The slow death of forums *see OP for Admin warning and update 28/02/18*

Ken.

Beasty wrote: »

Post 21 – allow “uncensored” discussion – I am pretty sure our legal advisers would risk heart attacks at this suggestion

This would work no problem if people were forced to sign up with their own names and addresses and not able to hide behind a user name so that when the solicitors letters arrived Boards could pass them on.

I doubt many would agree to that.

Beasty

Beasty wrote: »

I was thinking this was partially covered in the "too many forums" point. My own thinking was to perhaps give more prominence to the popular forums, while some of those less busy ones (which are often frequented by regular posters) could be that extra click away

It does though more come into how the responsive site is set up as I understand development time is dedicated to getting that in a much more user-friendly format. The vBulletin base is such a mismatch of outdated changes that trying to put fixes in can often result in more problems than it solves. However that's more for the development team to comment on than a non-techie like me

I've no idea how the magic would be worked, but I'd appreciate the result.

I think the too many forums thing is a definite issue, but I imagine quite a few of them would be less obscure and likely more frequented if they were easier to stumble across via a less dense menu system with more than four categories.

Beasty

Conspectus wrote: »

This would work no problem if people were forced to sign up with their own names and addresses and not able to hide behind a user name so that when the solicitors letters arrived Boards could pass them on.

I doubt many would agree to that.

I suspect that as a publisher Boards would also be implicated if it did not take down anything that was subsequently successfully challenged. A sure way to kill off the site completely, and one for the owners rather than office, admins, mods or users (other than those wanting to find themselves in the dock) to ponder

Beasty

I've added a link to my earlier post in the OP and referenced the update in the thread title in case it gets submerged in follow-up comments

KERSPLAT!

Cheers for the update Beasty, much appreciated.

Cookie_Monster

Any chance of some actual interaction and feedback from the office who actually run the show on what they think and what is happening, is likely to happen on the back of this?
Without their engagement most of this is a pointless waste of time IMO.

Kurtosis

I said this before but as this thread has moved towards general site feedback, should users who maybe do not visit AH be informed of this opportunity to provide feedback? Perhaps with a site announcement?

Beasty

Pac1Man wrote: »

I don't understand the hide post-count suggestion. I have 31 independent PMs from people asking how I will celebrate my 4000th post and if there will be some event or commemorative thread marking the occasion.

If that suggestion is passed it will disappoint a lot of people including myself.

Gonna add a poll on that. 32 is not enough critical mass - you'll have to knock on a few doors to get a lot more votes than that


:pac:

BTW no-one asked me about my 4,000th, 5,000th or any other 000th - guess that's one of the things to consider when being asked to mod - no-one really cares for you any more:(

Quazzie

Beasty wrote: »

Post 577 – removal of usernames from closed accounts – it would be incredibly confusing if posters cannot see the way a thread developed, and equally I’m not sure what benefit we would get from this

I have two suggestions that might be useful for this,
1. When someone is banned/closes their account, their name disappears and is replaced with their user number.
2. When someone is banned/closes their account they are given an option to change their username to a random name as suggested by a Captcha type simulator.

Both these will allow old threads to remain intact, but also for people to disassociate with old or previous accounts

the_pen_turner

why would you want to remove names. what harm are they doing.
unless they are offensive then leave them. .
let the past be the past


changing to numbers would be a nightmare to follow. 2112414 says this 4194819 says that . it would ruin any thread and the ability to follow it

Owta Control

Quazzie wrote: »

I have two suggestions that might be useful for this,
1. When someone is banned/closes their account, their name disappears and is replaced with their user number.
2. When someone is banned/closes their account they are given an option to change their username to a random name as suggested by a Captcha type simulator.

