The Old Man
Reputation Activity
-
The Old Man reacted to Adlago in 4.4: Turbo charging loading speeds
Do you think about improving the way the fonts are loaded? It's very unpleasant to watch empty rectangles until ...
Apparently you should also look for a variant of fonts awesome at your choice of administrator, or minified version of the fonts awesome.
This would reduce the size of the downloaded file and accelerate the uploading of fonts awesome.
It would also be a good solution when installing or upgrading, if an administrator chooses which flags to use and this to save a file as a custom_flags.css. This will greatly reduce size the downloaded flag.css file
-
The Old Man reacted to princeton in 4.4: Turbo charging loading speeds
@Matt It would be cool to see 4.4 on here now so we can see/test the improvements.
Curious, why does IPS have their javascript inserted in the <HEAD> when end of </BODY> is much faster?
-
The Old Man reacted to Joel R in 4.4: Turbo charging loading speeds
Does lazy loading work on all applications, especially pages like Gallery albums or Our Picks that are rich in content?
Edited this post to include Our Picks, which I use as my homepage and I have a terrible score in Pagespeed insights. Number one recommendation is to lazy load offscreen images!
-
The Old Man reacted to PrettyPixels in 4.4: Store Filters and other Commerce updates
This looks great! 🙂 I love the new filters.
I would also like to see the ability for members to become vendors of products (where the site owner could take a commision) much like the downloads app. But this is definitely a big step in the right direction. Thanks, IPS!
-
The Old Man got a reaction from Ramsesx in Guest Blog: Joel's 5 Secret Interface Tips
Aha! Enjoyed your post @Joel R !
I actually knew all 5 but re number 2, which I remember being discussed a while ago and I think it was Matt who couldn't believe nobody knew about it; I couldn't recall for the life of me what the icons meant! And I've already forgotten!
5: The sliding profile cover image I discovered quite by accident thanks to using an iPad, and I really like it. Awesome in its own uselessness, it's actually kind of therapeutic, repeatedly tapping it. Go try it now!
I'd love to see your community Joel, always been interested to see how you have it set up and make use of facilities. 😊
-
The Old Man got a reaction from Joel R in Guest Blog: Joel's 5 Secret Interface Tips
Aha! Enjoyed your post @Joel R !
I actually knew all 5 but re number 2, which I remember being discussed a while ago and I think it was Matt who couldn't believe nobody knew about it; I couldn't recall for the life of me what the icons meant! And I've already forgotten!
5: The sliding profile cover image I discovered quite by accident thanks to using an iPad, and I really like it. Awesome in its own uselessness, it's actually kind of therapeutic, repeatedly tapping it. Go try it now!
I'd love to see your community Joel, always been interested to see how you have it set up and make use of facilities. 😊
-
The Old Man reacted to bfarber in 4.4: Application manifest and icon management
I didn't create this image, so it's probably not the exact color you're inquiring about, but this gives you an idea of how it works:
Here's an example of how the theme color may affect a device. Keep in mind that it is up to individual consumers (devices/user agents) how they will use these elements:
https://developers.google.com/web/updates/2015/08/using-manifest-to-set-sitewide-theme-color
The background color is generally used as the background/splash screen color when launching your site from a saved home screen icon.
https://developers.google.com/web/fundamentals/web-app-manifest/#splash-screen
Remember that each device can decide which elements it will read and support from the manifest, and how it will use those elements.
The Safari mask icon is a very specific element which requires an SVG. This image is not used anywhere else presently, except for the Safari mask icon. It's not so much about making it "Apple-only", but rather using an SVG here is a requirement of using the feature in general.
https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/AppleApplications/Reference/SafariWebContent/pinnedTabs/pinnedTabs.html
As the Blog notes, we create Microsoft's special "browserconfig.xml" file to better support Windows-based devices as well.
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/dn320426(v=vs.60)
It's interesting to note that we can build off of this functionality to better support Windows Live Tiles (where you get live updates of a site right in your start menu, or on your home screen for devices with more enhanced live tile support (XBox for instance).
