We want Forum Feedback!

[00n0b0dy]

Blah, you said many things I feel in a way more eloquent than I ever could have put it <3 The forums here are still scary sometimes, but they have gotten a lot better, and so has the mod team. There are still some issues and harshness, but overall there has been a lot of improvement. And I guess while we don't necessarily like it, that past *is* why there is some extreme action taken in my opinion. And I feel like your opinion on how TJ responds (or doesn't respond) to concerns, or conveniently leaves some things out of the news, is pretty equated with mine. And I don't mean to bash TJ, we all know TJ has a life and it's his site and it's his business how it plays and how he changes it or doesn't and the code is his secret to have. But I don't like things being vague. I like when he says whether sudden observed changes are staying or not. Or when there isn't a change, he says that very clearly. Because "Everything is fine" doesn't make an answer to me. It makes double the questions- is nothing wrong and we're just having some really bad luck, or did something change and that's why things are fine? That means a lot to us when we're confused. That fine line. So I appreciate you expressing that.

[Syphoneira]

Thanks, Blah, a fine and well-expressed post!

[B-chan]

I'm not sure if someone brought this up... don't want to read through all the posts and there seems to be no summary:

 

Usually I love to view most of the new posts. But some subforums are just not interesting to me (like the games). Whenever I get to "View new posts", I always have them in there. Is it possible to only get DC-Related "New Posts"? A "all read"-function that I didn't discover yet for the games for example?

 

 

Cheers

[Amazon_warrior]

I'm not sure if someone brought this up... don't want to read through all the posts and there seems to be no summary:

 

Usually I love to view most of the new posts. But some subforums are just not interesting to me (like the games). Whenever I get to "View new posts", I always have them in there. Is it possible to only get DC-Related "New Posts"? A "all read"-function that I didn't discover yet for the games for example?

 

 

Cheers

If you click the big egg next to, say, Forum Games, it'll mark all new posts in that sub-forum as read. Hope that helps!

[B-chan]

x_x

Thanks, it helps a lot (there should be something like a guide... the stuff you get in the introduction is just TOO much)

Edited July 20, 2011 by B-chan

[blah]

Because "Everything is fine" doesn't make an answer to me. It makes double the questions- is nothing wrong and we're just having some really bad luck, or did something change and that's why things are fine? That means a lot to us when we're confused. That fine line.

I actually think you put this more eloquent than I did. This is exactly what I was trying to say It might sound weird that it makes such a difference and not even occur to someone on the other end of things, but it does. And I like that here is a thread where we can mention it.

 

Thanks, Blah, a fine and well-expressed post!

Thank you I think there are quite a lot of them in this thread.

 

edit: typo

Edited July 20, 2011 by blah

[bluebell_rose]

I would think tj would think it in his best interests to communicate with members better. And actually give people an answer instead of nothing is wrong . It's normal.

 

The alexa site rankings speak for itself. Lo ng ago DC used to be ranked top 11k and now dc is in the top 51k.

 

Edited July 20, 2011 by bluebell_rose

[RainDear]

One change I would really like to see, is for moderating descriptions to have a higher priority to someone. I have a lot of dragons and have about 20 descriptions waiting for moderation. Some have been waiting for longer than others, and it is a real chore to go down the scroll checking whether or not they have been accepted/rejected yet. This makes it difficult to maintain a desire to catch up with my descriptions, scroll sorting, and even naming. I know that I could pm one of the description mods, but that feels like line jumping, cheating, special favors, all of which I prefer to avoid.

[B-chan]

Um... don't know how to phrase this in English... hope I get the idea through

 

When clicking the big red egg to the left of a subforum, the threads there are shown as read. But when you go to "View New Posts" they still are unread.

 

Could that be changed?

Could there be a button to only show "unread" threads?

[Forever_Monee]

One change I would really like to see, is for moderating descriptions to have a higher priority to someone. I have a lot of dragons and have about 20 descriptions waiting for moderation. Some have been waiting for longer than others, and it is a real chore to go down the scroll checking whether or not they have been accepted/rejected yet. This makes it difficult to maintain a desire to catch up with my descriptions, scroll sorting, and even naming. I know that I could pm one of the description mods, but that feels like line jumping, cheating, special favors, all of which I prefer to avoid.

I agree with this. One of my favorite parts of DC is the descriptions. However, I have stopped making descriptions since it takes them awhile for them to be approved. I don't mind waiting, but it would be nice if I did not have to wait for months to get them approved.

[Kaini]

One change I would really like to see, is for moderating descriptions to have a higher priority to someone. I have a lot of dragons and have about 20 descriptions waiting for moderation. Some have been waiting for longer than others, and it is a real chore to go down the scroll checking whether or not they have been accepted/rejected yet. This makes it difficult to maintain a desire to catch up with my descriptions, scroll sorting, and even naming. I know that I could pm one of the description mods, but that feels like line jumping, cheating, special favors, all of which I prefer to avoid.

