Frogboy Frogboy

Message board expansion

Message board expansion

Many tech sites have sprung up over the past couple of years.

And some of them have excellent message boards which I enjoy participating in. But at the same time, they always seem to attract a certain demographic of user that may not appeal to all people.

What I was wondering is, would there be any interest here in expanding the WinCustomize message boards to be much more useful as a larger discussion venue?

Or would you prefer to keep it the way it is where it's more of a smaller venue?

Either way is fine. The reason I ask is purely from personal experience, I like to be able to talk about software and technology based on merits and not whether it's free or cheap (example: I use Photoshop and Corel Draw, I don't like being yelled at for not going with a free solution or with PSP. I see that tendancy quite regularly where if it's not free, it's evil and I tend to value time over monetary cost).

I wrote an article on this actually:
https://www.joeuser.com/Articles/Timevs.Money.html
18,843 views 81 replies
Reply #26 Top
/me rubs temples..

For people who like it all as one big section you stil would have that with the [All forums] area.

What we are talking about is nothing like deviantART's system.

Stay with me here:
Imagine if the posts on this message board, right now, could be cagtegorized. Right now we could do that. The message board would look the same but we could classify things as "Tech" or "Skinning" or "General".

Now, imagine if you gave users the option to have the message board display ONLY the messages that are classified as Tech.

In the system we're talking about, the message board sections are just hard-coded SQL queries where it grabs messages that are ofa certain topic.

I personally like this because if I just want to look at everything, I still can from a single place (like now). But I can also go and find things much easier by going to the specific "section".
Reply #27 Top
That sounds ok, as you still have the option to have it the way it is. Your the Man.

Powered by SkinBrowser!
Reply #28 Top
thats a great idea, just a way to catagorize what we are all talking about, some of us can be offly confusing at times
Reply #29 Top
Yes if i can keep it the way i wish through customization, then yeah that would be a cool idea, but what about images and icons? I say Nay on pictures and Yay on User Icons(50x50)

Powered by SkinBrowser!
Reply #30 Top
How would you get newbies to post in the correct section? Or are you saying the site would catagorize a thread?
Reply #31 Top
I love Frogboy's idea and I also love the user icon idea!!

Powered by SkinBrowser!
Reply #32 Top
OK...so if the sections are nothing more than a filtration process...not a problem...particularly if it's optional as well...
Reply #33 Top
If it's not broke don't fix (sure everyone has heard that)
I think the way it is right now is the Bestest...
Reply #35 Top
I say split the board into just two sections:

Part 1: General
Part 2: Help
Reply #36 Top
I agree with Jobeleca, 'General' for the main discussions of the day and 'Help' for skinning questions etc. etc. etc.

Maybe Brad can try a few changes and save the 'old way' if the 'new way' doesn't gel. Change can be good...guess we'll wait and see.

Powered by SkinBrowser!
Reply #37 Top
NO ICONS
The reason I don't frequent DA boards is because it takes forever for the stupid icons to load. (56k handicapped) >

Along the same lines I would like a version of the site that used a minimum of graphics. The previews could stay but the rest... The differant skins look great but, well see above comment.

More then anything I would like to be able to edit my posts.

I would go with about three differant sections.
Reply #38 Top
"General" and "Help" categories in the same Message Board is fine!
The Sorting is missing!

With the explorer option of sort them out by date or Category or by messages the user have post an answer to a thread it will be great! (User Posts ?)

Also the option to find out if someone have wrote something which includes "key words" that any user can specify in their "Edit Account", for example their name, their interestings e.t.c. That will be GREAT!
Reply #39 Top
i think i spend to much time on this board, so making it better is GOOD

the ability to see just threads of one type is nice.

presuming 4 groups "general", "technical", "skinning", "help"

i would like to say "show me all posts in one list, except for the help ones" for the days i don't want to be helpful

keeping the categories clear, simple, and not to many sounds like the key to success.
Reply #40 Top
"html support"

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE can we have some more crayons???

/me promises to be good if we can

given the selection of background colours, how about just 3 alternate fixed "colours"?

they will be different on different backgrounds so they still show up.

this lets you have a conversation with yourself SO much more easily!
Reply #41 Top
another request:

for *LONG* threads, can we have a way of viewing them a "page" at a time?

i am thinking the same way the libraries display 2000 WB skins, x at a time

this is one of the reasons i dint use the skin browser for the message board. when i need to check the last 100 posts in the marathon thread, i can do this in IE, but last time i checked there is no way of doing this in the SB.

threads that pass 200 posts aren't all that uncommon, and by this point, loading them as a single page in IE starts to get painful.

i am presuming that at a basic level you can say to SQL, give me post numbers 1 to 100 from thread 45678, and then this can be rendered into a page.

obviously the next and previous buttons need to be produced, but i am hoping the underlying structure already supports these ideas.
Reply #42 Top
hehe kitty kat
well hopefully if you divide the board up (like everywhere else) just make a chit chat section or I'll be lost for sures (but I still think it's perfect the way it is)
Reply #43 Top
/me was tempted to suggest a "chocolate" section

personally a "i just want to talk" section sounds ideal to me, but i do appreciate the point about getting lost in to many sections.

just so long as there is a "show me everything" view easily available, everyone should be happy

*dracoform* wonders. if Doreen was totally lost, would this mean she wouldn't be able to leave?

*dracoform* thinks seeing more of Doreen around here would be good
Reply #44 Top
see now we already have several sections! chit chat, tech talk, help me's, and chocolate... for sure I'll get lost
I've always liked msg boards like this one better (hate when you have to dive and seek all over the place to find stuff) the way it is now you can see everything right in front of your face, but everywhere you go it seems they are catagorizing the threads.
But I probably need to stop being such a creature of habit and get used to the changes
Reply #45 Top
Doreen, they are talking about having a "see everything" view, just like it is now!

that way, no groups, so no getting lost
Reply #46 Top
Yea, basically you'd have different categories like some of the other sites already have:

[General Discussion]
[Customization Software]
[Skins, Themes, & Icon Discussion]
[Skin/Theme Design]
[Hardware]
[Technolo
by Vagrant Frogboy - 12/1/2002 1:30:38 AM

sorry feline me only read as far as that and thought "Oh no here it comes" hehe
Reply #47 Top
Grrr, I hate it when board topics get too specific, it drives down traffic something fierce.

KISS !!!

* General
* Help
Reply #48 Top
Hit me, but I like Neowin's structure. WC has not to be so specific as NW is, but the categories mentionted above would really be nice. *ducks*

Powered by SkinBrowser!
Reply #49 Top
*casual whack*

hush you

Powered by SkinBrowser!
Reply #50 Top
personally i think a FEW well chosen categories would make this place easier to live in.

however, any more than say 5 (at most) and you are likely to get overlap and confusion.

so long as they are clear, and there is a "general, anything goes" place this should be fine.

also, a "show me everything" view for just roaming means everyone can be happy!!!


/me decides not to hit c242

would you settle for a tickle instead?