Can we get the old style "View New Content" button back?

[John_C]

Seriously, can we get the old style View New Content button back?

I utterly hate the "Activity" button and so do my members. One of them almost quit the forum because of this system. Everyone on my forum likes the way ti worked on the old system. Like clicking "View New Content" and it taking you to the last unread post instead of post #1 of an old thread. Clicking that little blue star, that I keep forgetting to click, is driving me NUTS!!!

At least give us a setting so we can make it default to new posts and last unread post like the old button! 

Thanks...

[Izaya Orihara]

honestly the idea of the activity stream seems to be good in theory but many people seem to majorly dislike it.

[Ausy]

Simples

ACP - system - under content discovery click on streams - create new - do like the image below and save.

Then ACP - system - site features - Menu manager - remove Activity - publish menu.

[Adriano Faria]

16 minutes ago, Ausy said:

Simples

LOL. So it's just the same name and we're done? 

Read again the post from the OP.

[Ausy]

Just now, Adriano Faria said:

LOL. So it's just the same name and we're done? 

Read again the post from the OP.

I realised that after posting it. there is no way to change you have to click the dot to go to last post, I thought removing the Activity button was also wanted.

[chilihead]

9 hours ago, John_C said:

Like clicking "View New Content" and it taking you to the last unread post instead of post #1 of an old thread. Clicking that little blue star, that I keep forgetting to click, is driving me NUTS!!!

This should be coming to the streams, per Lindy:

 

[Lindy]

VNC will not be returning, but the intent is to allow you to choose what clicking the topic title link does as we have people that want it both ways. I'll follow up on this next week. 

[chilihead]

Admin or user setting? Start, Unread, or Newest (all 3?)

I can wait till next week. Can of worms. 

 

 

[John_C]

3 hours ago, Lindy said:

VNC will not be returning, but the intent is to allow you to choose what clicking the topic title link does as we have people that want it both ways. I'll follow up on this next week. 

@Lindy Why not give us the option to have it the old way or the new in Admin CP? Then Admins can choose what's best for their community.

Because at the end of the day, if our membership doesn't like browsing the forum because the user interface sucks, membership will either decline or posting in general will slow down causing a slow death of the forum. 

This especially hurts newer smaller communities like mine. 

[opentype]

3 minutes ago, John_C said:

@Lindy Why not give us the option to have it the old way or the new in Admin CP? Then Admins can choose what's best for their community.

Because it doesn’t make sense to maintain such a core feature in two completely independent variations which effectively do the same thing. 

 

[John_C]

40 minutes ago, opentype said:

Because it doesn’t make sense to maintain such a core feature in two completely independent variations which effectively do the same thing. 

 

It makes sense to me and my membership. As far as I can see, a lot of other Admins and their members feel the same way.   

It can't be that hard to make a button like we used to have (just 1 button) that takes you to all unread content, and if you've read that topic before, it takes you to the last unread post since your last visit. 

[chilihead]

First Unread is coming, as well as admin-defined default view, so you will be able to create a stream of all content, content items only so no posts, set it to condensed, the titles will take you to first unread, and you can name it View New Content if you wish. It's an evolving feature, but with some of these improvements that are on the way, you will be able to get a lot closer to VNC.

[opentype]

5 minutes ago, John_C said:

It makes sense to my and my membership. As far as I can see, a lot of other Admins and their members feel the same way.   

It can't be that hard to make a button like we used to have (just 1 button) that takes you to all unread content, and if you've read that topic before, it takes you to the last unread post since your last visit. 

You throwing all sorts of things together now. I made a point about maintaining completely separate sections who do basically the same thing. You replied to that, but didn’t make a point about what I said. 

 

Quote

As far as I can see, a lot of other Admins and their members feel the same way.

About what exactly? People complaining about changes in forum software exists since forum software exists. IPS knows it. Every admin knows it. It doesn’t mean though, that features need to remain unchanged because there is complaining. 

 

Quote

It can't be that hard to make a button like we used to have (just 1 button) that takes you to all unread content, and if you've read that topic before, it takes you to the last unread post since your last visit.

This is a specific feature request that can apply to the activity stream as well. It is no point to bring the old VNC page back as additional option beside the activity stream. 

[John_C]

17 minutes ago, opentype said:

You throwing all sorts of things together now. I made a point about maintaining completely separate sections who do basically the same thing. You replied to that, but didn’t make a point about what I said. 

