The Personal Status Board (PSB™)
The Personal Status Board (PSB™) is our contribution to social connectedness, parenting, and ultimately social evolution.
| PSB™ Version Comparison | |||||
| PSB™ Version | Change Status/Comment | Front End | 100 Customizable Status Codes | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard PSB™ | anyone can change anyone's status | No | Yes | No | Free |
| PSB™ Pro | anyone can change anyone's status | Yes | Yes | No | $49.99* |
| Social PSB™ | you can only change your own status | Yes | Yes | No | $49.99 |
| Social PSB™ Plus | you can only change your own status | Yes | Yes | Yes** | $59.99 |
| Business PSB™ | you can only change your own status | Yes | Yes | No | $49.99 |
| Business PSB™ Plus | you can only change your own status | Yes | Yes | Yes** | $59.99 |
** Click on the PSB™ members' Names in the PSB™ in order to open their email program and send them a message.
The Standard Personal Status Board (PSB™) is a 1-page website that functions as a communications center that can inform any/all of the group members about the personal statuses of each of the group members, and any group member can update/edit status codes and comments of anyone once s/he logs in (trust is implied) although normally members would update only their own status and comment. It can allow children to get their needs met better, parents to meet their kids' and their own needs better, caregivers to find out which kids want a different nurturer currently, group members to declare their need to be alone (do not disturb), etc. There are 100 customizable status codes in which general feelings, needs, wants, desires, and openness can be expressed to the group, and coordination of activities can be greatly facilitated due to the fact that any group members can consult it (keeping it open as a window on their computer screen) and instantly learn what everyone else is into. Along with this new level of social connectedness, a calendar program for groups would be a great way to see specific schedule details to coordinate activities. For larger groups, Office Calendar for Outlook or AirSet Cloud Computers is good, and for smaller groups, Cozi Family Calendar is good.
Returning to the subject of PSB™s: Think about it—how often do you, your kids, or your friends simply plop down in front of the boob tube or play video games or check out YouTube videos simply because trying to deal with the logistics of getting together with one or more friends for real, old fashioned direct social contact seems like too much of a bother? How many parents, or adults in general, say they're too busy to pursue friendships? How many kids are too busy playing video games or watching TV or texting or updating their MySpace page to pursue f2f (face to face), irl (in real life) relationships and how many of their parents are seriously concerned about this social opt-out? And yet if socializing irl and f2f was easy and effortless, would your answer be the same? Now contrast a quick glance at a PSB™ with the time and effort it takes to call all your friends and mostly get voicemail or "sorry, I'm too busy now" responses. They were disturbed to no avail and you were left singing the blues. See why PSB™s are super empowering for the entire relationship context of any families or group of families (like MCs—see below), groups of close friends, or members of closeknit organizations where members are often interacting?
What Is An MC? MC stands for microcommunity. It refers to an intentional subcommunity whose setting is a normally-structured block-house neighborhood (or partial neighborhood; e.g., six homes) or apartment neighborhood (e.g., one floor or one partial floor) that contains from 10 to 40 people who’ve intentionally computer-selected their members for great compatibility and relocated to this MC (a few may already have lived at this location, but the odds against many of them already living there are great, due to compatibility probabilities), and who’ve adopted certain proven modes of considering each other (who are or will become best friends) as social resources for child care, eldercare, and other nonsuperficial levels of communication that, when appropriate, is facilitated by P.E.T. (Parent Effectiveness Training), or one of the other authoritative parenting styles, and by PSB™s.
