Feedback: Forum Software - Version 3.7.0

[NightWish]

The forum has just been through a major version step change, at least in terms of vBulletin versions. If you want to know more about the changes that Jelsoft made, please read the mostly re-written FAQ or check their forum. If you notice any problems following the change please let us know; I believe the styles have all been brought up to date, but bugs are always possible.

Note: that we've not decided precisely which features from the new version AnimeSuki will keep, so please bear with us in the following months.

Please feel free to discuss / react to the new features in this thread.

[TinyRedLeaf]

Since the administrators/moderators have not created a feedback thread for the new View Profile interface, I'll go ahead and start the ball rolling.

On first impression, I dislike it. I prefer the old interface where I can see all the essential fields in a single page. Now I have to click on various tabs to access the information I want to find about any given member, which seems like an unnecessary hassle. May I know the rationale for the new interface? If the old one ain't broke, why fix it?

However, I guess I'll get used to it with time, especially since the new interface brings previously neglected features to fore, such as the Profile Picture. I've never bothered to upload one before, but since it now takes up a prominent spot on the new page, I've added a picture immediately. Adding Friends, Albums, and Group Memberships on the right sidebar may also have the same effect. Well, I guess time and further feedback will tell.

[NightWish]

Originally Posted by The Small One

The most obvious chance seems to be those tags... can they onlybe set by a thread starter?

That is a configuration dependent option and will probably be tweaked over time. Right now anyone can add tags to existing threads, up to a point.

Originally Posted by The Small One

Though I don't really understand what this "Prefix"-thing is good for...

Have a look for some MFI threads I've just changed for an example use.

[KiNA]

Quite interesting change IMO..

Now if only the friend list add all my buddy list into it.. its would definitely be better

[NightWish]

Originally Posted by The Small One

I see the difference, though I'm not sure about the usefulness. Seems to be the same as post-icons, just in a text-form.

It is full HTML (hence the link in the MFI example) and can be used to search the forum; i.e. it is now possible to search within MFI series discussion threads. This will be more useful once we've worked out what prefixes we want to create.

Originally Posted by TinyRedLeaf

Since the administrators/moderators have not created a feedback thread for the new View Profile interface, I'll go ahead and start the ball rolling.

Actually, I did ... I've merged the thread.

Originally Posted by TinyRedLeaf

On first impression, I dislike it. I prefer the old interface where I can see all the essential fields in a single page. Now I have to click on various tabs to access the information I want to find about any given member, which seems like an unnecessary hassle. May I know the rationale for the new interface? If the old one ain't broke, why fix it?

I didn't like it either. I'm still not sure I am totally happy with it. However, it is not a change "we" (meaning the forum staff) made directly. It is part of the upgrade, so you would need to ask the people who developed the forum software what they were thinking.

Depending on the feedback we get from the community as a whole (not just a few voices, sorry) we may invest some time and effort in re-writing the style so the page looks more like it used to.

[Deathkillz]

I actually love the new profile format change (and I'm usually one of those who require time to adjust to new changes ).

Then there's the chat option...very cool

Edit: and has there been a change to the font sizes? They look different on the main page for some reason O.o

[Sorrow-K]

Tags are useless. Particularly in a forum like this one where most of the discussion takes place in pre-made threads dedicated to individual titles (mostly anime). Tags are pretty much meaningless in such threads. Nonetheless, if a thread title isn't meaningful enough that a reader doesn't know what the thread is about before clicking it, I can't see how tags will really help much with that anyway. The prefixes are pretty cool, though.

I'm not a fan of the new User Profiles. The way it's been designed makes me highly suspicious that VBulletin wants to jump on the "social networking" bandwagon, particularly with the prominence of things like "Albums" and "Social Groups", which I can't really see any point in. Maybe some people like the idea of a forum being a mini-Facebook, but personally I think it's a distraction from the public discussion which, IMO, is the lifeblood of a forum. People might find uses for such things down the line, but for now I'm advocating that if people want to post their artworks or images, they can post them in the appropriate threads where people can readily discuss them. If people want to draw attention to such things, that's what signatures are for.