Both these will allow old threads to remain intact, but also for people to disassociate with old or previous accounts

Genuinely, why bother? A lot of users want to read posts by posters that are no longer around...we have to take note of numbers now...people close their accounts...they shouldn't be erased from boards history

Boards.ie: Mark

As I said earlier, thanks for taking the time to give input and feedback. The takeaways and what we're looking at and discussing have been covered by Beasty with input from Admins and staff. The Feedback forum itself, as Beasty mentioned, will be one of the first things to look at and discuss with the community so that we can find something practical and functional. We want the community to be able to provide feedback on how things are working and what they'd like done differently/better and, most importantly, have their points readily seen by those of us with the capacity to implement changes.

Moderation will always be both subject to scrutiny and a cause for criticism. On Boards, and essentially any social media platform / place that allows for commentary, moderation is simultaneously over- and under-moderated (believe me, I see some of the reported posts, Twitter conversations, and e-mails). We can't please everyone, but we can try. And, as Beasty wrote, there are some elements that we can look at and improve.

Navigation is clearly an important topic, and I'm aware it's something that has mattered to users for quite a while. It's something that we'll have to talk about. I personally can see positives and negatives associated with the old and new systems. We have to manage functionality as well as presentation (age profile and Boards' attractiveness to younger users has also been pointed out in this thread).

The other consideration is the willingness/eagerness to explore and create. The forums are there (albeit an extra click away than they were several years ago, I know), but one point made early on was that people don't see it worth the effort to post. Getting people to a forum is only half the battle and it's one that's also a double edged sword in my mind; if people see a quiet forum, are they going to be the one to get the ball rolling? If they don't get a response, will they persevere or just chalk it down as a dead forum and move on?

I'm not saying that those who are asking for navigation to be reviewed are right or wrong, just indicating some of the things I mull over. I will also say, it's very difficult to hide on a site like this; I read as much as I can, especially when it comes to Boards. If you want to get in touch with me directly, I'm a PM, e-mail (hello@boards.ie), Twitter message, Facebook message away. And if Dublin City Council ever approve the Mark Signal, I'll be able to respond to that too.

KERSPLAT!

I just want to point out how well this thread worked compared to the current Feedback forum, which is now as empty as half the forums. Feedback in a 1 v Admin scenario is crap. I know it's being looked at and I agree change was needed, but I don't agree with the change made.

Boards.ie: Mark

Boards.ie: Mark wrote: »

The other consideration is the willingness/eagerness to explore and create. The forums are there (albeit an extra click away than they were several years ago, I know), but one point made early on was that people don't see it worth the effort to post. Getting people to a forum is only half the battle and it's one that's also a double edged sword in my mind; if people see a quiet forum, are they going to be the one to get the ball rolling? If they don't get a response, will they persevere or just chalk it down as a dead forum and move on?

One problem I see, is that posters will often see a forum or thread, read some of the absolute ****e people post and just decide that it isn't worth the effort in posting.

Often you end up with a thread where 80% of posters have the same opinion and anyone who disagrees is then pretty much attacked relentlessly until they decide to just ignore it and walk away, so rather than debate or lively discussion, you end up with an echo chamber where only one opinion is allowed. It's even worse if the mods also have the same opinion as the 80%.

GreeBo

KERSPLAT! wrote: »

I just want to point out how well this thread worked compared to the current Feedback forum, which is now as empty as half the forums. Feedback in a 1 v Admin scenario is crap. I know it's being looked at and I agree change was needed, but I don't agree with the change made.

I wonder is that a product of most of the posters on this thread being longer members of boards?

Perhaps feedback is a privilege thats earned through time/posts?

I know that might exclude re-regs...but

RasTa

Why has boards defaulted to some new layout and I can't get back to the old site with the drop downs.

Well I can if I hit help and the drop down old skin appears. It's very annoying and I wouldn't be posting much anymore if this is the new layout.

Even my 40 posts per page seems to have gone, the horror.

KERSPLAT!

GreeBo wrote: »

I wonder is that a product of most of the posters on this thread being longer members of boards?

Perhaps feedback is a privilege thats earned through time/posts?

