Subcultural engagement for the 21st Century...
Barbelith is a new kind of community (find out more)...
You can login or register.

Underground > Policy & Help >

Missing functionality?

Page: (1)2

07:36 / 29.03.04

Right, now people have started seeing the new board are there any comments on bits and pieces of functionality you miss, would like to see or never liked anyway? Personally I'd like to see a link to the barbelith FAQ go back up as soon as possible... how about you?

I have a feeling Tom will hate this thread...

08:38 / 29.03.04

I already miss being able to see the end of the thread you are posting to when you preview your post. For threads that are not hugely active it's not a problem, but sometimes it's a really useful thing to see the end of the thread before you post, just in case whilst you were typing your post someone else has already replied saying what you were about to say.

09:25 / 29.03.04

Drop-down. To switch between fora fast. Mazarine mentioned this in the Conversation thread, and I do miss it a lot.

09:29 / 29.03.04

Paleface, moi aussi. Esp as my barbelith link takes me to conversation not frontpage, and I usually (used to) start flicking fora from there.

10:01 / 29.03.04

Ack, it's not functionality, but I have a problem with distinguishing between each of the threads now on the main page of each forum. It looks more like other messageboards now (for example fade to black) where it's not so instantly so obvious which thread is which.

10:18 / 29.03.04

I'd second the link to the FAQ - which does appear when you log out. In fact I'd second everything said so far. Plus the top 3 topics listing, if a way could be found that didn't throw the new design out of goose.

11:53 / 29.03.04

I don't hate the thread at all, just be aware that I won't be able to resolve all of these concerns - and those that I can, I won't necessarily be able to fix quickly.

12:17 / 29.03.04

I think it might be useful to moderators if we could have 'moderate topic' links on the forum index pages, rather than just in the threads themselves, but it's not like the world's going to end if that doesn't happen.

Also - repeating what I've just said in the Convo thread - to cut down on the inevitable complaints about the loss of the 'active threads' visibility, one line underneath each forum description simply saying "Last activity at: ..." might help smooth things out a bit.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

12:38 / 29.03.04

I'd like to be able to see the last few posts when writing a response...
I'd also like to know which threads had been replied to recently.
I'm not about to kill anybody over the lack of either of those functions, however.

How's about I just quit whining? Yeah.

Tryphena Absent

12:49 / 29.03.04

Definitely the scroll down link but also the queue up of the thread when you're replying... I find it easier to write a concise reply when I can see what came before.

13:31 / 29.03.04

Ack, it's not functionality, but I have a problem with distinguishing between each of the threads now on the main page of each forum. It looks more like other messageboards now (for example fade to black) where it's not so instantly so obvious which thread is which.

I noticed this too. Would a horizontal rule after the time-of-last-post line help, do you think? I think it might.
I'd also like it if the date was bolded, because I do a lot of navigation using that (often, the colors that indicate I've visited a thread before don't catch up with me until the next day -- so I hit the same threads over and over unless I take note of the date/time of threads' last comments).

Odd -- I just logged on here at work and got my head melted. Google has also changed their layout, slightly, so it's like I've suddenly moved offices or something. This machine is not like the old one.

Also, functionality-wise, I'd love it if the "Underground > Policy&Help > Missing functionality?" line was repeated at the top of the thread and the bottom, to help speed up navigation.

14:23 / 29.03.04

I second Dupre and Anna

15:55 / 29.03.04

Oh, I've just remembered - we could really do with thread page numbers on the forum index pages. It's a hangover from the last design, but you have to go to the first page of a thread first in order to navigate to another.

16:21 / 29.03.04

Ooo - more of a design than a functionality thing, but on the page number display, it's a little distracting, the way the numbers all run into one another. Some kind of spacing would be nice.

16:48 / 29.03.04

I miss the topic preview on the front page and the different colors for the already read threads.
wow, quite a load on the tounge there.

17:03 / 29.03.04

>> My only concern/complaint is: I want to see the top 3 thread things under each topic again! Otherwise, unique & lovely!

