What I Miss About The Forums

2.7k · February 4, 2006

Well, the new software is GREAT! I love it! Don't ever go back!

As with anything new, though, some things are 'missing' that we did enjoy in the previous foru incarnation. This thread is a place for people to post where Jeremy & Co. can find things they might have missed in the grand scheme of setting up the new forum package. Then, when the serious issues are fixed, they can come back and check off the minor stuff we find.

I'll close this if it turns into a whine-fest. Just the facts ma'am. Opinion not needed. (well, from users, anyway).

1) Emoticons are all out of order

2) The link from the geocaching.com page seems to ne failing.

3) The forum identifier links used to be at the top AND the bottom. EDIT: There is a (way cooler) pulldown box at the bottom. Nevermind this one!

Please add your 'missings'.

Edited February 4, 2006 by New England n00b

9.2k · February 4, 2006

The list at the bottom of each forum, and on the main page, showing which users are active in the forums.

The number of times that a thread has been viewed is not incrementing.

February 4, 2006

1) Emoticons are all out of order

2) The link from the geocaching.com page seems to ne failing.

3) The forum identifier links used to be at the top AND the bottom.

Thanks for this list, I'll look into what's causing these.

Elias

February 4, 2006

Any Firefox users using my greasemonkey script for enhancing the forums will need a new version - right click here and choose Install User Script to upgrade.

It's useful in high traffic forums like the United Kingdom one as it adds a new icon which lets you "delete" a thread you aren't interested in following (though these can be displayed instantly with a new "show ignored threads" link)

February 4, 2006

The list at the bottom of each forum, and on the main page, showing which users are active in the forums.

I temporarily disabled this feature as the userlist somehow broke cosmetically during the upgrade. It'll take me some time to research and correct this, but I do plan on re-enabling it once its fixed.

The number of times that a thread has been viewed is not incrementing.

This functionality has also changed for performance reasons. The view recording isn't instant, it does batch updates of the view count every 6 hours or so.

Elias

20.7k · February 4, 2006

This functionality has also changed for performance reasons. The view recording isn't instant, it does batch updates of the view count every 6 hours or so.

Elias

Isn't that a long time? I think the only time I've paid any attention to that feature is to gauge overall interest in a new thread. By the time six hours is up, The thread is huge, or it's dead.

Edited February 4, 2006 by sbell111

February 4, 2006

Since the site devs are reading this thread, I might make the following observation - if you strip out the inline stylesheet and put it in an external CSS file you'll be saving a whopping 28 kilobytes per page request!

Got to be worth it, no?

(Edit: I agree about the view count - it should be very close to real time or it's pretty useless to regular readers)

Edited February 4, 2006 by lordelph

6.5k · February 4, 2006

Is there a way to find a all of person's post without using the search function?

edit:

ok it took a bit of button punching, but when looking at someone's profile, there is 'profile options' on the right side. You can look up someone's posts, and even ignore all there posts!

Edited February 4, 2006 by welch

5.2k · February 4, 2006

I can't find a way to get to a poster's profile on geocaching.com.

But in looking for it, I do see we can ignore a user now Sweet!

3.3k · February 4, 2006

Is there a way to find a all of person's post without using the search function?

Click the persons name, then in Profile Options (top right) there's a drop down which includes posts by that person.

20.7k · February 4, 2006

Is there a way to find a all of person's post without using the search function?

Click on the person's name to pull up their forum profile. Towards the top right there will be a box called Profile Options. Choose 'Find Member's Posts'.

EDIT: Or you can just read Stuey's post above.

Edited February 4, 2006 by sbell111

February 4, 2006

I maybe missing something in the new version, but I did like the "This topic was started on..." message that used to pop up when mousing over a topic heading.

5.2k · February 4, 2006

When looking at the main forum index, there doesn't appear to be anything showing which forums have new posts.

February 4, 2006

The old flag indicating that there are new posts in a topic seems to have gone away (or I've missed the setting that controls it).

View New Posts kind of substitutes for the old feature, but it was nice to be able to scan down the top level Groundspeak Forums page and see which topics had new posts since my last visit.

Is that feature gone for good?

Edited February 4, 2006 by ikim & noj

20.7k · February 4, 2006

But in looking for it, I do see we can ignore a user now Sweet!

How does that work? (Lep wants to know.)

The old flag indicating that there are new posts in a topic seems to have gone away (or I've missed the setting that controls it).

View New Posts kind of substitutes for the old feature, but it was nice to be able to scan down the top level Groundspeak Forums page and see which topics had new posts since my last visit.

Is that feature gone for good?

I can't find that on the top-level page, but at the thread level, there's a little orange indicator next to every topic that has new posts.

Edited February 4, 2006 by sbell111

1.1k · February 4, 2006

I miss having an icon indicating that I've replied to a post . I hope there's some way to add that back.