 

About what exactly? People complaining about changes in forum software exists since forum software exists. IPS knows it. Every admin knows it. It doesn’t mean though, that features need to remain unchanged because there is complaining. 

 

This is a specific feature request that can apply to the activity stream as well. It is no point to bring the old VNC page back as additional option beside the activity stream. 

So you like the way it is. Fine. But don't come in here in a suggestion thread arguing against what the other half of the paying community wants.  

[opentype]

23 minutes ago, John_C said:

So you like the way it is.

Where did I say this? For the third time: I made a general point about maintaining independent sections which effectively do the same thing. Can you please at least try to understand and consider this point. I have not said whether I like the old or new system better, because that is completely irrelevant for my point. 

 

Quote

But don't come in here in a suggestion thread arguing against what the other half of the paying community wants.  

Haha! I am not allowed to give my opinion, because you don’t like it? ;-) 

[Lindy]

 

2 hours ago, John_C said:

@Lindy Why not give us the option to have it the old way or the new in Admin CP? Then Admins can choose what's best for their community.

Because at the end of the day, if our membership doesn't like browsing the forum because the user interface sucks, membership will either decline or posting in general will slow down causing a slow death of the forum. 

This especially hurts newer smaller communities like mine. 

 

18 hours ago, Izaya Orihara said:

honestly the idea of the activity stream seems to be good in theory but many people seem to majorly dislike it.

Not many - it just seems that way because literally the same small group of people feel very passionately in their disdain and aren't bashful in sharing that anytime streams get mentioned. Review the topics - there's less than 10 participants that want "old VNC" - in fact, I could name them without even looking at the topic.  That's not to dismiss the feedback, but to differentiate between vocal minority and epidemic level. Many want the title to go to unread content. A few want us to literally undo the Activity Stream entirely and put the old VNC back. 

- We are working to add an admin setting that would allow you to choose between changing the link behavior per stream to default to either the first unread content item OR the first post. Some want the former, some want the latter. We'll let you, on an admin level decide. 

- Admins will also be able to set the default view mode: condensed or expanded. 

Those are the two biggest things that come up and they're relatively easy to correct without having to gut the system and go backwards.

 

[chilihead]

29 minutes ago, Lindy said:

- We are working to add an admin setting that would allow you to choose between changing the link behavior in Activity Streams to default to either the first unread content item OR the first unread post. Some want the former, some want the latter. We'll let you, on an admin level decide. 

First unread content item or first unread post? I didn't quite get that, a first unread setting would take you to the first unread post, and to the content item (post #1) if you hadn't read it yet, that would be the same setting. What do you mean by or? Thanks

I'm sure you mean content item or first unread.

 

[John_C]

20 minutes ago, Lindy said:

 

 

Not many - it just seems that way because literally the same small group of people feel very passionately in their disdain and aren't bashful in sharing that anytime streams get mentioned. Review the topics - there's less than 10 participants that want "old VNC" - in fact, I could name them without even looking at the topic.  That's not to dismiss the feedback, but to differentiate between vocal minority and epidemic level. Many want the title to go to unread content. A few want us to literally undo the Activity Stream entirely and put the old VNC back. 

- We are working to add an admin setting that would allow you to choose between changing the link behavior per stream to default to either the first unread content item OR the first unread post. Some want the former, some want the latter. We'll let you, on an admin level decide. 

- Admins will also be able to set the default view mode: condensed or expanded. 

Those are the two biggest things that come up and they're relatively easy to correct without having to gut the system and go backwards.

 

I think some misunderstood. I wasn't saying gut the system and revert back. I was saying just give us the option to add a nice little VNC button that does the same thing as it did in v3.4.8. 

I'm not a software engineer, but how hard is it to add one button that does the aforementioned?

 

[chilihead]

1 minute ago, John_C said:

I think some misunderstood. I wasn't saying gut the system and revert back. I was saying just give us the option to add a nice little VNC button that does the same thing as it did in v3.4.8. 

I'm not a software engineer, but how hard is it to add one button that does the aforementioned?

More than a button that's for sure.  

[Lindy]

44 minutes ago, chilihead said:

First unread content item or first unread post? I didn't quite get that, a first unread setting would take you to the first unread post, and to the content item (post #1) if you hadn't read it yet, that would be the same setting. What do you mean by or? Thanks

I'm sure you mean content item or first unread.

