Thread Format Changed? Suggestion for Better Visibility

[PeterDonis]

While browsing PF just now, the way posts in threads are displayed changed. I assume on purpose?

I don't mind the new format, but I do have one suggestion: if the posters' names are going to appear in the blue title bar, they need to be in a light color. As it is now I have to squint to make them out.

 

[micromass]

Greg is testing things. It's not permanent yet.

 

[WannabeNewton]

Oh good I thought I was high on something.

 

[micromass]

Oh good I thought I was high on something.

Well, you are, but that's irrelevant.

 

[Nugatory]

Greg is testing things.

Whatever he's doing, it's not working on an iPad - title and author/date bars are on top of one another.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Whatever he's doing, it's not working on an iPad - title and author/date bars are on top of one another.

Is it possible to take a screenshot?

There will be many adjustments in the next couple days. The goal of this is the prioritize the content.

 

[lisab]

The "online users" box is not right:

I'll post screen shots of odd things as I find them.

 

[WannabeNewton]

You have to connect the dots lisab.

 

[dlgoff]

Oh good I thought I was high on something.

We must all be high. Now we're admins.

 

[LCKurtz]

Hey! I paid good money to get that avatar and now it's microscopic. Talk about devaluation! I like the bigger ones. Sometimes they are the best thing in the thread.

 

[WannabeNewton]

We must all be high. Now we're admins.

Yeeeey

 

[Evo]

Hey! I paid good money to get that avatar and now it's microscopic. Talk about devaluation! I like the bigger ones. Sometimes they are the best thing in the thread.

Hopefully the avatars will be restored as they identify members. Many people even get upset when well known members change their avatars, it becomes a symbol of who they are.

 

[Evo]

Uh oh, the members online background has turned dark blue and gold members are no longer highlighted.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Uh oh, the members online background has turned dark blue and gold members are no longer highlighted.

It's a problem. I really dislike it, but for now, it's all I can do to make it legible.

 

[Evo]

It's a problem. I really dislike it, but for now, it's all I can do to make it legible.

I'm just giving a play by play, I will shut up now and go watch Masterchef UK Professionals. :!)

I actually like the dark blue, if now it could show gold members. Makes it easier to see who's online and how many gold members are on (something I've been counting since we started gold).

 

[Mentallic]

I feel like I have to scan through the title bar to figure out who made the post. Most free members have their names pop up right at the start, but when you add an avatar, mentor title etc. before the name, my eyes will usually jump to the beginning and work their way across from there.

Please consider the torment that my eyes are going through

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

I feel like I have to scan through the title bar to figure out who made the post. Most free members have their names pop up right at the start, but when you add an avatar, mentor title etc. before the name, my eyes will usually jump to the beginning and work their way across from there.

I can rearrange the elements if others feel this way

 

[dlgoff]

Some images seem to not be rendering like before. e.g. the first pic here https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=682322

I noticed the image upload size has changed. i.e.

 

[Mentallic]

Well, I'm not sure how I'd feel about the mentor tag going after the name either. I felt like it worked in the old format when each detail was in its own row, but that might also just be because it's what we became accustomed to. So carry on!

Oh, and change scares me.

edit: Now that I've seen it, I much prefer the names being at the beginning with everything else afterwards.

 

[Evo]

I want the avatars back to normal, the rest can be in one bar. My avatar can't be seen, other's are even worse, not worth having it anymore. Just look at dl's, wtheck is that?

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Just look at dl's, wtheck is that?

I couldn't tell what it was when it was bigger

 

[OmCheeto]

I want the avatars back to normal, the rest can be in one bar. My avatar can't be seen, other's are even worse, not worth having it anymore. Just look at dl's, wtheck is that?

I see 5 dots on a dark blue background. The avatars might be a tad small.

hmmm... Maybe Greg is working on a 6 foot diagonal screen for development, and all the avatars are a foot square? Someone with some pull should call Greg, and make the avatars bigger, for us 15" laptop peeps.

 

[OmCheeto]

I couldn't tell what it was when it was bigger

I always saw two eyes and an evil smile. Now it's just dots. Listen to Evo, young man...

-------------------------
ps. I'm going to bed now, and I want to see everything perfect in 6 hours, when I wake up...:zzz: :zzz: :zzz: :zzz: :zzz:

 

[Crake2]

The number of posts is pissing me off. It's not centered. For some people, it's above the center line, for others it's below.

When I say it's not centered, I mean vertically.EDIT: Now that I think about it, wouldn't it be nice to have the post count horizontally centered?

 

[Monique]

Why not make everything one plain text file?

I prefer the box on the left side: space to identify members.

