Following Forums and Threads (Warning screen shots within - big images)

Dav

Only 4% of members subscribe to forums. We consider it to be an easier way to navigate the site and keep tabs on whatever forums you might have an interest in. With that in mind, we've decided to make it easier to do this.

Today, we're introducing a Follow Forum and Follow Thread button onto forum and thread pages respectively. You can see the screen shot below for how they'll look and where they'll appear on the page. To go along with this, we've made a change to the front page of the site; we've removed the Drop Down list for "Latest Forum Posts in" just above the thread listing with 3 tabs (Latest Posts | My Forums | My Threads) and an expanding list beside it. Again, see the screen shot below for how this will look.

Front Page


Follow Forum


Follow Threads


My Forums


My Threads


We're also replacing the word "subscribe" with "follow" as there tended to be confusion about wanting to keep track of a forum or subscribing to the site. You'll see we've changed any references to this across the site (but if you spot one still saying Subscribe, please let us know).

These buttons will also appear to people who aren't signed in and clicking on them will present you with a Login option as well as a Sign Up option if you're not a member. Hopefully it might convince a few lurkers to bite the bullet and join us.

My Forums (not logged in)


My Threads (not logged in)


Let us know how you get on with it and if you have any comments or find any problems, please post them below.

Dav

Jako8

I think this is a seriously handy update. Good stuff.

Xavi6

When you clicked on 'Subbed' at the top previously it took you to what is now the 'My Forums' screen.

However now when you hit 'My Forums' at the top it takes you to 'My Threads'.

Any chance it could do the same as it used to in that regard?

Basq

It's not too bad.. though I do think the 3 tabbed panels on the front page are a bit jarring!

Also small cosmetic changes to make it a bit more symmetrical - e.g the search should be aligned with something, and not just floating. See below:

Currently:


Better?


Also should the white space to the right of the panels be better utilized? Link to Control Panels / PM's etc?

Eliot Rosewater

Excellent stuff! After I got beyond the notion that the "Follow Thread" button was some kind of Facebook thing.

pwd

I like this. Good job.

Tallon

All those geeks in Boards HQ and your still using IE :facepalm:

Looks great though, i actually really like it

Basq

I do like the 'Follow Thread' / 'Unfollow Thread' buttons at the bottom of a thread..

.. cracking little idea!

Ross

Xavi6 wrote: »

When you clicked on 'Subbed' at the top previously it took you to what is now the 'My Forums' screen.

However now when you hit 'My Forums' at the top it takes you to 'My Threads'.

Any chance it could do the same as it used to in that regard?

My bad, must have fudged that when I was doing it for the beta menu. Fixed now.

Basq

Did posts from the User Infractions forum always appear on the front page?

Insect Overlord

basquille wrote: »

Did posts from the User Infractions forum always appear on the front page?

Just noticed that too.
Hope it's just the mods group that can see it!

4zn76tysfajdxp

Great idea lads, I see this getting a lot of use:

Ross

Latest Posts now shows stuff from every forum you have access to; restoring how it used to work before I had to break it to stop the site from grinding to a halt in 2008

Dav

Tallon wrote: »

All those geeks in Boards HQ and your still using IE :facepalm:

Looks great though, i actually really like it

I mostly use Firefox (which has gotten steadily worse and worse over the last few months ) and Chrome; the IE is for that test account I have so I can copy & paste stuff easily

Cookie_Monster

there is no drop down now when you hover over the "My Forums" on the top of the page. You have to click on it

EDIT: seem to work now

Saibh

It shows My Forums on the top - used to be Subbed.

It isn't shown the list of forums that I was subbed to before.

Bob_Harris

Unfollow is not a word.

Seems like a twitterization of boards. I don't like.

Can I disable the buttons? They look out of place.

TouchingVirus

Great little change, it's very handy

However there are a few little cosmetic issues like basquille pointed out. What makes the tabs so jarring is the fact they have the biggest text size on the frontpage. They're bigger than the search button over on the right, bigger than the menu along the bottom of the infobar (with links to adverts.ie, social groups etc). It'd be better if it could be brought in line with something, with a corresponding reduction in padding.

The search module should be brought in line too.

Oh and maybe instead of using this gradient for the follow buttons you might consider using either this gradient or jus the background colour #738FBF which would make it the same as the surrounding elements (i.e. the thread tools/menu control items). Also, seeing as everything on the RHS of the page is squared, and not rounded, the slight rounding on the buttons could be removed.

TouchingVirus

Bob_Harris wrote: »

Unfollow is not a word.

Seems like a twitterization of boards. I don't like.

Can you come up with a suitable antonym? I can't - renounce forum just doesn't seem appropriate

Earthhorse

I can't see the Follow Thread or Follow Forum buttons in IE6 or FireFox. Not a big deal as I can use the equivalent menu options but thought I would let you know.

Captain Darling

The Thunderdome and some private forums are showing up on the front page 'latest post' thing.

Might be a good idea to restrict them, to stop new people clicking into the 'Dome and all the crap that is spouted in there.

