forum index and new discussions

LincLinc OwnerDetroit Icrontian
edited December 2008 in Community
Stuff I did tonight:
  • "Start New Discussion" link at top of forum
  • "Start New Discussion in..." link at top of every thread
  • Latest blogs and gaming under Hot Threads/News
  • Milestones box on forum index: shows last 24 hours of milestones, and disappears if there are none (like Birthdays). Made it collapsible for curmudgeons like Thrax.
  • Made the universal BS "this could be for one of several reasons" error message legible and friendly
  • Cleaned up random stuff in the templates

Comments

  • SnarkasmSnarkasm Madison, WI Icrontian
    edited December 2008
    Gigantic header is gigantic. Does the last post in a thread now also have the "Start a new discussion" business?

    Well, it does, but more importantly, was that intended?
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited December 2008
    Gigantic header is gigantic.
  • LincLinc Owner Detroit Icrontian
    edited December 2008
    Snarkasm wrote:
    was that intended?
    Yes...
    Snarkasm & Thrax wrote:
    Gigantic header is gigantic.
    It's exactly the same size except for the Milestones, which you can collapse. I took great pains to not increase the header's length.
  • SnarkasmSnarkasm Madison, WI Icrontian
    edited December 2008
    You're telling me this:

    picture.php?albumid=32&pictureid=139

    Is no bigger than its previous iteration, which had a full half-inch fewer items on it - namely the blog and gaming posts that are suddenly there?
  • LincLinc Owner Detroit Icrontian
    edited December 2008
    Snarkasm wrote:
    You're telling me this: (snip)

    Is no bigger than its previous iteration, which had a full half-inch fewer items on it - namely the blog and gaming posts that are suddenly there?
    Yes.
  • SnarkasmSnarkasm Madison, WI Icrontian
    edited December 2008
    Shenanigans.
  • RyderRyder Kalamazoo, Mi Icrontian
    edited December 2008
    Just a thought.. Keebs counts pixels.. I am pretty sure he knows how many there were and are now.
  • LincLinc Owner Detroit Icrontian
    edited December 2008
    Unless the ad grew taller, it's impossible that the space was shorter. It's an optical illusion. I simply filled the white space with content and moved the watermark to the bottom of the space rather than the top.
  • SnarkasmSnarkasm Madison, WI Icrontian
    edited December 2008
    To clarify, I was referring to this sexy bad boy, not the version right before this change:

    picture.php?albumid=32&pictureid=140

    My fault for the incorrect wording.
  • fatcatfatcat Mizzou Icrontian
    edited December 2008
    <object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/CWILhrSzw5o&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/CWILhrSzw5o&hl=en&fs=1&quot; type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object>
  • botheredbothered Manchester UK
    edited December 2008
    Icrontic is becoming the air freshener of the internet, there seems to be a new 'improved' model every week.
  • LincLinc Owner Detroit Icrontian
    edited December 2008
    bothered wrote:
    Icrontic is becoming the air freshener of the internet, there seems to be a new 'improved' model every week.
    I'd do it all at once but for having a real job. :-/
  • MiracleManSMiracleManS Chambersburg, PA Icrontian
    edited December 2008
    Please, please, please please remove that damned "START NEW DISCUSSION IN ABOUT ICRONTIC" thing...or make it a button. The yellow, it burns...IT BURNZZZZ
  • QCHQCH Ancient Guru Chicago Area - USA Icrontian
    edited December 2008
    As Snark asked, What the heck is "Start New Discussion in About Icrontic" for? It looks like crap and useless. Explain?
  • LincLinc Owner Detroit Icrontian
    edited December 2008
    QCH2002 wrote:
    It looks like crap and useless. Explain?
    I'd like people viewing threads to be able to easily start a new discussion.

    vBulletin has a long list of "useless" features, but I wouldn't put "starting a new discussion" on that list. That's the entire point of the forum isn't it? And you couldn't do it while viewing a discussion.

    As to its appearance, I couldn't easily add dynamic text to a button, so I chose to make it a highlighted link for now. I'm not much of a designer, sorry.
  • MiracleManSMiracleManS Chambersburg, PA Icrontian
    edited December 2008
    Keebler wrote:
    I'd like people viewing threads to be able to easily start a new discussion.

    vBulletin has a long list of "useless" features, but I wouldn't put "starting a new discussion" on that list. That's the entire point of the forum isn't it? And you couldn't do it while viewing a discussion.

