a)  Would you all be willing to create accounts here (i.e. mandatory account to post) if it meant "ownership" of all your posts and built-in archival features?  Those accounts would only require minimal information like they do now - login, password, and email in case you forget your password.

EDIT:  Because the "accounts" would only require 2 of those pieces of information (the login could be the email address itself), it occurred to me that posting could create an account for you.  The big changes would be that:  You'd have to use the same email address and password to post a 2nd time (unless you stay logged in), and you wouldn't be able to post without an email address anymore.

b)  Would you like to see "keywords" implemented that can be used to divide up the board threads by subject?  For instance you can use the keyword "Untold Tales" to only display Untold Tales stories, or "Round Robin" to only display round robins.

I'm asking these questions because I'm considering changing the way the PVB software operates someday.  Rather than being centered on threads and replies, it will center on its users, like Facebook does.  The main board view will essentially be a timeline of recent posts.

The user accounts would be required because of the way the data storage would need to operate - rather than one database per board, it would be one database per user.  The main board (timeline) would aggregate those user databases.  

The advantages are:  

1) Users will be able to control replies to their threads, and where those threads appear.

2) There will be absolutely no limit to editing those posts (because even though it doesn't appear on the main board, i.e. "timeline", you can still see them by selecting that user's posts).

3) Instant export/backup in multiple formats so story posts can be archived at another site (and possibly a software script so they'll be drop-in viewable at another site).

Basically, I believe the new format *might* go better with the concept of telling stories.  Most message boards right now, including this one, are based on the concept of breaking news, which is why posts expire - because news ages after a while.  Stories don't, so they need a new and different concept.

By the way, if I do this, it will finally cause the software here to diverge from Comicboards.  Because CB is more news-based, it favors a more traditional message board format.  That, and it seems the population of CB is militantly resistant to even the smallest change, so I'm actually afraid of making a change this big there.  It's easier to just diverge the two code bases.

Comments?  Questions?