Invision's biggest MISTAKE up to date?

[Telemacus2]

Want to know about what I think is possibly one of invision's biggest mistakes ever?

watch the video!

Note: Sorry about the english, it's not my first language. :)

[.Ian]

can't agree with you - I would hate a forum with lots of different post icons - it makes a forum look untidy.Also from experience very few people use them anyway - even if they are visible.So I am sure IPS have made bigger mistakes ;)

[Mat Barrie]

I spent the entire time waiting for your video to get to the point, and I still didn't get it. The only thing I could get from the video, 3 and a half minutes of it, is that you like waving your mouse pointer around icons, and somewhere on the internet is a site that uses post icons for every thread.

For bonus points, I then went on to my own IP.Board 3.0.3 installation and created a thread with a post icon, so I could see if you did have a point.

You did not.

So, could you perhaps explain what your problem is, without Youtube this time? Because it sure isn't deprecated post icons (which are right... there...)

[Telemacus2]

Ian, it's true that people don't use them, but the reason is they're not really post icons: they're mood icons, there are only 14 of them and they don't add any additional information to a thread.
However, if you add your own post icons (and that's the whole point, they can be very useful)

Mat, "post icons being deprecated" is not something I made up, it's an answer I got from one of Invision's admins.
Your pathetic answer demonstrates that you didn't understand a single thing about the video. :D
Post icons are still there, yes, but in IPB 3, they do not appear on the topic list when you post a topic unless you modify a couple of .php files, and the fact remains the invision has said so already, they don't think it's a useful feature.
As for choosing youtube or not, you do what you wish mate, I'll keep doing what I want. Got any problem with that? ;)

[.Ian]

They are there - 'click to configure post options' when making a new post.

[rct2·com]

I thought when you right-clicked on the post icons that you were showing a feature that I didn't know existed. But it would appear that you have a hack installed on your board.

Personally I don't agree. Sure your nice large icons help people find posts within a forum that may interest them, but a more efficient way (IMO) of organising the topics would for them to have their own forums. e.g Apple forum, Linux forum, ... Organising like that helps visitors focus much more quickly on what they may be interested in, rather than having to find the correct post icon.

I do use post icons a lot, and will miss them. But I guess I'm not so bothered about their deprecation that I bother to make a YouTube video. :)

My 'must have' feature I want back is the link to go to the 'first unread' post in the search results screens. I don't want the last post if I cannot see the unread posts before the last one. That's their biggest mistake.

[Telemacus2]

Yes, of course they are, but in IPB 3 they don't appear in the topic list when you post a topic like they did in ipb 2.3x. because they're being deprecated.

[rct2·com]

[quote name='Telemacus2' date='29 September 2009 - 09:02 AM' timestamp='1254211335' post='1861974']
Ian, it's true that people don't use them, but the reason is they're not really post icons: they're mood icons, there are only 14 of them and they don't add any additional information to a thread.
However, if you add your own post icons (and that's the whole point, they can be very useful)

But don't you have to hack to add more than the standard 14? So isn't that option still open to you? To have a mod that puts them back, lets you define them, supports right-click etc?

[3DKiwi]

Each to their own I guess. I wouldn't want them like you have them. Too much visual pollution.

As mentioned Post Icons are there just like they were in version 2. Just conveniently tucked away.

3DKiwi

[Mat Barrie]

[quote name='3DKiwi' date='29 September 2009 - 08:18 PM' timestamp='1254212313' post='1861979']
As mentioned Post Icons are there just like they were in version 2. Just conveniently tucked away...


Where it seems a lot of people (and IPS developers) would like them.

You can feel free to install a hook (no file edit of .php files whatsoever - this is IPBoard 3, stop doing that, seriously) to put them back. There's no reason for IPS to continue supporting a feature almost no-one uses. To be honest, topic prefixes would be more useful (and often requested too).

Their biggest mistake sure as hell isn't hiding post icons away.

[.Ian]

[quote name='Telemacus2' date='29 September 2009 - 09:12 AM' timestamp='1254211955' post='1861977']
Yes, of course they are, but in IPB 3 they don't appear in the topic list when you post a topic like they did in ipb 2.3x. because they're being deprecated.



Why do you say they are being depreciated? Surely they would have gone with v3 if that was the case.Are you saying pinning topics is also going as it is in that area.

[Matt]

Our biggest mistake was leaving the oven on when we went out shopping.

[Matt]

Seriously, this has come up many times before and it all boils down to what kind of forum you run. What use would we have for large obtrusive topic icons here? I can't think of many to be honest that would contribute something useful to the display.

If you have a forum on tech, then I guess it makes some small sense but clear writing and an appropriate topic title should negate the need for imagery to reinforce the topic's point.

For example:

Apple releases updated iMac line
New features spotted at Facebook

Seems a little pointless to me.

[Matt]

[quote name='tired of being rct2dotcom' date='29 September 2009 - 09:12 AM' timestamp='1254211922' post='1861976']
My 'must have' feature I want back is the link to go to the 'first unread' post in the search results screens. I don't want the last post if I cannot see the unread posts before the last one. That's their biggest mistake.


Just added that back in for 3.0.4 (locally). You're welcome.

