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8 months??? 😯
Last I heard was that STW was going to be moved across to the Grit.CX forum software. That was mentioned publicly a little while ago, which may be why people ask occasionally.
Nah IIRC just another "in joke" for those who been here a while (or stupidly long time) and 'this' is the new forum... it was a long long long time in coming, as occasionally the hamsters running the wheel on the old forum died & we all had to go find other things to entertain us/shout at (man that was desperate).
[i]I subscribed when it first started up and expected good things. I think that saying it's mediocre would be somewhat generous![/i]
They're sending us all a free magazine apparently 8)
Was that 'free' mag mailshot not for people who spent marketing money? As the rest of the email was all about how much a print or banner ad costs.
This crops up from time to time, could someone humour me by letting me know what is wrong with the forum how it is atm.
Lack of PM facility
Lack of post quote facility
Lack of multi-quote facility (ie. replying to individual points in one post)
Lack of latest post jump (freshness never works for me puts me too far ahead)
Lack of basically ANYTHING found on a message board outside of BBS.
Want to see these in action? Go to literally ANY other forum.
Don't want to see signatures? Turn them off.*
Don't want to see avatars? Turn them off.
Don't want to see sub-forums? Fine, they don't need to be created.
It's a clunky old POS that frankly I'd be embarrassed to pay for. If it was a community, maybe it could get away with it but not a commercial enterprise that can more than afford better modern software.
*much like adverts on this forum
Lack of PM facility
Lack of post quote facility
Lack of multi-quote facility (ie. replying to individual points in one post)
Thankfully!!! There's enough pointless argument here as it is without encouraging it.
[quote=cp ]
Lack of PM facility
Lack of post quote facility
Lack of multi-quote facility (ie. replying to individual points in one post)
Thankfully!!! There's enough pointless argument here as it is without encouraging it.
Except a PM function would be invisible apart to those who want to use it, and you can do the quoting things (see, multi-quoting even finally works since I badgered the dev people to fix it on a previous thread similar to this), but it's horribly clunky when it could be so much easier - I use https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/singletrack-world-forum-e/cpgdlmbifgbhcoigdoeoooakijdionop?hl=en-GB (I also did some of the dev on that and at some point I might get round to fixing some of the other irritations using that) but that should just be built in. One other irritation is that by default the formatting is messed up when quoting - see above where I've not bothered to fix it manually - that would literally be a 5 minute fix, as it works properly if you use different tags.
Though I think the most irritating remaining missing thing is the other one sq mentioned - the ability to go to the first unread post on a thread you've been on. I think I might be able to implement that with a browser add-on, but it would be so much hard work I can't be bothered, when with access to the back end database it would be easy.
I like it as it is tbh. Quote is clunky, the time saved by junkyard alone if that was improved would be immense. Search engine still terrible.
I'm still glorying in the division of for sale/wanted. Heady stuff.
Honestly, for most people forums are considered old hat anywya, it's all reddit and facebook groups now, both of which are shit. Give me a majordomo daily digest mailing list any day of the week. This forum might be outmoded but so are most of its members.
Gentlemen; pray join me in a moment of fearing change.
[quote=Northwind ]Honestly, for most people forums are considered old hat anywya, it's all reddit and facebook groups now, both of which are shit.
Amen to that - discussions moving from forums to FB Groups is a ridiculous backward step. Are young people who won't touch forums because they're old hat too stupid to realise that FB is such a rubbish platform? (yes I do use FB, and it's good for some things, but <sigh> that it is taking over from a brilliant forum for discussion of one of my special interests)
PMs are good though. The number of classifieds ads that go wonky because of missing emails, things going to spam etc is pretty poor. And there'd be no "paging" threads either.
Quotes are over-used on just about every other forum in existence. Quoting an entire post is pointless and nested quotes are the devil's work. Do you really want to get four posts into a thread and be presented a post containing the previous post which contains the previous post which contains the previous post which contains the original post? Screw that. You want to know what's just been said, scroll up a bit.
The Quote function is handy for replying to specific points within a post, long may that continue. I'm glad it discourages lengthy requotes, would you have a conversation with someone face to face by regurgitating verbatim something someone else said?
I agree PMs would be handy thouugh; for us too. As for search I just use the Chrome plug-in these days.
[quote=Cougar ]The Quote function is handy for replying to specific points within a post, long may that continue. I'm glad it discourages lengthy requotes
Ah, so the awkwardness is a design feature like the QWERTY keyboard?
