As you can see New Message Board

[susan silva]

I am sure all the new areas on the network as well as the forum board can feel like information overload.  But hopefully the new features out weigh the learning process. 

So what are some of the new feature?

1) When you post you have more formatting options.   Posting a link is much easier,  you can change fonts and play with the text if you wish.  I have to admit I do like the old smileys better.  I will look into seeing if he can add more smiley options.

2) Recent Topics - You can see all new topics in one location.  Where as Updated Topics are all the topics that have activity on them.  Nothing special but a nice add on.

3) Then there is My Posts.   It has everything you have posted on.  Great if you want to go back and see what you said on any given post.

5) My Stats.   Kinda a cool little feature.  It shows your stats on where you have post, how long you have been on, etc.

6)  The Search.  I don't know if you used the search on the past board, but this one is MUCH better.  The old version I would loose the search after I clicked into one post.   Now I don't loose the search.

7)  Polls.  We have polls on email, in the new networking areas.  Polls polls and more polls! (but they can be fun)

Timing out should be longer!   No more typing a bunch of text then loosing it all!

9) Integrated with the new Networking Area.  You can look at your profile and see your posts as well as connect and make friends, see if they have a Twitter, or a Blog, photo albums, contributed articles, send messages.  (Remember that is an internal messaging system for the email and network.  It is the same as the private messages, not connected with the external email which is still accessible from the main home page.


Off hand those are the options.   Let me know if you have any questions. 


Susan

[duque]

Ohhhh ...... whereas I do like DD's new site, I am not to sure about the forum.

It was nice to see at a glance whether there were any unread messages. Also, I do not know whether it happens to anyone else, but this forum takes rather a long time to load; it seems to get "stuck".

Any how, I suppose its just a case of getting used to it. 

PS: I like the formatting options 

[duque]

I've been browsing around and sorry but the forum is definitely extremely slow in loading (approx 45 secs per page); its really irritating.

[susan silva]

The board loads instant for me, not even a full second.   Let me know if it continues, it could be the internet any any given time.

On the new posts I will see if adding red numbers can be an option.  I know if there are new posts the first graphic is darker, but the red numerals made it easy to see and once you "read posts" it says new but  I will look into seeing if we can get numbers.

Another cool option I just found out.   When I went to hit "send" it informed me a post was posted while I was composing this post.   That is pretty cool.

[mnott001]

I only found DeskDemon 4 weeks ago, and this is my first post.   I can't really comment on how the forum was other than reading the forum board posts.  Look wise, I like this better.  I am really just posting to let duque know that it is instant for me as well.  Maybe rebooting or resetting your modem will help.   If I had to wait 45 seconds for a page to load, I too would be irritated.

I look foward to being a part of your community. 

[duque]

Welcome Nottingham 

I have not explained myself properly. The pages load instantly but then get stuck, so if I need to scroll down to read replies or answer a post it is then when I have to wait and wait.

I have never had any problem like this before with neither this page or any other. In fact, I have just gone through other forums with no problem at all.

Mysteries of the ciberworld.

[Cozwaz]

Love the new forum  .  Must admit out of all the forums I use ( and that is quite a few) the old DD was way behind the times.

Coz

[geminigirl]

Eek!  Not sure I like the new site but I'm sure I'll get used to it.  Definitely don't like the new Forum layout.  Not as clear as it used to be.

What is it with the status?  Some members are listed as newbies (like me, but I've been a member since 2004) others as Senior Members or Junior Members ...

[geminigirl]

Eek!  Not sure I like the new site but I'm sure I'll get used to it.  Definitely don't like the new Forum layout.  Not as clear as it used to be.

What is it with the status?  Some members are listed as newbies (like me, but I've been a member since 2004) others as Senior Members or Junior Members ...

Okay - now my member status has just changed ... this is weird!

[laurafmcdermott]

I think it will take some getting used to, but as someone else said, this format is more moving with the times.  The old format was, well, old.

[gee4]

Sorry all but I totally hate this new look.  Been away for the weekend and just logging on for the first time since the revamp.

It would have been better to improve this site/forum gradually not all at once.  Hard to read, way too busy and not sure I will be bothered trying to trawl through this as much as I used to.

Disappointed.

[spitfire78]

Not one to complain usually - I pretty much "go with the flow".  Gotta say, though, that I'm having a really tough time figuring things out on this forum.  The other one may have been old but at least it was clear-cut and easily understood.  

Every thread is marked "new".  I'm having a devil of a time figuring out if I've read that post or not.  I tried going under recent topics and updated topics but they only seemed to lead me down the garden path but not necessarily where I wanted to go.  

I guess I'll get used to it in time.

I'm labeled as a "rookie" - thought I'd been around long enough that I didn't qualify as a rookie any more.  Although, come to think of it, I am definitely a rookie with this new format , so maybe that title is appropriate!!

AND I have to agree that things are WAY slower than they used to be.  Although I'll be very happy if the time out is truly fixed.  That used to annoy the heck out of me when I typed a really long response and then had it get lost before it posted.

Oh, well, now that I posted it listed me as "hero member".  Maybe it should just call me "confused".

[msmarieh]

I would suggest that you go by the dates on the right hand side for posts that have been updated. Go into each forum, when you have read those new ones, then click Mark Read at the top of each forum. That will reset the posts to all being read, which should be easier to follow.

I am inclined to agree that it is a little busier, however, it is also pretty much the same as what we had before as far as functionality. I'll withhold judgment until I am more used to it and also have a chance to see what can be changed or not changed in preferences.

Give it a bit of a chance. Don't judge it by your first glance, simply because it is different than what you are used to. Sometimes we need to step outside our comfort zone a little bit. If you still hate it in a month, then you should be ready to provide suggestions for what should be done differently.

[susan silva]

Actually if anyone has any suggestions, feel free to post them.   We will see what can be done.   Are the colors too dark are the fonts too small?  Need more features or smilies?  Let us know and we will look into any suggestions.

As for the ranks, I have to look into what they are and what we would want them to be.  As I posted in Admins 4 Admins, I would love to come up with some creative fun titles.   By the way, the status is based on how many posts you have on the board.   My rank is Newbie!  (I would bet susans is a bit higher, but wanted to drop the s)

[duque]

Hiya, The forum itself is ok. I am used to this format as I participate in several other forums, so from my side, no need for improvement.

But sorry, it is still too slow in loading. Heavens knows why, but it is. This doesn't happen to me at any other sites, so I do not think it is a question of my pc.