I know that might exclude re-regs...but

It was one of many suggestions that only posters with x number of posts and an account open for x number of months could post in feedback. Hopefully that will be looked at again when the open discussion happens. It won't fix everything in feedback but it would help.

the_syco

Candie wrote: »

A few posters, including myself, mentioned the drop down menu, and how forums are now buried under clicks. A few more options to limit the amount of digging one has to do to stumble upon something new would be preferable to the four options and limitless clicks available at the moment.

I just subscribe to the forums I would visit regularly, and ignore the others I'd sometimes click into. I wonder how many forums got a massive drop in people since the new format went into place?

KERSPLAT!

KERSPLAT! wrote: »

It was one of many suggestions that only posters with x number of posts and an account open for x number of months could post in feedback. Hopefully that will be looked at again when the open discussion happens. It won't fix everything in feedback but it would help.

I suspect that a fair few posters are similar to myself in that we don't post feedback unless there is something seriously wrong. Which TBH I've never felt.

For the most part, I've remained happy enough with the way boards is run, and while I do have some issues with the handling of certain topics like immigration or "Islamophobia", I wouldn't consider it a reflection on boards as a site.

Conspectus wrote: »

This would work no problem if people were forced to sign up with their own names and addresses and not able to hide behind a user name so that when the solicitors letters arrived Boards could pass them on.

I doubt many would agree to that.

Yup. I'd be gone in an instant. Totally defeats the purpose of a discussion board on the Internet.

thomond2006

(Apologies if this has already been mentioned)

I think the close account function is being abused by a minority. I understand it may be in place for legal reasons etc. but there are posters who are closing accounts and re-registering under a new username every few months. I'll have a user I really don't want to read on ignore and then they will re-appear under a new username a month later.

Would it be possible to limit this to once per six months for example?

I appreciate this is a very minor point compared to others raised on this thread.

sKeith

I just have one little request. A while ago, a very simple and much liked by me, feature was removed. I have already asked for it to be returned, but am unsure that the people I asked undestodd what i was talking about.

I received your call for feedback and I may as well add it here again.

There used to be a link at the bottom of every page to https://www.boards.ie/


The line....
Copyright © 2000 - 2018 Boards.ie Limited (Hosted by Digiweb Hosting)

used to look like this...
Copyright © 2000 - 2018 Boards.ie Limited (Hosted by Digiweb Hosting)

Can this very simple feature please be brought back,

Thank you.

Ave Sodalis

Pac1Man wrote: »

I don't understand the hide post-count suggestion. I have 31 independent PMs from people asking how I will celebrate my 4000th post and if there will be some event or commemorative thread marking the occasion.

If that suggestion is passed it will disappoint a lot of people including myself.

I also use a poster's post count on certain threads to tell whether or not they're a re-reg troll, or just ridiculous. With regard certain topics, you see a lot of "new" accounts popping up solely to align with a certain view points. If someone has five posts, all of which are on one thread, then I'm going to take them less seriously than someone with 1000 points.


I really like the thread hiding idea. It'll cut out a lot of the repetitiveness in AH.

Boom_Bap

sKeith wrote: »

I just have one little request. A while ago, a very simple and much liked by me, feature was removed. I have already asked for it to be returned, but am unsure that the people I asked undestodd what i was talking about.

I received your call for feedback and I may as well add it here again.

There used to be a link at the bottom of every page to https://www.boards.ie/


The line....
Copyright © 2000 - 2018 Boards.ie Limited (Hosted by Digiweb Hosting)

used to look like this...
Copyright © 2000 - 2018 Boards.ie Limited (Hosted by Digiweb Hosting)

Can this very simple feature please be brought back,

Thank you.

Do you use that to returning to the home page?
Clicking on the Boards.ie logo on the upper left corner of the page (old site) does that.

sKeith

Boom_Bap wrote: »

Do you use that to returning to the home page?
Clicking on the Boards.ie logo on the upper left corner of the page (old site) does that.

