Vague Suggestion

[Fiona1986]

I agree that, like Julie, for me another non-techy, the board is just right and I wouldn't want many more embellishments, but if those who access it from their phones feel the need for some alteration, I would accept it. I suppose it isn't possible to have something whereby those who access on phones can have the upgrade, leaving the forum as it stands on a PC? I guess that's asking a bit much though!

The phone site will be a separate version only accessed if you're using a phone.

[Daisy]

Thanks Fiona. I hadn't realised that. Julie will be pleased too I imagine!

[Eddie Muir]

Thanks Fiona. I hadn't realised that. Julie will be pleased too I imagine!

I'm pleased too!

[Moonraker]

Why would you want to "thank" a post? I have always wanted a "Dislike" option on Facebook. I would use that far more than I use the "Like" button! I'm with the rest of the pensioners on this one, folks!

[Julie2owlsdene]

I'm with the rest of the pensioners on this one, folks!

Someone pass me a brandy quick, I'm in shock. Moonraker has actually agreed with something I've said!!

[Ming]

I have always wanted a "Dislike" option on Facebook.

15 friends dislike your profile picture. Doesn't sound very appealing now, does it?

[70s-child]

I think either last year, or in 2010, they did experiment with a 'meh' icon; but there were too many protests, so they withdrew it.

[Keith Robinson]

Looks like opinion is divided over the "LIKE" function. Suits me; it'd be a lot of work to install. I'd need a definitive and resounding "PLEASE DO IT!" to take on a task like that.

Just for kicks, I've been playing around with the mobile version of the site. It's extremely fiddly to mess with; all I can really do is remove all the styles and formatting and add back some custom styles to make certain things disappear or look bigger and so on. Some of it looks messy and other bits look neat, but I could probably fix it all up if you agreed that it was worth continuing with.

So take a look. Load the website on your phone as normal and navigate to the forums, and the forums should automatically switch to "mobile mode." You can browse around and see if, potentially, it's easier to use or worse.

You can also navigate from there back to a mobile version of the website home page, which IS better even though I only have the Secret Messages in place at the moment. (A quick link to the mobile version of the home page is http://m.enidblytonsociety.co.uk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; for those want to bookmark it.)

[Fiona1986]

Just for kicks, I've been playing around with the mobile version of the site...

So take a look. Load the website on your phone as normal and navigate to the forums, and the forums should automatically switch to "mobile mode." You can browse around and see if, potentially, it's easier to use or worse.

I will make sure to do that tomorrow when I've got a minute.

[Moonraker]

Just had a quick look and it looks fantastic, Keith! Just what I wished for! Please accept my definitive and resounding "PLEASE DO IT!"

[Fatty]

Why would you want to "thank" a post?

To show appreciation? I've come across some informative, well-reasoned posts that were a treat to read, but I seldom add a 'thank you' because that would only add to the clutter - and send an alert to those subscribed to the post. I often get many such 'false alarms' (updates that add no value to the discussion) and have felt peeved. A thanks option would eliminate this. It's not critical of course; I only brought it up in the context of being able to acknowledge a clever entry in the caption contest without derailing the thread.

I have always wanted a "Dislike" option on Facebook. I would use that far more than I use the "Like" button!

Be careful what you wish for! He who lives by the sword...

I'm with the rest of the pensioners on this one, folks!

The pensioners have nothing to worry about. We discussed three new features: adding a thanks option, a mouse-over preview, and a mobile version. The first of these is inconspicuous and can be easily ignored. For instance, there has been a 'report this post' button for ages now; yet how many of us has ever used it or been bothered by it? I wouldn't be surprised if there are people who have never even noticed it. The second suggestion doesn't affect the site layout at all and is more useful if you're using your phone. The third will be noticed only if you log in using a mobile phone! And I'm sure any pensioners who do so will only appreciate the large font, clutter-free layout and linear navigation.

[Fatty]

Just had a quick look and it looks fantastic, Keith! Just what I wished for! Please accept my definitive and resounding "PLEASE DO IT!"

