It was because you hadn’t reached the 10 post minimum yet. You have now so it should work now.I can't pm and can't reply to most wall posts. Is this a bug?
The irony is painful.It was because you hadn’t reached the 10 post minimum yet. You have now so it should work now.
Valid observations, no question. However, there's also the "side-effect" that I think is a good thing (and I have no doubt my saying so will trigger some whining Karen-wannabe into bitching about me trying to gate-keep - Oh well. Let 'em say what they want - won't change my stance. It'll just get 'em ignored as the useless wastes of oxygen they prove themselves to be by doing so)...I haven't seen the message that is displayed when a user can't PM or do something due to needing to post 10 times before hand. But there still seems to be some confusion or lack of knowledge by new users as to why it is happening, meaning we seem to have to constantly be explaining it to new comers. So is it possible to display a different message if the cause of the user not being able to do something is related to this issue, explicitly stating this fact?
So if a user clicks on the start conversation button a simple if statement could display the message if they need more post before they can PM. If there is no start conversation button then a note could be displayed in its place "10 post probation period"
I just can't see this problem clearing up if some tweaking of some sort isn't done. Because we are talking about people who are new here, Thus there is a constant flow of people who may not know why they can't do something.
ZT has already said the error message when trying to join a group is hard coded by the forum software and can't be changed. People just need to grow a brain and read it, if they bothered to give it half a second of thought before just jumping to the "contact an admin" part they'd easily understand they can't do it.So is it possible to display a different message if the cause of the user not being able to do something is related to this issue, explicitly stating this fact?
The conversation button doesn't exist. So clearly that means they must jump to the conclusion that they're just blind and can't find where it is, rather than understanding the simple fact that it's highly normal for forums to restrict new member access. Blame all the chat apps and social media for all the young idiots who never used forums in their heyday 20 years ago and thus don't understand them and assume they're just like the new sparkly stuff they're used to.So if a user clicks on the start conversation button a simple if statement could display the message if they need more post before they can PM. If there is no start conversation button then a note could be displayed in its place "10 post probation period"
I did actually think of that, but decided I was being a bit hard on them. But yes I think in some ways we both agree and if they are serious about learning about or participating in the community. They will be posting questions or interacting with others in threads. So for those people at least, one day they will get a pleasant surprise, when they can start messaging other people.Seems to me that the way things are acts as a sort of "Are you too stupid to actually read the rules and regulations of the forum? Then you're too stupid to be part of the forum" filter.
The problem is that the forum engine likely doesn't operate in this manner. More than likely everything is toggle switches and "equal tos" such as [Restrict user PM ability to] = [Rank: Tourist] and [Restrict user reaction ability to] = [Rank: Tourist] so it's most likely something that cannot be implemented. ZT could create a dismissible banner that states "NEW USERS: Click HERE!" and link to a post basically outlining the forum restrictions for new users. Even still when we had a banner up on the top of the site we still had a lot of new users creating new threads asking why they couldn't PM. Maybe it's because some people cannot speak English very well, maybe it's because some people are not very observant, or maybe it's because some people are hopeless.So if a user clicks on the start conversation button a simple if statement could display the message if they need more post before they can PM. If there is no start conversation button then a note could be displayed in its place "10 post probation period"
Fair enough, so is it possible to hide the join button then for users that don't have enough post under their belt yet?ZT has already said the error message when trying to join a group is hard coded by the forum software and can't be changed. People just need to grow a brain and read it, if they bothered to give it half a second of thought before just jumping to the "contact an admin" part they'd easily understand they can't do it.
Well you can't really blame someone for being young, and not familiar with older stuff. However back when I was at uni many many years ago now, one of my programing lectures wrote on the board in big letters. "ASSUME ALL USERS NEVER FINISHED KINDERGARTEN" (that's Preschool for you usa folks) Good software should be easy to use and actively work to prevent users from making mistakes, so if someone tries to put letters into a numbers only field a message pops up telling them only numbers are valid. Good feedback helps people learn faster, and not annoy the rest of us in the process. Sure you could grab them by the scruff and press there nose against the rules and regs page and tell them to re-read them and find the answers they seek. Just like throwing a user manual (the real ones that is, printed and as thick as a phone book) at someone's head. The brute force approach is rarely a pleasant experience for the user as compared to simply addressing the issue with succinct feedback at the time of the error.The conversation button doesn't exist. So clearly that means they must jump to the conclusion that they're just blind and can't find where it is, rather than understanding the simple fact that it's highly normal for forums to restrict new member access. Blame all the chat apps and social media for all the young idiots who never used forums in their heyday 20 years ago and thus don't understand them and assume they're just like the new sparkly stuff they're used to.
You could plaster all the giant page filling flashing rick-roll screaming notices all over the registration process you wanted to and people would still ignore them. There's so many forced walls of text with accept buttons shoved down every computer user's throats that every single person is condition to just click it away without paying it any attention.ZT could create a dismissible banner that states "NEW USERS: Click HERE!" and link to a post basically outlining the forum restrictions for new users. Even still when we had a banner up on the top of the site we still had a lot of new users creating new threads asking why they couldn't PM. Maybe it's because some people cannot speak English very well, maybe it's because some people are not very observant, or maybe it's because some people are hopeless.
