What is the point of activity stream?

[Rheddy]

@Adriano Faria, I'll check out that plugin you suggested soon as IPS has a chance to take a look at the activity stream problem with reared its ugly head with the 4.1.6 update.

[Joel R]

My problems:

• One album with 100 images blows up the Activity Stream.  You get a flood of images, even though it's a single album.*
• Clicking IP.Gallery image in AS opens up lightbox, even though underlying premise of AS was content discovery and not content interaction.  Shouldn't it open in the IP.Gallery application?

A thought regarding Images in an Album: this is the same corollary as many Posts in a Topic, and the concern of the OP.  Users may not want to be notified of each individual content item, but of the content container (eg. Album or Topic) which is far more visually efficient when there are multiple related content items in the same content container.     

Edited January 7, 2016 by Joel R

[CheersnGears]

1 hour ago, Joel R said:

My problems:

• One album with 100 images blows up the Activity Stream.  You get a flood of images, even though it's a single album.*
• Clicking IP.Gallery image in AS opens up lightbox, even though underlying premise of AS was content discovery and not content interaction.  Shouldn't it open in the IP.Gallery application?

A thought regarding Images in an Album: this is the same corollary as many Posts in a Topic, and the concern of the OP.  Users may not want to be notified of each individual content item, but of the content container (eg. Album or Topic) which is far more visually efficient when there are multiple related content items in the same content container.     

 

This would be a big problem for me. When auto show time rolls around, we upload hundreds of pictures over dozens of albums. I would only want the Album to show (if at all) in the stream, not hundreds of pictures.   My gallery is largely not used by my user to upload things, but by myself and my writers to attach to articles. 

[Rheddy]

@Adriano Faria, I tried your suggestion but I got the typical response from IPS Support. I just no longer have the patience to submit multiple support tickets to have someone look into this problem. My apologies but the previous glitches that have affected my upgrade to IPS4 have resulted in having to file multiple support topics before someone will look deeper into the problem. It was only after submitting the same support ticket on the third time that someone in support looked deeper into the problems before someone found that there is a problem with the upgrade.

His solution was that he looked into my account, did the same thing I did, and saw the same error I did, and just swept the problem under the rug with no solution as to how to fix it other than "download the client files and re-upload". That's not a solution if the error will keep popping up.

[Lindy]

15 minutes ago, Morisato said:

@Adriano Faria, I tried your suggestion but I got the typical response from IPS Support. I just no longer have the patience to submit multiple support tickets to have someone look into this problem. My apologies but the previous glitches that have affected my upgrade to IPS4 have resulted in having to file multiple support topics before someone will look deeper into the problem. It was only after submitting the same support ticket on the third time that someone in support looked deeper into the problems before someone found that there is a problem with the upgrade.

His solution was that he looked into my account, did the same thing I did, and saw the same error I did, and just swept the problem under the rug with no solution as to how to fix it other than "download the client files and re-upload". That's not a solution if the error will keep popping up.

I'm sorry for that experience. Please send me the ticket number and I'll be happy to follow up on that. 

[jackflash]

I'm in Detroit and hit the auto show circuit hard.  The big problem that I have with the gallery and this is a little off topic, is that you can't edit all of your uploaded photos on one page like in 3.4.  Hence, the cut/paste speed is no longer available.

[elonegenio]

I am not a fan of this activity stream either for many of the same reasons which have previously been stated. Just so I understand, from a programming standpoint, would it be a programming skull crusher for IPS to incorporate an option in the ACP to allow the client to use the old VNC style if we feel that is in the best interests of our site ? For example, Paypal will allow you the option to choose between new PP and classic PP. I think this type of option would make many of us very happy.