Though I use several forums where it works easily and you don't end up with the nightmare scenario you describe - it appears people are actually capable of not being idiots. Nested quotes are sometimes pretty essential as you need the context of what the person you're replying to was replying to.
squirrelking thanks for taking the time to answer my question. The speed of my current connection is preventing me from checking out many more forums atm ( should be fixed in next couple of days ).
I don't really need or want any of the functionality you have mentioned.
PM, may well be useful, but may also result in private conversations taking away from the forum discussions and may also lead to unwanted PM'ing (but I guess you could switch that off as well)
I am glad there is not the quoting and multi quoting facility but that may be just me.
Jumping to the last post may be useful but I have never really missed it.
I still like the clean and simple look that the forum has compared to the others I have been able to look at.
I am guessing here but from the tone of some of the replies I get the impression that some people don't like it simply because it is not the latest greatest software ( is this to do with being in the IT business ? )
Gentlemen; pray join me in a moment of fearing change.
Amen brother........
*lights incense and mumbles something in latin*
Ah, so the awkwardness is a design feature like the QWERTY keyboard?
I've no idea, I didn't design it. Just sharing my opinion.
PMs would be good.
Quote post would be horrible at least based on just about every forum I see it available on. The QWERTY analogy is a good one and regardless of whether it was deliberate, I reckon it has the effect of limiting quotes to just what is necessary.
STW & Grit should just merge into Mumsnet, as an area of special interest.
I like the way you're thinking...
Quote post would be horrible at least based on just about every forum I see it available on.
This +1
Unless it becomes an instant and permanent ban to quote more than a 2 sentences.
What is is with people quoting the whole thread only to put +1 at the end of it?
PM I don't see the point, I never check it on any other forum, and between 3 e-mail accounts, SMS, Whatsapp, facebook, facebook messenger, and if you're young and hip probably snapchat and tinder, when ever would you have time to check PM's on a forum?
This +1
Unless it becomes an instant and permanent ban to quote more than a 2 sentences.
What is is with people quoting the whole thread only to put +1 at the end of it?
PM I don't see the point, I never check it on any other forum, and between 3 e-mail accounts, SMS, Whatsapp, facebook, facebook messenger, and if you're young and hip probably snapchat and tinder, when ever would you have time to check PM's on a forum?
+1
[quote=righog ]I am guessing here but from the tone of some of the replies I get the impression that some people don't like it simply because it is not the latest greatest software ( is this to do with being in the IT business ? )
Not at all - nothing wrong with older software if it works. The sort of things we're asking for have been around for ages and were features in ancient forum software.
[quote=nemesis ]PMs would be good.
Quote post would be horrible at least based on just about every forum I see it available on. The QWERTY analogy is a good one and regardless of whether it was deliberate, I reckon it has the effect of limiting quotes to just what is necessary.
The thing is it doesn't - it's just as easy to quote whole posts with the current system as with one which was rather easier to use (see!) What I have seen with more sophisticated forums is that you are forced to type at least as much new text as you are quoting. Is it that we're not trusted here? Because as I mentioned before, the other forum I use regularly has all these features yet doesn't result in a mess of quoting everybody (I've just checked and in one page of 15 posts, only 4 quotes, all but one massively snipped, and the other needed the context)
BTW was wondering if anybody would pick up on the QWERTY thing - despite popular belief it wasn't actually designed to slow down typing, and has been shown to actually make typing faster
[quote=thisisnotaspoon ]PM I don't see the point
You wouldn't be forced to use it - I'm not quite sure why "I wouldn't use that" is a good argument for not having it if other people would.
Multi quoting is bloody awful and pointless. You're replying to one person so why do you need the full conversation from the start?
You wouldn't be forced to use it - I'm not quite sure why "I wouldn't use that" is a good argument for not having it if other people would.
Because people would send messages via it, and expect responses.
It's already a catfight in here if someone feels they've been deprived of a bargain because someone didn't respect their 'dibs' on the classifieds and got their e-mail in first. Or if you don't get round to posting something that afternoon and don't check your e-mails that evening you're called up on the forum and assumed to be channeling those funds into international terrorism unless you can pose for a photo with the item in question, today's paper, the postage receipt and a taxidermied parrot.
That'd only be worse if there was yet another inbox to check. What's wrong with an e-mail.
And if people didn't wite their e-mail as th1515n0tasp00n (at) yah00 (dot) c0 (dot) uk and other such crap you can just click on it, an outlook window opens and you send a mail, that's what it's there for, it shouldn't need a degree in cryptography to decipher first.