    As to its appearance, I couldn't easily add dynamic text to a button, so I chose to make it a highlighted link for now. I'm not much of a designer, sorry.

    WTB Keebs with design ability, long hours and minimal pay offered. Great community! Apply within!
  • QCHQCH Ancient Guru Chicago Area - USA Icrontian
    edited December 2008
    So... the supermods and admins will be doing more thread moving since the lazy will just post a thread instead of looking for the right area.... and why "About Icrontic"? I see it as a 1% more coverage with 20% more management. Weren't you stripping out useless and confusing stuff? Adding a ton of info on top of each thread and adding buttons and links for making threads when there are already links and buttons for the same purpose is wasteful and adding confusion.

    What do the rest of the staff think?
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited December 2008
    Q, the link changes depending on what forum you're in. We are in the About Icrontic forum, so people can click the link to make a new thread here; this is exactly how it was before with the "New Thread" button. The only difference is that such a button now exists inside a thread, not just at the top of that particular sub-forum.

    I don't agree with your doom and gloom scenario. It just brings a feature we've always had at the top of a forum to individual threads.
  • LincLinc Owner Detroit Icrontian
    edited December 2008
    What I think I did:
    • Made it easier to register and get involved
    • Made it easier to start a discussion
    • Highlighted F@H milestones to help the team
    • Let everyone keep track of what's going on on Icrontic with less clicking
    • Moved a step closer to integrating forum/front page comments
    What everyone tells me I did (here and in staff):
    • Added hideous, useless yellow links that will ruin everything
    • Wasted page space
    • Broke things
    • Made a new flavor of the week
    • Lost control of my itchy trigger finger
    • Killed your personal style
    Sooo, wow, my bad for coming home from an 8 hour day of coding at work and coding for 5 more hours on Icrontic, drinking so much caffeine to do it that I have a stomach ache today.

    Helpful feedback, though.
  • KwitkoKwitko Sheriff of Banning (Retired) By the thing near the stuff Icrontian
    edited December 2008
    FWIW I like the changes. Took a little getting used to a new layout, but I for one welcome the fewer clicks to manage threads and the throwing out of useless, bullshit VBulletin JS.

    The main site and the offshoots are more unified. Everything flows much nicer for me.

    Keebs, for a free coder, you're tops in my book. For a paid coder, you're tops in my book.
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited December 2008
    Matt, you have a small element who resist change and don't like change being a vocal minority. Put everything into perspective. Your design changes meet our goals of bringing new people into our site, and I love what you've done.

    Everyone:

    If nothing ever changes, nothing will ever change, do you understand that? Our forum participation was tanking, our viewership was tanking, we were not getting any new registrations, but Ye Olde Forum Regulars were content and happy.

    Everyone likes the idea that growth is good. Whenever we experience growth (like Team 93 growth, or membership growth, or adding a gaming channel), everyone seems happy and rah-rah about it. WE CANNOT GROW WITHOUT MAKING IT EASIER AND CLEANER FOR PEOPLE TO REGISTER AND COMMENT.

    Moving stuff around and changing colors is bothering people because they're used to the way they do things. We're changing the way you do things to make it easier for more people to do it, that's all. We've moved your cheese a little bit. BUT THE CHEESE IS STILL HERE. Your friends and the people who make Icrontic Icrontic are still here. What's the big deal?
  • QCHQCH Ancient Guru Chicago Area - USA Icrontian
    edited December 2008
    Agreed... I hope you can make a button instead of a link...

    My original complaint was ill founded when I didn't realize that the text changed based on the sub-forum the thread was in... I guess a total noob would find it cool and much easier to start a new thread this way even though the old way was just fine for most. I'll concede that...
  • CBCB Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Der Millionendorf- Icrontian
    edited December 2008
    I agree with having the 'Start new discussion' button in the thread. It's a great idea, and will hopefully eliminate the complaints about figuring out how to post (If it doesn't then our guests are not as bright as we thing they are).

    However, I also agree that it should be a button, and when I saw it, I immediately assumed it was a place holder until a button could be designed...
  • WinfreyWinfrey waddafuh Missouri Icrontian
    edited December 2008
    I was about to complain about the IC bytes being at the bottom of the page, but they really make more sense to be down there.

    I got nothing to whine about, great work keebs :thumbsup:
  • BuddyJBuddyJ Dept. of Propaganda OKC Icrontian
    edited December 2008
    I like the bytes being on the bottom of the page too. It's like every time I scroll down there I find the special toy surprise. And I don't have to eat a whole box of Cracker Jacks to get it!
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