Forum questions and suggestions directed to Admin

wtg

Are you viewing the forum with a browser? Do you see a menu bar across the top that has WTF Beta on the left and your avatar all the way over to the right?

wtg

I started a chat. You should have a notification that there’s a message waiting for you. It’ll be on the bubble you don’t see.

ShiroKuro

I’m on my iPad, the chat is a speech bubble, sort of like this with the “tail” but without the dots

It’s the icon immediately to the left of your avatar in the upper right along the top.

AdagioM

Oh, okay. I don’t have that speech bubble, but I do have 2 alerts on my avatar. (I look like Minnie Mouse!)

When I click on my avatar, another menu opens, and it shows that I have an alert, and a chat. Here’s a picture:

ShiroKuro

Ahh, in your second photo you have the chat icon (in between the bell and your avatar).

How odd that it’s not the same as what I see. I have that chat icon on my main page and it’s there all the time.

In any case, if you have a Minnie Mouse ears, you’ll know you have messaged, I guess.

wtg

@AdagioM

Apparently SK and I use our iPads in landscape mode, and you prefer portrait!

When the iPad is in portrait mode, the notification and chat icons get rolled into Minnie Mouse ears. Tap your avatar and it expands them as shown in your second pic.

In landscape mode, they are visible all the time.

wtg

Minimum post length. @Jack-Frost discovered that the minimum number of characters for a post is 8 when he tried to post "IPA" as his response in the favorite summer beverage thread. Should we make that shorter, like maybe a single character or two. so people could respond "no" to something without having to pad the post?

ShiroKuro

Yes, definitely reduce the minimum number to 1 if possible.

wtg

Ax is in the process of deleting all the spam/advertising users.

We will at least require an email confirm upon registering, or admin approval. I vote for admin approval.

wtg

This site is not perfect and is a work in progress. I hope we can tailor it to meet people's needs as folks try it out and get a feel for what they like and what they don't.

AdagioM

@wtg I use my iPad in landscape mode! The picture I sent before is just a square because I use Layout for Instagram to make collages.

I’m using one of the skins, but I don’t think that’s the issue. (Superhero, it has a lot of dark space which makes reading easier.)

AdagioM

This post is deleted!

AdagioM

@ShiroKuro I’ve run into the “too short post” twice already; I guess I like short answers!

ShiroKuro

Me too. ("me too" is too short btw

Axtremus

@wtg said in Forum questions and suggestions directed to Admin:

Minimum post length. @Jack-Frost discovered that the minimum number of characters for a post is 8 ...

Reduced "minimum title length" and "minimum post length" to 1 by popular request.

ShiroKuro

Thanks Ax!

wtg

So as folks test the waters here we will begin to develop a list of likes/dislikes. It's very rich functionally, but I'm still at that initial stage of getting to feel like it's a comfortable fit.

I'm seeing some things that I'd like to get your input on as you use the software. Because we have control of the software, we can make global changes to the overall style/format so that it works well for as many people as possible. And each user can select a skin. The good news is that we have a lot of choices. The bad news is that we have a lot of choices.

So far my take is that the style, the overall look of the forum, is OK but I think there are better ones. The one TNCR uses, for instance.. I think they started with the one we are using here but subsequently switched to this:

https://nodebb.the-new-coffee-room.club/category/2/general-discussion

Thoughts on the overall layout? Font sizes? Let's just start with those.

Ax increased the font size. Need to go bigger? Keep as is?

ShiroKuro

For now I think the font size is good.

I don't necessarily like the look of TNCR any better than this site's current look.... I like it how it is right now actually. Maybe others can chime in?

wtg

Yup. Like all things community, the forum appearance is a compromise! But at least one under our control.

eta: And we need the over 60 crowd to comment.

Axtremus

FYI, right now WTF-Beta uses the "Persona" theme, TNCR uses the "Harmony" theme.
Each individual user gets to choose which "skin" to use -- "skin" large deals with colors.
"Theme" is set for the entire forum -- "theme" deals with layouts.

Changing "skin" can be easily done anytime by an individual user.
Changing "theme" needs an admin to select the intended "theme" and then restart the forum software for the new theme to take effect.