 

I meant first unread or the first. period. Been a long day.

32 minutes ago, John_C said:

I think some misunderstood. I wasn't saying gut the system and revert back. I was saying just give us the option to add a nice little VNC button that does the same thing as it did in v3.4.8. 

I'm not a software engineer, but how hard is it to add one button that does the aforementioned?

 

That's essentially the same thing - the infrastructure for VNC as it was in 3.4.8 isn't there at all and we're not likely to add it back. Some create a "View New Content" stream and make that the site default, so it will appear here:  (you can name that "View New Content") 

 

[chilihead]

1 minute ago, Lindy said:

I meant first unread or the first. period. Been a long day.

I figured! And that will be a great addition.  

 

[Kjell Iver Johansen]

1 hour ago, Lindy said:

Not many - it just seems that way because literally the same small group of people feel very passionately in their disdain and aren't bashful in sharing that anytime streams get mentioned.

Behind each and every admin there literally hundreds of people complaining, or people just leaving. I saw on another forum there was 40 pages of complaints - and on my supporttopic theres 15 pages. Not all posts complaining - but I tell you that I've got only one single member telling me that he like the Activity stream.One person! More importantly for me - I lost several members that posted a lot - but now have left for good because of the missing functionality.

What missing functionality? Before we got a quick look at whats had happened on the site by just clicking VNC - no more - no less.

 One person actually called me up on my phone saying that he like the new look, but on every forumsoftware he use - he check VNC. He also hated this Activity stream, but as an admin - what can we really say or do?

I have s second site still on 348, and I just have to "brace for impact" if I upgrade...

To the OP - for me a lifesaver has been the Whoarewe plugin. It has some small bugs, but after all - when I started using that - people stopped complaining.

[John_C]

6 minutes ago, Kjell Iver Johansen said:

Behind each and every admin there literally hundreds of people complaining, or people just leaving. I saw on another forum there was 40 pages of complaints - and on my supporttopic theres 15 pages. Not all posts complaining - but I tell you that I've got only one single member telling me that he like the Activity stream.One person! More importantly for me - I lost several members that posted a lot - but now have left for good because of the missing functionality.

What missing functionality? Before we got a quick look at whats had happened on the site by just clicking VNC - no more - no less.

 One person actually called me up on my phone saying that he like the new look, but on every forumsoftware he use - he check VNC. He also hated this Activity stream, but as an admin - what can we really say or do?

I have s second site still on 348, and I just have to "brace for impact" if I upgrade...

To the OP - for me a lifesaver has been the Whoarewe plugin. It has some small bugs, but after all - when I started using that - people stopped complaining.

Thanks. I'll look in to that! 

And fwiw.... Any modders out there willing to make a VNC button as a hook will make some cash. I wish I was a software engineer because I'd do it.  

[Izaya Orihara]

2 hours ago, Lindy said:

We'll let you, on an admin level decide. 

If only some other 'popular' companies would let admins have a choice instead of deciding for us Thank you lindy!

44 minutes ago, Kjell Iver Johansen said:

To the OP - for me a lifesaver has been the Whoarewe plugin. It has some small bugs, but after all - when I started using that - people stopped complaining.

 

31 minutes ago, John_C said:

Thanks. I'll look in to that!

I second that mod as well. We've used it on 3.X(it was called Board index face and made by another developer) and then we got it on 4.X(who we are) and it truly is a great add-on and well worth the cost. Plus it is visually appealing as well(and also gives you at a glance topics you've posted in specifically so you can easily keep up with them if you want to be up to date). I think of it as an enhanced VNC.

[NewRockRabbit]

6 hours ago, Lindy said:

- We are working to add an admin setting that would allow you to choose between changing the link behavior per stream to default to either the first unread content item OR the first post. Some want the former, some want the latter. We'll let you, on an admin level decide. 

- Admins will also be able to set the default view mode: condensed or expanded. 

Those are the two biggest things that come up and they're relatively easy to correct without having to gut the system and go backwards.

 

The third thing that needs to come back to AS is either some form of pagination or at least the ability to the return to the point you left AS when you click between AS and posts. Matt said back in November this was to be 'discussed internally' but no mention since. This is essential on busy forums where you load several pages of AS.