February 4, 2006

This functionality has also changed for performance reasons. The view recording isn't instant, it does batch updates of the view count every 6 hours or so.

Isn't that a long time? I think the only time I've paid any attention to that feature is to gauge overall interest in a new thread. By the time six hours is up, The thread is huge, or it's dead.

Yeah, it is. I think its configurable. I'll add it to my list of things to investigate.

Elias

February 4, 2006

I miss having an icon indicating that I've replied to a post . I hope there's some way to add that back.

I think the little white L-shaped corner of the folder icon indicates this.

I'm trying to figure out the "Quote" button - red versus blue, plus versus minus...

February 4, 2006

I maybe missing something in the new version, but I did like the "This topic was started on..." message that used to pop up when mousing over a topic heading.

This appears to be working for me (using IE). Anyone else experiencing this?

Elias

5.2k · February 4, 2006

I'm trying to figure out the "Quote" button - red versus blue, plus versus minus...

You can now quote multple posts. Click each to specify which you are quoting, the click the reply button.

2.3k · February 4, 2006

I maybe missing something in the new version, but I did like the "This topic was started on..." message that used to pop up when mousing over a topic heading.

This appears to be working for me (using IE). Anyone else experiencing this?

Elias

It is working for me too. I also use IE

February 4, 2006

When looking at the main forum index, there doesn't appear to be anything showing which forums have new posts.

The forums usually show this via the icon for each forum section; the icon would be faded when there are no new posts. When we made the modification to use custom icons for each forum, we assigned the same icon for both states and instead, added the little "new" image to the right of the text. It was just an oversight that we forgot to add the "new" image back in this new version. We'll put that back in there soon.

Elias

3.8k · February 4, 2006

The list at the bottom of each forum, and on the main page, showing which users are active in the forums.

The number of times that a thread has been viewed is not incrementing.

I'll second both of these (reading further down, I notice that Elias may be working on the viewed tally).

I really like the new option to view topics opened by a user!

And the emoticons out of order is a hassel, but I'm sure I'll adjust to that.

I still can't figure out what the Guided Mode is.

9.2k · February 4, 2006

I miss having an icon indicating that I've replied to a post . I hope there's some way to add that back.

It's still there, just different. This is a thread you've posted to. This is one you haven't. Note the bottom right corner.

What I miss is the drop-down quick navigation. There doesn't seem to be any way to get from one forum to another, without going back to the main page.

Edited February 4, 2006 by Prime Suspect

February 4, 2006

The number of times that a thread has been viewed is not incrementing.

I disabled the 6 hour delay. Views should now update immediately. If I can find a way to make it a more reasonable value other than 6 hours, I might consider re-enabling it, but for now, immediately makes a lot more sense than every 6 hours.

Elias

6.4k · February 4, 2006

Looking good for me, just the usually little tweaking. Speaking of tweaking....

If you click on a username, you now get a forum profile. OK, yeah, like others I'd like a link to the GC.com profile in there somewhere too. But also there is all this stuff:

If you click the link to edit, it sends you back to the main profile update, where of course there is no place to update that info. It would be nice if we COULD update the forum profile info, but if that's not feasible, can you at least kill all those fields that we can't update?

Edited February 4, 2006 by Mopar

1.8k · February 4, 2006

I maybe missing something in the new version, but I did like the "This topic was started on..." message that used to pop up when mousing over a topic heading.

This appears to be working for me (using IE). Anyone else experiencing this?

Elias

It's working for me in Firefox 1.5.0.1

2.3k · February 4, 2006

The link from the GC.com site to the forums is busted.

February 4, 2006

If you click on a username, you now get a forum profile. OK, yeah, like others I'd like a link to the GC.com profile in there somewhere too.

Oops, I missed a file. This is fixed.

Elias

3.8k · February 4, 2006

[What I miss is the drop-down quick navigation. There doesn't seem to be any way to get from one forum to another, without going back to the main page.

It's at the bottom right corner of each page.

February 4, 2006

The list at the bottom of each forum, and on the main page, showing which users are active in the forums.

This has been fixed.

Elias

2k · February 4, 2006

I miss being able to say "the search feature is broke"

3.8k · February 4, 2006

The list at the bottom of each forum, and on the main page, showing which users are active in the forums.

This has been fixed.

Elias

Fantastic! An added feature with this software displays a broken line under the individual users who are actually posting.

Now, what the heck is the Guided Mode?

2.3k · February 4, 2006

The list at the bottom of each forum, and on the main page, showing which users are active in the forums.

This has been fixed.

Elias

Fantastic! An added feature with this software displays a broken line under the individual users who are actually posting.

Now, what the heck is the Guided Mode?

Go to the reply section and turn on Guided mode. Then try to set bold or underline, etc. instead of putting the in the text it opens a box for you to type in the words you want bold. It prevents open tags

February 4, 2006

Well, the new software is GREAT! I love it! Don't ever go back!

