Mattcrampy
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Sounds good. I'll get started on that form.

Matt

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DiMono
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Can we have some case insensitivity with the UBB Code tags? I want to be able to type FOON!!! and have the tags interpreted.

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Schik
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DiMono wrote:
Can we have some case insensitivity with the UBB Code tags? I want to be able to type FOON!!! and have the tags interpreted.

If there were a case-insensitive replace text function in PHP equivalent to the one already used for UBB tags, I'd do this one. But there's not (well, there is, but it's in PHP 5, which we don't have), and I don't really want to change it to use regexps or something, so I think I'll pass on this one. Sorry.


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Nillo
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Also, the "Miscellaneous Info" option is'nt showed when you're registering, only when you modify your profile. It is'nt mentioned anywhere, so you have to find it yourself.

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DiMono
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what about just adding tags to the code for [ B ] [ I ] [ U ] and [ SECRET ]?


[Edited by Schik on 02-05-2004 at 02:56 AM GMT: Fixing your tags now that they're added]

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Schik
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For just a couple, sure, I don't mind. I just didn't want to do all of them. And it won't be truly case insensitive - [sEcReT] won't work, although I don't know why anyone would do that anyways.

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DiMono
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Schik wrote:
For just a couple, sure, I don't mind. I just didn't want to do all of them. And it won't be truly case insensitive - [sEcReT] won't work, although I don't know why anyone would do that anyways.

You do realize, of course, that now that you've said this somebody's going to try to do a secret tag in 1337 and wonder why it doesn't work, right?

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DiMono
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This one's sort of a pipe dream, but right now I'm actually thinking it would be nice... I've just read a small army of threads some miscellaneous user resurrected, from as many as eleven months ago, with nothing to say. Could we have a way to ignore specific users' posts on the forums? Maybe not dynamically remove them from the thread as it loads, as that would be a lot of work, but just not count a thread as having unread information if the only new post(s) is/are from people on the ignore list?

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Sokko
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Forget that, just stick an auto-lock on posts that drop below the first page. If it hasn't been posted to in a while, it will gradually drop down and be auto-locked when it hits the second page. People can still view it if they want to see the old information, but there will be no resurrecting of 11-month-old posts.

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Oneiromancer
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Locking threads after one page might be a bit premature. I think some of the "tag" threads on the Anything forum have gone beyond the first page, and they come back every so often. And I think the Questionnaire thread on the General board should be revived every few months too.

A time limit might be best...after 6 months the thread is locked...but that's about it.

Game on,

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DiMono
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Oneiromancer wrote:
A time limit might be best...after 6 months the thread is locked...but that's about it.

I actually suggested auto-locking of threads before, and Schik told me that was unreasonable for some reason. Which is why I suggested selective squelching

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Nillo
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Maybe an option in the profile:
"Count 6-month resurrections as already read"

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“Folks say that if you listen real close at the height of the full moon, when the wind is blowin' off Nantucket Sound from the nor' east and the dogs are howlin' for no earthly reason, you can hear the awful screams of the crew of the 'Ellie May,' a sturdy whaler Captained by John McTavish; for it was on just such a night when the rum was flowin' and, Davey Jones be damned, big John brought his men on deck for the first of several screaming contests.”

eytanz
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I hate to say this, but maybe we shouldn't be looking for a technological solution. Maybe we should just start having the forums more actively monitored. As more new people come in, we'll start having more and more problems of this sort pop up - and at some point, there will be people who will have to be banned, either because they'll be flamers, trolls, spammers, or use inappropriate language, or something.

Maybe instead of waiting for the more serious problems to arise, we should take the time now to develop a formal code of conduct to the board, and start expecting people to follow it. And maybe "no gratitious digging up old posts" should be one of them. Everyone is annoyed by it, and at this point, I think at least one of the two people who do it (DividenD) is doing it deliberately to annoy people.

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Schik
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I agree with eytanz on this one - and that's exactly why I denied the request to auto-lock threads after X months of inactivity. It seems like more of a human problem than a technical problem.

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DiMono
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A while ago, on the diabloii.net forums, I and a couple other people decided to come up with what we called a Guide to Good Posting Style. It deals more with content than with not digging up old posts (though it does say you shouldn't bump threads), but if you feel like using it as a starting-off point I'm more than happy to give it to you. A link to it is here. Be warned, a bunch of the examples in it are specific to those forums, so new ones would have to be provided if it is to be adapted to this forum.

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Sokko
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If you're willing, grab a team of moderators and set up certain boards so that to post a new topic, it has to go through them first. Only to post a new topic, not to create a reply. I've seen several boards already that do this, and it's a very effective form of post control if there's a strictly defined content type and posting style on the particular forum area. The problem is that it's quite possible you'll get swamped with approval requests unless you've got a good-sized pool of mods to draw from.

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ErikH2000
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Sokko wrote:
If you're willing, grab a team of moderators and set up certain boards so that to post a new topic, it has to go through them first.

That's overkill--I don't think we need that.

One thing to consider is that we actually have a better class of forum users here than most other places, so things they decide to do, don't necessarily make sense for us. I think it has something to do with the game of DROD requiring intelligence and patience, two qualities which make for satisfying online conversations.

