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North East Buses The Site Problems & Suggestions Sub-forum or no sub-forum?

Sub-forum or no sub-forum?

Sub-forum or no sub-forum?

 
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Poll: Would you like sub-forums re-instated (similar to the off-topic section) or not (similar to the new 'Local Bus Scene' area)?
You do not have permission to vote in this poll.

I would like sub-forums back, so the Local Bus Scene is more like the off-topic chat section.
25.00%
Votes 2
I don't want sub-forums to be used - have all child forums displayed on the forum index.
75.00%
Votes 6
 
Total 8 vote(s) 100%
Dan

Site Administrator

18,100
22 Aug 2013, 6:15 pm #1
Not as such an update, just a work in progress and we'd like to know your opinions. That's why I've put it in here instead. Wink

I am a huge fan of sub-forums because I like things to be organised and clean. A messy forum full of various child forums highly irritates me, and I find it incredibly non-user friendly - so much so, to the point where I feel it's an arduous task to even look at the forum nevermind post. However, others do not like sub-forums, and likely feel the same way as me, but for the opposite cause.

On the most recent update of myBB (our forum provider) it seems a little bug which cannot be fixed is present (which has already been noted in the 'Problems' section by a member). If multiple child forums hidden within a sub-forum have new posts, the little indicator does not show after you read the first one. As such, unless you click the sub-forum's title, you will not know whether there are new posts apart from the one you've already read or not. The only solution made the post indicator light up even if you were the one making the post. You essentially had to read your own post after leaving the thread.

A rather annoying bug to say the least, but I feel members can adapt (or likely have adapted) to this to ensure they have always read every post within a sub-forum.

What's the difference between a forum, a sub-forum and a child forum? See below.

A forum:
http://d.pr/i/jV2d

A sub-forum:
http://d.pr/i/sYPN

And finally, a sub-forum holds child forums:
http://d.pr/i/51U5

Without a sub-forum, the three child forums held within 'off-topic chat and useful & informative links' would be displayed on the forum index, under 'the canteen'. Imagine them being below, rather than having the two sub-forums present instead:
http://d.pr/i/QHXG

This would then enlarge the forum index and make it look even bigger, and potentially make the forum look a lot 'messier' or 'cluttered' too.
Would we prefer having a messy/cluttered forum, or an organised forum which can cause inconvenience owing to the additional clicking required? Both ways aren't the most user-friendly of options, but you only have two options - have sub-forums, or don't have them.

You will already notice that we have removed the sub-forums from the Local Bus Scene area, an area we recently changed and received a lot of good feedback on. To avoid the forum being massively enlarged (as it did, by a further three rows), everything was made to be a little bit smaller. Some visually impaired (even if it is just to a remote degree) may find this offputting, and could potentially turn their backs on NEB - something we don't want.
The advantage of them being all on the forum index is that you needn't worry about missing a post if you haven't already adapted to clicking the sub-forum, but I can't help but feel it looks a lot messier.

Thoughts and opinions? Sub-forum or no sub-forum? Wink
Do help us out! There's a poll above if you've got a straight forward 'Yes' or 'No' answer rather than any additional feedback (of course you can do both, however!)
Dan
22 Aug 2013, 6:15 pm #1

Not as such an update, just a work in progress and we'd like to know your opinions. That's why I've put it in here instead. Wink

I am a huge fan of sub-forums because I like things to be organised and clean. A messy forum full of various child forums highly irritates me, and I find it incredibly non-user friendly - so much so, to the point where I feel it's an arduous task to even look at the forum nevermind post. However, others do not like sub-forums, and likely feel the same way as me, but for the opposite cause.

On the most recent update of myBB (our forum provider) it seems a little bug which cannot be fixed is present (which has already been noted in the 'Problems' section by a member). If multiple child forums hidden within a sub-forum have new posts, the little indicator does not show after you read the first one. As such, unless you click the sub-forum's title, you will not know whether there are new posts apart from the one you've already read or not. The only solution made the post indicator light up even if you were the one making the post. You essentially had to read your own post after leaving the thread.

A rather annoying bug to say the least, but I feel members can adapt (or likely have adapted) to this to ensure they have always read every post within a sub-forum.

What's the difference between a forum, a sub-forum and a child forum? See below.

