Author Topic: The Help Thread and Test Thread  (Read 24748 times)

Elle

  • Lone Wolf
  • Administrator
  • Senior Pack Member
  • *
  • Posts: 2305
The Help Thread and Test Thread
« on: August 17, 2007, 08:03:22 pm »
Just what it says. :) If you have a question about the forum and need a hand with something, post in here. Some members have more experience with using forums where others don't have as much and could use a hand. We all start somewhere. So come in with your questions and some one will be able to hopefully give you an answer.

ETA: I'm trying to figure out some of the features so I'll use this as a practice thread so I don't screw up the formatting of the other threads. :)
« Last Edit: August 20, 2007, 08:55:12 pm by Elle »
Hurog Means Dragon.

Patti L.

  • Administrator
  • Hostess of Hurog
  • *
  • Posts: 13981
  • Not PattY Briggs. Keeper of the fluffy vortex.
Re: The Help Thread and Test Thread
« Reply #1 on: August 18, 2007, 12:07:19 am »
This is less question than comment.  I don't know if it's software, TLC, or the fact that the site is still relatively under used, but THIS THING ROCKS!  I've only been on the web since about Aug. 3, & spend most of my time on Baen's bar.  They haven't got ha- no, a quarter of the handy features you do.  Lots of topics, but it's a whole freaking publishing house, fer cryin' out loud.  There aren't even italics over there.  And no summary of the comments that came before on the page of the thread you're following.  (Try putting the name of the person whose previous post you're quoting on there some time, yeesh.)  And seeing who else is currently in the house?  Nifty-doodle!  I've been running back & forth between threads having 2 different conversations with the same person (who lives in the same state as me, curiously enough) all evening, but try to figure out where in a thread his latest post is?  Huh, I don't think so.  And no telling who's lurking in the dark corners.  (A nervous glance over a shoulder.  "They're infested with dragons & garden gnomes over there, you know.")  :)  (I don't mind the dragons per se, but you have to keep an eye out for fire.)
So, I'm ecstatic with the product here.  Some day I may even figure out all the cool stuff you can let me do here without crashing anything.
Sanity on loan. Call back next year.

Grey Drakkon

  • Mechanic
  • ****
  • Posts: 197
    • Ranasp's Deviant Art Page
Re: The Help Thread and Test Thread
« Reply #2 on: August 18, 2007, 02:50:37 pm »
Yeah these boards are pretty clean and easy to figure out, there's a LOT of different types of boards and some of them seemed designed to make things difficult on ya. :P
"Sometimes its hard to tell the difference between existentialism and a bad mood."  ~Kris, "Blade of Tyshalle"

Patti L.

  • Administrator
  • Hostess of Hurog
  • *
  • Posts: 13981
  • Not PattY Briggs. Keeper of the fluffy vortex.
Re: The Help Thread and Test Thread
« Reply #3 on: August 26, 2007, 10:29:57 pm »
Hey, I came up with 2 questions!
1. What defines a 'sticky topic'?
2. what does it mean when there's a smiley face in the list of thread names, 2nd box from left when you go into a category, like 'Whatever'?
Sanity on loan. Call back next year.

Elle

  • Lone Wolf
  • Administrator
  • Senior Pack Member
  • *
  • Posts: 2305
Re: The Help Thread and Test Thread
« Reply #4 on: August 26, 2007, 11:29:06 pm »
I did a sticky topic in the Mercy's World section with the Pack thread. It's like if you pin it at the top of the page...it won't move from that position. Usually the topics shift depending on new posts. The most active threads are at the top of the page. I wanted this particular thread to stay at the top more for reference because most of the other threads in that section refer to it. No other reason than that. :)

About the smileys. You can change the message icon when you create a topic or respond to a post. I did a question mark on this one. And it shows up beside the subject line of my response. If I had used it when I created the thread it would have been where you saw the smilies. There are a variety of different images in the icons pull down that you can use. Some refer to the nature of the post...others are arbitrary. :)

Hope that helps.


« Last Edit: August 27, 2007, 06:50:09 pm by Elle »
Hurog Means Dragon.

Patti L.

