SaySomethinginWelsh.com

RobertBruce wrote:You should be working.

I could of course have been reading the forum on my lunch break......

Arianrhod wrote:Is the new forum more or less complete?

No, absolutely not.

Arianrhod wrote:It looks more like Twitter, so I guess we've been spoiled up to now.

It doesn't look much like Twitter to me, so I guess that's a personal thing.

Arianrhod wrote:Where do we see we have a private message?

Top right, the 'envelope' image just next to your name. You'll also get an email alert.

Arianrhod wrote:Are there no 'signatures' to let each other know at a glance what version and lesson we've reached (so useful for answering questions and arranging skype partners).

No, there aren't - signatures often get used in ways which limit readability of threads. We will be adding new functionality for finding partners which will work much better than the current 'Skype thread' approach, and identifying levels/versions will be part of that.

Arianrhod wrote:Will there be options to view your own posts,

Yes.

Arianrhod wrote:view active topics,

The left-hand column IS effectively view active topics.

Arianrhod wrote:subscribe to a topic?

Still up for discussion - it's got implications for pressure on the server, especially as we move into other languages. We might be able to build a workaround which limits the amount of emails that would be sent - one email per day per person, something like that.

Arianrhod wrote:Can we delete or edit a post?

Yes. The 'cog' symbol top right of your posts.

Arianrhod wrote:Will we be able to see the whole of the heading on the left instead of 'how to g...' 'where to p...' etc.

Depending on the length of the username, we're currently fitting in between 35 and 40 characters - this forum allows up to 60, so there's a slight loss there. We can probably just about match titles from here by squeezing the username in somewhere else.

Arianrhod wrote:Will there be all the formatting options as now, with fonts and colours? So useful when you're listing a whole lot of stuff that's happening in your area.

No - fonts and colours can do real damage to readability, and it's no coincidence that most major platforms don't use them now.

Arianrhod wrote:Is that all there is to the new Forum?

No.

Arianrhod wrote:No searching old posts,

The search box above the left hand panel searches old posts.

Arianrhod wrote:or seeing an overview of all the topic tree?

I guess you mean the site index? I've lost count of how many new users I've had over the years complain that the sheer size and complexity of the site puts them off, so no, we're not going to try and recreate that.

Arianrhod wrote:Are the question topics for each lesson now going to be with the lessons, otherwise, how can you find the answers that were given a couple of years ago?

We've got a few different options here, but I favour the idea of having threads that show on the lesson pages, if we can do it neatly. We're also going to be adding the ability to favourite and thank posts, which will help with findability, and the new search will in the near future be significantly better than the search on this forum (which is pretty useless).

Arianrhod wrote:I can't see it being nearly as good for keeping our Barry group informed, unless it's more than Twitter.

Again, I don't really get the Twitter comparison, but one of our major work items for this year is a massive overhaul of the support we provide for groups and meetups, which this forum is very badly suited for. By the end of the year, I'd be very surprised if you felt that keeping in touch with group members wasn't significantly easier.

Arianrhod wrote:But then, this site is probably the expensive luxury option and we shall be thankful to have had it for a period, and you have to do what you have to do.

It's quite the other way round, actually. This site is riddled with all sorts of limitations and problems, and investing in a custom built solution is going to allow us to do stuff (particularly with supporting groups and meetups) that would simply never be possible on this forum.

thanks for the comprehensive reply. If you can replicate that response as clearly on the new site - with attributed quotes neatly parcelled out like that, I can't see much to complain about.

The point of the subscribed topics is that some of the Barry people don't use the forum much, just go to it when the subscribed topic notification comes through to their email. And same with the private messages. The really useful formatting tool is the ability to indent when you're listing events within a post.

With the p... ending to headings, I'm just not persevering as there is also a delay before the topic loads, so may be good to limit the number of characters unless you can do it the other way.

Will these babies be coming with us? I don't use them much because I thought it cost you to do so, in terms of server space charges (or something. I know as much about that as I do about Twitter, obviously).

Oh yes, we're not losing our custom smilies...

When the functionality is ready, anyone who is a member of a group will get updates, and you won't have to coach them through subscribing to threads or anything like that - and we're going to do some calendar based stuff that will make it possible to look at what's coming up in the future, which is currently an absolute non-starter on this forum. That may also grow into a very different solution for events...

I'm just about to migrate to the new forum but I didn't want to leave this old friend before expressing my deep appreciation for the friendships I have made through it, the pivotal role it has played in becoming comfortable and competent in my mother tongue and perhaps above all the tremendous boost SSiW and the forum has given to my confidence.

I have "tidied up my desk" using the user control panel.
I look forward to seeing old friends on the new forum.

Hwyl am y tro, cyfeillion. Wela i chi gyd ar y fforwm newydd cyn bo hir.
Huw/Hewrop

Aran wrote:Oh yes, we're not losing our custom smilies...

When the functionality is ready, anyone who is a member of a group will get updates, and you won't have to coach them through subscribing to threads or anything like that ..

That sounds wonderful. Really looking forward to the future, and not underestimating all the work that's been going on behind the scenes.

hewrop wrote:I'm just about to migrate to the new forum but I didn't want to leave this old friend before expressing my deep appreciation for the friendships I have made through it, the pivotal role it has played in becoming comfortable and competent in my mother tongue and perhaps above all the tremendous boost SSiW and the forum has given to my confidence.

What a beautiful way to express the feelings so many of us have about our experiences on this forum. Special thanks to all the people who have helped me along the way.

hewrop wrote:I'm just about to migrate to the new forum but I didn't want to leave this old friend before expressing my deep appreciation for the friendships I have made through it, the pivotal role it has played in becoming comfortable and competent in my mother tongue and perhaps above all the tremendous boost SSiW and the forum has given to my confidence.

Suggestion: how about making static pages for upcoming bootcamps & recurring events (meetings) on the new site? Makes it easier to find info about those.

I won't be using the new social layer (don't call it a forum, it's not), the illogical way it works and the usability issues just pisses me off every time I try. Maybe it will mature to something useable in time, Eclipse did and it was just horrible the first time I tried it and now I prefer it to other IDEs.

TygerC wrote:don't call it a forum, it's not

Interesting. Wiktionary defines forum as (among other things): "An Internet message board where users can post messages regarding one or more topics of discussion".

TygerC wrote:the usability issues

Aware of it. Workin' on it.

TygerC wrote:Maybe it will mature to something useable in time

Nobody, least of all me, is trying to claim that this is a finished product, so it will definitely mature. Whether that happens in the direction of something you call 'usable', I couldn't possibly say; however, I do hope you'll come back and play with us if it does.

Kinetic wrote:

TygerC wrote:don't call it a forum, it's not

Interesting. Wiktionary defines forum as (among other things): "An Internet message board where users can post messages regarding one or more topics of discussion"

True enough, but every forum I have been on has been very different to the new site. And Wikipedia ( as valid a a site as wiktionary! defines an internet forum as)
"A forum consists of a tree like directory structure. The top end is "Categories". A forum can be divided into categories for the relevant discussions. Under the categories are sub-forums and these sub-forums can further have more sub-forums. The topics (commonly called threads) come under the lowest level of sub-forums and these are the places under which members can start their discussions or posts."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_forum

Myself, I do think that though the new site may reproduce most of the stuff on the old site, I can understand why it could not be regarded as a "forum" in the normal, commonly used meaning of the word.

Whether this means the new site is good or bad, useable or not is, in my view a different matter!