What you need there, Moonraker, is a 'thanks' button. *straight face*

Excellent work, Keith. It looks fine to me too, though as you said some tweaks might improve navigation. One thing that stood out is that a person's signature is run-on with their main post and in the same typeface. By way of example:

So here's the first Blyton one, can you guess the phrase?

4c + 1d = TFF
"It's the ash! It's falling!" yelled Julian, almost startling Dick out of his wits...
"Listen to its terrible groans and creaks!" yelled Julian, almost beside himself with impatience.

The Famous Five?
"You're so sharp you'll cut yourself one day!" Hunchy said going to the door
"So my Mother told me that when I was two years old!" said Julian and the others giggled.

A line separator or a smaller font (or ideally both) would help to make the page neater. Signatures could even be disabled in the mobile version. The examples above are fine, but I've seen some annoyingly long signatures that often include flashing images (animated GIFs, perhaps) and I don't know how these would be rendered in the mobile version.

Another suggestion is the inclusion of a 'quick reply' box at the bottom of the page. The quote-and-reply link is there above each post, but an easily accessible quick reply text box at the end would help reduce clutter further - since people may not be as tempted to quote whole blocks of text by default.

A minor point is that the quote-and-reply link is right below the 'report this post' link, which can lead to accidents. I have never reported a post, so I don't know if it asks for confirmation ('are you sure?'). If it does, no worries.

[Ming]

I would LOVE a mobile version - both for the site and the forums, as these days I am frequently limited to my phone only to access emails, Facebook, and other sites, due to lack of time. The reason I'm able to properly log into the forums today after 3 days, I think, was because at night I was far too exhausted to turn on the computer, and I could only go so far with accessing the forums on the phone. It took ages to load, some posts were 'I agree' or a smilie, and it really annoyed me.

I don't care much for a thanks/like option - there's more than enough of it on Facebook. I know sometimes the 'popularity' of certain people deters me from saying what I might normally say, and I wouldn't want that to happen on the forums. For example, I once wrote: Made it to WSDC! (a simplified version, it included a short anecdote) and it got over 60 likes (a milestone!!!). A classmate copied my anecdote saying something like I might not have fulfilled my dream but I am a kick-*** driver. While he acknowledged he didn't mean offense to 'anyone' it was directed absolutely at me and that got over a 100 likes - and it put me off from putting any more updates about achievements, etc in the future. It's the sort of problem that might very well occur here if we added a like option - I'm not implying anyone here is going to be that stupid or insensitive but the potential for abuse exists.

So of the three issues discussed, the like option is a resounding no but the preview and mobile versions get a resounding 'yes' from me!

[Fatty]

So of the three issues discussed, the like option is a resounding no but the preview and mobile versions get a resounding 'yes' from me!

The 'thanks' option is rather different from the 'like' option. The latter is very woolly and almost any situation can be 'liked'. I have seen likes for FB status updates such as "my dog died" or "flunked my exam", which indicates that hardly anybody takes it seriously anymore. 'Thanks' is more specific. If you mention your academic achievements, one can't very well thank you for it! But they *can* thank you if you posted on (say) the school system in your country, or answered a question someone asked about a certain book. The number of thanks against a person's name would indicate how useful his/her contributions are to the forum, as against the sheer number of posts. Ideally this option should be available only on 'serious' threads; the Games section has no need for it.

That's *except* in the special case of the caption contest, which was why the matter came up. It wasn't proposed to introduce it across the forum, so I think you can breathe easy! Especially since Keith has hinted the modifications will involve a bit of effort.

[Fiona1986]

I like the mobile version but like Fatty, I have a few minor suggestions.

I agree that signatures need to be separated or just hidden altogether. I also wonder if the users details which appear under the post (post count rave character etc) could be hidden perhaps with a 'see more' button in case any ones desperate to read it.

I couldn't figure out how to reply for a good minute, until I realised the reply with quote was Above the last post. Is there a regular reply button somewhere and I just haven't noticed?

What I particularly like is the layout, now it fits everything on my screen at a readable size without the need to zoom or scroll. It's also a great deal faster to load!