For this exercise, set aside all design and technical constraints... Give me a short list:

5 things you like about the existing forum

5 things you don't like about the existing forum

5 things you would like to be able to do on the forum

Critt

-- Anonymous, June 01, 1999

Answers

Gotta "thunk" on it a spell. Will get back.

Diane

-- Anonymous, June 01, 1999

5 of each e gads. Unfortunately the things I don't like are in the greenspun system ie, not having a new window come up when you post a message. That way one can refferance the thread you are responding to. That is my biggest peve at the moment. Going to talk to phil about that.

Actually Critt it amazes me that with all the computer folk that have gone through the forum that they have not played around with the board much. I have never seen anyone other than myself put up a background Not many put on images

  And these are just the simple things that people can do! Wouldn't and image map of the world be interesting to set up with links to other countries forums?

Just kind of spewing things out here as lists past 2 entries confuses me.

some thoughts

-- Anonymous, June 01, 1999

In no particular catagoric order:

1) would like to see original date posted on the question, as well as the last updated (in BOTH Recent Answers and main)

2) would like to be able to see what the formatting looks like without having to post and curse. and re-post.

3) Would like to seee the heirarchy on the answers (much like I stumbled onto here and can't figure out how I got there to go back) but with the poster's name on the entry.

4) Second the separate window idea. (BTW BRIAN go check out Fruitcake I "Know your fruitcake, not for the serious" to see IMAGES!!)

5) I'll be the first of thousands- Search engine and spell checker, since the window is in the control of the web site and not the OS here. eg, WIN can not auto spell check like it can in my e-mail app.

6) I actually do like the options of chronological posting order and recent answer chronology.

7) LIKE the way it DOES parse HTML (though I have been crossed up a bit).

chuck

-- Anonymous, June 01, 1999

Love = the people and topics discussed. Nuff said. Makes all the following worth digging through.

Love = can see all previous answers at one time = don't have to re-open a new web link and page for each different response to go "up" or "down" the thread.

Love = simple to "cut and paste" (while making an answer) from the original question while making an answer

Dislike = can't see, or cut and paste, or review, the "last answer" (most important) or (previous answer(s) (less important) while making a new answer. It would be "real nice" to see (or re-preview) previous answers while writing a new answer.

Love = simple to review past threads, if they are in the current list

Fix - (1) - allow user to "tag" thread with a topic flag while reviewing. list of tags could be from selection list - to make "search by" later easier. Store in "cookies" by user? Store in database for all to access? Okay if "subject" were limited to one word - might keep things easier for the user by forcing a discipline on him. like the spellcheck dictionaries - create subject.ini cookie in the "cookies" directory.

Fix (2) - allow user to search threads from top level, in case, as often happens, the actual

Dislike - once the thread "slips off" the current list, or is not easily id'ed by title itself (requires "title" that can be recognized using ctrl+f find engine) then it is hard to find a previous thread. the topics can only be searched - even if title is known - by changing to each topic individually, then ctrl + f again and again and again. Very tedious - and assumes that the "searched phrase" is actually correct!

Dislike - can't tell which "topic" the originator used to allow searching later.

Fix 91) - add originator and topic to header list.

Fix (2) - allow user (or limit to sysop ?; limit to "master user" ?) to change topic; if none was assigned orginally; re-assign if wrong on e was assigned originally.

Dislike - no "links" available at the top of the header page.

Fix - If 4-5 (8-9 ? maybe too easy to get too many!) links were up there - then "newbies" can be given a FAQ's, "hints to newbies" links to "prep's thread, etc. Once easily found, "always there" link is there in a consistent place, then the called thread can direct them to the subordinate threads as needed, and as currently done.

Hate - difficult to spell check.

Dislike - If giving a new answer, can't "pause" (save "interim result" without submitting) the reply while looking for informtion, or gong back, going to a different application, etc. Means that the effort in the first few paragraphs entered gets lost, can't be recovered, has to be re-typed.

Like - "Recent Answers" group is great! It almost makes "live" discussions possible. Dislike - "Recent Answers" group doesn't list submitter's name.