-Erik

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DiMono
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Potential addition to the Forum FAQ to deal with this:

Q: Are there any guidelines for posting on the forums?

A: You should use common sense, and send the change to the moderators. If you wouldn't say something in public, you probably don't want to say it here. Be courteous, do unto others and all that. We only request that you make posts that impart new information, refrain from posting for the sake of posting, and that you not dig up threads long since slain.


Q: Why shouldn't I make lots of posts to get on the Statistics page?

A: Because the statistics only deal with quantity of posts, not quality. We would rather see a small number of posts communicating lots of information, than many posts that only consist of a smiley.

Thoughts?

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Mattcrampy
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I'm sure I wrote something very similar to this in the FAQ.

Aah, here it is:

* posting simply to increase your post level
Similarly, don't just post to increase your level. We want to be able to read your post and go, hmm, that's interesting. Bad posts tend to get flushed. If you've made an error in your post, edit it instead of making a brand-new post. You can get away with it if you have to change half the post, but otherwise, no.

There's also a few other stuff that touch upon the first issue.

Bringing up old posts is a good one. I'll just go add it.

Matt

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DiMono
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Fairly recently, I guess, someone was testing out some new forum code, and after being forgetful and fixing what was left behind the forum listing when viewing a specific thread got rearranged to forumID number instead of order appearing on the main page. Could this be changed back to be consistant with the forum list and the dropdown when looking at a forum's thread index?

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Schik
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DiMono wrote:
Fairly recently, I guess, someone was testing out some new forum code, and after being forgetful and fixing what was left behind the forum listing when viewing a specific thread got rearranged to forumID number instead of order appearing on the main page. Could this be changed back to be consistant with the forum list and the dropdown when looking at a forum's thread index?

Someone believes this list has been changed back to the way it used to be.

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DiMono
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Is there an easy way to offer checkboxes OR radio buttons on polls, so users can vote for more than one option if the person running the poll wants them to?

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Sokko
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If you've visited the ADRIFT boards (which I'm pretty sure you haven't) or the Megatokyo boards (more likely), you've probably noticed that each topic can have a little tiny "sub-title" beneath the topic (I believe the boards call it the "Topic Description" ). For instance, the first topic on the main ADRIFT board looks like this:

Useful information for new users
(and forgetful older ones)

The subtitle is also displayed in a lighter color than the main title. Not saying it's possible (which it probably isn't), but I can dream, can't I?




P.S. I've also seen things like this:

I need help!
The subtitle describes the nature of the help

Thus, casual forum perusers can quickly see that a new user needs help, and the ones interested in replying can peer a bit closer to see whether they would be capable of helping.

Alternatively, I've seen:

The main topic describes the nature of the help
I need help!

Following the reverse format. The casual reader can see what the main subject is, and those more interested can look closer and see how it's being used in the topic (in this case, helping someone else with the concept).

Of course, some posts simply have no subtitle at all, for those who choose not to include them.



[Edited by Sokko on 02-17-2004 at 11:01 PM GMT: I just know we'll never get the quote+parentheses=smiley bug fixed]

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Schik
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DiMono wrote:
Is there an easy way to offer checkboxes OR radio buttons on polls, so users can vote for more than one option if the person running the poll wants them to?

Well, no trivial way, but it's not that hard. I'd also like to be able to have multiple questions in a poll.

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Schik
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Sokko wrote:
If you've visited the ADRIFT boards (which I'm pretty sure you haven't) or the Megatokyo boards (more likely), you've probably noticed that each topic can have a little tiny "sub-title" beneath the topic (I believe the boards call it the "Topic Description" ). For instance, the first topic on the main ADRIFT board looks like this:

Useful information for new users
(and forgetful older ones)

I haven't been to those boards, but I've seen the same thing in other places, and always liked it.

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agaricus5
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Schik wrote:

Sokko wrote:
If you've visited the ADRIFT boards (which I'm pretty sure you haven't) or the Megatokyo boards (more likely), you've probably noticed that each topic can have a little tiny "sub-title" beneath the topic (I believe the boards call it the "Topic Description" ). For instance, the first topic on the main ADRIFT board looks like this:

Useful information for new users
(and forgetful older ones)

I haven't been to those boards, but I've seen the same thing in other places, and always liked it.

And it looks quite cool on this forum too (Well, at least on this thread), Schik!

Keep up the good work!

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leroy00
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Okay, since you asked for them and since you seem to be enthused at the moment. How about that "next unread thread" button we talked about? If I'm the only one interested, fine, and so I'm lazy, but you did say it wouldn't be hard to add.

-leroy

[Edited by leroy00 on 02-18-2004 at 01:11 PM GMT]

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Schik
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agaricus5 wrote:
And it looks quite cool on this forum too (Well, at least on this thread), Schik!

Thanks! Check out the Holds board while you're at it.

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eytanz
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Heh - I saw the sub-title here, and figured "that would go really well in the holds forum" - only to discover that you had already done it!

Very, very nice.

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The_Red_Hawk
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So you add a subtitle under the "Description" space?

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