-
The Old Man reacted to Joel R in Team Talk: What's your favourite feature?
That's how I start.
I start with my Unread Activity Stream, and then once I open an unread topic, I zip through the rest of the unreads in that particular board. Once you start using the "next unread topic," you get hooked.
I've done everything on mobile ... updated to a new version, troubleshooted my IPS support tickets, approved content, and adjusted settings on mobile. It's not the easiest thing to do and the ACP is not intuitively designed for mobile. You really have to know where things are located in advance. But it does allow me to manage everything even while traveling, so I'm thankful for the ability. It's allowed me to be 'untethered' from my home workstation and to be a certified digital nomad.
-
The Old Man reacted to Joel R in Team Talk: What's your favourite feature?
>> Next Unread Topic
This little button at the bottom of the topic has totally changed how I browse IPS forums, especially on mobile. I click, click, click to the next Unread and it's made it super fast for me to browse through boards.
-
The Old Man reacted to scaz in Team Talk: What's your favourite feature?
Thank you @Matt and @Daniel F
For tv show here : https://blusteel.fr/tv-show/
Movie : https://blusteel.fr/movie/
I use Pages too for 2 others database ("contest" & "deals" with different design). I think your Pages is very extraordinary and members need it for more. That's why I'm happy to use your ips package on my site and if I say that it's because before I'm newbie with Pages but you can do many without to be a professional in coding html (I just learn many messages on your community, your help guides, download package on marketplace just for understand how work something and after I just try, try, try, try and again try different thing for to do it). 😉
(sorry for my bad english).
-
The Old Man reacted to Daniel F in Team Talk: What's your favourite feature?
Wow, thats a nice idea and it looks amazing. Thanks for sharing the screenshots
-
The Old Man reacted to bfarber in Video Tip: Preventing Spam
The contact form typically sends an email to one or more email addresses, and has no facility (presently) to be "held for approval". It is also important to ensure that legitimate users who may be getting flagged as a potential spammer still have some way to contact the administrator.
We do understand the concerns and are researching potential solutions, but it's not quite as simple as it may seem.
-
-
The Old Man reacted to Joel R in Gamification for your community
Customize your language strings. It's easy!
Most people only think about it for second languages, but I think it's one of the easiest and most powerful methods for crafting a unique 'lingo' for your site.
-
The Old Man got a reaction from Hexsplosions in Gamification for your community
Hi Heff, I agree, it would be good if there was some kind of gentle encouragement. At the moment I create a forum to encourage new members to say a hello and maybe say a little about why they like the subject matter of my community.
I also set up an Icebreaker themed award with Fosters' Trophies and Awards app using the snowflake Font Awesome icon and later the ship, never got a chance to give it a go as it was too buggy at the time. Think I'll revisit it, hopefully it's matured now.
-
The Old Man got a reaction from Joel R in Gamification for your community
Hi Heff, I agree, it would be good if there was some kind of gentle encouragement. At the moment I create a forum to encourage new members to say a hello and maybe say a little about why they like the subject matter of my community.
I also set up an Icebreaker themed award with Fosters' Trophies and Awards app using the snowflake Font Awesome icon and later the ship, never got a chance to give it a go as it was too buggy at the time. Think I'll revisit it, hopefully it's matured now.
-
The Old Man reacted to Hexsplosions in Gamification for your community
I really like this, but there is a gaping hole at the moment. I fed back about it ages ago, here:
I see no evidence that those completing their profiles are more likely to engage. I have loads of new members who've updated their profile and haven't posted, and some that are as blank as my autobiography but yet have posted.
I do think the 'progress bar' works though, as I do see more completed profiles these days, and so gamification could be seen to work.
What I'd really like to see, as I fed back in that thread I linked, is a continuation of the approach to encourage the new member to 'break the ice'. Completing the profile is fruitless unless they take the next step and actually contribute in some way.