And I second Randy's point about thread page numbers. Also, I notice that in the old board design, when you replied, you could still see the last few replies when you were replying. I found that kind of helpful, too.

Thanks for all your hard work on this, Tom! I really like the rainbow main page.

19:01 / 29.03.04

I second (or third) the most recent threds feature the previous version had.

Not sure about some of the color scheme's though... While it's certainly brave in design... some of it's a bit hard to read... Black text on red?

I like how the reply box is somewhat standardized... I'm curious if that can be carried over to the other forums as well.

just my 2¢

19:35 / 29.03.04

I miss being able to see the recent topics on the main page... and having to go to each section to see what's being talked about is fine for sections I'm always going to but I'm afraid I'm going to miss interesting discussions in other sections because I couldn't see the topic title on the main page...

19:58 / 29.03.04

I think the re-design sould be completely re-re-designed. In my opinion it sux. I imagine Tom got the idea of having a rainbow on the front page and went from there, allthough I like the rainbow, I feel that it hasnt been as well thought out as it could have been and is purely there for asthetical reasons. It is the barbelith users that make this place what it is, we make the content. We should have a say as mechanics of the board, especialy the paying user. Functionality should be number 1.

20:10 / 29.03.04

Then make a suggestion as to an area of functionality that you'd like to see included, because

A) that's what this thread is for and

B) right now all your posts on the redesign have been heavy on the criticism but completely lacking on alternatives or suggestions (other than 'start again from scratch' or 'go back to what we had before', neither of which are helpful or particularly likely to happen).

20:23 / 29.03.04

I'm having a bad day. All your gonna get out of me is negative fuck the world bullshit. No offence to Tom or anyone else on the board. Barbelith is still the best board on the net. There is that ols saying, "If you want the rainbow you have to suffer the rain". I guess its the other way around today.

20:28 / 29.03.04

"No offence to Tom or anyone else on the board"

Well, you may say that but the fact is you're probably causing a lot of offence to Tom and quite a bit of the rest of us; to Tom because I know quite how hard he's worked on this redesign - all I'm saying is that it took a lot of time and he does this for fun in his spare time - and the rest of us because, well, you're just not listening to anyone.

So you're having a bad day. Deal with it. Quite a few people on here might be having a bad day; I'm certainly having a very stressful one. You've been nothing but negative on several of the threads devoted to the board rejig, and we've had to read it in all of them. I suggest you consider further comments, on anything, about anything, carefully. And I hope that you have a better day tomorrow.

For now: leave it. Right there.

20:33 / 29.03.04

*makes what could either be thunderstorm or cappucino maker noises*

Any chance the 'Edit Post' link could be placed under our names?

20:37 / 29.03.04

Can I suggest that we think about a strategy for making browsing easier? I don't have a preferred candidate, but it seems to me that the combination of no thread titles on the front page and no way to jump forums means that the easiest way to read Barbelith over a longer time period is to pick a forum or two and refresh those periodically.

If I'm right, this has a negative effect in discouraging people from exploring fora. The solution is either to have what we used to have or to have a recent threads page. I know that Tom hates the latter, though I don't think it is such a bad idea myself.

Ease of use would make Barbelith a lot better for those with slow access. To that end, I think that being able to immediately jump to the last page of a thread should be something to seriously consider. It sounds minor, but I think that making Barbelith easier to navigate will have a positive effect.

21:20 / 29.03.04

Yeah, after a day on the new board I'm missing the hell out of the pull-down menu.

22:13 / 29.03.04

Ok. First things first. GIVE ME TIME.

23:52 / 29.03.04

Are you giving it all she's got? (Captain?)

07:07 / 30.03.04

I think the re-design sould be completely re-re-designed. In my opinion it sux. I imagine Tom got the idea of having a rainbow on the front page and went from there, allthough I like the rainbow, I feel that it hasnt been as well thought out as it could have been and is purely there for asthetical reasons. It is the barbelith users that make this place what it is, we make the content. We should have a say as mechanics of the board, especialy the paying user. Functionality should be number 1.

