How do you use Edugeek Forums?

[Tyiell]

I have a tab open with iSpy and another with my Settings showing the subscribes posts. Glance at it and refresh it in all the quiet moments between irate phone calls

[SimpleSi]

Ispy isn't that great if your moving between schools 2/3 times a day like me

 

The trouble with this place is that its run by geeks who don't care about users!

 

Simon

[SimpleSi]

I've managed to "hack" Edugeek to give me the facilities I want

 

Please PM me for details as I need to keep it secret from ZH and the manglement

 

regards

 

Simon

[enjay]

I have a bookmark toolbar link to "http://www.edugeek.net/forums/search.php?do=getnew" which gives me all new posts since my last visit. Middle-click interesting threads to open them on a new tab, spin the scroll wheel through the tabs until I get to the last one, read it, reply if needed, then close the tab; repeat until done. Email updates for subscribed threads.

[CHR1S]

A hybrid of http://www.edugeek.net/usercp.php and iSpy would be great Inbox, rep, subscriptions and a live update would be sweet

[SimpleSi]

Game's over - ZH is onto me

 

Bye and thanks for all the fish

 

Simon

[ZeroHour]

Game's over - ZH is onto me

 

Bye and thanks for all the fish

 

Simon

 

LOL, for all the *hack* was 2 links on the wiki page I just spotted.

Right, to keep you all happy, what extra links would you like under the "Whats New" tab and I will add them tonight. Zero replies search seems like a good idea too as an option.

The trouble with this place is that its run by geeks who don't care about users!

Harsh... I have a 4 month old and a day job as well as el'geek lol

 

Also I noticed other mentioning about read posts and losing their *status*, the way we currently run that is based on cookie/last visit time. Basically it looks for any new post after last visit time and stores in temp cookie/session which ones you have read but there is another way.... it is a fair bit more db intensive (but it should be fine load wise) as it can literally track your post read status in the db which is completely accurate. The one issue with it is though its one or the other currently for all. Last time we trialed switching a lot of users complained that they were swamped with new posts when they expected them to clear which is why it was switched back.

 

Thoughts on revisiting that?

[GrumbleDook]

@ZH ... sweet $deity ... no .. not back to that.

[SimpleSi]

I personally can live with read/unread not being properly indicated as I generally check the time/date and do my own internal processing (but sometime I get caught re-reading a post that I've actually read on another computer at another school)

 

I'm logged in to Edugeek on the each server at all my schools at all times so its bound to happen

 

My main request (and I think others as well) is to have direct access to today's posts.

 

I personally think direct to subscribed threads as well but I don't think that is such a global request

(and its only 2 clicks away via settings)

 

regards

 

Simon

PS I have 7 day jobs - a wife and 2 teenage daughters so I that beat's your hand

[ZeroHour]

My main request (and I think others as well) is to have direct access to today's posts.

Direct as in single click rather then 2 click currently?

The biggest issue for say adding a tab is screen space but I will have a think how to put something in if single click is what is desired. One thing to consider is though that Todays Posts is something I would imagine people using only once per day? Whats new is the same as Todays Posts but without the single day restriction. Its based on your last login stamp which means your less likely to miss anything rather then having a limited timespan.

I personally think direct to subscribed threads as well but I don't think that is such a global request

(and its only 2 clicks away via settings)

And tbh if there are new posts (based again on last login timestamp) they are actually listed on the first click below any outstanding user notifications which I like myself. 2 Clicks gives you a complete list but most users, I would have thought, would have been interested only on recent threads rather then filtering through a complete list. The exception is tracking down a thread you have posted on before, that has not been posted on since your last visit which in a way means your up to date as such.

 

Some things to ponder...

[SimpleSi]

Direct as in single click rather then 2 click currently?

Yes please - because the 2 click has the 5 second delay which is REALLY anoying

 

The biggest issue for say adding a tab is screen space but I will have a think how to put something in if single click is what is desired. One thing to consider is though that Todays Posts is something I would imagine people using only once per day? Whats new is the same as Todays Posts but without the single day restriction. Its based on your last login stamp which means your less likely to miss anything rather then having a limited timespan.

 

What's New <> Today's Posts

 

Because of whatever mechanism used to determine whether posts have been read - What's New get is wrong sometimes and truncates the listing but Today's Posts always shows what's wanted/needed

 

And tbh if there are new posts (based again on last login timestamp) they are actually listed on the first click below any outstanding user notifications which I like myself. 2 Clicks gives you a complete list but most users, I would have thought, would have been interested only on recent threads rather then filtering through a complete list. The exception is tracking down a thread you have posted on before, that has not been posted on since your last visit which in a way means your up to date as such.

 

This is getting too complicated for me

 

How about waiting till the conf and I'll show you what we mean/want?

 

regards

 

Simon

Edited May 12, 2010 by ZeroHour

[ZeroHour]

Yes please - because the 2 click has the 5 second delay which is REALLY anoying

Thats not supposed to really happen there (the delay) and vbulletin are aware people are annoyed that "Whats New" is triggering the search restriction. I am hoping for it to be fixed on 4.04 as there are good reasons for search limits.

 

Because of whatever mechanism used to determine whether posts have been read - What's New get is wrong sometimes and truncates the listing but Today's Posts always shows what's wanted/needed

Thats actually probably down to the fact you could have other computers etc setting your last visit time I suspect which ends up meaning they are no longer included in "Whats New"

Thats an interesting problem actually, let me have a think of other solutions to fix Whats new which would make Todays posts less needed.

 

EDIT: Actually this issue would be fixed by switching from the cookie/last visit method I listed above to database tracking.

Edited May 12, 2010 by ZeroHour

[EduTech]

Shaun, Are we able to have a User Menu like we had on the old site. I used to go there to mark forums as read etc

 

Maybe put them in the same drop down as Alerts? {rename maybe}

[leco]

Mark Forums Read option is on the Forum Action drop down

[EduTech]

Mark Forums Read option is on the Forum Action drop down

 

Yeah i know where it is at the moment, i keep going to that menu so just wondered if it could go there as before.. (that menu before on the user info part was useful!)

[leco]

Yes I used the User menu a lot too - miss it now, have to look all over the place for stuff. But I'm getting used to looking everywhere with my current 2010 woes.

[enjay]

Basically it looks for any new post after last visit time and stores in temp cookie/session which ones you have read but there is another way.... it is a fair bit more db intensive (but it should be fine load wise) as it can literally track your post read status in the db which is completely accurate.

 

I actually quite like the sound of that. The cookie-based method has the drawback that if I check EG for new posts at 9am, then come back on at 11am to read a particular thread I'm following, when I come back at 12pm to look at new posts, I only see those from the last hour, and lose any posts from 9-11am.

[CHR1S]

I really like the way the BBC (BBC - Homepage) and iGoogle style their main page. So you can add and remove and rejigg stuff around to make a custom home or search screen.

Its probably way out of the boards capability but perhaps something for the future?