Comments (constructive) on the New Forum Software

[Peter Greene]

On Peter Greene Said:

…
Oh please bring back the one-line per Active Topic format!

…

+1 for that

… Perhaps Neil could run one of his occasional ‘opinion polls’ on a few of the most common feature-requests.

Then he could submit a  “Eight out of ten Cats” analysis to the developers.

MichaelG.

iframe width=”560″ height=”315″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/jC1D_a1S2xs?si=y6ZmxkVkf9DMyfzM&#8221; title=”YouTube video player” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” allowfullscreen></iframe

Edit: __ removing < > from around that ^^^ permitted me to post it … but I obviously missed a trick.

… the hyperlink in the middle does seem to work though.

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi, while I’m trying to get to grips with this new forum, and doing my best to engage, I feel it’s popularity is waning. There doesn’t seem to be anywhere near the request for help from other members with their projects/problems as there was on the old forum, or if there is, they are soon buried out of view by the system. There are too many big banners taking up screen space in my opinion, yes I know adverts are needed, but how many times do we need requests to subscribe for instance? The old forum had most of the ads down the left hand side, which you could largely ignore, but use when you required them, and the shopping partners no longer exist by the looks of it. The latest posts and the more latest post tag, made it much easier to keep track of other peoples comments and help, I know it’s still early days, but I would have thought that requests for help would have increased significantly by now. I think the old fairly plain and easy to follow forum was much better, but there seems to be too much hunting for people to find what they are looking for now.

Regards Nick.

[Pete WhiteParticipant @petewhite15172]

I think Nick may be right.

It is hard for old dogs to learn new tricks but I will do my best lol.

It used to be nice to browse the forum, but now its a bit of a chore, we will see, can’t stand in the way of progress?

Pete

 

 

[mike barrett 1Participant @mikebarrett1]

whats happened to latest activity button? Now need to be logged in to use it, login and it still does not work tells me I need to login to use it… Maybe its just me, if there is a link to this problem let me know as I cant find it.

BTW one of the car clubs I belong to went for a custom Forum approach, forum almost died and after 6 months went to one of the standard forum software solutions, forum is back to being useable again!

mike

[vic neweyParticipant @vicnewey60017]

An error in typing on latest activity page  “You can the most popular and active topics below.”  the word “view” or “see” is missing

[Samsaranda]

On Samsaranda Said:

Definitely not a fan of this new format, it appears to me to be very user unfriendly and I can’t seem to find things, my profile seems to have disappeared and I am not qualified to edit it, also according to the site I am no longer a subscriber, I will persevere but don’t know for how long, to me the site is a right lemon, I would definitely vote to return to the old site.  Dave W

Could not agree more Dave, very disjointed !  Its a nightmare finding anything, the site is far too complicated so plus one for returning to the old format !  JohnF

[john halfpennyParticipant @johnhalfpenny52803]

I’ve just come back after a few days. The site is almost unviewable; it’s confusing  and far too busy. The pop-up constantly interferes with the half page of real content I am trying to read – I suppose the developers think this a clever idea. The side by side lists of topics are not necessary, and too few topics are listed per page. I suspect many of us will give up unless the user experience is substantially improved.

[DalboyParticipant @dalboy]

The vast white background is still just as annoying on the eyes yet someone said the font and background had been sorted. Just turning every other post a pale blue certainly does not help.

I am only visiting on fewer occasions as I find it to harsh on the eyes.

So will this be sorted or is it now here to stay most of the things that I have seen certainly is no improvement. The only thing that I have personally found better is being able to post picture in batches.

[Graham MeekParticipant @grahammeek88282]

For my part I have not worked out how to post a picture, despite Jason’s post about it.

The colour changes are insipid, yes they have toned it down slightly but not enough for my taste.

This New Forum gives me the feeling it has been done on the cheap. Maybe this is a reflection of what Morton’s think about this Forum? Plus as is usual with big companies they think if they ignore the rantings of Senior Citizens we will go away. If that is what they want then that is fine by me.

Making this site more friendly visibly would to my mind be a priority, as should be its security. As regards not having the Latest Posts, whoever’s “bright” idea that was then they should be given a Putty Medal.

I used to visit two or three times a day, but I now find once in the morning is enough.

Regards

Gray,

[ChrisHParticipant @chrish]

There seems to be a lot of negative comments re the new site – to which I mostly agree, although I have not read through every comment.

So I don’t know if it has been mentioned before, but to those like me who suffer with some degree of colour blindness there are some colour issues here, for example pale blue text on a white background, whilst readable to me, is a strain to read.  The outline of the text box around this comment box I can hardly see – what is wrong with a black outline on a white backround instead of what appears to be very pale grey?

And there is an awful lot of white everywhere, plus I’m not struck on the text font!

There is an expression of “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it”; I appreciate this is a new forum but a lot of the old furum was not broke!

Chris

 

[Neil AParticipant @neila]

I’m also finding the new website very awkward to use, not as easy to navigate through as the old site. It’s seems more difficult to find things now. I shall stick with it and hope that things get better and more user friendly.

Reminds me of a comment made by a friend of mine who used to lecture in computer studies at university, he said of one computer operating system “that it has been improved out of all usefulness”, I hope this does not apply here.

Neil

[Pete White]

On Pete White Said:

I think Nick may be right.

It is hard for old dogs to learn new tricks but I will do my best lol.

It used to be nice to browse the forum, but now its a bit of a chore, we will see, can’t stand in the way of progress?

Pete

 

 

Hi Pete, no you can’t stand in the way of progress, but that doesn’t mean it has to be more complex and difficult to use, my idea of progress would be making things much easier and less time consuming, and I think the personal PC has been around long enough now to make that so.

