Can I ask the administators?

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Member for

10 years 7 months

Posts: 188

We have a new format for the forum. The "new and brighter than white" seems to be the "new thing" in some of the fora I frequent. All that I can see is that it is less focussed and has more space than detail. Can I ask the mods to ask the administrators exactly what the upgrade was intended to provide? I suspect that any upgrade was in line with data harvesting for money generation with the image being a distraction. I would love to be proven wrong, but I won't hold my breath waiting for proof.

Original post

Member for

14 years

Posts: 1,788

And still no 'quote' function. Any chance of that coming back, since it's a basic feature on every other forum I use.

Member for

18 years 11 months

Posts: 8,847

Another post I believe from Admin, said that the update was necessary, in part to improve data security details. Nobody particularly likes change, but these days it is necessary and we must appreciate the efforts, usually behind the scenes, of our Admin team!

Member for

17 years 11 months

Posts: 2,024

And still no 'quote' function. Any chance of that coming back, since it's a basic feature on every other forum I use.

Yes that bit is a pain :)

Member for

19 years 7 months

Posts: 1,566

A quote function would be good - but I'm not having any problems with the new format. These sorts of sites have to change in line with technological changes so I suggest just get used to it. In 2 months we'll all have forgotten what the old forum was like.

Member for

10 years 8 months

Posts: 68

Must admit that I don't like the new format but I'm like that with all websites when they change and I do tend to get used to them over time so I'm sure I will with this one!

Member for

18 years 3 months

Posts: 2,025

We've already been told that the quote function was remove because we couldn't behave ourselves and repeatedly er, quoted things! as for the new format, it's a bit like going into a supermarket, and finding they have move everything around, just because they can; but always there is a perfectly good reason...…...

Member for

13 years

Posts: 422

As Admin of an aviation forum, I would like to say that not having a 'quote' facility here is a breath of fresh air. The 'quote' facility encourages nit-picking detailed arguments that easily turn nasty. Every banning I have had to do started with a multi-quote post detailing the tearing apart of a previous post - often of generalisations intended to be read as a whole, not as segments of sentences to be examined in forensic detail.

Those who are quoting to positively add substance to a previous statement seem to be happy to take the time to copy/paste and "--- " a quote the old fashioned way.

I do though note that a 'like' button has crept into the forum on this update. A feature I dislike as it tends to encourage short and flippant posts, the longer ones with lots of time taken to record detail and take a good read tend not to get a 'like' as by the time the reader has finished the 'like' button is scrolled up and out of sight - yet they are the most interesting, worthy posts. I notice some forum sites have amended the 'like' to a 'thank you' - in my opinion this would fit the Key forums better - it is polite, encouraging feel and more likely to be used by members - most of whom it is likely are older than in their twenties!

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 8,464

'viscount' has it regarding the quote function.

As often happens with software, it becomes outdated and less secure to attack which was the case here. We have been using the old software for some considerable time now, and have moved to the latest version of the same program. As I recall on all previous occasions it has been updated, we have had the same outcry!

The 'Like' button makes it a bit more like Facebook - which I don't think is all bad.

Member for

11 years 10 months

Posts: 421

Two things about the new format I don't like. My eyesight isn't very good, and I find that the text is now harder to read, I don't know whether it has got smaller or 'less dark', but definitely worse. The forum also seems to take longer to load, both at start-up and moving between pages.

Andy

Member for

7 years 3 months

Posts: 91

Thankyou for you feedback. We are working on the styling of the site and will be making changes soon.

Profile picture for user DH82EH

Member for

11 years 2 months

Posts: 580

Much like a visit to the doctor, I don't "like" it. However I realize that certain things are necessary. I also appreciate the time and efforts that moderators and technical folks put in.
As has already been mentioned, I too am having a harder time reading the text.

Andy

Member for

13 years

Posts: 422

Pleased that others are commenting on the scriptsize and lack of a background colour too.

I can recall research (likely in the early 1990s?) in British schools regarding which was best bright white, grey scale or pale colour paper to photo-copy on to. The results found there were a number of categories of pupil (I now forget exactly who, but various categories of special needs, slow readers, epileptics) but to the surprise of the researchers, also older spectacle wearing staff who showed benefits when reading using tinted paper! Grey tint found to be the worst of all options. As a result the school only purchased pale tinted (buff or palest peach) A4 paper for many years until it closed and I was retired (I usually write that the other way around:o). Many forum use alternate pale blue and pale yellow tinted background to posts - I suppose out of fashion now, but it certainly helped readability and page position when scrolling.