Right then. Now you've crossed the line and you've crossed it so far that I don't think the light from the line is actually going to reach you for several fucking years. First things first, paying users get absolutely no special rights on this board. They get none. They donate money out of the goodness of their hearts to help the community survive. But they don't talk about it, and they don't celebrate it and they don't use it to get special treatment or a louder voice. You will send me the e-mail address of your contribution to the board immediately if indeed you make one, and I will cancel it forthwith. I do not want or need your money that much.

Secondly, you know little to nothing of the design process I've gone through with this redesign, you don't know any of my rationale and I'd like to start right now that you're totally innaccurate. The rainbow, such as it is was the last thing to come together. I started with the thread page, moved from there to the forum pages and the index and have been steadily iterating ever since. I've given up the last four weekends to work on this because I think it's important and significant change - or at least a good foundation for the work that needs to come. Given that I've spent four weekends of my time working on this place for no pay and no reward of any kind and that so far your only engagement with the design process has been to hold the three or four dollars a month that you're donating (towards a fund which doesn't even cover my hosting) over my heads and start talking about your special rights, I rather think that you should get over your bloody bad day and start phrasing your concerns in less aggressive fucking language.

10:48 / 30.03.04

Fair enough, well said. It wasnt a personal attack on you, I want to make that perfectly clear, I appreciate all the work you do here and can freely admit when I'm wrong. I apologise. Multicoloured blow-jobs for everyone.

16:11 / 30.03.04

um... A N Y W A Y,

TOM, you're design efforts (& programming) are a wonder...

I like how the "moderate this post" pops up on the right side of one's last post as it helps one find their last post and can then read on from there.

A link to the last post could certainly be helpful.

in terms of the most recent posts I'm curious if text about the size of the topic's sub-head could be placed in the space to the right of the title. this could fit 2 perhaps 3 lines of text?

Design-wise I keep wanting to experience some sort of vertical dynamic to offset the overarching horizontal theme. I'm not sure how that could help the functionality especially once one is in a forum. Perhaps the listing of moderators can be placed in a vertical column to the right?

Between the header space and the list of moderators there seems to be alot of space occupied before one gets to the actual content. This is especially of concern on the fron page where (in my browser) the listing of forums is cut off at BOOKS.

As for the colors... I'm getting used to them though I still feel there's a greater strength in how the reply page matchs the conversation,polcy etc pages. Would it make sence to have the main horizontal title bar be the rainbow color with a secondary accent introduced to the left and right of the central column? The central column could perhaps remain in the bluegrey tones to pick up the pale greys of the upper most banner...

Well, feel free to ignor any of these comments as every designer has their own take and logic behind a solution. I just wanted to offer something to offset the previous posts.

17:45 / 30.03.04

Really need a link to the FAQ. I keep forgetting the bb code.

19:38 / 30.03.04

perhaps your over reliance on the wiki has left you weak?
maybe this is the opportunity to grow as a poster that you need.

you'd never learn french if you went to paris with a translator.

15:52 / 31.03.04

toksik: perhaps your over reliance on the wiki has left you weak?
maybe this is the opportunity to grow as a poster that you need.

you'd never learn french if you went to paris with a translator.

Ah! You have learned a way to learn a language without books or translators?! Could you please teach me this? I would like to learn Japanese, and I really don't want to fart around with tapes and books. Of course, I could go to Japan and immerse, the best way to learn. It is a little hard to learn the bb code that way,however, as it is hidden. Sort of a "silent language". While seeing the unseen is a part of magick, I've never been able to actually psychicaly see the bb code. No, really, if you know how to do this feel free to instruct me. While I've been able to do that with chaos language, I must confess that I have NEVER been able to do it with Japanese.

15:55 / 31.03.04

Oh btw, thanks much for the link to the wiki, while it may weaken me, it does make life easier....

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

08:03 / 01.04.04

Handy hint- knowing fuck all about computers, I've saved all the bb code as a Word document on my desktop, so I can just cut and paste when I need it.

Page: (1)2