Oh that's a laughable belief. Idiot proofing is the biggest annoyance in software development ever conceived of. One jackoff gets upset at a software because they did a stupid thing no one with half a brain would do so the developer "upgrades" it so that retard can't do it anymore and breaks it for everyone else while calling it a "feature", which of course is mandatory and can't be disabled.and not annoy the rest of us in the process
Or maybe all of the above.The problem is that the forum engine likely doesn't operate in this manner. More than likely everything is toggle switches and "equal tos" such as [Restrict user PM ability to] = [Rank: Tourist] and [Restrict user reaction ability to] = [Rank: Tourist] so it's most likely something that cannot be implemented. ZT could create a dismissible banner that states "NEW USERS: Click HERE!" and link to a post basically outlining the forum restrictions for new users. Even still when we had a banner up on the top of the site we still had a lot of new users creating new threads asking why they couldn't PM. Maybe it's because some people cannot speak English very well, maybe it's because some people are not very observant, or maybe it's because some people are hopeless.
I take your point, but good interface design allows you through preference settings to decide the level of how stupid you are. If I have unsaved stuff I want to be asked if I want to save it. A Bad interface design stops user action that could be valid and are not distructive. I was good at this stuff in my day, but haven't coded professionally in 20 years now, I actually think computer usability has gone down hill since then. I'm typing this on a 10 year old MacbookPro running an OS even older. Because it just works and doesn't make me jump through hoops just to entertain the computer or justify some ones pay cheque, but I'm getting well off topic.Oh that's a laughable belief. Idiot proofing is the biggest annoyance in software development ever conceived of. One jackoff gets upset at a software because they did a stupid thing no one with half a brain would do so the developer "upgrades" it so that retard can't do it anymore and breaks it for everyone else while calling it a "feature", which of course is mandatory and can't be disabled.
Some jacktard accidentally closed a software without saving. Now everyone is forced to confirm 3 times that they're sure they're sure they meant to click yes after they clicked the x to close the window.
Some idiot shrank their firefox window so small they lost it and couldn't find it. Now everyone has a hardcoded minimum window size it can't be reduced below. Oh? You need it small because your job requires tiling a hundred browser windows on your monitor? Too bad because of that tardbag you can't make the window as small as you need anymore and can't do your job right.
I take your point, but good interface design allows you through preference settings to decide the level of how stupid you are. If I have unsaved stuff I want to be asked if I want to save it. A Bad interface design stops user action that could be valid and are not distructive. I was good at this stuff in my day, but haven't coded professionally in 20 years now, I actually think computer usability has gone down hill since then. I'm typing this on a 10 year old MacbookPro running an OS even older. Because it just works and doesn't make me jump through hoops just to entertain the computer or justify some ones pay cheque, but I'm getting well off topic.
We are talking about giving simple feedback at the point the user is stopped by the system from doing something. If this is not possible trying to inform them before they stuff up is the only other way. If all that fails we will be no better or worse off than we are now, but does that mean we should stop trying to find an answer?
Yes, Yes I do.You realize ?I hope? that if you make it idiot-proof, they're just gonna turn out bigger idiots and overwhelm you!??
Computers don't just magically know how to read every file format. You need the correct software. In the case oof audio/video files that software is a codex. COMPUTER OSs and browsers have a few basic codexes packaged with them. For every other video format that means you need a proper video player with all common codexes installed, which also means downloading then file, not just clicking play and expecting your browser to know what the fuck that unidentified file is.I couldnt type on the proper thread so im asking here. Why does my phone have so much trouble watching some videos bit not others? It seems to like mp.4 videos but even those dont like to play. I use the "secret" mode of the internet browser of my galaxy 7. Not google but the samsung internet. Ive tried switching from wifi to mobile and sometimes that helps but not much
That hit me too. I refuse to update browsers and still use Firefox 50 as my primary browser. No reply field anymore. Works fine on my secondary palemoon browser.After the site update/maintainence or what ever was done yesterday I can no longer enter text into reply field from one of my older computers. Any ideas what might have changed that would cause this to happen. Obviously it is working fine for newer setups as I can type this, but it very odd. I can still login and do stuff on the site from the older machine, but I sort of need to be able to type stuff to participate in discussions. I am hoping I'm not going to be forced to always use this machine now, as sometimes it's battery is flat and that limits mobility if I am tied to a power cord. Because that is far less fun then being tied to a dog.![]()
You realize ?I hope? that if you make it idiot-proof, they're just gonna turn out bigger idiots and overwhelm you!??
Talk to a mod. I do believe that's been stated to not be in the "toolkit" for users without getting something custom (equals pricey) to install in the board software.Please add thing were forum members can change user id
Yep, happens to me too.anyone else not seeing notifications? the number for how many new disappears like split second after refreshing or hitting any section/subsection/thread
mine does that as well almost every time.anyone else not seeing notifications? the number for how many new disappears like split second after refreshing or hitting any section/subsection/thread
I occasionally stop getting notifications for threads that I visit often. Don’t Wake The Mods is a good example. I post there quite frequently, but sometimes I won’t get any notifications for multiple hours. Only to go check and realize there are multiple pages that I hadn’t been getting notifications for.anyone else not seeing notifications? the number for how many new disappears like split second after refreshing or hitting any section/subsection/thread