Yes, I do. when I get to the end of a thread, it was easier to just click that. Yes, I can now hit 'to the top, then hit the logo at the top, but when it was down the bottom, it was handy and one click.

Boom_Bap

sKeith wrote: »

Yes, I do. when I get to the end of a thread, it was easier to just click that. Yes, I can now hit 'to the top, then hit the logo at the top, but when it was down the bottom, it was handy and one click.

Now that you mention it, and I'm at the bottom of the page, it would be handy alright.

Beasty

Boom_Bap wrote: »

Now that you mention it, and I'm at the bottom of the page, it would be handy alright.

If you're on the current full site you can stick the menu section at the top of the page via the Control Panel - the option is in "Appearance Settings"

Sleepy

Candie wrote: »

A few posters, including myself, mentioned the drop down menu, and how forums are now buried under clicks. A few more options to limit the amount of digging one has to do to stumble upon something new would be preferable to the four options and limitless clicks available at the moment.

The current menu means there is no longer any street traffic through some forums, forums that might well have many more visitors if they weren't in cold storage under a trillion clicks. So many seem destined to die because people are most likely unaware of them.

Can the menu be re-visited, perhaps?

This.

Since the last re-jig of the menu system, I've pretty much stuck to my subbed list of forums. Occasionally, I'd go looking for a specific forum via the search bar and even less frequently I might find something via the frontpage. The old menu structure encouraged far more "dipping in" to forums one mightn't normally visit.

Boom_Bap

Beasty wrote: »

If you're on the current full site you can stick the menu section at the top of the page via the Control Panel - the option is in "Appearance Settings"

In Appearance Settings > Use Sticky Header

The logo stays on the upper left corner when scrolling, so it's essentially always there. Nice.

Johnboy1951

I don't normally visit AH, but in response to the general notice for feedback ......

I have not read the whole thread, only from Beasty's summary as linked.

1. Zombie threads ....... old threads when posted to, get locked asap, regardless the relevance of the additional posts.

Could some site-wide filter not be applied to threads which have not been posted to within a set number of days/weeks/whatever, so that they are locked and cannot be posted to?
This would help both posters and moderators, who must use time to post and then lock such threads.


2. Moderation ...... On occasion a moderator would lock a thread on the basis that it is likely to go off topic or venture into discussion of something that is not allowed (say for legal reasons).
To me this is a preemptive strike.
Quite a few might deserve a reminder, but to lock a thread without anything wrong being posted, seems to say more about the moderator than the posters.
I would like to see this strongly discouraged.

Overall I am happy with the site and how it is run.
I was here quite a considerable time before I even discovered there were sub-fora and even now I tend to forget them.
That might be down to me .... but I rarely notice them.

In any case my main concerns are with the interaction between posters and moderators.

It is my hope that this thread does have a positive effect and that the various suggestions posted are seriously considered and implemented where possible and desirable.

Good luck.

osarusan

I'm maybe a bit late to the the party here as I stopped posting in AH, and only saw the notice today, but wanted to agree with this:

KERSPLAT! wrote: »

Feedback is constantly given on boards but rarely taken on board from what I've seen, as per my above post. I think posters can be forgiven for thinking this will be no different. There are a lot of people who care about boards in this thread but you're losing them quickly and soon enough no one will give a fcuk what happens.

This is exactly what I think.

I think Boards likes the idea of having a feedback section because it's something a forum 'should' have, but actually isn't too bothered about taking much notice of the feedback it gets (same goes for site development too).

The impression that I get at least is that users get told that 'Yes, your feedback is important to us" but actually Boards is going to do what it wants and shape the site how it wants, and feedback won't have much of a role at all in that.

There have been plenty of feedback threads which ended with a vague "ok thanks for the feedback, we'll have a discussion about the points raised and see what we can do", but there is rarely any actual outcome/decision relayed to the users.

To be honest, I don't see any reason to believe that anything has changed and that this time will be any different.