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Do you feel like this site could be improved? Should it be?
No, I think this site is fine just the way it is because:
55%
 55%  [ 20 ]
Yes, I think there could be improvements and those improvements are:
44%
 44%  [ 16 ]
Total Votes : 36

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Josh Journey
a.k.a Josh Lewis



Joined: 01 Nov 2007
Posts: 4830 | TRs | Pics
Josh Journey
a.k.a Josh Lewis
PostWed Jun 02, 2010 5:53 pm 
Tom wrote:
One thing that might be pretty easy to do (now that I know how) is auto save drafts so folks can recover them if something goes wrong while posting.
Yesssss!!!! I've had at least two almost complete trip reports typed and my browser got stupid and closed on them. Also I have an idea if possible for categorizing trip reports. Cascadeclimbers.com is a great example of how to get it to work fine, here is an example of the forums categories: http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/category/3/Route_Reports But if it were like this alone, viewing trip reports would be kinda annoying having to look into diffrent sections, so here was there solution: http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/tripreports What it does is have the posts still in the subforum, but another link that displays the latest trip reports. I'm fine either way, but I found the design interesting. Also I would suggest a few profile features, first off it would be cool to show your posted photos in your profile or a link to it. The current system works, but is slightly inconvenient for users. Also I would suggest having a little part of the profile called "About Me" or something like that where you can put in text, I know I've seen this done on phpbb forum sites before.

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Josh Journey
a.k.a Josh Lewis



Joined: 01 Nov 2007
Posts: 4830 | TRs | Pics
Josh Journey
a.k.a Josh Lewis
PostWed Jun 02, 2010 5:57 pm 
Slugman wrote:
How is a private chat different/superior to the PM function we have now? You send a message, they respond, etc, etc.
Although I like the PM system here, the instant message system would be a nice addon, if you are talking to a user online typing in instant messenger is a whole lot fast, cool looking, and convenient. Not needed, but it would be an interesting addon.

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Tom
Admin



Joined: 15 Dec 2001
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Tom
Admin
PostWed Jun 02, 2010 6:01 pm 
I'm not sure if Luc was asking when the next version of phpbb3 will be released or when to expect it here. I'm a bit underwhelmed by what I've seen in phpbb3. It adds a few new features but the only enhancement I see of immediate value here is the ability to send PMs to more than one person. While phpbb3 improves tracking of threads you've subscribed to via email, only a handful of members here actually track threads via email so not sure it's that value added (and if you want to subscribe to updates, rss makes more sense to me than email). There is also a feature in phpbb3 to search on search results, which can help narrow down search hits. Some of the other features are poorly implemented and/or not very user friendly. For example, you can save drafts in phpbb3 but you still risk losing your work when you click save because it takes you to a new page (just like submitting your post does). They should have used a pop up window or AJAX to save drafts so that you remain on the same page and don't lose everything if something goes wrong during the save. phpbb4 sounds like a total overhaul and rewrite from scratch. I'm guessing it won't be available any time soon. In terms of upgrading, I'm far more impressed by what vBulletin has to offer. Not perfect, but it's got more features and better support. Price is a little steep though, and the initial release of v4 was buggy. Sounds like the forum currently meets the needs of most here so I don't see an urgency to upgrade. I wouldn't want to do a major upgrade until this winter. I don't think folks here want to deal with the downtime and inevitable glitches of a major upgrade during hiking season. That also allows time to weigh the pros and cons of upgrading to phpbb3 vs. more robust alternatives like vBulletin.

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Luc
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Luc
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PostWed Jun 02, 2010 6:05 pm 
Flow wrote:
Slugman wrote:
How is a private chat different/superior to the PM function we have now? You send a message, they respond, etc, etc.
Although I like the PM system here, the instant message system would be a nice addon, if you are talking to a user online typing in instant messenger is a whole lot fast, cool looking, and convenient. Not needed, but it would be an interesting addon.
for folks that don't use any types of instant chat, i can see why it would be a questionable improvement. but people that do use it, will probably agree that while they still use PM (emails) as the paramount method for composed messages, they use some sort of chat for a more fluid, instant conversations. for me, i'm here everyday, but not for long stretches of time, so when i know someone is online, i'd rather not have to wait until the next day when i log back in to access a reply to a simple question. rather, users could access the person they want to address instantly. which could potentially have several benefits besides the more seemless, instant communication.

GNGSTR
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iron
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iron
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PostThu Jun 03, 2010 9:36 am 
i think to get more feedback on this topic, it would need to be moved to trail talk since most people aren't looking in this forum. if there was a way to create a duplicate post (one that would update in both forums automatically), that might be the ideal way to garner thoughts. overall, i'm super pleased with the site. i think the auto draft save feature would be nice. most of the suggestions here have been good so far. while i like the wiki idea, i worry that it would allow sekrit places to be more readily accessed (both on the site and in person) since the browsability would be enhanced (as opposed to having to watch the TRs come in all year round). it's probably inevitable that it'll happen anyway. whatever changes are made, don't emulate WTA. they've butchered their site.