How Are MCs Different From Other Lifestyles? MCs are not random aggregations of people. MC people have intentionally selected one another and become best friends and therefore trust fellow members with child care and eldercare—and in other ways. So they’re not stuck with putting kids into day care centers with strangers who don’t care about their kids—their MC contains only people who care about them and their kids. Care is given by MC members, not strangers. And care is flat-gradient nurturance (more caregiver choices) rather than steep-gradient nurturance, which is forcing kids to have one or two caretakers when they prefer a situation of several choices since sometimes parents don't feel like being around their kids and when they do it anyway, low quality care results. With steep-gradient nurturance, parents choose who will care for kids, and when, regardless of the kids' wants and needs, but in MCs the flat-gradient nurturance allows kids to choose their caregivers. (This is in keeping with the tenets of Attachment Parenting in which kids needs are filled when the kids manifest them and how kids want them filled, where possible, and this applies to caregiver choice as much as when to nurse them, feed them, comfort them, etc. If kids usually choose to be cared for by parents, that's fine, but the critical issue here is the kids need to be able to CHOOSE.) Reitterating: kids choose whom to be with, to the largest degree possible. And abuse becomes nearly impossible, since there are other nurturers in whom the kids confide, and because kids would not choose to be with an abuser. And the communication and parenting style in an MC is P.E.T. (Parent Effectiveness Training) or one of the other authoritative parenting styles. However, not just parents but all relationships in the MC use this style, as it is the most effective for nurturing, conflict resolution, sensitivity to feelings, etc.
MC families live in normal houses and apartments as normal nuclear, single parent, extended, and mixed types of families. MCs are free to choose, if they prefer, only certain types of people, certain races, certain religions, all two-parent nuclear families, all singles, or whatever—people that choose each other really like each other and respect each other’s values and interests. The wrong way to maximize social resources is via communes, socialism, communism, fascism, gurus, cults, etc. They give the very idea of maximal resources a bad name. The right way to maximize social resources is to empower democracy and responsible independence and leave people’s physical living modes and family styles alone. Instead, concentrate on making the relationships work optimally between spouses, parents and children, friends, committed neighbors, and committed relatives, so that they produce happiness, optimal childcare, fulfillment, and self-actualization, not symptoms and dysfunctional lifestyles.
PSB™s help grease the relationship wheels!
Personal Status Boards (PSB™s)
There are actually six types of PSB™s: The first is the only free type of PSB™ and we refer to it as an MC PSB™, where there is implied trust in a close group so that everyone can share one password and user name and anyone can change anyone's status or comment—a must for childcare situations where there are caregivers updating statuses of children too young to do it themselves. If an MC finds out that a few members find the temptation of shenanigans too great to resist, so they play pranks with each other's statuses and comments, the MC is free to upgrade to the Social PSB™, where people all have their own user names and passwords and they can change only their own statuses and comments. Even though few people would know passwords and user names except their own, parents would need the passwords and user names of their young children who are too young to update their codes. MC PSB™s empower holistic social networking that is more EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE than usual social networking methods, and they take many of the headaches out of the childcare area—with which so many Americans are now struggling.
So the first and second types of PSB™s are the Standard version and the Pro version. The Standard version is described on this page, and it requires more file edits as well as having to type the people data into a MySQL database (which is free on all reputable sites) on your website's server via the control panel. This data entry is fast and easy but needed. Unlike the Pro version and all other PSB™s, it has no "front end"—so anything you want to edit (except for statuses and comments, which users will change by simply using the PSB™), you type into your MySQL database on your website's server via the control panel. The Pro version has a front end for administrator hosts to use for all editing of membership or user data. It's a complete application, as are the Social and Business PSB™s. A front end refers to the administrator webpage which has a menu that serves as an easy way for administrators to edit usernames, passwords, emails, status code meanings, administrator data, and add or delete users, etc. All PSB™s except the Standard version have this front end. The Pro version is the only other MC-type PSB™ beside the Standard version and this means there is implied trust in a close group so that everyone can share one password and user name and anyone can change anyone's status or comment.
ALL types of PSB™s require MySQL and a host (your website's host) to host the PSB™ files, as well as "creating" a database (simply name a MySQL database), and adding at least one user with one password, with permissions, that pertain to the database. It's easy and there are this site and/or this site to guide you—they have tutorials on doing this. (For all PSB™'s EXCEPT the Standard free one: Once the database is ready and you edit and upload the configure.php file we'll send you along with the application files, that's it. Register as a member and enter your PSB™'s user names. There will be a readme.txt to guide you. Your register.php file will have been uploaded by you to your site at http://yoursite.com/PSB/register.php so save it as a Favorites link.)