Bob_Harris

TouchingVirus wrote: »

Can you come up with a suitable antonym? I can't - renounce forum just doesn't seem appropriate

Subscribe and Unsubscribe.

Ghost Train

from a privacy point of view, can certain users, mods or admins see who is following a particular thread, or the number of people following a thread?

TouchingVirus

Bob_Harris wrote: »

Subscribe and Unsubscribe.

Fairly sure the reason behind the change to follow from subscribe was outlined in the first post.

Captain Darling wrote: »

The Thunderdome and some private forums are showing up on the front page 'latest post' thing.

Might be a good idea to restrict them, to stop new people clicking into the 'Dome and all the crap that is spouted in there.

If you have access to the dome then it will appear on your latest posts. Now if it's happening when you're logged out that's a different story

Captain Darling

TouchingVirus wrote: »

Fairly sure the reason behind the change to follow from subscribe was outlined in the first post.



If you have access to the dome then it will appear on your latest posts. Now if it's happening when you're logged out that's a different story

Aye, i wonder is it because i'm subscribed to it, that might be the reason it's showing up. It didnt previously however...

L'prof

Any way to save your preference, I'm not a fan of this pop-up at all!

Earthhorse

Captain Darling wrote: »

Aye, i wonder is it because i'm subscribed to it, that might be the reason it's showing up. It didnt previously however...

Wonder no more!

Ross wrote: »

Latest Posts now shows stuff from every forum you have access to; restoring how it used to work before I had to break it to stop the site from grinding to a halt in 2008

dambarude

Great idea, well done to whoever thought of it!

TouchingVirus

Captain Darling wrote: »

Aye, i wonder is it because i'm subscribed to it, that might be the reason it's showing up. It didnt previously however...

I know, but if you read the post by Ross on page one you'd have read the following:

Ross wrote: »

Latest Posts now shows stuff from every forum you have access to; restoring how it used to work before I had to break it to stop the site from grinding to a halt in 2008

*Edit: Beaten to it, please kill me :P*

Tallon

Dav wrote: »

I mostly use Firefox (which has gotten steadily worse and worse over the last few months ) and Chrome; the IE is for that test account I have so I can copy & paste stuff easily

This is what I thought of when I read that comment...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAO68_IqIu4

Wolfe Tone

Aghhhh!! Guys, when I clicked on subbed I used to have the oppertunity of clicking a link to the latest post made no?

Ghost Train

MUSSOLINI wrote: »

Aghhhh!! Guys, when I clicked on subbed I used to have the oppertunity of clicking a link to the latest post made no?

click the number of posts

Wolfe Tone

Ghost Train wrote: »

click the number of posts

Thanks!

Dav

Tallon wrote: »

This is what I thought of when I read that comment...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAO68_IqIu4

Ah come on, give me some credit! I've been a software engineer, web developer (front and back end) and a sys admin twice before I came to this job

Tallon

Dav wrote: »

Ah come on, give me some credit! I've been sending emails, recieving emails, deleting emails... using a mouse, a keyboard..

FYP

Willbbz

Wonder if a Facebook 'Like' button for each thread is next on it's way


New update is looking well though!
+1

FTGFOP

TouchingVirus wrote: »

Can you come up with a suitable antonym? I can't - renounce forum just doesn't seem appropriate

Why not just 'Stop following'? Don't see why it has to be a single word. Not that I care really, just saying.

edit: I guess with the word 'thread' in the button as well it would be a bit cramped. Nevermind. ...Although does the word 'thread' need to be in there? It's redundant, no?

Plowman

This post has been deleted.

Teferi

I'm not seeing a "follow forum" button anywhere...?

seamus

It only appears in the default skin. If you're not using the default skin, you won't see the new buttons.

Tallon

seamus wrote: »

It only appears in the default skin. If you're not using the default skin, you won't see the new buttons.

I'm on the beta skin

banquo

It's very good. Fair play to the dev.

Daemos

seamus wrote: »

It only appears in the default skin. If you're not using the default skin, you won't see the new buttons.

I'm using Beta and it shows up fine

DeVore

This release is for default and Beta Skin users. Default because thats what the vast vast vast majority of people use and Beta because thats what we are working on for the future.

DeV.

Teferi

seamus wrote: »

It only appears in the default skin. If you're not using the default skin, you won't see the new buttons.

Ah thank you very much.

Mimikyu

This post has been deleted.

DeepBlue

The Buttons look a bit.....clunky. No doubt the devs will make a better job of them over time and they will blend in better.

looksee

If you say you want to follow a thread and ask for instant email when someone posts, do you continue to get emails every time someone posts, or do you just get the one until you check the thread? I'm thinking of a thread that catches on and you could have 20 emails an hour later?

Very good upgrade. Very handy.:D

mike65

Where are the Private listed forums? They are not under my forums....

Ross

mike65 wrote: »

Where are the Private listed forums? They are not under my forums....

The private forums filter was causing issues (often just contained forums you had been banned/unbanned from or places like Soccer, difficult to explain to new users, etc).

You'll probably find most of your private forums under the "Hosted" filter, but ideally you'd follow your private forums so that they all appear under the "My Forums" tab.