Potential change alert: should we make bolding, underlining, links and smileys easier? And what of spellcheck?

[Tech]

Hello all, Following on from the recent discussions on bolding, underlining, links etc, we are thinking of changing the "add a message" box on talk to have a small toolbar above it, a bit like in a word processor. This would have buttons for bold, underline and strikeout that you could use instead of typing ^, * and its mates. The smileys would also be on buttons, and we'd include a link button. If you wanted to add a link you could just click the button and paste in the URL from the other page. You'd see the effects on the text as you were entering it, kind of like a live preview.

Depending how we implement it, it may also support a spelling checker. We'd add a custom dictionary so it recognized mumsnet-isms and didn't complain about them.

So, if we did that, would you like it, love it, hate it? We'd keep the ability to use the manual codes in the text - partly because if you are on a mobile device you might not have the buttons and might have no other option.

So whaddaya reckon? Welcome enhancement or latest regrettable step in an inexorable process of disintegration?

Ta, Tech

buttons yes, quote yes, editing no, spellcheck no. Colours no.

I like the enhancements Tech is suggesting, and agree totally that coloured/flashing text, avatars, animated emoticons, tickers and editing are utterly out of the question. Totally unMNy.

But I would like to be able to opt in and out of spellchecker easily - ie from within the posting area, perhaps on the toolbar, not from My Mumsnet. That way you could check a word if you wanted, but not be bothered by wavey lines if you wanted to retain your own idiosyncratic (and therefore very MNy) style.

Agree also that quoting is ghastly and really slows down the flow of threads. But it is soemtimes useful to identify a specific post to which you are responding. Perhaps there could be a button in the header bar of that post, which you couldclick and it would auto-enter the poster's name and time info into the posting box and take you to the posting box ready to respond.

BTW I don't understand why people are struggling to use MN on an iPhone (apart from the b#@@€¥ autocorrect). This is one of the best 'full-scale' sites I've come across. I MN more from my iPhone than frm my pc, now - I just don't need to use the pc for MN, whereas I do for most other sites.

Oh, and highlighting OP's subsequent posts on the thread is also a good idea.

spellcheck means that we will never know when the fishy one is back in our midst

I think it's a good idea in theory, but only if it's well done. Some sites have word-processing style editors and the code they produce is really messy and can fuck up the whole page on occasion.

Also I am not in favour of anything which makes the page look too cluttered (still not really happy about the twitter/facebook links or the twitter box or the MNTV box) or increases the load time of the page so much that the reply box has to be moved to a new page of its own. I like being able to reply on the thread page, it's handy for fast moving threads.

So agreeing, but tentatively here. I am slightly suspicious.

You know what we really need?
A catsbum face emoticon.

While you're at it, could you fix it so that hen you click on a thread it takes you to the last place you read it. It would save hours of scrolling on a busy thread.

Spellchecker? On Mumsnet? This is really messing with your brand.

How will we separate the wheat from the chaff if we can't identify those who don't know their it's from their its?

I can see this going tit's up

Yes please, my spelling is terrible and it would be handy (are we getting a mobile version of MN at any point?)

Yes to all of your suggestions. Although I already have a spell checker on Firefox.

And I love the idea of the OP's posts being highlighted, like on a Webchat. Makes it much easier to find the replies on a long thread.

spell checkers are available as browser add ons people

Sounds great. Let's have the spell checker, the pedants amongst us will have loads of fun with it!

Sweeedes, fear not. Spell-checkers can't generally tell whether you should have used it's or its.

By the by, what is the significance of catsbum? Is it lips pursed in disapproval? Or something else? I'm not saying we'll do it, I'm just curious. Ta.

Yes to the former question, no to the latter.

I cannot even begin to imagine what was in your mind if you had to ask the latter question.

Tech -

Tch - catsbum face is (to me) that disapproving lemon sucking face that old ladies do.

like this I must point out that i don't know if that is a bum or a face so beware when you click! i had to google cats bum to find it

Ies to ze spel chec!

Spellcheck would be disastrous - what would all the pednats with PMT do for entertainment?!

I would REALLY REALLY love an edit function. Not only would it stop the need for people constantly apologising for their own typos and sp. mistakes the minute they've hit send, but it would enable us to change something we've said in haste or worded badly, before it all kicks off!

Mine is a simple request Tech (why no first name - it's all a bit impersonal for me) - please may we have automatic capitalisation at start of sentence and for "I".

It would save me ooh 37 seconds a year.

But how would an edit button work? would it post with a delay? It might be a problem with threads that are very fast. And if you have the possibility of editing aftr posting, would it not be exactly the same as what we do know (come back and appologise/give more details...)?

Sorry.

Question mark had gone for a wander.

Trust me to do a typo in the word 'pedants' on a post about the spelling police.

See what I mean? If I had an edit button I would not have needed to make this post at all. Think of all the clogging up of MN it does.

FN I actually think its obligatory.

Oh God yes.

Every other forum I use has exactly that set-up and its way easier to use.