[quote=thisisnotaspoon ]And if people didn't wite their e-mail as th1515n0tasp00n (at) yah00 (dot) c0 (dot) uk and other such crap you can just click on it, an outlook window opens and you send a mail, that's what it's there for, it shouldn't need a degree in cryptography to decipher first.
You do realise why people do that? Which is one of the good reasons for PM. I'm also not sure why getting hassled via PM would be any worse than getting hassled via e-mail.
[quote=Drac ]Multi quoting is bloody awful and pointless. You're replying to one person so why do you need the full conversation from the start?
You don't, but sometimes what you're replying to and quoting makes no sense without also quoting what they were replying to - otherwise people have to check back to work out WTF you are going on about. I can't even find an example where I've used it as it's a rare thing, so I'm a bit meh about changing anything to make that easier to be honest, though I'm pleased it got fixed so you can if you want to.
I can't even find an example where I've used it as it's a rare thing,
I guess it's not needed then. 😀
ah, but I just did one - and I reckon the multi-quote does help this make more sense
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/jeremy-corbyn/page/32?replies=1119#post-7115163
I guess it's not needed then.
What is?
😆
What is?
The new forum.
[quote=CaptainFlashheart ]
What is?
The new forum.
Is what?
ah, but I just did one - and I reckon the multi-quote does help this make more sense
What an utter coincidence. 😀
The power of voodoo?
[quote=Drac ]What an utter coincidence.
Well no it's not - thanks for reminding me how useful it is sometimes 😀
What's useful?
What's useful?
The new forum.
You do realise why people do that? Which is one of the good reasons for PM. I'm also not sure why getting hassled via PM would be any worse than getting hassled via e-mail.
I do know why people think they do it, but mine's entirely legible and I've not had a spam problem that the default yahoo filter hasn't blocked.
If there was a PM function it'd just go unchecked along with all the other forum PM systems I'm probably registered for. Whereas I do actually check my e-mail once in a blue moon.
The new forum
+1
Can it just have mountain bikes in it please?
Multi quoting is bloody awful and pointless. You're replying to one person so why do you need the full conversation from the start?
*sigh*
Multi quote - by this I mean amassing individual quotes for individual replies without having to use a seperate window to scroll back and forth to pull each and every thing you want to reply to.
eg.
Binners said
So I said
Junkyard replied
But I refuted
Drac mentioned something else
Which I made into an amusing pun involving genitals.
On a modern forum you can literally highlight the text you want to quote and hit either a 'reply' button or 'multi-quote' button which adds it to a list of quotes which you can insert into the reply box. As for nesting - useful but only usually to second generation quotes, this, believe it or not, can be controlled in the forum admin settings. Whodathunkit?
Spoon - you can usually set PM functions by default to inform you that you have a new post when you next open a new window. Again, not difficult to turn this, or even the whole PM function off for your account if you really don't want it.
It is quite amusing, for all the arguments of "this is a forum for adults, I don't want to see all this juvenile crap' not one person actually trusts anyone enough to act like an adult when posting. It's also apparent that all the 'haterz' seem to speaking from positions of complete ignorance and are resistant to change itself rather than any changes proposed. The fact that the reasons for dismissal are so woefully ignorant speaks volumes.
FWIW I have had limited back access to forums in the past and it's really not that difficult to work with nor tailor to individual requirements. You could probably update to a whole new database* and front end and barely notice a difference afterwards.
*which is probably the sticking point IMO as it reeks of effort and money
Anything that requires extensive referencing like that, I'd compose in Notepad and C&P when I'd done. Apart from anything else, it dodges the bullet of spending ages typing a reply just to have the browser crash.
all the 'haterz' seem to speaking from positions of complete ignorance
Chinny reckon.
It's also apparent that all the 'haterz' seem to speaking from positions of complete ignorance
Speaking from experience of being a mod on 3 forums and running 2 but don't let your opinion get in the way.
*which is probably the sticking point IMO as it reeks of effort and money
Indirectly perhaps, in that it's not a huge team of developers and there's always other things to be doing. Or more simply, when everything is a priority, priority priorities have to take priority over lower-priority priorities.
There are many reasons for us not putting resources into updating the forum just yet, but mostly the reason is development is prioritised elsewhere.
Dammit. How dare you not take on board the complaints of your forum users, particularly those who get it entirely free (many non-Ps I see), above making more money via the website, grit, etc.