Standard PSB™ users will not register—they will simply "create" (simply name it) a MySQL database (free), enter a user and password and permissions (all), use phpMyAdmin on the server control panel to enter data, and upload the files we send them. To use the Standard PSB™, go to http://yoursite.com/PSB/test-db-WORKS-GOOD.php or http://yoursite.com/test-db-WORKS-GOOD.php depending on whether you put the 6 files we send you in a folder or not. Once you get to this page, login and type your status and comment into the PSB™ and click the "Update PSB" button. This changes the PSB™ table in the database. Any other member of this PSB™ can log in and see this new status and comment as well as everyone else's, and they too will be able to change statuses and comments. There are 100 different status codes to use, and there's a chart of all the status codes and their meanings right after the status/comments display table. It looks like this.
The third and fourth types of PSB™s are the Social PSB™, and the Social PSB™ Plus (with Email), where there is a group of friends or acquaintances or even relatives where trust, although sometimes present, is not implied, so each member gets his or her own password and user name and no one can change anyone's status or comment except his or her own. It's probably obvious that if everyone could change anyone's statuses and comments, for most groups of people this would be an open invitation to chaos and pranks. It's believed that a loving, trusting MC group would not misuse their PSB™s. Of course, if an MC finds out that a few members find the temptation of shenanigans too great to resist, they are free to upgrade to the Social PSB™. Social PSB™s empower holistic social networking that is more EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE than usual social networking methods.
The fifth and sixth types of PSB™s are the Business PSB™, and the Business PSB™ Plus (with Email), where there is a group of employees or managers or even projects whose status changes often, or where frequent communication is required and there is a need for a holistic overview of the person statuses or project statuses OF many persons or projects BY many persons or projects. As with general Social PSB™s, trust, although sometimes present, is not implied, so each member gets his or her own password and user name and no one can change anyone's status or comment except his or her own. Business PSB™s empower holistic intra-business or inter-business communication and networking that is more EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE than usual business networking methods. It may also be used to monitor telecommuting associates or remote contract workers or employees who work from home, temporarily or permanently.
Except for the Pro version, the MC PSB™ is not for sale (but both the Social PSB™ and the Business PSB™ are), but the source codes for the free Standard version are right here in the zip file which clicking the button below will allow you to download. (See a demo of the PSB™ here on our PSB™ demo page.) You may copy the files and use the PSB™ yourself for your family, group, MC, local group of families, babysitting co-op, or whatever—any legal, legitimate group that is not about violence or hate or crime or treason or porn may use our PSB™ software. This site and the files we let you copy are all copyrighted material and you may NEVER sell any of them in any way (except if you paid us for them by buying a PSB™, in which case you may sell them as long as you delete all these files from all computers, servers, or any other storage device that you put them on). You may not change or omit the words PSB™ or Personal Status Board anywhere on your site or in the code or metatags. The Personal Status Board (PSB™) is our name for this software, which was invented as a concept by M.C. Smith in 1988, and created as an electronic device in 1988 as well, although software on the Internet is a more viable form, now. There just wasn't much of an Internet in 1988! Anyway, MCs are our name for microcommunities, although you're free to use the term however you like (but we'd prefer people use it in the sense presented on this website). PSB™s, however, are intellectual property and software copyrighted and trademarked by no one except MCS Investments, Inc., and any use of these materials not complying with the above terms will result in legal action. So please honor the above terms of use—it's really not too much to ask!
