NEW TEST FORUM IS POSTED - ready for you to play around...

WINE TALK
41

Hi Todd, Thanks for putting effort into this. My few thoughts that will make things more clear for users. UI and clarity will be the biggest hurdles.

I am sure you are aware that the blinding white bothers a lot of people. I saw in preferences where to change the background color. I changed it to be similar to the original site and it is much easier on the eyes. Is there a way for you to set a default color for the site? If you can change the default background color to something easier on the eyes, it may prevent bottle shock for users on their first try of the new site. I also think its important to use large icons or images to represent each forum. Currently there are just the colored lines to the left of each category. Adding a large image to the left of each forum may also help distinguish each category.

In my second image, I think its important for icons to be present. Icons for when a thread is hot, a star when its popular or stickied, a bottle of wine for TNs etc…

I hope my feedback helps.

[Album] imgur.com
[Album] imgur.com
42

For those who want wide - check out the “Compact test” theme - currently it is actually doing two things relative to the default theme:

  1. reducing whitespace where possible - for example in a list of threads, each one takes up less space vertically by removing white space. Same thing with individual posts, but not as dramatic
  2. Allowing content to be wider. Initially (yesterday) it was wider than the default but still had a Max width that some were hitting/noticing. Now I’ve made the max even larger such that no one should encounter it - content should use entire window now - for better or worse.
43

I believe our forumites in Texas would take that as the modern day equivalent to ‘throwing down the gauntlet’. [cheers.gif]

44

I’ll aim to add some feedback on the thread in the new site once approved. Probably tomorrow.

45

For a test of “not bright white” try changing the theme to “Off White”. Right now you can’t get both aspects (non white as well as wider display) together in one place.

46

ok ok if you have an 8k monitor, have fun :wink:

1 Like
47

Thanks J0hn, I agree, though we are getting away from beige no matter what choice is made as it truly is dated. Experimenting with subtle light grays now, and DO have a beige option in the user preferences, which fee seem to look for - you CAN customize your view in the preferences, themes, colors

Love the topic icon idea - will have JulianD take a peek

48

Under “Color Scheme” try changing to “Legacy test” (and yes, I was initially going to name this “curmudgeon”).

49

Conspiracy theory: does the speed at which the demo was available imply the decision was already made and in flight with just some change management “user input” charades? [berserker.gif]

Oh and is there dark mode?

50

I like the idea of a slate grey or something. But we definitely need to change the default away from white.

Question: With the way the new naming convention works with “cards.” Does that mean people can no longer use spaces of other characters to shield their name from Google?

51

Just wait ten years. Then the current WB look and feel won’t be old, it will be classic. Vinyl and vacuum tubes are cool again. Vespas. Mini Cooper. It happens. Seriously, voguish designs don’t last.

One thing that needs to change in Discourse is the glaring white background as there is so much of it. Very pale cream perhaps. Should be a user choice.

1 Like
52

Correct on the latter - the software is ‘non-negotiable’ in that regard, to encourage REAL interaction, with REAL people, not bots and trolls (sound familiar?). The solution is that we’ll have to post only usernames, and to see a real name the user must click the username and the full name and info appear thereafter. I can set it to allow unicode (symbols, etc) but no spaces are allowed. So, if someone is searching for Todd French, and my username is TFrench or ToddF, it won’t appear in results, as the ‘card’ where all the info is (real name, badges, etc) requires an extra action by the user, so it won’t show in search results on Google or the like. There MAY be a way to add a setting that disallows guests (non-registered) from seeing the cards also, increasing privacy but still allowing all logged in members to see the real name and real info if needed

1 Like
53

I asked this on the test site. Sounds like this can continue if they go live. Edit - missed Todd’s response.

54

There MAY be a way to add a setting that disallows guests (non-registered) from seeing the cards also, increasing privacy but still allowing all logged in members to see the real name and real info if needed

This sounds like the perfect solution if it’s not too much work.

55

I was never able to post a picture here, but I found it very easy to do in Discourse.

1 Like
56

It’s shockingly easy - for me, a Mac user, I do cmd/ctrl/shift/4 to choose a screenshot, just paste it in, boom done. Love it.

57

A few comments from my use of the Discourse site so far:

-Not sure whether the current existing set of smilies will carry over into whatever iteration the forum may take. I think smilies are an integral part of the forum. There’s a lot of banter, teasing, joking around on the forum. In my view, smilies are an integral part of aiding users convey tone in their messages. And while emojis can in part serve some of that, I feel like there are certain smilies that Berserkers love and often use. Not sure if I’m the only one, but I’ve found myself at times looking for an emoji while texting someone, only to remember that the ‘emoji’ in question is really a smilies on Wine Berserkers. I feel like there are some that almost feel like they are a part of the forum’s DNA. If there’s a way to keep them, or at least some most frequently used, I feel like that’d be great. flirtysmile champagne.gif neener newhere [stirthepothal.gif] [swearing.gif] deadhorse [berserker.gif]

-Really like the wider set of reactions outside of just like. If it’s possible to customise them, I think avoiding the ability to react with negative reactions would be good. Berserkers can be fairly opinionated people as it stands, adding in a feature where they can ‘dislike’ something certainly has the possibility to allow for unnecessary pile-ons or making reticent users feel unwelcome.

-Different colour user banners. The current site has different colour banners for different user types, GCC, MC, Berserker Business, mods, etc. Curious to know how that will work in the new system. I always like noting who’s a Berserker Business and checking out their business if I haven’t already. Would be nice to continue that feature in someway to continuously highlight those Berserker Businesses that both support the site and post here.

-Probably verging into curmudgeon territory on this one, but I do miss inline signatures in the current trial Discourse system. I find it often has useful information on it, especially when it notes when someone may be ITB and where they may work.

-The unread topics feature works slightly differently than the current system. It seems to only show unread topics which a user has interacted with, and not all unread topics. The current version of unread topics that displays all unread posts is usually my preferred way to browse Berserkers. It allows me to see which topics have been added or posted on since I was last online. I can then mark everything else as read and rinse and repeat. Maybe I’m a fringe case of using it like that, but I found that method helpful in keeping up with topics that interest me, both new and ongoing. Not sure if there’s a way around this in Discourse.

1 Like
58

yes - that’s a default set up with the forum software. no spaces allowed. If we move to discourse, spaces will be removed when ported in. Either underscore, period, or just a removal of space. So you’ll just become BrianTuite or Brian.Tuite or Brian_Tuite.

Unlike PHPBB WB - you’ll be able to edit your username 3 times without admin/mod approval.

59

Is it possible to have the button for Latest [posts] to appear at the top of every page, the way Active Topics is at the topic of very page on classic WB? As it is now, you have to use back arrow or hit the main WB logo at top left to get back to it.

60

Another question I have is around the transition what happens to the existing topics when/if the forum were to migrate to new system. Specifically around the transition of the various multi-comment cascading quoted posts (see a recent short example here) that often happen on the forum. Any issues in formatting or transferring over things like that to the new system?