Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Site stuff

Join our Innovation Panel to try new features early and help make Mumsnet better.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

Original poster

Suggestion from newbie, don't shout!

69 replies

luckylipgloss · 23/11/2004 09:12

I'm a long time lurker and have to say that I find the board really tricky to navigate, and somewhat limited in scope, kinda dated. Are there still plans to switch to another format?

OP posts:
MNHQ
tech · 23/11/2004 20:50

Hi Hatter,

Threads I'm on will show you the last three days of threads you are on. We could up this I guess. Threads you've looked at is more tricky. We'd have to store all those details somewhere and we get so many page views it would be unmanageable. What we are going to add though (soon, promise) is a "watch this thread" link on a thread so you'll have "threads I'm watching" as well as "threads I'm on". I think that's probably what you're after.

hunkermunker · 23/11/2004 20:49

I've come from another parenting site specifically because I find this forum layout far more user-friendly - please don't change it or I'll be homeless!

Threaded posts within threads (there's probably a technical term for these that I'm not using!) can be complicated to navigate. Without naming names, one site that rhymes with maybeworld and another that rhymes with myvillage both have message board layouts that I hate!

The idea of a clickable profile is quite good, but I hate the idea of signatures within posts and static emoticons are fine for me. I know what a wink looks like thanks!

Love the 'threads I'm on'! And Tech - you're fab

MNHQ
tech · 23/11/2004 20:44

Hi Stich,
Try pressing Ctrl-Home. That will take you to the top of the page. Ctrl-End takes you to the bottom. PgUp and PgDn move a screen at a time. If you're on a Mac it's Command/Apple-Home and End.

stitch · 23/11/2004 20:40

id like a link at the bottom of a long thread taking you back to the top of the page.
im lazy, i know!

JanH · 23/11/2004 20:39

tech! WHAT? WHAT? Please don't - somebody did mention that most of us are over 35 and can't cope with change. I am glad you are not very decisive. Thank you.

morningpaper · 23/11/2004 20:36

Hatter: click on the 'Threads I'm on' link at the top of each page. Took me ages to notice this as well...

hatter · 23/11/2004 20:35

I like the format. The one thing I would love (and maybe I can do this anyway if I hone my search skills) would be able to see a list of threads I have posted on and threads I have looked at (in last 7 days, for example)

morningpaper · 23/11/2004 20:30

I think this format works really well and I've been around on lots of noticeboards...

Would it be possible to have a counter at the bottom of each post, sayig how many times it has been read? Sometimes there are no/few replies to posts and it would be reassuring to know that it's been read a lot, even if no one has replied. (Is that a good or bad idea?)

Also could we have the occasional POLL - they are so easy to set up and good fun. And we could vote on good poll topics...

MNHQ
tech · 23/11/2004 20:25

Hi there,

Have been musing the idea of clickable member profiles - like you could upload a picture if you wanted and write something about yourself. Then clicking on a posters name would bring it up if it exists. We could do this quite easily if people want it.

We may still move to vBulletin for easier administration etc. I'm not very decisive though so I'm not sure. We did buy it. I personally don't like the 8-posts-per-page-all-in-boxes thing you get with standard bulletin boards, so we would probably customize it to look more like this if we did switch. The simple layout we have is very easy to read I think. Threads of over 200 messages get a bit out of hand and long though.

Having said that, I think there are some advantages to a more "usenet-style" structure, where you can see which post was answering which post. What we might do is add a "reply" link by each post and allow you to switch to the tree type layout if you want (similar to the way you can now "flip"). That's feasible. Don't want people getting too confused though. And if you just add a message without saying which it's a reply to, what happens... orphans at the bottom? Stick them in in time order alongside? Dunno. I'm reminded of Garth in Wayne's World... "we fear change"

SoupDragon · 23/11/2004 12:48

I like the idea of a "click on" member profile though. You could maybe have space for an "avatar" picture and signature there to satisfy those people who like them but not include them on the threads.

aloha · 23/11/2004 12:42

I love it! Don't change! I have looked at other forums but this is by the far the most user-friendly, and agree with Blu about the security and privacy of CAT. Don't want silly pictures in particular. I think mumsnet sounds like real conversation (or a real fight!) instead of 'internet talk', if that makes sense.

Blu · 23/11/2004 12:27

There are more posts per screen with the current format, which also helps the flow. On other boards half the space is taken up with boxes and windows and buttons and icons and a coloured background, and that's before you include the avatars and signatures by Disney/Pixar.

enid · 23/11/2004 12:10

I think its great this way - quite like the member profile idea though.

Bunglie · 23/11/2004 11:44

I love mumsnet just the way it is...even Coddy when she is 'grumpy' at me...just makes my day

Please don't change mumsnet...unless you are going to give me a spellchecker???

suzywong · 23/11/2004 11:44

yes
my surgical stockings are killing me

codswallop · 23/11/2004 11:39

i thank you
shoudl we have an elderly parents topic?

suzywong · 23/11/2004 11:39

if it ain't broken don't fix it

This is the easiest forum to use out there

it may appear dated becasue quite a lot of us are elderly (35+) and that's the way we like it

codswallop · 23/11/2004 11:34

thanks you blue I agree

coppertop · 23/11/2004 11:33

I find the other forums very slow with all the moving emoticons and profiles. I also really hate the sites which have record the number of posts made by each member.

Blu · 23/11/2004 11:29

I think the 'click on profile' is a good idea, but I wouldn't ever include my e mail or want people to be able to do instant messaging - I like the security of the CAT system, labour intensive as it is for Justine, Carrie et al.

I don't think MN is ever going to get silly signatures, is it?

I don't like the 'quote boxes' with the reply facility to each post, clumpy and affects the colloquial conversational human tone which keeps MN warm.

Nutcracker · 23/11/2004 11:25

God no please don't change it i like it just how it is.

Have been nosey and checked out other forums and the format has really really irritated me.

codswallop · 23/11/2004 11:22

forums

codswallop · 23/11/2004 11:22

I was using the latin plural of froums.
I think anyway.
and yes I dont liket he naff qoutes that are like a signature.

SantaFio2 · 23/11/2004 11:20

dont change the format, it i so easy to use! i am finding all the new headings etc. really confusing but at least the active conversations bit is still easy to use

love the new "threads Im on" facility

Justine (mumsnet) · 23/11/2004 11:17

Yes there was some talk of vbulletin wasn't there but even if we switched forums we would most likely keep our current format, as it seems to be poplular with most.

We think the member profile idea might be nice and is definitely worth considering. Would others like it?
The reason by the way that CAT messagess aren't instantaneous is to prevent abuse of the system - every message gets checked before it's sent on - so there can be a time delay but we think it's worth it. The only reason CATs don't get there is if people have requested not to recieve them (you can change your member profile here you change your mind about this).
Thanks again.