This. I quit describing my dragons because (as I heard from someone) there are about 9k descriptions waiting to be approved, and that tells me mine will take a very long time e.e

 

Surely there is some faster way to be doing this...?

[Nine]

While it doesn't really pertain to the forums, I concur about the descriptions thingy =P

 

I remember popping up the question about 'description mods' a while ago, and surprisingly, was told there had been applications for such a position a long time ago. I would very, super, ultra, highly recommend that this idea-- a group of users whose responsibility it is to go through the pending descriptions-- to be considered further and even implemented.

 

I know I've sent requests to a couple mods asking about dis/approvals, but they must've gotten accidentally deleted or there's just too many requests to get to. I appreciate that there's peeps trying their best to help the list, but sending multiple messages to all those mods several times a month in the hopes that it gets read is not real streamlined or even polite.

 

We've got the cure for Polio, just need to hire a team of doctors to get it out there; Jonas Salk can't do it by himself. Inappropriate metaphor high-five.

[Thuban]

Pretty much any of the mods can do descriptions, and there are nights when a group of them will pound out a bunch of them. I'll admit, I dont do them nearly as often as i should.. maybe i'll go knock out some.

[TPishek]

Something I think this forum might benefit from is less locking of duplicates and more merging of topics. When a duplicate thread is made (which honestly isn't that hard to do, with the search the way it is), there is often some genuinely good discussion on the subject-- which is lost when the duplicate thread is locked and deleted. Merging duplicates together instead could minimize that loss, as well as make sections like Suggestions and GD a bit less intimidating to newbies.

[Fuzzbucket]

Good point - other forums I am on tend to merge routinely....

[Nectaris]

Or better yet, if there is fresh discussion on the new duplicate and the old hasn't been touched in a long time, lock the old and let the new one continue.

[Fuzzbucket]

Or better yet, if there is fresh discussion on the new duplicate and the old hasn't been touched in a long time, lock the old and let the new one continue.

With a link in the locking post: "continued here"....

[Cinnamin Draconna]

The constant influx of new members..

The trillion different ways to name a topic..

The practically useless search function..

 

All of these are going to lead to lots of duplicate posts.. and the Mods seem to overreact to every one of them. Yes, they do a good job of linking to other posts, but it's like they take offense to duplicate posts as if they were personal attacks. Tone is hard to convey with text, but some of the responses I've been reading lately on locked topics is borderline hostile and almost outright sarcastic.

 

I'm quite sure that the posters are not posting duplicates intentionally.. and I'm sure the Mods are tired of duplicate posts.. but there needs to be a little more tolerance and a little less heavy-handedness on the Mods part.

 

Merging duplicate posts sounds like an excellent idea. The flow of the conversation might get a little disrupted, but provided that the Mods also post a notice of the merging, it shouldn't cause the thread to die.

[~!~]

I honestly don't think that there's any way to say "this thread is a duplicate so I'm going to lock it, try to avoid making dupes in the future" in a way that can't come off as rude or mean. You can't get around the "your contributions don't matter" side-effect that comes along with the locking of a dupe thread.

 

I think that if it comes to dupe or necro, we should allow the dupe thread and merge the threads or lock the old with a link to the new.

[Fuzzbucket]

BETTER would be a search function that worked. Several places I go have an additional google fast search which does ONLY that forum....

[NixAyum]

I was definitely more merging threads than closing when I was first made a mod, then someone complained to TJ and everyone told me to knock it off.

 

I still don't know why, and I think I would still be for more merging. /shrug

[HeatherMarie]

Adding my vote for merging. And, in light of NixAyum's post, I'd love to know if there *is* an actual reason why threads aren't merged more often instead of closing as dupes.

[_Z_]

When members are asking for merging duplicate topics. Would there be a certain length to the topics members want merged? One, two posts, a page? Every duplicate or just certain ones?

 

I know of no rule stating we can not merge duplicate topics. It just seems rather pointless, when most duplicates are closed within the first few posts. Those that haven't been closed right away, usually already have members giving the link to the original existing topic.

[Fuzzbucket]

I'd say anything that has anything new (or new in that it hasn't been said for a year or so ) would be worth merging. Length isn't so much of an issue. Most, I'd agree are just there's already a thread - but there have been a few (no I can't remember, I am too old !) that had good new stuff in. Stuff that would interest people.

 

But a better search function would prevent several of these starting up - I know I've started the odd one because I couldn't find something - and sure enough...

[Wookieinmashoo]

I kinda want to see a separate closing message for egg spam threads. I see these often in GD and often they are just closed. I know the new person should just look at their introductory post, but a lot of times people don't go back to these. I used to PM individual people links to fansites and the mentoring program, but I stopped. Some new people may freak out that their thread was closed, think they did something wrong and not come back. Maybe there could be a "copy and pasted" post from a mod, detailing what they should do, and then the closing statement, it might help? It would probably get tedious after a while and I'm pretty sure this has come up once or twice.