Responses and comments to postings

[ProfJohnL]

I welcome the new forum format with its instant on-line functionality, however there are a few niggles that may just be my own Luddite preferences but may be worth further discussion.

On the opening page (generic headings such as Technical, Sites etc) the continual re-sequencing of the order in response to the latest posting is disorientating. As there are a distinctly limited number of headings on this page surely a fixed sequence would be preferable. It is surely not necessary or helpful to know who the last person was who made a submission on this page.

It is also disorientating to find that a thread will appear at the top of the section page with the name of the latest respondent against it. If like me you like to watch how a particular issue is developing, you tend to recognise the subject and the original poster. I would suggest that the name of the originator is retained on the index page.

I am not sure why you differentiate between a reply to a topic and a comment. Surely both are fundamentally the same. The replies are shown fully listed whilst the comments are truncated. To view the comment you have to request, and the page goes back to the top of this listing, and you then have to work your way down. IF a thread is becoming very long (remember "would you buy a caravan that wasn't white?) this becomes very tedious and it is easy to loose track of your position.

When logging on, Most web sites will recognise the use of the "return/Enter" key at the end of a password as "submit" Can your site adopt the same convention?

Whilst it has not happened yet it is possible that two separate threads may be started that have the same title.

With the instant response, how do you now moderate inappropriate responses, or do you rely on the good behaviour of the assemble hoards?

 

[KenWashington]

Thanks for the comments. I'll pass them on to the editorial staff.

Perhaps other users could comment on the points raised, for or against.

Your final point about inappropriate postings: the forum will continue to be checked by a moderator at least once a day. However, should anyone wish to report such a posting, please email pcvforum@templenet.co.uk. This email address can also be found in Forum FAQs at the top of the forum page.

 

[Lutz]

Yes, I support some of the comments made by John L. I can't see the point of differentiating between replies and comments, either. Also, there seems to be a technical problem if someone makes a comment to a comment. At least in one instance this has shown up with the following error message:

Microsoft VBScript runtime error '800a01f4'

Variable is undefined: 'objResult'

/newforums/fm_messages.asp, line 648

Another peculiarity seems to be that the name of the person who posts a comment does not appear as last respondent in the index of topics but does show up in the forum home page. I agree with John that it would be better to drop the name of the last respondent altogether and always show the name of the originator. That would also help to differentiate in the case that John brought up if 2 threads have the same title, (it's unlikely that both originate from the same person).

A feature that I find would be very useful would be to be able to edit one's own responses after they have been posted. If possible, the thread should then be resequenced to make it clear to readers that there has been a change to an earlier response. Such a feature could maybe cut down the lengths of some of the threads and make them a bit more transparent.

 

[WatsonJohnG]

I agree with Lutz about the editting of your own comments

This works very well on UKCamping website but on Diesel driver they have the facility to edit everyones comments which to me seems open to abuse even though your signature appears

I prefer to have the name of the last poster as you can see that the posting has been updated.Again on UKCS the topic has the original posters name by it but the latest poster is also shown.

I also prefer the listing to show (as is done now) the latest posting at the top as its easier to see the newest postings at a glance

 

[Lutz]

I agree with Lutz about the editting of your own comments

This works very well on UKCamping website but on Diesel driver they have the facility to edit everyones comments which to me seems open to abuse even though your signature appears

I prefer to have the name of the last poster as you can see that the posting has been updated.Again on UKCS the topic has the original posters name by it but the latest poster is also shown.

I also prefer the listing to show (as is done now) the latest posting at the top as its easier to see the newest postings at a glance

Even if the name of the originator is always shown, it would still be apparent that there has been a new posting if the time of the last response is displayed and the index page has been resequenced.

 

[Zbungle]

First of all, what a great discussion forum this is and so much better than the original version. Like my fellow posters I would prefer to see the list of topics remain in a static order and not be re-sequenced to show the latest topic. However, I do find it useful to see who was the last person to add a reply as this serves to tell me whenever a topic is updated.

The edit facility would be good. It's so annoying to check your speiling but then finnd you maked a mistoke after you have posted.

I would also like the facility to stay logged in and not have to re-enter my username/password every time I return to the site.

Is there any real point in making a distinction between a reply and a comment? I find this system only serves to confuse the nagigation.

Apart from that, thank you and keep up the good work.

 

[MickC1]

I'm enjoying the forum again now. I stopped using the old one for a while as the moderating time delay was getting annoying. Hopefully no-one will abuse the system. However if they do then hopefully now that we have to log in, hopefully it would be easy for the moderator to cancel their account.

I think the the option to comment on a particular reply, rather than the thread as a whole is useful and should be retained. Although perhaps using a 'mouse over' facility may be an idea so that you can see the comment without leaving the page.

For spelling, you can download several free spell checkers from the web. Try www.iespell.com. Once installed, you can then right click in the text box and your spelling is checked for you. Other checkers are available if you're using Opera or Firefox etc.

There seems to be a split in what name should appear against the thread in the main menu. I find the name of the last person to be useful so that I can quickly see if someone has followed up my comments. Maybe therefore have both. The name of the originator next to the thread title, and the name of the last writer in a box next to it, maybe in a pale grey.

I like the idea of the the latest amended thread being shown first. As if you're trying to follow several threads that spread over several days, then it's difficult working back and forward through the pages. How about an Order option on the page. In the same way that for example on e-bay you can order by date, price etc.