New Posts

[Fred West]

Matthew, I don't know about anyone else but I often have a very difficult time finding the originating post amongst all of the answers to various posts. What do you think about having new posts automatically be a different color so as to make it easier to find? Obviously it could be something entirely different to solve this as well but that was just my initial thought. Fred

 

[Frank Pellow]

I don't have a great deal of difficulty  spotting the start of a new thread in the list but I admit that doing so would be easier if the original post in a thread were in a different colour.  It will be interesting to see if the underlying forum software supports such a capability.

 

[Matthew Schenker]

Matthew, I don't know about anyone else but I often have a very difficult time finding the originating post amongst all of the answers to various posts. What do you think about having new posts automatically be a different color so as to make it easier to find? Obviously it could be something entirely different to solve this as well but that was just my initial thought. Fred

I'm not quite sure what you're asking for.

From the topic index, if you click on the topic title, you are automatically taken you to the first post in a discussion.

There are forum functions that provide a listing of latest posts in chronological order.

From the topic index, you can click on the "new" indicators [attachimg=1] to see the newest posts in any topic.

Matthew

 

[Frank Pellow]

Matthew, my interpretation of Fred's request is to have the orginal posts of a thread that appear the Recent Posts list have a different colour than those of subsequent posts.

 

[Matthew Schenker]

Matthew, my interpretation of Fred's request is to have the orginal posts of a thread that appear the Recent Posts list have a different colour than those of subsequent posts.

I can look into this.  However (and I know it has its value), the "Recent Posts" function not really meant to be the main way people interact with the forum, for a couple of reasons:

1.) Every forum has a board structure, based on topic themes.  Each board creates a kind of discussion area, and all the boards going together is what creates the community feel.  My preference is for people to move through the system of boards looking for those "new" indicators.  That way, you're getting into the structure we created.

2.) Relying too much on the "Recent Posts" function makes things more complicated.  If members enter each board, they'll see a list of topics, and clicking on a topic title takes you to the originating post.  You alse see the "new" indicators, which were designed to make it easy to see new posts.  Trying to follow any thread through "Recent Posts" is more difficult.

Matthew

 

[Fred West]

Frank thank you and your interpretation is correct.

Matthew in a recent post of your I thought you had mentioned that one of the beauties of this forum was that everyone could choose their own way in which to follow threads. This is a poor interpretation and in fact may be wrong but I know that I only come in through "Recent Posts" unless the thread is older and no one has replied. I am not sure if my request is difficult to do and if so then please just junk it or if you perceive it to be bad for the forum then please do the same. Otherwise it was just a thought and it seemed to make sense to me.  Many, many people have said that me and sense is an oxymoron so please take it for what it is worth.  Fred

 

[Matthew Schenker]

Matthew in a recent post of your I thought you had mentioned that one of the beauties of this forum was that everyone could choose their own way in which to follow threads. This is a poor interpretation and in fact may be wrong but I know that I only come in through "Recent Posts" unless the thread is older and no one has replied. I am not sure if my request is difficult to do and if so then please just junk it or if you perceive it to be bad for the forum then please do the same. Otherwise it was just a thought and it seemed to make sense to me.

I understand people have different ways of entering and viewing the forum, and I try to accomodate as many of those as possible.  For example, I've boosted the number of posts that appear in the "Recent Posts" area.  The list of tweaks I have made to the basic software is huge!

I'm not sure if what you want is technically feasible.  But I'll look into it.

When it comes to customization, we have to remember that a lot of these things people want require me to get into coding, which I don't mind doing.  But it could take a bit for me to investigate it.

I know a lot of members use "Recent Posts" as their main entry point, but, well, the forum software is not quite meant to have that be the only way you navigate the community.  Another example is RSS feeds.  Some members like reading the latest forum posts in their e-mail program, so I boosted the number of posts that can be fed through an RSS reader to accomodate that.

I try to do more to help members get forum information the way they like to get it, but please keep in mind that there is a design philosophy inherent in all forum software that centers around a board structure.  I've stretched and re-shaped the structure to make it as friendly and easy to navigate as possible.

With my mind on the community, the emphasis will always be on using the board structure.  To me, that's the best way to enter the discussions.  I see the boards as little rooms where people walk in and out to join conversations.  With that said, I do try to make it possible to access the information in various ways.