A forum:
http://d.pr/i/jV2d

A sub-forum:
http://d.pr/i/sYPN

And finally, a sub-forum holds child forums:
http://d.pr/i/51U5

Without a sub-forum, the three child forums held within 'off-topic chat and useful & informative links' would be displayed on the forum index, under 'the canteen'. Imagine them being below, rather than having the two sub-forums present instead:
http://d.pr/i/QHXG

This would then enlarge the forum index and make it look even bigger, and potentially make the forum look a lot 'messier' or 'cluttered' too.
Would we prefer having a messy/cluttered forum, or an organised forum which can cause inconvenience owing to the additional clicking required? Both ways aren't the most user-friendly of options, but you only have two options - have sub-forums, or don't have them.

You will already notice that we have removed the sub-forums from the Local Bus Scene area, an area we recently changed and received a lot of good feedback on. To avoid the forum being massively enlarged (as it did, by a further three rows), everything was made to be a little bit smaller. Some visually impaired (even if it is just to a remote degree) may find this offputting, and could potentially turn their backs on NEB - something we don't want.
The advantage of them being all on the forum index is that you needn't worry about missing a post if you haven't already adapted to clicking the sub-forum, but I can't help but feel it looks a lot messier.

Thoughts and opinions? Sub-forum or no sub-forum? Wink
Do help us out! There's a poll above if you've got a straight forward 'Yes' or 'No' answer rather than any additional feedback (of course you can do both, however!)

tyresmoke



5,303
23 Aug 2013, 10:35 am #2
Have to say I prefer it the way it is now... If you're checking the forum in a limited time then going through a sub-forum to get to each operator forum just took that extra 30 seconds or so that you may not have when you've only got 4-5 min layover and you want to check up on what's happening :p

Forum Moderator   | Let us know if you have any issues

Service Manager, Coatham Connect

tyresmoke
23 Aug 2013, 10:35 am #2

Have to say I prefer it the way it is now... If you're checking the forum in a limited time then going through a sub-forum to get to each operator forum just took that extra 30 seconds or so that you may not have when you've only got 4-5 min layover and you want to check up on what's happening :p


Forum Moderator   | Let us know if you have any issues

Service Manager, Coatham Connect

Michael



19,145
23 Aug 2013, 10:48 am #3
I agree, i like it so its good i can see all the operators and not having to click it to see which one has a post.

Ooo Friend, Bus Friend.
Michael
23 Aug 2013, 10:48 am #3

I agree, i like it so its good i can see all the operators and not having to click it to see which one has a post.


Ooo Friend, Bus Friend.

gtom

Banned

1,316
23 Aug 2013, 12:41 pm #4
I'm in the 'leave it' camp
gtom
23 Aug 2013, 12:41 pm #4

I'm in the 'leave it' camp

MrFozz

Marxista Fozzski

5,562
23 Aug 2013, 10:33 pm #5
(22 Aug 2013, 6:15 pm)Daniel Not as such an update, just a work in progress and we'd like to know your opinions. That's why I've put it in here instead. Wink

I am a huge fan of sub-forums because I like things to be organised and clean. A messy forum full of various child forums highly irritates me, and I find it incredibly non-user friendly - so much so, to the point where I feel it's an arduous task to even look at the forum nevermind post. However, others do not like sub-forums, and likely feel the same way as me, but for the opposite cause.

On the most recent update of myBB (our forum provider) it seems a little bug which cannot be fixed is present (which has already been noted in the 'Problems' section by a member). If multiple child forums hidden within a sub-forum have new posts, the little indicator does not show after you read the first one. As such, unless you click the sub-forum's title, you will not know whether there are new posts apart from the one you've already read or not. The only solution made the post indicator light up even if you were the one making the post. You essentially had to read your own post after leaving the thread.

A rather annoying bug to say the least, but I feel members can adapt (or likely have adapted) to this to ensure they have always read every post within a sub-forum.

What's the difference between a forum, a sub-forum and a child forum? See below.

A forum:
http://d.pr/i/jV2d

A sub-forum:
http://d.pr/i/sYPN

And finally, a sub-forum holds child forums:
http://d.pr/i/51U5

Without a sub-forum, the three child forums held within 'off-topic chat and useful & informative links' would be displayed on the forum index, under 'the canteen'. Imagine them being below, rather than having the two sub-forums present instead:
http://d.pr/i/QHXG

This would then enlarge the forum index and make it look even bigger, and potentially make the forum look a lot 'messier' or 'cluttered' too.
Would we prefer having a messy/cluttered forum, or an organised forum which can cause inconvenience owing to the additional clicking required? Both ways aren't the most user-friendly of options, but you only have two options - have sub-forums, or don't have them.