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Luc
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Luc
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PostThu Jun 03, 2010 5:25 pm 
im all up for temporarily moving this to the Trail Talk, or posting another thread in Trail Talk about this thread to attract attention here. what do the mods prefer?

GNGSTR
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Scrooge
Famous Grouse



Joined: 16 Dec 2001
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Scrooge
Famous Grouse
PostFri Jun 11, 2010 8:46 am 
Any progress on the "draft save" feature? I just lost another one. irked.gif Note: one useful element of said feature would be some sort of "storage time", so that even if you leave the nwhikers' site or the internet, entirely (by accident or on purpose), you could come back, click on an "automatically saved drafts" file, and recover what you were working on.

Something lost behind the ranges. Lost and waiting for you....... Go and find it. Go!
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Malachai Constant
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Malachai Constant
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PostFri Jun 11, 2010 8:56 am 
How about instituting a no spray in trip reports rule. If you have a gripe you should start a trail talk thread. huh.gif

"You do not laugh when you look at the mountains, or when you look at the sea." Lafcadio Hearn
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Ingunn
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Joined: 01 Feb 2008
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Ingunn
Hiking Viking
PostFri Jun 11, 2010 10:05 am 
ditto.gif This is getting ridiculous.

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Josh Journey
a.k.a Josh Lewis



Joined: 01 Nov 2007
Posts: 4830 | TRs | Pics
Josh Journey
a.k.a Josh Lewis
PostFri Jun 11, 2010 10:12 am 
Malachai Constant wrote:
How about instituting a no spray in trip reports rule. If you have a gripe you should start a trail talk thread. huh.gif
up.gif up.gif Agreed!

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Tom
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Tom
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PostFri Jun 11, 2010 10:24 am 
Not sure of the benefit of diverting "spray" to Trail Talk vs. allowing open discussion in TRs? When does it become spray? Where do you draw the line? When a personal attack occurs? We don't allow personal attacks anywhere here but people still do it. Either way, you'll still have all the drama, and the "site" will still get blamed for the BS. How about a no BS anywhere on the site rule. wink.gif

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Slugman
It’s a Slugfest!



Joined: 27 Mar 2003
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Slugman
It’s a Slugfest!
PostFri Jun 11, 2010 11:01 am 
Luc, I still don't understand the difference between instant messenger and our PM function. You keep talking about having to wait until you log back on to get an answer, and I wonder what you are talking about. When I get a PM while I am on the site, it pops up instantly. I can click on it instantly, read it instantly, and respond instantly, and the original sender can see my response instantly. This actually happens, it is not theoretical. Tom and I exchanged a flurry of PMs over a recent gear purchase, and we went back and forth numerous times in a matter of minutes. So I'm not against an instant message function, I just haven't heard a single word yet as to how it would improve anything. All I've heard is how it would solve problems that don't currently exist.

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Josh Journey
a.k.a Josh Lewis



Joined: 01 Nov 2007
Posts: 4830 | TRs | Pics
Josh Journey
a.k.a Josh Lewis
PostFri Jun 11, 2010 11:05 am 
For me they can still be pretty rapid, but instant messangers make it so you don't have to hit reply and such, plus when someone is typing it would say "so and so is typing" and the whole conversation would all be in one spot, sometimes pms can get a litte messy or atleast you have to open up the other pm to see that response. As I said, its mostly a convienience thing.

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Go Jo
of the lykkens



Joined: 08 Jun 2003
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Location: Around The Bend
Go Jo
of the lykkens
PostFri Jun 11, 2010 11:12 am 
Tom wrote:
Not sure of the benefit of diverting "spray" to Trail Talk vs. allowing open discussion in TRs? When does it become spray? Where do you draw the line? When a personal attack occurs? We don't allow personal attacks anywhere here but people still do it. Either way, you'll still have all the drama, and the "site" will still get blamed for the BS. How about a no BS anywhere on the site rule. wink.gif
I think the Shasta thread had about 2 pages of posting (from myself included) that had absolutely no bearing on the trip itself. While the discussion might have had forum value elsewhere (ex behavior on mountain, post climb discussion by team, etc) and I stress the 'might have' in that sentence, it certainly didn't further the OPs description of climbing Mt Shasta. Maybe the OP can be in a position to request a thread hijack be broken away from their original TR if it gets out of hand.

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Tom
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Tom
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PostFri Jun 11, 2010 11:12 am 
Scrooge wrote:
Any progress on the "draft save" feature? I just lost another one. irked.gif Note: one useful element of said feature would be some sort of "storage time", so that even if you leave the nwhikers' site or the internet, entirely (by accident or on purpose), you could come back, click on an "automatically saved drafts" file, and recover what you were working on.
What browser do you use? If you use firefox, try this add on: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/6984/ If you don't use firefox then use it. wink.gif As far as when we will have autosave, probably not until fall / winter. I've evaluated the pros / cons of upgrading to alternative forum software and concluded upgrading to phpbb3 makes the most sense. They have a save draft feature in phpbb3 so adding autosave would be a lot easier to do after we upgrade this fall / winter.

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