Certainly, I really don't like the fact that my name will turn up in any User Profile I look at. I want people to know whose User Profiles I'm looking at just as much as I want to know who's looking at my profile... ie, not at all. I'm not big on the fact that my name will pretty much be burnt into any User Profile I so much as look at. I want to at least be able to click a "Submit" button before something that permanent gets recorded into the system for all to see.

The discussion option is interesting. I'm not sure if the discussions are private, but if they are, they could make PMs redundant.

At this stage, most of the changes get a tentative thumbs down from me, but we'll see how things pan out. The demand for such features hasn't been there, as far as I can tell, but maybe people will find uses for them yet.

[NightWish]

Originally Posted by Deathkillz

Edit: and has there been a change to the font sizes? They look different on the main page for some reason O.o

Not deliberate, though there were a lot of changes in the release so it is possible something got missed or altered inadvertently. If it becomes annoying and you can pin down what changed, we'll try to fix it.

Originally Posted by Sorrow-K

... VBulletin wants to jump on the "social networking" bandwagon

Very possibly. A lot of the visible changes are gloss. They do offer a "blog" add-on (which we have no plans to install) so the features might be an advertising carrot to dangle in front of those who want to follow such a path. I think I can safely say we have no intention of becoming yet another social network.

Originally Posted by Sorrow-K

...if people want to post their artworks or images, they can post them in the appropriate threads where people can readily discuss them.

Very true. They can do both too (upload and link in appropriate thread) but frankly we're not geared up to image hosting, other people do it better and faster. The only real use for it I have in mind at the moment is a way of officially capturing images that make up part of a contest entry, for things like the Signature of the Month contest (but that is all part of a feature that is a long long way off being implemented).

Originally Posted by Sorrow-K

Certainly, I really don't like the fact that my name will turn up in any User Profile I look at.

I have been wondering about that and about the extra meta-information now presented on profiles. I am considering an option to control access to profiles (for those who don't want them to appear on search engines), but it isn't active yet. All I can say is none of the settings are fixed or finalised; we reserve the right to change or remove any of them at some point in the future, so the whole visitor thing may simply be switched off it a comfortable balance cannot be found.

Originally Posted by Sorrow-K

The discussion option is interesting. I'm not sure if the discussions are private, but if they are, they could make PMs redundant.

On user profiles? Those are public I believe, though as I say I'm thinking about profile privacy and there may be options to alter the access to such content if it is kept at all.

[NeoSam]

To tell you the truth I love these tags, for example look at the light novels tag I added:
http://forums.animesuki.com/tags.php?tag=light+novels



A question >.< whose going to moderate these tags? if for example I add the tag: "seinen manga" or "shounen light novel" and some idiot with no knowledge removes it and changes it with: "shoujo manga" or "shoujo light novel" ? then obviously an edit war will start with these tags

Dengeki Bunko's light novels for example are aimed at teenage boys/men in their early twenties (shounen):
http://forums.animesuki.com/tags.php?tag=dengeki+bunko --> I can also add "shounen light novel" as a tag to these forums (which is true), but I didn't because of a possible edit war with idiots.

A different question >.<

What about those anime threads that are based on light novels, but don't have a thread for the light novels, should I also add the light novels tag to them too?

[KiNA]

You make me want to go around the forum and add ecchi tag to all ecchi series/title..

But I'm a lazy bastard

I guess any new series in unair section can have their genre added to their tag.. And maybe the current ones as well.. if anyone up for it >.<

[bayoab]

Add me to the list who wants most of the new social networking features disabled. Tags would be okay, but they are going to be abused/used for wasteful stuff.

Originally Posted by NeoSam

A question >.< whose going to moderate these tags? if for example I add the tag: "seinen manga" or "shounen light novel" and some idiot with no knowledge removes it and changes it with: "shoujo manga" or "shoujo light novel" ? then obviously an edit war will start with these tags

Actually, it looks like it would not lead to an edit war. It looks like random users cannot moderate random tags. I'm not sure who can and the vb help file was even less helpful.