 

[dlgoff]

Why not make everything one plain text file?

I prefer the box on the left side: space to identify members.

Yes. I'm finding it really annoying as it's difficult to identify who's posting what. The username determines whether I'll read the post or not in many cases.

 

[krash661]

i have no problems with it,
but it sure is weird since it's something different.
for me it's about the message, and not the messenger.

 

[Saitama]

Where is the multi quote button?

 

[Ygggdrasil]

Personally, I preferred the old format for posts. Having the actual post in a smaller column made it easier to read as your eyes did not need to scan over as wide of an area to see all of the text.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Where is the multi quote button?

Broken at the moment

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Personally, I preferred the old format for posts. Having the actual post in a smaller column made it easier to read as your eyes did not need to scan over as wide of an area to see all of the text.

I am brainstorming on this

 

[robphy]

Has anyone tried printing pages? Poster names don't show up when I print to PDF... although they show up in preview.
Maybe my version of Firefox (20.0.1) on WinXP is too old.

 

[Ben Niehoff]

The new format is awesome! I hate other forums that devote so much screen space to people's avatars and signatures that only 1-2 actual posts show up on the screen at the same time.

 

[Ben Niehoff]

However, I think the user names need to be in white, and that highlighting them in different colors is a bad way to distinguish their various privileges when they are over a blue background. Maybe invent a new set of badges.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

However, I think the user names need to be in white, and that highlighting them in different colors is a bad way to distinguish their various privileges when they are over a blue background. Maybe invent a new set of badges.

The reason I switched them around was that white stuck out a lot more than the blue. Once you adjust to the fact that light blue is a normal member, it won't seem weird.

 

[Ben Niehoff]

The reason I switched them around was that white stuck out a lot more than the blue.

There is too much detail missing from this comment for me to tell what you're talking about.

But light-blue-on-medium-blue is too difficult to read (and I'm not even old yet!). If the usernames are white, then it will be easier to tell who said what. The point is I want the usernames to stick out. But I like that they now take up less space.

 

[Ben Niehoff]

Or, put another way: it should be easy to scan the page for usernames while scrolling down. I do this, and I assume so do others, as a way of filtering out people who we don't care to read.

And before you tell me I should use the "ignore" feature, that isn't really sufficient, because this happens on a per-thread basis. People will occasionally go off on a tangent or get into an argument, and I skim past their posts to find what's actually interesting.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

But light-blue-on-medium-blue is too difficult to read (and I'm not even old yet!). If the usernames are white, then it will be easier to tell who said what. The point is I want the usernames to stick out. But I like that they now take up less space.

I hear you. I guess I'm having trouble finding a color for admins then against a dark blue.

 

[Ben Niehoff]

I hear you. I guess I'm having trouble finding a color for admins then against a dark blue.

That's why I suggested using badges to mark admins and mods rather than color highlights. In fact, don't you already have badges?

As I have noted many times in the chatroom, finding a decent color to put over medium blue is difficult. (And it isn't dark blue, certainly not on my screen).

 

[krash661]

I hear you. I guess I'm having trouble finding a color for admins then against a dark blue.

try the green it used to be

all in all,
it's fine for me or on my end.
i have no problems with the way it is at all.

 

[reenmachine]

I preferred the old format.I think it was much clearer and much more standard for a messageboard.

Is there a way to leave the choice to users which format they want?

Just my 2 cents :)

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

try the green it used to be

Admins were blue :) Blue on blue won't work.

 

[WannabeNewton]

The box on the right that says who's online and stuff still looks screwy btw. The names are all big and blue and stuff.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

The box on the right that says who's online and stuff still looks screwy btw. The names are all big and blue and stuff.

Yes, I can only work on one thing at a time and there are a lot of things :)

 

[trollcast]

Why are you trying to fix what wasn't broke to start with?

 

[WannabeNewton]

Yes, I can only work on one thing at a time and there are a lot of things :)

yeah I understand, I just thought you'd like to know

 

[Monique]

The new format is awesome! I hate other forums that devote so much screen space to people's avatars and signatures that only 1-2 actual posts show up on the screen at the same time.

Yes, so let's go plain-text forum. Obviously the headers are taking up way too much space and are too cluttered: they disturb the readability of the thread.

Not to mention the extra 1/4 screen width empty space, what was wrong with the old layout?

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Obviously the headers are taking up way too much space and are too cluttered: they disturb the readability of the thread.

I have an idea for this. It won't solve it, but might lessen it. Stay tuned.

 

[trollcast]

If you want to get rid of the side bit of the post could you make it like the bottom half of this image?

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

trollcast, thanks for the suggestion, but I am trying to stay away from anything bulky like that.