Just a quick note to let everyone know that they aren’t ‘crazy’ if it seems like where things are keeps changing! I am moving things around periodically right now – the layout is still in flux for hte new site – it will settle soon, but we aren’t done yet.
The changes are trying to find the ‘right’ place to add things back in that were here before, without cluttering things up again – trying to balance keeping things clean with functional.
Let me know if there is something you are missing and I will make it a priority to get it ‘back’
(ALSO – organizing some old posts so they are appearing as ‘recent’ sorry about that – doesn’t seem to be anyway around it unfortunately)
Cheers!
Jon Paul
Reference to message number in reply
I noticed a while ago that the top line in each reply had a “Reply to massage #”. This seems to have disappeared lately. I really liked that feature because it added clarity regarding the post that a reply is directed towards, especially when there are numerous intervening posts in a thread.
I cast a strong vote for bringing it back!
It’s baaack! (I think 🙂
Hi Phil, i think that feature is back (or still here?) – have a look again and see if you see it or not. it should appear next to the date stamp in the reply (a reply that is in response to the original post does not have a ‘reply to’; only a reply to a reply has it. If it doesn’t appear for you, something is wrong 🙂
Cheers!
Jon Paul
Still a bit confused
Looking back in some of the earlier longer threads, I see the reply reference here and there. Some threads have it in almost every reply and some don’t have it at all. Maybe the absence is due to every reply being posted in reply the the first message, but that doesn’t seem likely in a long thread.
Can you change the “reply to message #” to be included for replies to the original post?
Example
I just looked at my previous reply here, message #4. It doesn’t show the reference even though I hit “reply” under your last message, #3.
I think I found the problem
I think the problem, as I see it is that when you click the Reply button immediately under a post, the reply is actually interpreted as a reply to the original post, not the specific one you intend to reply to.
mystery solved
Hi Phil, good work on the sleuthing! I totally forgot we implemented a ‘flat comments’ process as we weren’t using threaded comments (or at least weren’t displaying them as threaded). I see now that it is much nicer to have the ‘reply to comment x’ so have turned off ‘flat comments’ – this should make things work going forwards.
Cheers!
Thanks Jon Paul!
Thanks Jon Paul!
Its like coming home to a new
Its like coming home to a new house
Has That Happened?
Johny C., does that ever happen?
Has anyone ever come home to a new house?
But you know, it IS like that here at “The New Part15.us”.
Nice place you’ve got here.
Suggestion for new home Page Menu Option
Hi Jon-Paul,
Every time I go to this site, I click on a saved favorites entry for http://www.part15.us/recent-posts
That’s the most logical and least confusing way to get to the ordered list of recent posts.
The problem is, that link is not visible on the home page if you are not logged in and even when you are logged in, it isn’t easily spottable on the home page over on the right under Navigation. I am suggesting that you move that link to a much more prominant place on your home page and make it visible regardless of log-in status. If the link is up front and quickly seen, It will instantly lead frequent and new forum viewers to the latest posts. That may very well increase forum participation.
More Home Page Suggestions
I was just looking at the differences between the home page display when I am not logged in vs. being logged out.
I don’t think the two pages should be so substantially different. This is a forum website. The full contents should be logically organized the same way whether a user is logged in or not. The process of logging in should only relate to enabling replies to messages, and maybe being able to see who else is currently logged in.
I think you should merge the home pages in such a way that it shows everything (with the possible exception of who’s logged in) whether a user is logged in or not, and focus on getting the reader to the date-ordered, most recent posts as easily as possible.
I’ve always had an uneasy feeling the Part15.us is “somehow different” and harder to navigate than all the other mainstream forums. I hope my suggestions may help. The goal is simple, inuitive navigation. That can only help increase participation. The goal is “Wow! This is easy”.
thanks for the feedback!
Hi Phil, sorry for the delayed response – all feedback is appreciated and noted. More changes to come 🙂
Cheers!
Jon Paul
Thank you
Thanks for what you do
Jon-Paul!
Bruce, The DOGRADIO Group