Here, then, are the names of the files needed to use this cutting edge tool of social evolution:
- change.png
- change-.png
- PSB_.jpg
- psb.js
- update.php
- test-db-WORKS-GOOD.php
Standard Version
or
Here's a printout of the entire update.php file. There isn't that much to it. It's easy to see what you need to change, but we go through it with you, below, pointing out the specific changes to make so the file represents YOUR database, table, passwords, and user names:
<html>
<head>
</head>
<body>
<?php
$ID=$_POST['ID'];
$status=$_POST['status'];
$comment=$_POST['comment'];
// Make a MySQL Connection
mysql_connect("localhost", "your_username", "your_password") or die(mysql_error());
mysql_select_db("your_database") or die(mysql_error());
// Update record where id = $ID in the "your_db_table" table in the db whose name is your_database
$query="UPDATE your_db_table SET Status='$status', Comment='$comment' WHERE ID='$ID'";
mysql_query($query) or die ("Trouble updating database");
echo "Record Updated";
mysql_close();
?>
<form name="MyForm" method="POST" action="test-db-WORKS-GOOD.php">
<input type="hidden" name="flag" value="1">
</form>
<script language="javascript">
document.MyForm.submit();
</script>
</body>
</html>
In order to use the update.php file, you need to change "your_username", "your_password", "your_database", and "your_db_table" into correct values ("localhost" can usually be left as it is without changing it) and resave the update.php file. Then fix the password code in test-db-WORKS-GOOD.php:
$o = array("your_user_name1+your_password1","your_user_name2+your_password2",
"your_user_name3+your_password3","your_user_name4+your_password4",
"your_user_name5+your_password5","your_user_name6+your_password6",
"your_user_name7+your_password7","your_user_name8+your_password8",
"your_user_name9+your_password9","your_user_name10+your_password10",
"your_user_name11+your_password11","your_user_name12+your_password12");
—so it has the correct username/password pairs separated by plus signs. If each person has their own password and user name, you may add as many more username/password pairs as you like, or reduce them down to one that everyone can use. And then, also in test-db-WORKS-GOOD.php, change these lines to represent your particular values:
// Make a MySQL Connection
mysql_connect("localhost", "your_user_name", "your_password") or die(mysql_error());
mysql_select_db("name_of_db") or die(mysql_error());
// Retrieve all the data from the "name_of_db_table" table as a MySQL Resource
$result = mysql_query("SELECT * FROM name_of_db_table") or die(mysql_error());
And then, also in test-db-WORKS-GOOD.php, change the name_of_db_table value in the following to your value, then resave the file:
$myArray=array();
$res = mysql_query("SELECT Firstname FROM name_of_db_table") or die(mysql_error());
while ($row = mysql_fetch_row($res)) {
array_push ($myArray, $row[0]);
}
$myArray2=array();
$res = mysql_query("SELECT Status FROM name_of_db_table") or die(mysql_error());
while ($row = mysql_fetch_row($res)) {
array_push ($myArray2, $row[0]);
}
In order to use these files, you also need to have a website and get a MySQL database installed for you by the host and make sure your host server has PHP 5.2 or higher (PHP added a JavaScript Object Notation—JSON—extension to PHP V5.2, which was previously only available as add-on, and it is enabled by default in PHP, but if your host has it disabled, have him enable it). Most hosting plans include MySQL databases and JSON-enabled PHP 5.2 or better anyway, so you just need to access the cPanel X control panel, go to the utility called MySQL Databases, give your MySQL database a name, enter all your members' user names and passwords, select maximum permissions for each user name, save them, then—lower down the page—add these users to your newly named MySQL database. Then use the phpMyAdmin utility and access the MySQL database you named, create a table in it, insert data in the table, and save this as well. The phpMyAdmin utility should be in the Databases section of the control panel. It allows easy, intuitive access to enter and edit tables in your database. Of course, after startup, editing of status and comment data is done through PSB™ interfacing by members. We suggest guidance from this site and/or this site for using phpMyAdmin and entering tables in your MySQL database—it's easy and requires no programming at all. Just follow the simple tutorials. For security's sake, make sure passwords use some special characters like $#@!*^&% as well as letters and numbers. In use, once people are logged in (by going to http://yoursite/psb/test-db-WORKS-GOOD.php), they can update statuses and comments as much as they wish. We can't say if your host logs people out after a long period of inactivity—ours hasn't so far. At worst you then log back in. This can be made quicker and easier with RoboForm. It's free!
When you enter data, you need to set up 4 fields.
The first field should be named Firstname, it should be of the type "varchar", and it should have a maximum character allotment of 12.