(Is it thread starters? If so, this would make tags an even worse idea because a handful of users start the majority of series pages and people will start threads just so they could get moderation.).

Either way, your above statement exactly suggests the reason why you shouldn't be putting those in as tags.

[cyth]

Bug: Registration captcha image isn't displaying any alphanumerics.

[NightWish]

As I understand it, users can add 5 tags if they created the thread and 2 if they did not. A user can only remove tags they added. Forum staff can add and remove tags at will.

[SeedFreedom]

As mentioned by Sorrow-K, i think the biggest change i have a problem with is the names of people who looked at your profile tab. Besides that not really any major changes, but i would like to see the bookmarks and tags bar removed. Maybe even not so much the tags bar. I just fell its too much clutter at the bottom of the page.

Oh and just to make sure, visitors cant see your infractions/warnings right?

[Deathkillz]

Originally Posted by SeedFreedom

Oh and just to make sure, visitors cant see your infractions/warnings right?

Can you see someone else's?

For a straight answer, they can't

And I agree about the clutter. The bookmark is unnecessary (I don't know about others but I don't use bookmarks) and the tag are an extra. Would it be possible to move the bars to the top instead of having them at the bottom or better yet, have an option to display them or not for the user.

Also I don't have a screenshot proof, but the font sizes on the right on the main page is definitely bigger (and somewhat annoying becuse I'm not used to it yet ).

[mikoo]

wow upgrade!

i love the changes for public because it looks like the forum i used to be


i got something to ask.

could we customize profiles here, like changing background color in public profile like this?:

.

also, would the link to the private messages could be changed like this?:

[NightWish]

Originally Posted by Toua

Bug: Registration captcha image isn't displaying any alphanumerics.

Thanks. I've enabled an alternative while we re-think which of their "human verification" modes we're going to use long-term. Not sure why the image verification is broken, could be a library build issue; we've used an alternative for a while now but it doesn't seem to be working either despite it being fine when we tested the upgrade...

Originally Posted by mikoo

can I customize my profile

No. We decided to disabled this from the start, it is unlikely that we will enable it.

Originally Posted by mikoo

and will the link to private message be changed...

That, I believe, is already changed. You only get the menu if you have waiting events... If this isn't the case it is probably a bug and I need to look again at the forum style templates.

Originally Posted by SeedFreedom

i would like to see the bookmarks and tags bar removed.

It is likely the "social bookmarks" thing will be disabled (and thus removed). It may depend how much it gets used. Tags, I am less sure about. Both could be moved or altered so they take less space, or sit on a part of the page that does not get in the way.

[Rhyel]

The font size is a little bigger. Good for big monitors.

Bookmark to me is important, I have a small number of posts that always visit.

PS: New smiles would be welcome.

[NeoSam]

Originally Posted by bayoab

Add me to the list who wants most of the new social networking features disabled. Tags would be okay, but they are going to be abused/used for wasteful stuff.

Actually, it looks like it would not lead to an edit war. It looks like random users cannot moderate random tags. I'm not sure who can and the vb help file was even less helpful.

(Is it thread starters? If so, this would make tags an even worse idea because a handful of users start the majority of series pages and people will start threads just so they could get moderation.).

Either way, your above statement exactly suggests the reason why you shouldn't be putting those in as tags.

I'm going to keep away from adding these type of "demographic" tags (at least for now, maybe if a better way to handle these tags (enabling these tags to be locked for example, and not allowing more additions) then I won't have a problem with adding these type of tags).

But what about those that will add these type of "demographic" tags? for example, some user starts a thread for a manga called "Matsuri Special" (a shounen manga) and puts in the tags: "shoujo manga", what do we do then? I don't really care if he/she likes the manga or whatever, its not a shoujo manga.

[KiNA]

You already have subscribe feature.. bookmark is quite redundant..

Other then that, its kinda fun with all these new feature.. I doubt I use some of the stuff.. like the album feature..