Page Change??

[crazybanshee]

Glad I found this thread. Thought I was on the wrong web page. I give it two thumbs down.  Will not be checking this one very often.

[GR "Scott" Cundiff]

1 hour ago, Barbaraok said:

OK Scott, how do you mark which forums you want to follow?  I'm not interested in some of the forums, say like the HDT forum.  The "Mark as Read" was at the bottom of the pages in the old version.

Where are the signature lines.  Hard to refer newbies to the blogs of people who post when the signature lines have been 'misplaced'?

Do you enjoy those announcements at the top everytime you log in? 

Sorry, I'm not the forum administrator and I can't help you with the issues you are having.  Perhaps as people give feedback on the new format some of the concerns will be addressed.

Have you looked at Manage Followed Content (upper right, under user name).  I think you can designate the forums you want to follow there.  

I miss the sig lines too - already looked to see if there was a place to toggle them, but not luck.

[Buscrusher]

I just did an experiment that seems to make this do at least one thing I got used to on the old format. Earlier I mentioned that I liked the way the other format remembered where I left off reading. Tonight I started at the top of the list of the most recent postings, read through everyone's comments, then went to the bottom of the page where it says Next Unread Topic, with a > arrow  next to it and it makes it jump straight to the last thing I read in the next topic instead of having to start over at the top every time.

[SWharton]

I made mine own activity stream but now compressed doesn't work. Also, I only get one screen of threads. When I click on load more nothing happens.

Anyone know how I not to get every response in every thread from showing up. I would like to see the title of the thread, click on it and see what is underneath.

This change is so bad, I participate in other forums and they all generally follow what our old format was. Let's go back...................................................

[Av8r3400]

+1 'Blue. 

[teacher's pet]

No sense being here after 13+ years....this is awful, someone doesn't deserve  a hug.  Off to RV.net, IRV2 and FMCA forums won't have to sort through the clutter at those places.

 

Also what's with the post count?

[Mark and Dale Bruss]

Not excited with this new format.  The Announcements are an expensive waste of screen space, especially as they have little value to be on every page.  Lets see RVing with Pets = 1,366 pasts,  but HDT = 46,090 posts.  One is in the Announcements.

Too many clicks to see New Content

Should be options to be automatically in Compressed mode if desired.

Some signatures were a waste of space, especially with large photos but they also provided some credentials for the statements by the poster.

Whats the missing image under the posts.

[chirakawa]

If this new format was an attempt to get rid of me, it worked.

[Yarome]

I have to agree. The announcements on every page are a PITA, forum wide current content is less accessible... discourging the "pop-in" just to take a quick peek at what's going on... as well as other previous comments. I'm not enjoying the change.

I also noticed that email notifications are now mandatory for some options. NOT loving that one bit. I'll have to be very selective about where I post and what I follow. A "follow" used to be a convenience to quickly revisit a thread I wanted to reference, but it isn't worth having my email account blow up every time someone makes a comment.

I can see where some new features could be attractive, but It sure would have been wise to "sandbox" the changes and get regular user input before a site wide roll-out.

I hate to think of how many valuable people might be lost... or at the very least... less likely to contribute their knowledge regularly.

[justRich]

16 hours ago, LindaH said:

I don't like the new format.

First, the "Announcements" seem to be at the tope of each page requiring one to scroll down before being able to read anything.

Second, the "Read New Content" button has disappeared, being replaced by "Unread Content."  There are lots of threads I don't read because they are of no interest to me, so I don't really want those threads to continue to come up just because I haven't read them.

 

Me too.  The announcements are annoying because they require scrolling the page every single time.

 

[alan0043]

Hi Everyone,

Maybe this is a beta test. The administrators want to see how everyone can handle the new change. Has anyone posted a pictures yet ? Maybe the new look is to help with posting pictures easier. I don't thing so. I hope this is just a test. If it is, the look and function get's an ' F' from me. The software developer needs to hear what is going on in the HDT section of the forum.

[Chad Heiser]

I tried sending a message to Travis Carr to see if any of the admins were going to address any of the concerns expressed on multiple threads about the new format.  The system would not let me send the message to him.  It said he was not available to receive the message.

[Brad & Jacolyn]

I don't like to complain BUT I don't like the announcements at the top on every page. Plus can someone tell me how to get my signature line back?

 

Brad

[LindaH]

17 hours ago, craftyfox said:

Where are you finding "unread content" ?

It's at the top right-hand side above the Announcements.

[alan0043]

Hi Everyone,

Can someone tell us the reason for the new look to the forum ? There has to be a reason. You don't fix something that is not broke. Or was the  forum broke.

Al

[Barbaraok]

10 hours ago, GR "Scott" Cundiff said:

Sorry, I'm not the forum administrator and I can't help you with the issues you are having.  Perhaps as people give feedback on the new format some of the concerns will be addressed.

Have you looked at Manage Followed Content (upper right, under user name).  I think you can designate the forums you want to follow there.  

I miss the sig lines too - already looked to see if there was a place to toggle them, but not luck.

If you go to Manage Followed Content and then click on forums, you will find it says No Content.  It is empty.  Maybe the administrators thought that people didn't use that feature, but I sure did.    - edit - I found that it isn't Forums that you need to click on it is 'Topics' and then you get the list of subforums that you want to follow. 

Same with the signature lines.

[James Hendrix]

The changes resulted from what would have normally been a routine update.  However, the host (IPS) has included major changes in the layout for the new version.  I've checked into it and the older version is going out of support shortly.  Therefore, switching to the prior format won't be an option.  On the upside, the newest version does contain all the latest required security updates.  We will be making some minor changes on the site.  However, the core functionality will, out of necessity, remain the same.  The host is also the company that produces the software used on this board.  The advantage being that the board stays up to date on all updates.  The disadvantage is also that it stays up to date on all updates.