Fix (1) The top level has this included after the thread title, but it is deleted in Recent Answers. Knowing who submitted a question can tell me whether it is worth answering.

Fix (2) knowing who submitted the "last answer" tells whether I want to continue. Now, only time is given. yes - this will make the "title" longer - so what?

Dislike - Can't "Sort by" and select only a topic without returning to Top Level.

Fix - Easier if Topics group could be accessed from the top of recent Answers as well as Top Level. (Not a major gripe, not even a minor gripe or a sergeant's gripe, just a nice-to-have.)

Dislike - Can't sort by: submitter_id, answered_by_id. Example - I now "George" gave an answer severalweeks ago in thread about nuclear fallout - can't find the thread: don't remeber the "title" - if it were important anyway, by topic (if it were assigned at all - which is doubtful), or by "subject word" assigned = "nuclear" or "fallout"

-- Anonymous, June 01, 1999

Brian,

(For Dieter)

Some of us are animated graphics challenged. I only know one, not- so-good gif source. (Though I have looked).

Diane

-- Anonymous, June 01, 1999

Chuck, on your #3...

3) Would like to seee the heirarchy on the answers (much like I stumbled onto here and can't figure out how I got there to go back) but with the poster's name on the entry.

Near as I can tell in the admin stuff this is (or is not) it...

How Threads are Presented

Whenever postings are displayed in a "one line summary" form, you can choose to have this server add email address, name, and/or posting date to each line in the summary.

Subject Line Suffix:
(legal values are blank, "name", "email", "date", separated by spaces)

Q&A threads are presented as a list. You can choose either

Oldest on top
Newest on top

...and only works on the Top Level page. (i.e. no poster names available in Recent Answers)

Diane

-- Anonymous, June 01, 1999

Well gosh-gee-whiz Diane - I knew it couldn't be done as-is, of course these would require tweaking. (Speaking as a inverbrate software tweaker-requirer from ever since I didn't like the way Dbase II arranged things.) Fixing things "the first time" so the users can't use it "right" is how programmers make money with revisions!

-- Anonymous, June 01, 1999

Robert... I was hoping for a magic button!

;-(

5 things you like about the existing forum:

 Feels clean in format
 Used to it now, so it works
 Openness of opinions
 Most people
 Simple

5 things you don't like about the existing forum:

 No SEARCH ENGINE!!!  No FAQs on Y2K  No HOW TO POST instructions for newbies  No Prep Checklists  No Start Here instructions for newcomers

5 things you would like to be able to do on the forum:

 SEARCH THE ARCHIVES!!! (*Sigh*)
 Recommended Key Y2k topics to discuss
 Best-of-the-best Threads
 Best-of-the-best Links
 Ask... Robert, or Kevin or Diane or PNG, etc. (a regulars Forum skill set page or heres someone you can psot a question to... Help Area for newcomers?)

-- Anonymous, June 01, 1999

hmm...well you folks have already covered most of the good ones

guess I need to go think some more.

Arlin

-- Anonymous, June 01, 1999

Idea:

An e-mail prep newsletter compiled weekly from posted suggestions?

Diane

-- Anonymous, June 03, 1999

See subject heading above (sheesh!)

Brian wrote "And these are just the simple things that people can do!"

Simple for one is not always simple for another.

(Signed) HTML nudnik

First submitted this leaving the subject line blank. Figured, I'm posting a reply on a thread, system will know what thread I'm replying to. Turns out system is dumber than I thought. It used to know, but now it doesn't. Now I get the message

We had a problem inserting your message: You need to type a subject line. Please back up using your browser, correct it, and resubmit your form.

So either I change the subject in my reply posting, or type out the subject of the thread I'm replying to. Seems like an unnecessary complication.

"If society were rational, men, not women, would be riding sidesaddle." (Anon.)

-- Anonymous, June 06, 1999

Tom are you still coming in on the "Threads only" vision?

Humm. Totally weird.

I'll try connecting with Phil Greenspun tomorrow.

Diane

-- Anonymous, June 06, 1999

I'm opening a prototype site by 6pm Thursday. Access limited to this forum for tweaking...

Critt

-- Anonymous, June 09, 1999