I hate it!!! The reason isn't because humans are naturally afraid of change; I honestly couldn't care less about most changes. These are my problems with the new layout:

It takes longer to load
The reply window is too long for my resolution
I have to actually enter a part of the forum to check if there are new posts
The color; It's just too blue!!! (Well, too much of one color really.)

2.7k · February 4, 2006

I noted this thread in Getting Started.

Apparently, if you are NOT logged in, you can click the forum link on the main page OK, but if you ARE logged in, it's all broky-like. Weird.

6.5k · February 5, 2006

Are we stuck with the 'group' identifier??

If yes, are all the groups explained somewhere?(I can probably figure out what they all mean, but a FAQ is always good.)

February 5, 2006

Are we stuck with the 'group' identifier??

Nope, its gone.

Elias

6.5k · February 5, 2006

Why can't I get this kind of service at McDonalds??

2.7k · February 5, 2006

I noted this thread in Getting Started.

Apparently, if you are NOT logged in, you can click the forum link on the main page OK, but if you ARE logged in, it's all broky-like. Weird.

Tested it in Firefox. If you are logged into geocaching.com, the forum tab causes a hiccup. If you aren't logged in to the main site, you are OK.

There is some rumor of Waymarking being OK, so I am gonna go try that.

EDIT: Yep, Waymarking works correctly.

Edited February 5, 2006 by New England n00b

9.2k · February 5, 2006

[What I miss is the drop-down quick navigation. There doesn't seem to be any way to get from one forum to another, without going back to the main page.

It's at the bottom right corner of each page.

Thanks, you're right. I forgot I was using a greasemonkey script that moved it from the bottom to the top of the page. The new format was causing it to fail after it removed it from the bottom. Time to do some coding.

Well, the new software is GREAT! I love it! Don't ever go back!

I hate it!!! The reason isn't because humans are naturally afraid of change; I honestly couldn't care less about most changes. These are my problems with the new layout:

The reply window is too long for my resolution

Use the + or - buttons just below the reply box to change its size.

Gotta say, I really like the multi-reply feature.

Edited February 5, 2006 by Prime Suspect

3.8k · February 5, 2006

I have to actually enter a part of the forum to check if there are new posts

The color; It's just too blue!!! (Well, too much of one color really.)

Yup, I agree with those two.

5k · February 5, 2006

In the old old forums, but not the old old old forums nor the old forums, there was a line beneath everyone's avatar for their location. I really liked that, and have missed it since it disappeared. Is that an option for this new software? Having an idea of what state or country a person is from often plays a part in reading their posts.

Jamie

3.8k · February 5, 2006

In the old old forums, but not the old old old forums nor the old forums, there was a line beneath everyone's avatar for their location. I really liked that, and have missed it since it disappeared. Is that an option for this new software? Having an idea of what state or country a person is from often plays a part in reading their posts.

Jamie

I agree. This was a very convient feature. I started a topic about it long ago and I was just re-reading it a while ago. In it, Jeremy said he liked that feature too, and he was (maybe) going to work on it.

I would qoute him or link to that topic, but since the profile page link was restored, I can't seem to search my own topics (which I also thought was very cool). Can we still search for our own topics?

February 5, 2006

In the old old forums, but not the old old old forums nor the old forums, there was a line beneath everyone's avatar for their location. I really liked that, and have missed it since it disappeared. Is that an option for this new software? Having an idea of what state or country a person is from often plays a part in reading their posts.

These forums do contain a profile field for location. Our integration code isn't currently populating it, but it is certainly something we should be able to add without too much difficulty.

Elias

5k · February 5, 2006

but it is certainly something we should be able to add without too much difficulty.

If other forum readers would like this feature, I think it would be worth looking into. Thanks Elias. Other than that, this forum change has been near seamless for me and my Fx1.5 browser.

Jamie

1.5k · February 5, 2006

Knowing how to work everything in the forums....arghhhhhhh

The little "card" how in the heck do we update it? cause the whole updating your GC profile does nothing for it.

1.8k · February 5, 2006

I'm getting used to it and find it is improving as I do.

I would echo the request for the facility for location of poster to be shown (if we declare it) and would also suggest (as I did a year or so ago) that the navigation buttons to move to the next or previous topic should be at the top as well as the bottom of the page. :blink:

7.2k · February 5, 2006

I miss not having boxes around portions of my signature. :blink:

3.8k · February 5, 2006

In the old old forums, but not the old old old forums nor the old forums, there was a line beneath everyone's avatar for their location. I really liked that, and have missed it since it disappeared. Is that an option for this new software? Having an idea of what state or country a person is from often plays a part in reading their posts.

Jamie

Jeremy added it back.

Now to find where to fix it :blink: (edit: Use the link from the main geocaching.com page to register your changes--doesn't really change anything, just uses what you have in your profile if you've entered a location).

Edited February 5, 2006 by robert

What I Miss About The Forums

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