realm or a temple there in the form of text, but the closest might be when people post a bunch of pictures and then others come along to praise it, but even those quickly seem to age and are thrown aside in favor of newand different ones, instead of continuing to use and growthe place with more of the same, they just create a new room or booth to quickly f*ck around in and again and again lol, the whole thing seems very fleeting and sort of stupid even, because of how the people and the place are all temporary and throwaways.

[atreestump]

Beta tests will start soon. Anything on the test site will not be saved by the way.

I also want to mention that everything on the forum and the stream site will be saved for the new Atrium system but anything shared to Activity on this main section will not.

If you want to save that data, there is an export button in your profile page.

[kFoyauextlH]

I probably won't be able to in time since I don't have any proper devices accessible to save it to currently. In order to have a record of all activity posts, you could just collect it all chronologically and make a thread that collects all that activity as a record, some of those were good posts along with responses, and that could just be saved for the transfer as a normal thread, maybe even a thread that can be continued to be used for casual activity updates, so it would have everything written first, further activity posts would be closed off, then that thread can be locked or can continue to be used for posts of that nature and style but as a thread like any other.

Added in 6 minutes 4 seconds:
I'll save a version anyway though, so I would go to the main site, then my profile, and click something? That will only save my activity posts and not all activity posts? Are youable to provide a direct link or to do it and send the file to my email? The email version might at least be preserved better even than anything on this phone, since I'm not even sure all the stuff on here is going to make it, though I'd like it to. I'd like to somehow get everything whatsoever off this phone somehow onto a drive or something in case this phone totally goes out.

I've been having a dilemma getting to use physical things in a timely manner and preserve them too, so everything is in a dreadful stasis, dreadful because of the dread I feel about all these things I never get a chance to ever even touch or use disappearing, it is like being in a dream, getting all kinds of treats and teasures and then waking up.

[atreestump]

I don\'t think you\'ve got anything to worry about as all of your activity is on the forum anyway and then it\'s duplicated here.

On the Atrium system, there will be one place for everything.

[kFoyauextlH]

I'm excited to see what it will be like, and if any issues pop up you've always been great and very quick about figuring out how to make things better or more convenient, so I think it will be fun to see a better integrated singular website.

At the bottom of some websites they have things like different views, such as desktop view, mobile view, there could even be a reddit style view, a view like the main site if you prefer that, and a view that is forum style and makes all the information displayed and navigable like it is on this forum site, unless thst is too much extra unecessary seeming effort, but I find it really easy to find threads and return to threads and scan through what is on a website this way with everything listed and sometimes I use the browser's "find on page" to type in a few letters to find a thread title on a page.

I like how I can add to a thread and it is bumped to the first page as the first thread. Maybe in a forum view mode all that can still be around, even if I'm alone in using it and no one sees the site that way, similar to how most others might be using the main site and I use and enjoy this one for how easy the navigation is for me, the posting, the way it shows and is viewable, how it saves what I am writing as I am writing it, how it allows me to type a lot more and posts it without issues, how I can use it to list links and videos for myself to return to and go through, how it is chronological, how it instantly shows me where a new post is, "these are some of my fav o rite things!"