Edited January 8, 2016 by Zambooy

[Rheddy]

@Lindy, I appreciate the offer. I sent you a personal message with the support ticket number. It's just been frustrating on my end because the previous upgrade errors that have seriously impacted my community, and there have been two of them, I've had to go through multiple support tickets on each problem before anyone would actually investigate the problem. It was only after a second IPS Support staffer looked at these problems that they discovered that there were actually errors with the upgrade. I let my frustration get the better of me but that we shouldn't have to submit multiple tickets before someone actually looks at the problem. However, logging in, repeating the same actions I took to reproduce the errors is not looking into the problem because it doesn't solve the problem.

I went through the support tool, updated to 4.1.6.1 and even restored the default forum template but that the error persisted. I know that the error is not with forum template because if the error was with the forum template, then the error would be reproducing itself when creating a customized activity stream through the front end user account. Like I said, the error only appears when a customized link is created through the ACP. I just found it odd that the error only appears if the customized link is created through the admin control panel.

[chilihead]

On 1/5/2016 at 0:12 AM, Lindy said:

We have some cool ideas for the AS that we think should solve most of your concerns, including those mentioned here. On the fly filtering may be one thing. We're not going to do pagination (as in navigate to page 4) as it just doesn't fit technically into the backend of the content discovery module.... but, we are working on navigation and you will be able to click a topic in the stream, hit back and pick up where you left off. I get the sense that's what most want with "pagination" so we'll start there. 

That's not months out by any means and should be relatively soon. Virtually any example given regarding "it doesn't do what VNC did" has been successfully refuted. It is every bit as powerful as VNC and then some - I think there's just general confusion on how to use it to its full potential and we need to make a few improvements to make it more intuitive. 

Thanks for the tangible, bullet list feedback - it's very helpful.

Any idea of when this is coming? How about a "read more" in the stream that opens the full content with reply and like ability so we don't even have to leave the stream? Like FB. You can interact right there. You leave and come back and it's all different but that's why you interact there. On IPS we can't interact in the stream, nor can we return to our last place. It's frustrating. Is there an ETA?

It probably needs a better solution than the back button. That's a lot of clicks if you replied to something. How about a "Return to stream" link? Click title, read, reply, click to return.

Stream interaction would be great, maybe something for 4.2.

Edited February 6, 2016 by chilihead

[NewRockRabbit]

On 04/01/2016 at 5:12 AM, Lindy said:

We have some cool ideas for the AS that we think should solve most of your concerns, including those mentioned here. ..., we are working on navigation and you will be able to click a topic in the stream, hit back and pick up where you left off. I get the sense that's what most want with "pagination" so we'll start there. .... That's not months out by any means and should be relatively soon.

Is there any news on when this will be implemented?

[hmikko]

When I first saw Activity Stream here, I was thinking like "Oh God whyyyy?". I believed my members will never be OK with it. At first I was against it myself. My members are from 16 - 70 y.o but most active users are mid 30's so I was ready for a battle. But... What turned out - they haven't had any questions or problems with it. Not any! I was like... "It has to be a conspiracy or something". Now I'm used to it myself.

[CP]

1 hour ago, hmikko said:

When I first saw Activity Stream here, I was thinking like "Oh God whyyyy?". I believed my members will never be OK with it. At first I was against it myself. My members are from 16 - 70 y.o but most active users are mid 30's so I was ready for a battle. But... What turned out - they haven't had any questions or problems with it. Not any!

I thought when I added the activity stream my members wouldn't like it at all and complain about it. Like you, I have had no questions, complaints or problems with it what so ever.

[NewRockRabbit]

On 04/01/2016 at 5:12 AM, Lindy said:

... but, we are working on navigation and you will be able to click a topic in the stream, hit back and pick up where you left off. I get the sense that's what most want with "pagination" so we'll start there. 

That's not months out by any means and should be relatively soon.

@Lindy, is there any update on when this will be done? If it has already been implemented, then its not working for me and I'll file a bug report.

[Lindy]

On April 18, 2016 at 2:52 PM, NewRockRabbit said:

@Lindy, is there any update on when this will be done? If it has already been implemented, then its not working for me and I'll file a bug report.

