=][= "NEW" BUTTON AT TOP OF FORUM - EXPERIMENTATION =][=

[Brother Tyler]

The NEW button has been created at the top of the forum. This is part of an ongoing experiment to see how we can improve visibility of some of the newer, but woefully underutilized, features of the site such as Blogs (our priority) and Articles.

 

If you click that button, you'll be taken to a feed of all new (unread) content. You can customize the content that appears. So instead of having to search (sub-)forum by (sub-)forum and feature by feature, you can just scroll through that feed to see anything that is new (the default is 100 new content items since your last login, I think). And if you want to look at other stuff, you just have to click the appropriate button at the top of the site to go to that feature (you're used to seeing the FORUM feature as the site's home page, and that page continues to be the home page - for now).

 

Please take a gander at the new page and work through it. It may be unsettling at first (it was for me), but try it out for what it seeks to be and consider how it might be useful for you (and how we might improve it). Once you've read all of the new content [that you are interested in], it's easy to click the FORUM button to go back to your familiar home page.

 

The B&C started as a discussion forum and the older versions of the software leaned on building around the Forum structure. Discussion will always be vital to the community. However, the software includes a number of other features that are much better at supporting needs the community has long emulated via discussions. We are trying to find ways to promote usage of these features without adversely affecting the community (i.e., you're not going to see us push the Forums out of the limelight).

 

The creation of the new button is just one part of a range of options that we are looking into. You'll also notice some other changes taking place here and there - notably some adjustments to our sidebar and footer blocks.

 

This is all experimentation. We'll consider your feedback as we continue to try to improve the site.

 

One recommendation - don't provide feedback right away. Change can be upsetting and our instinct is to cling to what we're used to. Give it some time - perhaps a week or two - to give the change an honest chance. I doubt that we'll go with the experiment as it currently is, but we won't have a good feel for things unless we give them a try. Note that we may change the home page to the new page as part of the experiment. That will be a temporary measure, and we won't try that out for a bit (I don't want to make the change without everyone knowing what to expect ).

 

The staff are also looking at some adjustments to the Forum structure - consolidating and expanding where appropriate to support the community's needs. We have already consolidated all of the Liber forums into a single forum, and there are some other changes on the horizon.

[Brother Tyler]

Okay, has anyone tried the NEW button? I have, and though I have my own thoughts on it, I'm more interested in what others think.

 

I don't want to influence anyone's input, so I'll refrain from commenting for now; and I'll also omit thoughts that other Invision clients have provided in my discussions with them.

 

What I want to know is what you think, contextualized with how much you've been using this button in giving the button a fair chance.

[MARK0SIAN]

I have tried using it. I quite like the idea of it but I feel it’s quite ‘tag’ dependent. Is there a way to customise it so you can view all unread content from particular forums/subforums as well as specific tags?

 

EDIT:

 

To clarify, I know we can already follow specific sub forums etc but this would be a good opportunity to have it all in one place.

Edited April 15 by MARK0SIAN

[The Yncarne]

No. I am set for my customized last view settings. It doesn't encourage exploration.

[Bouargh]

Well, I am a animal made out of customs and habits. So I tend to navigate between a limited amount of subforums where my main interrests are represented. I scroll there once or twice a day. As such and for this usual and narrow purpose I do not need the button. 

Yet, I try somehow to expand my hoeizont and I go there and drop an eye perhaps once a week in the "New" section just to see what happens in other sections and eventualy  rebounce there. Yet it is much more like a buffet picnic as I do not necesarilly look for something, but rather go for a spot overview of last stuff published or shared, but without any real goal or purpose from my side except being "teased".

[MadGreek]

I don't get on often, and when I do it is, perhaps, 3 or 4 forums. The "NEW" button was a bit of overload when I went there - but I will probably check it out when and if I have exhausted the forums I usually peruse. See what is new that I am missing out there.

[Brother Tyler]

There are ways to customize the content that appears based on a member's preferences (and within the limits of the settings). For example, a member could select to see only content posted in areas (which includes forums) that they follow.

 

Depending on how wide you cast your net, using the "New" function can allow you to explore content that you wouldn't normally see. It can be a bit overwhelming, especially if you prefer a more targeted browsing style. In addition, when you open a content item you either have to use the back button or click the "New" button to return to the "New" page or else you'll likely browse out into the feature (e.g., the Forums, Gallery, etc.). The Invision community (developers and clients) refer to each of the features as "silos."

 

My personal conclusion about the "New" feature [so far] is that it can work if a member can find a combination of settings that works to support their normal browsing habits; otherwise it works as a quick menu of new content that members can quickly scroll through to find interesting new things. For most of us, however, I'm not sure it quite scratches the itch. I think that many will prefer to limit the new content that they see to stuff (areas, items, or members) that they follow, but they'll still have to venture out into the wider features to find other stuff that they don't follow but which might be of interest to them.

 

I don't think the "New" feature is useless, however. It might be especially helpful for those members who can find the right combination of settings that work for them.

 

For example, let's say member X is only really interested in the Dark Angels Chapter/Legion, and they really only want to see content related to the scions of Lion El'Jonson. They could set the Show me setting to show content with the tags Dark Angels Chapter and Dark Angels Legion. Just doing this would return all content with either of those tags, including images in the gallery, blog entries, articles, discussion posts, etc. If they were only interested in forum discussions (as opposed to discussions that happen in the other features), they might follow the Dark Angels sub-forum and then set the Following setting to "Content posted in areas I follow" to establish that limit. And if they follow multiple forums, any content in those forums that has either of the tags would appear when they open the "New" feature.

 

At this point, I encourage members to play around with the various settings to see if they can find a combination that works for them. This might require members to consider following areas that they prefer (e.g., if you mainly go into certain forums, follow those forums).