"Change is bad.  We fear change." -- Garth, as spoken in Wayne's World.

No need to be afraid, Garth.  Most of the time, changes here at HokieCentral are for the better.

As you can tell from the great-looking new graphic on the home page and the new appearance of the home page, some changes are afoot here at HokieCentral.  And hold on to your hats, because HC is about to get new message boards!

Before we get to that, though, let me publicly thank Hokie Matt for the amazing new HokieCentral banner that graces the home page.  The banner features pictures of Hokie stone architecture, Lane Stadium at night, and the War Memorial at night.  It's a thing of beauty that I never could have done myself.  Thanks, Matt!

Now, about the new message boards ...

The link to the new board is located below, at the end of this article, but please read this first!!!

Our new message board is based on the same script that is used over at TheSabre.com, so those of you who use the one over there will find the new HokieCentral board to be very familiar and easy to use.

For now, we’ll use the new board as the main board, and will continue to use Grassy’s server for the Tickets and Tapes board (if that’s okay with Grassy). As soon as we’re sure the new board is bulletproof, we’ll copy it over into multiple message boards for Tickets and Tapes, etc.

Here’s how the new board works:

1.) You pick a username (post name) up to 16 characters long. Sorry, I know this will force some of you to pick new post names, but it’s how the programming works, and it saves a little bandwidth to have shorter post names.

I took a look, and most of you have post names that are short enough. If yours is too long, but it’s barely over 16 characters, I suggest removing the spaces and using the same name. For example, "Big Bad Hokie Daddy," which is 19 characters long, could change to "BigBadHokieDaddy," which is only 16 characters long and can be used.

Note that every time you post, you have to use your chosen post name! The usernames are tied to the passwords now, which unfortunately eliminates some of the fun we’ve been able to have on the board by making up funny post names, but it also increases accountability, so it’s not all bad.

2.) Go to the board (link is below), click on the "Register" link at the top of the board, and fill out the form that you find there. On that form, you’re asked for your username, email address, and some other things. Please read the form completely before filling it out.

3.) Use the board! If you uncover and bugs or anomalies, or if you simply have comments (complaints, praise, or otherwise), email me at [email protected] with your feedback.

Also, be sure to read the "Help Area" and "Rules" links at the top of the board to make sure that you understand the board and the terms of its use.

It will take me a while to change all of the left-hand border links to point at the new board, so please be patient.

As I said, at first, the new board will be a single board that includes a link to the old "Tickets and Tapes" board.  As soon as we're sure the new board is bug-free and ready to rock and roll, then I'll have the programmers create a new "Tickets and Tapes" board, a new "Score" board, and (ta-da!) a new "Gatherings and TV news" board.

The new "Gatherings" board will be used for posting news about Hokie Club meetings, game day get-togethers, etc., as well as provide a place for posters to exchange information about what channels are showing Tech games in what areas.  Lately, this sort of info has really started to clog up the main message board, particularly with the uncertainty caused by the broadcasts of the Rutgers and Temple games.

As with any transition of this nature, it can't all be done at once, and there will be some pains in the transition.  But don't be like Garth about it - hang in there, and before long, we'll all wind up at a better place.

So, without further ado, here's the new HokieCentral message board (click the link, and we'll see you there!):

THE NEW HOKIECENTRAL MESSAGE BOARD

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