Regards Nick.

[Graham Meek]

On Graham Meek Said:

For my part I have not worked out how to post a picture, despite Jason’s post about it.

 

Gray,

Gray, what are you using to view the forum and attempting to add images. If I can replicate it I will try and do a video

[JasonB]

On JasonB Said:

On Graham Meek Said:

For my part I have not worked out how to post a picture, despite Jason’s post about it.

 

Gray,

Gray, what are you using to view the forum and attempting to add images. If I can replicate it I will try and do a video

On Nicholas Farr Said:

On Pete White Said:

I think Nick may be right.

It is hard for old dogs to learn new tricks but I will do my best lol.

It used to be nice to browse the forum, but now its a bit of a chore, we will see, can’t stand in the way of progress?

Pete

 

 

Hi Pete, no you can’t stand in the way of progress, but that doesn’t mean it has to be more complex and difficult to use, my idea of progress would be making things much easier and less time consuming, and I think the personal PC has been around long enough now to make that so.

Regards Nick.

I was trying to be positive as asked, but to be honest the whole thing is a crock of xxxx.

[Pete WhiteParticipant @petewhite15172]

Case in point, I though I should perhaps tone that last post down a little, but can’t find the edit button, so it has to stand. The whole thing is very disappointing. Not at all easy to use the site now to my mind.

Found the edit button for this post, after alot of flashing images? but not for my previous post? Its up there thin black print on a dark gray background, not good.

I will give it a week before I return to see how the progress goes.

Pete

[Pete White]

On Pete White Said:

Case in point, I though I should perhaps tone that last post down a little, but can’t find the edit button, so it has to stand. The whole thing is very disappointing. Not at all easy to use the site now to my mind.

Found the edit button for this post, after alot of flashing images? but not for my previous post? Its up there thin black print on a dark gray background, not good.

I will give it a week before I return to see how the progress goes.

Pete

I tried to explain that on the previous page, complete with screenshot(s)

Don’t bother clicking on this link hyperlink as it takes you to page 1

Comments (constructive) on the New Forum Software

This screenshot below is what I actually pasted in, and previously used to link to the actual post.
Something has changed in the way the URL resolves to a hyperlink; where it used to point directly to the correct post previously, it now points to page 1

Head for post-682758 Page 17

@jasonb Is this another one to report to admin/developers?
URL for a post on Page 17 resolves to Hyperlink to the head of Page 1
I think it used to go directly to the actual post
Thanks

Bill

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Yes, I keep telling them to look here but not seen any of then adding things to the bug list.

[vic newey]

On vic newey Said:

An error in typing on latest activity page  “You can the most popular and active topics below.”  the word “view” or “see” is missing

As per my post on page 16 hereof

… If there was a viewable register of reports and fixes, duplications like this would should be reduced.

MichaelG.

[Benedict WhiteParticipant @benedictwhite51126]

Currently suffering a bout of the website claiming I am logged on when clicking on “Latest activity” now matter how I try to sneak up on it. On the other hand if I click on forum (after it has suggested I need to be logged in to see “Latest Activity” it turns out that I am in fact, logged in.

 

Bit irritating.

[Graham MeekParticipant @grahammeek88282]

Hi Jason,

For what its worth as a totally non-computer person.

I think I have mastered it but it has not been easy,

Regards

Gray,

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

I’d say you have.

[Michael Gilligan]

On Michael Gilligan Said:

On vic newey Said:

An error in typing on latest activity page  “You can the most popular and active topics below.”  the word “view” or “see” is missing

As per my post on page 16 hereof

… If there was a viewable register of reports and fixes, duplications like this would should be reduced.

MichaelG.

Ah that will be the perfect world. Not sure if you meant a list on here of the list the Mods are currently having to use.

Duplication occurs when some involved only dip in and out and have mostly been out from the start, they don’t have email notification of bugs and comments on those bugs enabled and they may not read all that is on the report so things get duplicated.

Currently 58 items on the bug list and I would thing 100+ various replies and comments about those, I have even reported some bugs in the bug system that make it harder to use.

An example is the fact that since the Mods got a look at the site I have been e-mailing to say that the cover images of the two mags are out of date and it seemed logical to me that a new site should at least have the newest covers showing. We were then asked to use the new reporting system and I made a request that Admin went through all previous reports, emails, site comments, etc. and added them to the current list so they are all in one place and won’t get overlooked.

Reply came back that Admin X was looking into who is meant to do this and that they may just get Admin Y to do it this time and signed the issue off as resolved.

Today the site is still showing old cover images and the banner adds are even worse as they are using 10issue old covers so I politely suggested that the report should not be marked as resolved until the new covers are showing and someone has been found to do the job for subsequent issues.le

Am I expecting too much?

If a list on here then unlikely to do a lot of good as so many can’t even use this topic to comment or read the one asking for it to be used but they just go and start a new topic which makes life harder for those trying to get things sorted to keep track.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

I almost forgot to say current bugs and the new ones that are sure to show are unlikely to get much attention next week as the main backroom boffin is on holiday. Oh Joy

[JasonB]

On JasonB Said:

 

Duplication occurs when some involved only dip in and out and have mostly been out from the start, they don’t have email notification of bugs and comments on those bugs enabled and they may not read all that is on the report so things get duplicated.

In mild defence, I initially had turned on email notifications for this thread (I think it was on by default)  and it felt like I was being mail-bombed. It didn’t take long for me to turn it off.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Peter, I was talking about some with Moderator status moaning about the amount of e-mail notifications from teh bug reporting and turning it off.

I have everything on here except PM notification emails turned off.

Luckily Dave and I managed to get the default ticking of the “notify me of follow up replies turned off just before the site went live.

[Author]

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