As regard script size, earlier today my wife asked why I was so hunched over the PC key board. I've since been aware that when I am on Key Forum, I do indeed hunch forward by around 8" (12cms), into a position of poor posture. I now have, whenever I switch to Flypast Forum to first go to 'tools' cog-wheel logo to move to 125% screen. Makes no difference to the overall page presentation - but there is a lot less 'white space' on the page/screen and the script is much more comfortably readable. Mods, just try using the cog symbol on the top tool bar and see the difference in font size clarity when properly sat back relaxed in your PC table chair. Not yet checked to see what, if any effect 125% has on photographs/images.

Oh, I clearly have an opposite reaction to 'Bruce' - if the 'like' button makes it more like Facebook, then I think that is bad! Why is that the IT world blindly follow where Facebook lead? I maintain due to my perception of the demographics of the Flypast forums readership that a 'Thank You' button is politer (if that is a word) and more likely to be used that a hip American teens style 'like' button - after all if we did not 'like' why are spending our leisure time reading each post?

Member for

12 years 3 months

Posts: 776

viscount replied
5th September 2018, 21:41
As Admin of an aviation forum, I would like to say that not having a 'quote' facility here is a breath of fresh air. The 'quote' facility encourages nit-picking detailed arguments that easily turn nasty. Every banning I have had to do started with a multi-quote post detailing the tearing apart of a previous post - often of generalisations intended to be read as a whole, not as segments of sentences to be examined in forensic detail.

Those who are quoting to positively add substance to a previous statement seem to be happy to take the time to copy/paste and "--- " a quote the old fashioned way.

Those that are 'happy' (or at least do the extra work) provide evidence. Those that were going to add something but realise they will have to faf around to quote something meaningful to respond to ... don't.

I do though note that a 'like' button has crept into the forum on this update. A feature I dislike as it tends to encourage short and flippant posts, the longer ones with lots of time taken to record detail and take a good read tend not to get a 'like' as by the time the reader has finished the 'like' button is scrolled up and out of sight - yet they are the most interesting, worthy posts. I notice some forum sites have amended the 'like' to a 'thank you' - in my opinion this would fit the Key forums better - it is polite, encouraging feel and more likely to be used by members - most of whom it is likely are older than in their twenties!

While I agree with treating (and preferably displaying) likes as 'thanks', in this case the button is at the bottom of posts so the length comments don't apply.

Member for

13 years

Posts: 422

For some, 'Errol C' you actually display the problem with quotes very clearly indeed. You could have replied to the topics I raised without resorting to BB code to formulate and display quotes, but because you have, you immediate appear to be aggressively forensically examining my statements in detail, even though you are not.

The issue with the 'like' button is as per the British regionally based forum I administer, as was made clear in the first paragraph - but that context has been lost by selective quotation. True the Key Forums 'like' button is at the end of the post, and it is way more discrete in size than that provided by our US forum host, Proboards - who apparently have their own forum update waiting in the wings for all the members of that forum to get hot-under-the-collar about!

I've just, at random, scanned through a number of threads added to in the past few days on the 'Historic' Forum here and find an instance where quotations have been made by cut and paste to add fresh info to (ie not to critically dissect) but thankfully not a single use (yet) of the 'like' - but there might already be some instances on other threads.

Before 'Key's Forum' admin lock off this thread of comments in addition to the earlier others in the past few days, as I'm unlikely to add anything further that is constructive, I'm going to voluntarily ban myself from further posts regarding forum design and function, quotes and likes. To be absolutely fair why not balance 'likes' with a 'dislike' button? - no I'm not being serious as I would likely award myself one for being annoyed enough with Errol to make this fairly unnecessary reply post.

Actually I will add one more thought as it is a positive one - and that is to add my thanks to Key Forums' Administrators, Moderators and IT experts - a thankless, frequently unpopular, 'no win' role, but essential to the forum's survival.

Member for

19 years 1 month

Posts: 6,043

For some, 'Errol C' you actually display the problem with quotes very clearly indeed. You could have replied to the topics I raised without resorting to BB code to formulate and display quotes, but because you have, you immediate appear to be aggressively forensically examining my statements in detail, even though you are not

The thing is though that having a 'quote' facility means one can highlight a particular comment/sentence and reply to it - nothing aggressive about it at all,also if other members post whilst one is replying - then confusion can reign as other posters can get upset if they think ones post is aimed at them .

I am on many forums across the 'net' and this is the only Forum which seems obsessed with 'Quotes',I know some people have overquoted in the past but once again - on other forums this is not even commented on.
I have never seen arguments being caused by using a 'quote' facility,forum members can be given a ban or 'holiday' if they upset the Mods etc.

I would also like to extend my thanks to the forum IT/Mods/Admins etc,it is a thankless task !

rgds to all baz