Matthew

 

[Forrest Anderson]

Matthew in a recent post of your I thought you had mentioned that one of the beauties of this forum was that everyone could choose their own way in which to follow threads. This is a poor interpretation and in fact may be wrong but I know that I only come in through "Recent Posts" unless the thread is older and no one has replied.

That's the way I usually read messages too! It means that I don't have to hop, skip and jump between various boards and various threads in order to hunt down new messages. I simply go to "Recent Posts" athttp://festoolownersgroup.com/index.php?action=recent , find the last message I read, and then work my way forwards in the single (multi-page) list from there. It means that I don't miss any messages, and the messages are all in one place.

One downside to this approach is that only some photographs show up, so I sometimes have to go and view the relevant thread to see them.

I see the boards as little rooms where people walk in and out to join conversations.  With that said, I do try to make it possible to access the information in various ways.

That's a good analogy, but I guess it means that I'm lazy!      Instead of traipsing from room to room, looking for new messages, I prefer to sit in front of a conveyor belt, and get the new messages to roll past me in the order they were written! There's much less effort required! 

Forrest

 

[greg mann]

Matthew,

I use the same approach Fred does and I'll bet it is a common way to access the forum. I mean, it must be the best way if Fred and I use it. :

 

[The Woodentop]

LOL

 

[Frank Pellow]

Matthew,

I use the same approach Fred does and I'll bet it is a common way to access the forum. I mean, it must be the best way if Fred and I use it. :

It's also the method that I usually use.

 

[Fred West]

Well, Greg, Frank, Forrest, et al, I guess it is the best way.  8)

Matthew, I do understand your trepidation and had no idea that it would represent extra coding as I do not know the first thing about running a forum so as I mentioned before if it is a hassle please feel free to just ignore it. I mean after all I have had two ex-wives and now one live in and they have all ignored me.  Fred

 

[Matthew Schenker]

That's the way I usually read messages too! It means that I don't have to hop, skip and jump between various boards and various threads in order to hunt down new messages. I simply go to "Recent Posts" athttp://festoolownersgroup.com/index.php?action=recent , find the last message I read, and then work my way forwards in the single (multi-page) list from there. It means that I don't miss any messages, and the messages are all in one place.

I'm glad you wrote that, because it gives me a perfect opportunity to tell you and others to try using board-by-board exploration!

What you're saying about having to "hunt down" new messages and possibly "missing any messages" is not only untrue -- relying on the "Recent Posts" method means just the opposite!!  You are more likely to miss recent posts.

OK, if you go to the home page of the forum, two kinds of icons appear:
On -- [attachimg=1]
Off -- [attachimg=2]

Wherever you see the "On" icon, that tells you there are new messages in that board.  Regardless of whether there is an "On" or "Off" icon, clicking it takes you to a list of the recent unread topics in that board.

Now, while you're inside a board looking at the most recent posts, you will also see a "new" icon [attachimg=3] next to all topics you have not yet read.  The icon stays lit up until you actually read the new posts in that topic.  In other words, its not just "new" topics since your last visit.  These topics remain "new" until you read them.

Board-by-board exploration is preferred is because, as you enter a board to read the newest posts, you will continue to see posts from two days ago or a week ago or a month ago that you still have not read.  By contrast, anything beyond the latest 100 posts no longer show up on your list of "Recent Posts" and so, if you rely on the "Recent Posts" method, lots of posts are effectively off your radar screen.  Relying just on the "recent posts" method, you are much more likely to miss something you haven't read!

Matthew

 

[iggy07]

I enter via "Recent Unread Messages" 100% of the time. Of course, I will search or browse to re-read topics that I recall from the past.

I suppose it would be somewhat helpful to have the original in a different color, but I don't find this to be a problem myself. Sometimes I click on the Topic Name, which brings me to the beginning of the thread. If I remember, I will click on the latest page instead, but if not it is easy to scroll down to the latest messages, or up to the original message.

 

[semenza]

Hi,

   If you really don't want to miss anything, click Unread Posts Since Last Visit in the header, THEN on that page click All Unread Posts. It will bring up EVERY topic with a post  that you have not read. Unless at some point you have clicked Mark All Messages as Read. This is how I read the forum, It gets me the very latest and then everything else.  If you click the "NEW" buttons it takes you to the were you left off in that thread.

Seth