FORUM FORMAT - FEEDBACK REQUESTED

Update:

OK!

New replies will be forced flat - i.e., they'll appear at the bottom of the thread, chronologically.

Existing threads and existing comments will continue in their original threaded form.

Please let me know how your experience is.

DO NOTE: The "quote" feature will likely become more valuable to keep replies in context.

 

Hello!

Recently, the forum has been altered to eliminate the width issues seen with general forum viewing and, especially, replies.

I'd like to ask the forum in general about another proposed change:

Currently, replies to a post, or a reply to a reply, are nested underneath the "node" that was replied to - so we see a structure like this:

  • Original Post
    • Comment 1
    • Comment 2
      • Comment 3
        • Comment 5
    • Comment 4

This is generally different from a good portion of other forum post styles, where replies to an original post are simply listed in chronological order.

  • Original Post
  • Comment 1
  • Comment 2
  • ....Comment 5

The current setup was a bit handy before "quoting" was working correctly, but that has since been fixed.

I'd propose eliminating the nesting replies in favor of a flat structure of chronological replies, meaning users would generally make more use of the Quote function to specifically call out something up-thread.

I believe this matches more the configuration of most forums around the net, and the majority of forums that are RPG focused, at that.

I do not know as of yet if I'll be able to fully convert existing threads to the new "flat-chronological" style, however.

Please let me know if you feel strongly either way on the issue. 

Thanks!

 

This would make new posts easier to find, but older threads without actual quoting definitely want to keep the nested replies if possible.

I'm in favor of this change.

+1 for chronological. Keeping track of nested replies can be challenging at times.

I’m in favor.

Sounds good

I don't mind chronological, but it's less urgent if the right side of the screen stays available.  I don't mind nested either, and Reddit for one shows it's not illegitimate, it's more a force of habit that people get used to.  I don't fully understand why you'd choose to lose functionality; it'd be easy enough in, say, a hypothetical pbp thread to just ask people to post in the bottom box to keep to a strict chronology.

[quote="witness"]

This would make new posts easier to find, but older threads without actual quoting definitely want to keep the nested replies if possible.

[/quote]

I go farther than this; I use those old threads!  Search is a useful function when someone's already asked and answered a question.  Turning those threads into noise that needs reinterpreted should be a deal-breaker for what's essentially an aesthetic question.

I like the change - it'll be easier to find new posts and keep up as a casual forum user.

I for one love nested comments and will fight to the death for them. Well, maybe not the death. But certainly, I will fight to the mild bruising! 

Chronological for me, particularly for longer, multi-page threads.

I strongly prefer chronological over nested.

Chronological is WAY easier to follow for me than nested.

Chronological would be much easier to follow than nested, I think.

Are you going to make it physically impossible to nest new posts? Or will we simply be on the honour system? (If the latter, I predict many violations.)

DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR

[quote="GMJoe"]

Chronological would be much easier to follow than nested, I think.

Are you going to make it physically impossible to nest new posts? Or will we simply be on the honour system? (If the latter, I predict many violations.)

[/quote]

It's a change in how the posts are stored in the database - so:

  • Old posts will remain in their current state, however, the indentation will disappear.
  • All new posts will be chronologically ordered.

So, Susan won't have to go around axing folks to repost.

 

 

[quote="koewn-admin"] It's a change in how the posts are stored in the database - so:

  • Old posts will remain in their current state, however, the indentation will disappear.
  • All new posts will be chronologically ordered.

So, Susan won't have to go around axing folks to repost. [/quote]

That completely addresses my only objection. By all means, please make it so!

OK. So, after a full week, we have

  • 11 replies in favor
  • 1 reply lightly disfavoring
  • 1 reply offering to take this out behind the woodshed, which I expect counts for 2 disfavors at least

...which seems like as much as we're gonna get.

I will post back here before possible implementation.

I'll put in my voice for chronological, as well.

Please see update at top.

[quote="GMJoe"]

 

It's a change in how the posts are stored in the database - so:

 

  • Old posts will remain in their current state, however, the indentation will disappear.
  • All new posts will be chronologically ordered.

So, Susan won't have to go around axing folks to repost.


-koewn-admin

 

That completely addresses my only objection. By all means, please make it so!

[/quote]

And, as proof of concept, I hit "quote" to reply to this, and it's at the bottom!