I'm researching a few of the issues.  The reason that your name may have changed is the result of the fact that the board now displays your username for your name.  The old version supported something called "display name" which it would substitute for your username if you had display name set.  IPS has chosen to eliminate that particular feature.

We will make changes in areas that we have the option to do so.  However, in the world of computers, things are always in flux.

[Dave Sand]

18 minutes ago, Barbaraok said:

If you go to Manage Followed Content and then click on forums, you will find it says No Content.  It is empty.  Maybe the administrators thought that people didn't use that feature, but I sure did.    - edit - I found that it isn't Forums that you need to click on it is 'Topics' and then you get the list of subforums that you want to follow. 

Same with the signature lines.

If you go to browse and click on a forum, such as Beginning RVing, to the right just above the Start New Topic button is a Follow button.  The forum will now show up in the Followed Content window when you select Forum.

In the About the Discussion Forums forum I created the Activity Stream thread (which you already found). This describes how to create your own custom configuration.

 

[mrfrank]

How does one make the "Announcements" go away? Seeing them once is enough!!!

[chuckbear]

Worst changes I have ever encountered. I suspect I'll be visiting a lot less often. Whoever made the decision to change to this format needs to have all their computers locked where they can't get to them. This is a mess. Chuck

[GeorgiaHybrid]

17 minutes ago, James Hendrix said:

The changes resulted from what would have normally been a routine update.  However, the host (IPS) has included major changes in the layout for the new version.  I've checked into it and the older version is going out of support shortly.  Therefore, switching to the prior format won't be an option.  On the upside, the newest version does contain all the latest required security updates.  We will be making some minor changes on the site.  However, the core functionality will, out of necessity, remain the same.  The host is also the company that produces the software used on this board.  The advantage being that the board stays up to date on all updates.  The disadvantage is also that it stays up to date on all updates.

I'm researching a few of the issues.  The reason that your name may have changed is the result of the fact that the board now displays your username for your name.  The old version supported something called "display name" which it would substitute for your username if you had display name set.  IPS has chosen to eliminate that particular feature.

We will make changes in areas that we have the option to do so.  However, in the world of computers, things are always in flux.

I would suggest, as an Escapees member, that someone start looking for a new hosting site. To say that this change sucks is an understatement and it makes it even worse that you lost key functionality. There are quite a few forum hosting programs on the net. Find one with similar features to what you had and port over to it and dump this software.

I still find it hard to believe that you had this happen without any advanced notice from the vendor such as a beta period to be able to research the changes and tweak the software to fit as closely as possible to the prior release.

[RickS]

31 minutes ago, James Hendrix said:

The changes resulted from what would have normally been a routine update.  However, the host (IPS) has included major changes in the layout for the new version.  I've checked into it and the older version is going out of support shortly.  Therefore, switching to the prior format won't be an option.  On the upside, the newest version does contain all the latest required security updates.  We will be making some minor changes on the site.  However, the core functionality will, out of necessity, remain the same.  The host is also the company that produces the software used on this board.  The advantage being that the board stays up to date on all updates.  The disadvantage is also that it stays up to date on all updates.

I'm researching a few of the issues.  The reason that your name may have changed is the result of the fact that the board now displays your username for your name.  The old version supported something called "display name" which it would substitute for your username if you had display name set.  IPS has chosen to eliminate that particular feature.

We will make changes in areas that we have the option to do so.  However, in the world of computers, things are always in flux.

James,

I am a member of other forums that have changed to this format as well. The "Display Name" is available in the other forum...left out here. As well signatures are available but not turned on here. You may want to look at some other forums using this new format as they seem to of adapted better and allowed more features that are available but not turned on here. Also, structure layout looks like it can be arranged by moderators. 

[I'mdonewiththis forum]

Aside from the announcements I would really, really love to see the 'Push Notification' that pops up constantly asking if I would like to receive notifications from this site. You should be able to click NO only once, not see it every single page.

[Pat & Pete]

I see the announcements have disappeared on the unread content page . Thank You Admin .

I've never seen that Push Notification . Maybe that's because my browser doesn't allow pop ups ? 

[Barbaraok]

9 hours ago, James Hendrix said:

The changes resulted from what would have normally been a routine update.  However, the host (IPS) has included major changes in the layout for the new version.  I've checked into it and the older version is going out of support shortly.  Therefore, switching to the prior format won't be an option.  On the upside, the newest version does contain all the latest required security updates.  We will be making some minor changes on the site.  However, the core functionality will, out of necessity, remain the same.  The host is also the company that produces the software used on this board.  The advantage being that the board stays up to date on all updates.  The disadvantage is also that it stays up to date on all updates.

I'm researching a few of the issues.  The reason that your name may have changed is the result of the fact that the board now displays your username for your name.  The old version supported something called "display name" which it would substitute for your username if you had display name set.  IPS has chosen to eliminate that particular feature.

We will make changes in areas that we have the option to do so.  However, in the world of computers, things are always in flux.

James,

I am not interest in the HDT but can find no instruction on how to not see it, and other sections, every time I come to the forum.  For that matter, where are the instructions to tell you what is meant by 'topics', which isn't the same as the last iteration.   

One of our common suggestions to new plies has been delivered o read the blogs of fulltimers which are usually in their signature line.  Now no line.  

Guess everyting is now for the young, so time to move on and leave the forum.

 

barb