Unfortunately, not yet, sorry. It should be within the next few releases though. It's something that's become much more involved. 

[NewRockRabbit]

On 20/04/2016 at 6:14 AM, Lindy said:

Unfortunately, not yet, sorry. It should be within the next few releases though. It's something that's become much more involved. 

If if turns out that the Activity Stream navigation system can not, after all, be improved, will IPS consider re-introducing pagination, or similar, on Activity Stream? Currently we still have the situation where, contrary to some assertions, Activity Stream still does not do everything that View New Content did (ie the ability to switch back and forth effectively between Activity and Posts on active forums). This is important as it makes for a poor user experience and is my main gripe with IPS 4.x.

[Lindy]

7 hours ago, NewRockRabbit said:

If if turns out that the Activity Stream navigation system can not, after all, be improved, will IPS consider re-introducing pagination, or similar, on Activity Stream? Currently we still have the situation where, contrary to some assertions, Activity Stream still does not do everything that View New Content did (ie the ability to switch back and forth effectively between Activity and Posts on active forums). This is important as it makes for a poor user experience and is my main gripe with IPS 4.x.

Please further explain what you mean -- "between activity and posts." What are you trying to toggle between that can't be accomplished with the filter bar?

[chilihead]

Returning to the result you left off at after you have loaded activity and clicked to read.

Edited April 30, 2016 by chilihead

[NewRockRabbit]

On 02/01/2016 at 6:25 PM, Lindy said:

... are you mostly wanting to maintain browser navigation, ie: click a topic, then click back to return to your place in the stream. In the case of the latter, we are working on just that and improving the overall flow of following through the stream. In the case of old-school pagination as in click page 6 -- we've tested different methods and all lead to significant performance overhead given how the stream works. My sense is, you don't really care about arbitrary page numbers, but instead want to maintain your place in the stream (correct me if I'm wrong and please do indicate why) -- in which case, we believe this will be doable.

 

6 hours ago, Lindy said:

Please further explain what you mean -- "between activity and posts." What are you trying to toggle between that can't be accomplished with the filter bar?

In answer to your question I mean what you described in your 02/01/2016 post.

[NewRockRabbit]

The lack of response is not really filling me with confidence here.

[Lindy]

On 5/5/2016 at 3:16 PM, NewRockRabbit said:

The lack of response is not really filling me with confidence here.

Your "between activity and posts" threw me off, sorry.

In 4.1.12 (pending QA) - you can click load more, load more, load more, scroll down, click a topic, then click back and it will take you where you left off.

[russur]

On 06.01.2016 at 10:39 PM, Adriano Faria said:

You just create the stream and set it as the default. Everyone will use it.

Guys, why I can`t view "Forums" choose in my settings? 

[ADKGamers]

On 1/6/2016 at 0:39 PM, Adriano Faria said:

You just create the stream and set it as the default. Everyone will use it.

 

On 7/11/2016 at 4:29 AM, russur said:

Guys, why I can`t view "Forums" choose in my settings? 

 

I'm wondering the same thing.  

 

@Adriano Faria any suggestions?  

 

Thanks!

[Adriano Faria]

1 minute ago, ADKGamers said:

 

 

I'm wondering the same thing.  

 

@Adriano Faria any suggestions?  

 

Thanks!

Probably removed... I just tested on 4.1.13.2 and it doesn't appear anymore when you click on Topics.

[ADKGamers]

1 hour ago, Adriano Faria said:

Probably removed... I just tested on 4.1.13.2 and it doesn't appear anymore when you click on Topics.

 

Ugh. . . okay. Thanks @Adriano Faria 

[ADKGamers]

Verified with a ticket that it's not something that can be returned at this time, but believes it is being talked internally so should be added soon. 

 

Hopefully sooner than later, that was one of the things that we've been "living without" for a while now, but would love to have it back.