Was wondering if it would be helpful to have a calendar feature for each Ad Board discussion that can list providers in that board for that day. That way one can see the list of providers visiting/available for that day with links to get to their posts.

That would be a lot user friendly instead of going through several pages to check for dates etc.

Just a suggestion, that's all.

I forget if it came up on S&P or GD. I don't think anyone was strongly against it. The problem was how to do it.  

Providers post their ads at very different times: some a day before, a week before, 3 weeks before. So you just can't sort by name and posting date (easily automated).

Visiting dates (or the locals' own availability) is completely textual, in the subject line or in the body of the post.  

So there is the problem of discriminating local dates from other cities. Some Providers the same ad to all the places they are visiting and they all have the complete schedule:  
Boston Apr 1-5
NY Apr 6-10
DC Apr 11-4 ...  
so a text search would have to be really sophisticated to pick up the right date in the right city.  

And then there is the ambiguous way dates are written in text: April 1, Apr 1, 1-April, 4/1, 1/4/2017 ...

Some might post "Monday and Tuesday next week" without the calendar dates.

Humans are excellent at figuring out all of that info but computers need excellent programs and the CPU resources to parse it all and then create the Common Calendar you seek.  

I don't that there is anyone who thinks that TER could do it even if they wanted to.

I wonder if TER could create a Calendar for each Region where Providers could enter their own Names without TER having to do anything extra. That would be separate from the Local Board itself and each Provider would have to remember to do both: post to the board AND post to the Calendar. One model might be built on a standard Calendar program (google, microsoft), as long as TER could control access and editing privs (only Providers with active Profiles). Another model might be like those Survey sites or Event Registration sites. You can connect or login and enter your name but you can't change or alter anyone else's info but still see everyone who has registered.  

So maybe some kind of calendar could be added. I just don't see it happening when they are so busy with important stuff like changing fonts and color schemes.

When providers are placing ads, the input form might need the location dropdown and calendar controls that would allow for this feature to work automatically. Further information can be added once checkin and checkouts are added to allow  

DC     March 27 afternoon   March 29 early morning

The above provides all information, updates calendar feature and we get the list of providers for a particular day, all in one place.

Not impossible, not that difficult to implement, but sure means changing some stuff as well as having users buy in.

That is why I'd wanted a general discussion first but TER moved this to Suggestion and Policy, wasn't suggesting anything to them yet. Wanted to see what people thought of the idea and if enough people thought it was helpful - hobbyists and providers both.

So if this thread could be moved back to general discussion, that'd be great.

The ad boards use the exact same posting interface that we are using right here. There are no dropdowns or other features to turn on.

I can't see TER modifying the forum software again. They just did a big revision for the new beta site.  

A local calendar would be a nice new feature. I don't think TER should try to modify their own code. I think they should just use options that already work (survey software or event registration software) and make the minimal changes to make it secure for TER and to look like TER.

-- Modified on 3/26/2017 4:32:51 PM

Well, there are many ways to implement this and would leave it to TER staff to make that determination.

My objective is to show the benefits of having such a feature and I really feel that this could be helpful. Plus, it provides TER a leg up on other sites that do not provide this. Ads is a revenue generator for TER, isn't it?

Though I guess you could make an argument the ads draw potential clients who may choose to pay for VIP membership.

and I think that many people would agree with you on that, even tho' this thread is pretty much gathering dust.

But I haven't read of a good implementation that TER would be willing or capable of supporting behind the scenes.  

The closest "zero effort" calendar I can think of is for TER to somehow use one of those web-based event planner / calendar services, one calendar for each region or locale, with, hmmm, a 30-40 day window.  Only TER members can view the calendar (or make it VIP only to encourage memberships) and only Providers can add - register themselves on the calendar. One final drawback: if one of the free hosting companies didn't approve of the purpose or content, they could shut down TER access.

If it requires too much effort or resources on TER's part, it ain't gonna happen.

Post again in a couple of months and maybe it will generate more buzz.
EDIT: And use a more descriptive subject line so people will know what you're posting about and be able to find the thread more easily. "Availability Calendar for each Region" or something.

-- Modified on 3/27/2017 5:13:47 PM

Thanks for the correction on provider ads.  

With TER having a competitive advantage and this being a nice benefit for VIP members, I think this is a win-win situation for everyone.

-- Modified on 3/27/2017 8:38:32 PM

Thanks for your comments.

Like I mentioned earlier, I had posted the OP to General Discussion and wanted the opinion of other members as well, kind of do a poll to see if people would like this idea. I guess more people frequent those boards than this one.

But TER staff moved the post to this board and I do not know what else to do to get a post about this matter on General Discussions board. ideas/suggestions anyone?

Follow the GD and Newbie boards and look for an opportunity to slip in the suggestion as a reply.  

"When I tour, what is the best time to post my ad to the local Ad board?"  
Lots of replies: 3 weeks in advance; 2 wks; 1 wk prior to arrival; ...  
"It would be really good if the local boards also had a local calendar to summarize everyone's schedule in the area. I even posted that suggestion to S&P [link to one of your posts]. What do others think?"  

Or, after a few weeks have passed, post again to GD and see if Admin lets it stick. There is a lot of variability. But come up with a better way to implement the idea. TER and too much custom programming is a bad mix.

but if it's something the members are really interested in, they will come.

I recently made a suggestion here and asked Admin if I could also post it on GD to reach a larger audience, they were unable to accommodate me, but if you'll long a few threads down you will see it has generated over 700 reads and close to a hundred "likes", so people will respond here if they feel strongly enough about your suggestion.