[Brett B]

[quote name='Matt' date='29 September 2009 - 07:10 AM' timestamp='1254222640' post='1862011']
Just added that back in for 3.0.4 (locally). You're welcome.

Thank you for that, Matt.

As for topic icons, I couldn't disagree more. They served no (zero) purpose on my community, and when on a listing of 20 threads only one, maybe two, used topic icons, it made the whole list look unorganized.

[rct2·com]

[quote name='Matt' date='29 September 2009 - 12:10 PM' timestamp='1254222640' post='1862011']
Just added that back in for 3.0.4 (locally). You're welcome.


So there are 2 versions of 3.0.4 then? ;)

Seriously though, thank you.

[.Ian]

would be nice to have go to first unread post on all topics (i.e. in the forum view) when clickng on the subject - saves me having to hack it for each skin ;)

[rct2·com]

No need to hack it, just clicking on the icon to the left of the topic title does the trick. That way people have a choice.

[.Ian]

i know that but I guess because we can from a forum that just went to the first unread post by clicking the subject, people are used to it.Me, I am not fussed - but my users complain about any change!

[rct2·com]

Out of interest, how do people go to the first post in the topic?

[.Ian]

when it is shown as read, it would go to the first post, or they can click on 'top' on any post if they still have unread posts

[Telemacus2]

[quote name='tired of being rct2dotcom' date='29 September 2009 - 09:12 AM' timestamp='1254211922' post='1861976']
I thought when you right-clicked on the post icons that you were showing a feature that I didn't know existed. But it would appear that you have a hack installed on your board.


Yes, that's a hack.

[quote name='tired of being rct2dotcom' date='29 September 2009 - 09:12 AM' timestamp='1254211922' post='1861976']
Personally I don't agree. Sure your nice large icons help people find posts within a forum that may interest them, but a more efficient way (IMO) of organising the topics would for them to have their own forums. e.g Apple forum, Linux forum, ... Organising like that helps visitors focus much more quickly on what they may be interested in, rather than having to find the correct post icon.


Well, that's basically the whole point of having post icons, they give you flexibility.
In the scenario which you describe, sure, it makes perfect sense. But communities are very complex, and sometimes an admin simply can't create as many different sub-forums as there are topic classifications. For example, think of a soccer forum. It has subofrums on the different international leagues (premier, la liga, Dutch, French, ITalian... you name it.) So, ok, one subforum for each one. Then What are you gonna do, create a subforum for each one of the teams?? how many subforums are you gonna have? :)
Ideally, if post icons were enhanced rather than depricated, and admin should be able to set up a different set of post icons for different subforums. Think of a post icon as a "tag". Users should be able to perform searches using the different tags (or different post icons). In other words, make post icons searchable fields.

[quote name='tired of being rct2dotcom' date='29 September 2009 - 09:12 AM' timestamp='1254211922' post='1861976']
I do use post icons a lot, and will miss them. But I guess I'm not so bothered about their deprecation that I bother to make a YouTube video. :)


In my case, it's something I care about, so worth the effort. (and I learned how to use Snag it along the way :) )


[quote name='Matt' date='29 September 2009 - 12:00 PM' timestamp='1254222055' post='1862006']
Seriously, this has come up many times before and it all boils down to what kind of forum you run. What use would we have for large obtrusive topic icons here? I can't think of many to be honest that would contribute something useful to the display.
If you have a forum on tech, then I guess it makes some small sense but clear writing and an appropriate topic title should negate the need for imagery to reinforce the topic's point.


But that's one of the points of a post icon, not having to read thru all the topic titles... and us admins have to do that hundreds of times a day.... it gets tiring.
But I also don't like the idea of having the options of what I can do with software cut down, I expected the opposite, more flexiblity...

Forum icons have never taken off because forum designers have never really given them enough thought. I've been following this matter closely with other forum software, and for something like 5 years, they have never introduced any changes: all the same, same old boring post (mood!) icons. Some have copied each other. It's no wonder people don't use them: they've never been what they were supposed to be, so it hasn't triggered the imagination of web admins, they've always been "basic mood icons".

For example: Apple releases updated iMac line New features spotted at Facebook Seems a little pointless to me.

It is in that case. I too can come up with many cases where it would be pointless. But that's the thing: you're cutting down on the options of some admins who DO have a need for it.
Say a forum on the premier league, post icons for all the different teams (I follow Liverpool, by the way! :D ). I'm not really interested in a post about what goes on in Manchester United...

[Guest]

I'd shoot someone if I had to scroll past this every time I wanted to post a topic:

[Telemacus2]

Let me think, this is a tough one! :D
Don't post icons appear in the lower part of the screen? You don't have to scroll anything if you don't want to use them mate!
You have a little button which reads "configure" post icons if you want to use icons, if you don't want to use icons, you don't have to click on it and then you'd see nothing. Perhaps you hadn't seen it? ;)
And who says you have to use my post icons? why would you want to? you dont have to.
And you can use 1
Or you can use 10
Or you can use none.
It's up to you.
It's called "flexibility".

By the way, luckily, in the rest of the world, we sort out our differences without having to resort to guns.
Give peace a chance, mate! ;)

[dvancouver]

The biggest mistake that IPS has made is canceling the free ice cream social or never having it at all, I am shaking my fist, right now, I am actually shaking my fist over ice cream IPS!