The second field should be named ID and it should be set to be the PRIMARY field, it should be of the type "int", and it should have a maximum space allotment of 2. When entering ID data, the first record MUST have a 1 for its ID, the second a 2, etc. IMPORTANT! It is critical that these ID numbers are sequential, that they begin with 1, and that there are no gaps or the PSB™ won't work right!!!!! So if you dump a member, renumber all IDs from him to the end so NO number is skipped. And if you add a member, add him at the end as the last record and give him the next sequential number after the last member ID. (The Pro version has no special rules like this, and needs no editing in the control panel. Nor do the Business PSB™ or Social PSB™.)
The third field should be named Status, it should be of the type "char", and it should have a maximum character allotment of 2, and no less than 2 characters should ever be entered. Enter any old numbers for now—members will change them once your PSB™ is live.
The fourth field should be named Comment, it should be of the type "varchar", and it should have a maximum character allotment of 55. You needn't enter comments in the database—you can wait for members to do it in the PSB™.
Note: It has occurred to us that if anyone wished to simply use the PSB™ demo for an onsite PSB™ localized to one computer in a house or business or other building, it would work as long as the power was steady (use power-interruption-prevention measures, surge protectors, backup generators, etc.). As people's statuses changed, they would enter their new statuses on that one centrally located computer, and anyone wishing to see anyone's status would simply look at the computer screen on that one centrally located computer, and anyone offsite with a status change could phone the change to one of the occupants of the building, who would enter the new code on that one computer.
This scenario could be a decent way for groups or families to try out the PSB™ concept before getting the (free?—read on) website and free MySQL database, and doing the setup which will allow status code displaying or status code changes of members from anywhere with Internet. (Here are 118 free web page hosting sites that offer free MySQL databases to use on their web server. Make sure their PHP is 5.2 or higher and has JSON enabled.) Regardless of whether you choose the PSB™ Demo try-out method or the genuine PSB™ setup method, the initial data still has to be entered either in control panels (PSB™) or .js array files (PSB™ Demo).
We gave 2 links to tutorials on the simple task of db setup, above. But what if you decide you want to change the meaning of code 98 from "Writing a letter" to "Doing my homework," or "Working at my job"? Or whatever. Simply load psb.js into a text editor, find "Writing a letter" second from the end, change it, and resave the file. Now it will display as the changed value for everyone in your group. (To edit, load it into your text processor (NotePad or Editor2) by right-clicking the file name in your file manager and choose Open With . . .) We suggest getting your group's permission before changing array values. With the demo, you'll need to change arrays in psb-demo.js as well:
var IDs = new Array(1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12);
var memstatus=new Array('01','02','23','45','04','03','73','97','13','11','07','66');
var fname=new Array('Fred','Shirley','Barbara','John','Sue','Ferdinand','Sean','Doris','Bob','Georgia','Joe','Harriet');
var comments=new Array('I;m in a good mood.','with edna','Come on in.','I;m feeling creative!','zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz','Don;t knock!','Hey, I;d like to go down 5 to Portland.','Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!','I prefer cool kids!','even soon','whatever','Poor me!');
Note that there are 12 members. To add 3 more, just append ,13,14,15 to the IDs array, 3 more status codes to the memstatus array, 3 more names to the fname array, and 3 more comments to the comments array. Be careful about syntax—don't forget any apostrophes or commas (but do not use apostrophes in comments for possessive case or contractions—use semicolons instead!). Replace our data with yours, as long as status codes are 2 digits and ids are consecutive digits that start with 1.
| PSB™ Version Comparison | |||||
| PSB™ Version | Change Status/Comment | Front End | 100 Customizable Status Codes | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard PSB™ | anyone can change anyone's status | No | Yes | No | Free |
| PSB™ Pro | anyone can change anyone's status | Yes | Yes | No | $49.99* |
| Social PSB™ | you can only change your own status | Yes | Yes | No | $49.99 |
| Social PSB™ Plus | you can only change your own status | Yes | Yes | Yes** | $59.99 |
| Business PSB™ | you can only change your own status | Yes | Yes | No | $49.99 |
| Business PSB™ Plus | you can only change your own status | Yes | Yes | Yes** | $59.99 |
** Click on the PSB™ members' Names in the PSB™ in order to open their email program and send them a message.