My ideas

[Sam]

• I've had a few ideas, so instead of putting them in the other topic, thought I'd group them together so they don't swamp the main topic with discussion of just me.
  
  • Remove the character limit on creating signatures. Often signatures need a lot of code (lots of formatting or images that are also links) and fit within signature size guidelines but go way over on code character limits. At the moment, I can't fit #14 and #15 of my top coasters list into my sig!
  • When you're browsing the homepage of subforums, post information has this on the end: "Today at 02:43:20 PM". There's really no need for knowing the seconds, and it'd make the forum look simpler and cleaner with just the hour and minute.
  • I know the 'Quick Reply' feature is for, well just that, but in many topics a quick reply also includes an image. It'd be really useful to have the 'Insert Image' button included in the Quick Reply drop-down box.
  • Any chance of having Flash chat back? I really missed that when it got taken off TTF! Or at least some alternative form of internal chat software, the two at the moment really grind my computer to a halt!
  • A button on each post to PM that person and automatically include the post quoted. I believe that was a very useful feature of TTF before it moved over to SimpleMachines.
  • The old smilies back! They're so much better, and an internet standard right? But not too many, I think the number of smilies on TTF got a bit silly.
  • A greater colour distinction. At the moment, the forum is quite hard to read. One thing I really liked about TTF compared to other forums is how distinctive the colours were, meaning you could instantly separate the posts. A strongly contrasting background colour and margin colour helps, as well as having a contrast between the central background colour and colour of the post 'bubbles'. And make the colours of the post 'bubbles' alternate!
  • When you edit a post, you should be allowed to decide whether you want it to display that it's been edited or not, like you could on pre-SM TTF.
  • In the thanks list at the bottom of each post, where it says "Joelio says thanks to Sam for this post" or whatever, it should allow you to click that person's name and it'll take you to their profile, that'd be cool!
  
  And a slightly bigger one:
  
  • I really think now is the time to change the sub-forums of Merlin and non-Merlin into UK and worldwide. I can kinda see the thinking: because Alton is a Merlin attraction, it's likely fans will be more interested in other Merlin attractions than non-Merlin attractions, so it warrants its own sub-forum. But personally, I think that even a big Merlin fan in the UK will be more interested in developments at Drayton or Blackpool than at Heide Park.
    
    I know a lot of people seem to be just interested in the UK and not bothered about worldwide parks they'll probably never visit, while geekier members will be more interested in that side of the community. I've never met anyone who claims to be just interested in Merlin attractions, wherever they are in the world, but not anything else. If this change was made now while the forum is still young, it'd be very easy to sort out the existing topics.
  
  Not only do I want the new forum to quickly match TTF's excellent functionality, but I want it to overtake it, be more useful, more intuitive and simpler!

 

[Adam]

I agree with most of that, but mostly with the idea about the UK and Rest of World topics, something I'm sure got brought up a couple times back on TTF.

And what if M£rlin sold or decided to buy a park? it'd involve moving numerous topics that could be avoid if it was set out this way by UK and ROW. Not forgetting it'd be easier for members of the GP who are just looking at the forum who could have no idea which parks are owned by which company.

 

[Sam]

I agree with most of that, but mostly with the idea about the UK and Rest of World topics, something I'm sure got brought up a couple times back on TTF.

And what if M£rlin sold or decided to buy a park? it'd involve moving numerous topics that could be avoid if it was set out this way by UK and ROW. Not forgetting it'd be easier for members of the GP who are just looking at the forum who could have no idea which parks are owned by which company.

I think a lot of people agreed with me at the time I suggested this on TTF, but quite rightly, the team probably felt that the enormous volume of posts in 'All Other Attractions' made this an impossible proposal. Now we have a chance! Other members: do you agree with me about this?

 

[Wilsy]

Thanks for those suggestions Sam! I'm sure all of them will be considered by the team in due course

 

[DiogoJ42]

A also agree with the renaming. Firstly, it helps us to be a new and different site, rather than a clone of TT, and also, it allows us to expand our reach and show that we are more than just MAP holders. This is our chance to become a theme park community, rather than an Alton Towers one.

 

[Ted]

I defiantly do agree with the UK and rest of the world park topics, it would be much easier to organise and find stuff. However stuff like the seconds on the posts times I'm not bothered about

 

[Sam]

Thanks for those suggestions Sam! I'm sure all of them will be considered by the team in due course

Thanks Chris! If possible, if you could update in this thread when you've made a decision either way on each of my suggestions, I'd be most grateful! Otherwise I might lose track.

 

[James]

• The old smilies back! They're so much better, and an internet standard right? But not too many, I think the number of smilies on TTF got a bit silly.

This was mentioned in the Shoutbox this morning. There was a small concern that the smilies on TTF were not publicly available, although after a quick Google search I discovered they are available in the public domain so they could be brought over to TowersStreet.

It's not one of the top priorities right now, as we have a load of other things to address first. However it is one of the minor things that will be discussed by the team at some point.

 

[Tim]

Agreed with all of Sam's suggestions although obviously some of them aren't urgent and can wait until the major functions are on-line.

I also agree that a World section of the Forum is a good idea. I know that one of the old arguments against it was that the World section would have far less posts in it than the UK section but I would like to see TS as less of a dedicated Towers site and more of a global site with Towers as the home park.

 

[Vik]

Haven't read through the whole post properly, but I agree with Sams point about the forum being very difficult to read. I thought it was just me be evidently not. . Even before the colour change, which I quite like, it seems pretty difficult to read without losing where you are and losing focus. Boards seem a little compact and clutered. What Sam as suggested though to resolve it should do the trick.

 

[Sam]

One more idea, it'd useful to be able to access sent messages directly from the 'My Messages' drop-down menu.

 

[alee298]

My only bugbear is where the next/previous buttons are as I am used to them being next to the page number!

 

[Sam]

Also, random other thing I've noticed!

There seems to be a character limit on posts themselves, meaning I had to split my Europa review into two posts. We didn't have this on the old forum, and I don't see the point of it. Especially if someone goes to the effort of making such a long and well thought-out post! Though if there is a good reason to have a limit, I guess that's fine.

 

[Jordan]

I do find posts are a bit more difficult to read due to the colours. Could the post background be made a bit lighter?

 

[Joel]

Did you mean lighter or darker?

I did notice myself that posts were hard to distinguish so it's on my to-do list to make the colours a little more distinguishable of posts

 

[Joel]

Also, random other thing I've noticed!

There seems to be a character limit on posts themselves, meaning I had to split my Europa review into two posts. We didn't have this on the old forum, and I don't see the point of it. Especially if someone goes to the effort of making such a long and well thought-out post! Though if there is a good reason to have a limit, I guess that's fine.

I've removed the post character limit for you

 

[Sam]

Also, random other thing I've noticed!

There seems to be a character limit on posts themselves, meaning I had to split my Europa review into two posts. We didn't have this on the old forum, and I don't see the point of it. Especially if someone goes to the effort of making such a long and well thought-out post! Though if there is a good reason to have a limit, I guess that's fine.

I've removed the post character limit for you

Thanks Joel, now I can go all Charles Dickens on this forum!

Let me know what you think of my other ideas and if they're possible or not at some point will ya?

 

[Joel]

I've corrected the time to be more British format and to remove the rather too informative seconds too

I'm working through your list slowly to see what I can do

 

[Joel]

Upped the signature character limit to 2000 characters too

 

[Sam]

Excellent, thanks so much Joel! Also, is it just me, or is anyone else seeing a weird scroll bar thing on the right hand side of signatures? It doesn't do anything, it's just a glitch and flickers when you click on it.

I'm using Chrome on Windows 7.