  • Administrator
  • Hostess of Hurog
  • *
  • Posts: 13981
  • Not PattY Briggs. Keeper of the fluffy vortex.
Re: The Help Thread and Test Thread
« Reply #5 on: August 30, 2007, 07:14:33 am »
Thank you for the earlier answers.  Came up with another question.  Roaming the other SF site I frequent, I noticed that at some point the administrator chops off some of the older posts, & that by & by threads that aren't active fall off as well. 
This forum is new enough that there isn't that kind of crowding, but it'll get there.  How is it going to be handled?
One thing I've noticed yonder is that the original post gets the chop, & that can make the title of the thread misleading, when the topic has drifted from the one stated.  It would be especially confusing for the online games in 'Whatever', 'Blatant Lies' and '^<V'.
Don't know if you'd want to just keep the opening posts or do come kind of summary, quoting the opening & giving an overview of the responses to the point that the retained posts begin again.
Thought I'd mention it so the administration can talk it over, maybe experiment before you're faced with a necessity.
Thank you all again for all the work & kindness in dealing with this. ::)
Sanity on loan. Call back next year.

Mike Briggs

  • Administrator
  • Auto-Zauberer
  • *
  • Posts: 823
Re: The Help Thread and Test Thread
« Reply #6 on: August 30, 2007, 07:45:47 am »
I haven't played with it much, but the configuration menu has options to automatically delete posts older than X days, drop threads that have been inactive for X days etc.  I believe this can be configured per-board as well.  Definitely something I'll need to look at.  I also need to do a bunch of customizing on these forums, which I haven't learned how to do yet.  The good news is that I'm quitting a full-time plus job as a computer nerd, so (once I have a little time) I should be able to figure this out pretty easily.   You're right though, the forums are not well configured and they're running on auto-pilot at the moment, so I need to get busy! :P
Where's my super-suit?

Elle

  • Lone Wolf
  • Administrator
  • Senior Pack Member
  • *
  • Posts: 2305
Re: The Help Thread and Test Thread
« Reply #7 on: August 30, 2007, 06:56:45 pm »
Mike, I'm looking forward to seeing how you rearrange and customize things. :)
Hurog Means Dragon.

Grey Drakkon

  • Mechanic
  • ****
  • Posts: 197
    • Ranasp's Deviant Art Page
Re: The Help Thread and Test Thread
« Reply #8 on: August 30, 2007, 08:43:23 pm »
I figure once the game threads get too bulky (like 60+ pages, that's normally when dial-up users have problems) I'll lock the old threads, and re-start them with the explanation and the last post on them. 
"Sometimes its hard to tell the difference between existentialism and a bad mood."  ~Kris, "Blade of Tyshalle"

Patti L.

  • Administrator
  • Hostess of Hurog
  • *
  • Posts: 13981
  • Not PattY Briggs. Keeper of the fluffy vortex.
Re: The Help Thread and Test Thread
« Reply #9 on: September 05, 2007, 08:50:27 pm »
In response to Grey Drakkon's last message, I'd like to say; Sixty pages? :o
But that should probably do it.  I've noticed that a lot of people come straight in to the last post or last page of posts without reading what came before.

On a different matter, is there a way in the software that you can direct a newcomer to the main part of the site, so they can get a list of Mrs. Briggs' existing works?  I've seen a couple of people posting in with something like "oh, I love Mercy, I'm so glad I found her, I wish there were other books by this author."  And the older hands jump in and say, 'gee, she's got around a dozen books out, you maybe missed them because. . . '  And they run off to find them somewhere else, in google or whatever.  MachineMaiden was just posting that she found a copy of Masques for 'only' $35.00, bent spine, library stamp, and all.

And I'm still rooting for making a seperate deal to re-sell Masques as a YA, with both an assurance that the sequel will be produced as time allows, & a list (with possible teaser pages) of her other works.  May as well squeeze a few half dollars out of it, instead of just leaving it to sit on the shelves.  You've worked for it & earned it, get it!
Respectful regards,
Dances With Sidewalks.
Sanity on loan. Call back next year.

Elle

  • Lone Wolf
  • Administrator
  • Senior Pack Member
  • *
  • Posts: 2305
Re: The Help Thread and Test Thread
« Reply #10 on: September 08, 2007, 09:41:04 pm »
In response to Grey Drakkon's last message, I'd like to say; Sixty pages? :o
But that should probably do it.  I've noticed that a lot of people come straight in to the last post or last page of posts without reading what came before.