You will already notice that we have removed the sub-forums from the Local Bus Scene area, an area we recently changed and received a lot of good feedback on. To avoid the forum being massively enlarged (as it did, by a further three rows), everything was made to be a little bit smaller. Some visually impaired (even if it is just to a remote degree) may find this offputting, and could potentially turn their backs on NEB - something we don't want.
The advantage of them being all on the forum index is that you needn't worry about missing a post if you haven't already adapted to clicking the sub-forum, but I can't help but feel it looks a lot messier.

Thoughts and opinions? Sub-forum or no sub-forum? Wink
Do help us out! There's a poll above if you've got a straight forward 'Yes' or 'No' answer rather than any additional feedback (of course you can do both, however!)

There's 5 minutes of my life I will never get back, I didn't understand that at all...

In the 'if it ain't broke, don't try fixing it' camp
MrFozz
23 Aug 2013, 10:33 pm #5

(22 Aug 2013, 6:15 pm)Daniel Not as such an update, just a work in progress and we'd like to know your opinions. That's why I've put it in here instead. Wink

I am a huge fan of sub-forums because I like things to be organised and clean. A messy forum full of various child forums highly irritates me, and I find it incredibly non-user friendly - so much so, to the point where I feel it's an arduous task to even look at the forum nevermind post. However, others do not like sub-forums, and likely feel the same way as me, but for the opposite cause.

On the most recent update of myBB (our forum provider) it seems a little bug which cannot be fixed is present (which has already been noted in the 'Problems' section by a member). If multiple child forums hidden within a sub-forum have new posts, the little indicator does not show after you read the first one. As such, unless you click the sub-forum's title, you will not know whether there are new posts apart from the one you've already read or not. The only solution made the post indicator light up even if you were the one making the post. You essentially had to read your own post after leaving the thread.

A rather annoying bug to say the least, but I feel members can adapt (or likely have adapted) to this to ensure they have always read every post within a sub-forum.

What's the difference between a forum, a sub-forum and a child forum? See below.

A forum:
http://d.pr/i/jV2d

A sub-forum:
http://d.pr/i/sYPN

And finally, a sub-forum holds child forums:
http://d.pr/i/51U5

Without a sub-forum, the three child forums held within 'off-topic chat and useful & informative links' would be displayed on the forum index, under 'the canteen'. Imagine them being below, rather than having the two sub-forums present instead:
http://d.pr/i/QHXG

This would then enlarge the forum index and make it look even bigger, and potentially make the forum look a lot 'messier' or 'cluttered' too.
Would we prefer having a messy/cluttered forum, or an organised forum which can cause inconvenience owing to the additional clicking required? Both ways aren't the most user-friendly of options, but you only have two options - have sub-forums, or don't have them.

You will already notice that we have removed the sub-forums from the Local Bus Scene area, an area we recently changed and received a lot of good feedback on. To avoid the forum being massively enlarged (as it did, by a further three rows), everything was made to be a little bit smaller. Some visually impaired (even if it is just to a remote degree) may find this offputting, and could potentially turn their backs on NEB - something we don't want.
The advantage of them being all on the forum index is that you needn't worry about missing a post if you haven't already adapted to clicking the sub-forum, but I can't help but feel it looks a lot messier.

Thoughts and opinions? Sub-forum or no sub-forum? Wink
Do help us out! There's a poll above if you've got a straight forward 'Yes' or 'No' answer rather than any additional feedback (of course you can do both, however!)

There's 5 minutes of my life I will never get back, I didn't understand that at all...

In the 'if it ain't broke, don't try fixing it' camp

Dan

Site Administrator

18,100
23 Aug 2013, 10:37 pm #6
Haha, don't worry. The current format has grown on me since I made a few changes.
I'm not keen on changes at all, but we said we would go for the majority decision on keeping sub forums or ditching them. We are going for the latter
Dan
23 Aug 2013, 10:37 pm #6

Haha, don't worry. The current format has grown on me since I made a few changes.
I'm not keen on changes at all, but we said we would go for the majority decision on keeping sub forums or ditching them. We are going for the latter

 
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