-
The Old Man reacted to MMXII in Gamification for your community
I hope that in a future version medals/thophies/achievement badges will become a core feature of IPS (some competitors already decided to add this), in combination with an excessive rules system that allowes for any situation to be a reason for awarding someone. I found that in many forums where people get rewards for whatever they are doing, they are more active. It also makes a site more interactive, if you post, vote or whatever and something personalized happens (such as getting a message, that tells you about a shiny new badge you have earned).
-
The Old Man reacted to Joel R in Gamification for your community
I think Language (and the language strings) are one of the easiest, fastest, yet most powerful ways for you to cultivate a unique culture for your community. It's also using a default feature of IPS so you're not customizing with a third party app. I used to think that langstrings were only for non-english communities but they should be used by any admin to cultivate a unique culture and lingo for your board.
If you have a themed community, you can be extremely creative in your language customization. Even if you don't have a themed community, it's an opportunity to think very deeply about your organization's goals and to couch those goals within a set of unique terms. For example:
- if I were running a Harry Potter website, my reactions could be 'spells'
- if I were running a gaming clan, my leaderboard could be a 'scoreboard' or 'hit list'
- if I were running a mental health nonprofit, my clubs could be called 'support circles'.
As a personal example, I changed my langstring for Subscription to Pledge. Subscription sounded very commercial and monetary. I wanted a word that connected better with supporting my websites mission and values, and to have less of $$ edge.
-
The Old Man reacted to Joel R in Gamification for your community
Is this blog post the definitive guide to gamification? No. But I think it's a decent start of a conceptual introduction, and more importantly, a conceptual framework to think deeply and broadly about gamification.
For example, here are things that can be easily extended for gamification:
- Ranks and Pips: old school gamification badges that have been around forever. If you're not using a third party trophy system, then you should at least be using Ranks.
- Language: most of us are probably using the default language for things like reactions, leaderboard, and reputation. The default language is not geared towards personally engaging or congratulating the user, so you can change the language strings.
- Recognition topics: this is something that needs to be manually done and many boards already do this, but a board for public recognition of major accomplishments and group promotions. Think of it as going up on stage to get an award from the organization's president.
Gamification is the defining user engagement framework of our time and that's because gamification techniques are behaviorally-based. The first website to get into your mind is the website who wins your attention, and thus your time, clicks, and money. I think this blog post is a good springboard to think profoundly about all the aspects of gamification and the application of the idea to our specific communities. Do I think IPS can and ought to do much more in the core software? Hell yes. But in the meantime, there are plenty of things to think about, experiment with, and implement.
-
The Old Man got a reaction from Cannabis Connect in Gamification for your community
Nice post! Great subject. As always, some food for thought.
You almost had me thinking you were officially announcing IPS Gamification though, or actual built-in Core support for gamification trophies and awards to, er, level up the Leaderboard feature! No fair, ya meanie!
-
The Old Man reacted to jair101 in Gamification for your community
Gamification is seriously lacking. While the described feature are nice, they are far from being ideal.
Winning most likes for the day does not make you the most valuable, more often it makes you the guy that posted the funniest meme in the humor section. We need a serious, customizable rating system that can be tuned up to objectively rate the members and their contributions.
@Matt - I know you are lurking in TAZ, this is a nice thread with some ideas: https://theadminzone.com/threads/determining-your-best-members-with-data.143807/#post-1120746
-
The Old Man got a reaction from Nebthtet in Gamification for your community
Nice post! Great subject. As always, some food for thought.
You almost had me thinking you were officially announcing IPS Gamification though, or actual built-in Core support for gamification trophies and awards to, er, level up the Leaderboard feature! No fair, ya meanie!
-
The Old Man reacted to Joel R in Gamification for your community
Probably the most important concept of the year for admins to think over.
More dopamine-fueled addiction from IPS please.
-
The Old Man got a reaction from Matt in Video Tip: ACP Tips and Tricks
Still it's a clever tool, especially when you come back to look at GDPR after a while and it lists everything you may need or have forgotten about. ?