I always just click on the "new" icon and it takes me to the last post that I read in the thread. I love that feature, handy. :)

Quote from: Patti L.
On a different matter, is there a way in the software that you can direct a newcomer to the main part of the site, so they can get a list of Mrs. Briggs' existing works?  I've seen a couple of people posting in with something like "oh, I love Mercy, I'm so glad I found her, I wish there were other books by this author."  And the older hands jump in and say, 'gee, she's got around a dozen books out, you maybe missed them because. . . ' 

I always thought that was interesting. I expected more people to come from the actual website then to the forum, not find the forum first, then realize there's a website. I haven't googled Patricia Briggs so I'm not sure what's the first url to come up when you do that. I'll have to check it out.
Hurog Means Dragon.

Patti L.

  • Administrator
  • Hostess of Hurog
  • *
  • Posts: 13981
  • Not PattY Briggs. Keeper of the fluffy vortex.
Re: The Help Thread and Test Thread
« Reply #11 on: September 08, 2007, 09:52:44 pm »
I always just click on the "new" icon and it takes me to the last post that I read in the thread. I love that feature, handy. :)
I always thought that was interesting. I expected more people to come from the actual website then to the forum, not find the forum first, then realize there's a website. I haven't googled Patricia Briggs so I'm not sure what's the first url to come up when you do that. I'll have to check it out.
The 'new' option is handy, I'll agree, but you miss out on a lot if you don't read at least a little of what came before.  I see both here & in my other favorite site a lot of people repeating questions or suggestions that were put out earlier.
On the other hand, on this forum the posts are always chronological, which they aren't on the other, and which can be really hard to deal with.
Don't know if it matters, but I thought I'd let you know.
Sanity on loan. Call back next year.

Jazzlet

  • Guest
Re: The Help Thread and Test Thread
« Reply #12 on: September 09, 2007, 06:37:02 am »
But the new icon should take you to what is new to you, so it won't work for complete newbies, or rather it will take them to the beginning of the thread  :)

I have to admit to judging people by whether they have read the threads or not, if they are too lazy to check if someone has already answered their question or make a point that indicates they really haven't been following a thread, I am too lazy to answer. I never said I was nice you know.

Grey Drakkon

  • Mechanic
  • ****
  • Posts: 197
    • Ranasp's Deviant Art Page
Re: The Help Thread and Test Thread
« Reply #13 on: September 09, 2007, 08:24:58 am »
Hmm, there's a bit of a difference between some other boards and this one when it comes to not bothering to read...Here I think its organized nicely, and there's still a small amount of boards really.  Some other places, that have thousands of members make me dizzy with all the boards they have, and every time I tried using the "search" option it pretty much showed me every board again. :P
"Sometimes its hard to tell the difference between existentialism and a bad mood."  ~Kris, "Blade of Tyshalle"

Patti L.

  • Administrator
  • Hostess of Hurog
  • *
  • Posts: 13981
  • Not PattY Briggs. Keeper of the fluffy vortex.
Re: The Help Thread and Test Thread
« Reply #14 on: September 09, 2007, 10:18:16 am »
Yup, we iz definately da bomb.  But I can understand why sometimes you don't read everything.  And, dear moderators, correct me if I'm wrong on this, this is a computer forum, rather than appearing as email or text messages or something, so anyone using it has the option to easily scroll through a thread, rather than being handed a post that says, say 'Adam's ex' & having to figure out that it's in response to a message left two weeks ago, while there are newer answers to the same post already on the board.
Sanity on loan. Call back next year.

 
http://www.hurog.com/forum/index.php?topic=221.0
www.hurog.com
crawl=CC-MAIN-2018-30
60896
application/http; msgtype=response
sha1:O2OTH5YJ6AKVJTV6KBJG3QWWRVNHZRNF
<urn:uuid:08bb650a-fcf3-46b5-863b-80681ee668f5>
2018-07-22T08:36:15Z
66.241.145.22
application/xhtml+xml
sha1:RTXEGD7GCBDIZCL774L4VS55TMMXOYNP
<urn:uuid:5c79f04c-eac8-4343-9633-10604fe04ad7>
http://www.hurog.com/forum/index.php?topic=221.0
response
<urn:uuid:f6380792-6970-4d04-b14f-9f7c1d4dee41>
robots: classic
hostname: ip-10-233-160-228.ec2.internal
software: Nutch 1.6 (CC)
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2018-30
operator: Common Crawl Admin
description: Wide crawl of the web for July 2018
publisher: Common Crawl
format: WARC File Format 1.0
conformsTo: http://bibnum.bnf.fr/WARC/WARC_ISO_28500_version1_latestdraft.pdf