...the ability to get to the latest post of a thread that I haven't seen. yet.

Excellent suggestion, especially since practically every other forum on the planet works that way. There are plenty of threads I don't want to 'watch' just for the forum to keep track of the last post I read.

 

Hi Rick, Yes, it would be great for an individual like me to be able to block a thread that has little content yet it shows up 15-20 times a day and like Tony said, it would be difficult for a person to shuffle through 5000-10000 posts to find something. Search capacity that we already have does that job. So, if I follow a thread and am looking for a post I was interested in, I use the search not the thread.

 

A "like" button would be nice

 

did the index disappear?? I can't find it.(where there were categories, i.e. tables, bowls, etc. I'd like it back where it was. other than that, I think the site is fine

 

People abuse the "Add to Favorites" button, by posting inflammatory, angry comments on a thread which they are otherwise unable to post comments on.

Example: http://lumberjocks.com/topics/55928

I know it's trivial, but because it does not reflect well on the Lumberjocks who posted these unflattering comments, there should be a way to remove them, either by OP or moderator.

 

Search capacity that we already have does that job.

I think we are talking about different things. I'm talking about being able to pick up reading a thread where I left off without having to add it to my watch list, the search function does not do that. It would also be nice if it showed the number of posts since I've read it otherwise I don't know if there have been 2 posts or 200. And yeah, I wouldn't mind the ability to hide threads that are always on the first page of the forum page but that I never read or participate in. It's just a housekeeping/convenience thing, not a value judgement.

 

Rick,

If I understand what you are asking for, the pulse page does that. It shows the number of new comments since you last accessed the thread. Clicking on that number brings you to the first of those new comments.

 

Personally, if nothing changed on LJs I'd be happy, but that is because I am a creature of habit. I have a ritual of efficiently visiting LJs a few times a day, click on what I want to see in the same order, check for new "stuff" and move on with my day. However:

- The addition of a chat function would be interesting and useful to get immediate advice from a jock that is online.

- The "Like" button. I have endorsed it in the past, but I see the argument against. What if it was a "Vote for Daily Top 3" button? Each person gets 3 votes in a 24 hr period? Just a thought on how to "fix" the Daily Top 3 (although I don't know that it is really "broken"...)

- I think a "dislike" button would upset the cohesive community that LJs is. Why do you need to dislike something that someone else may see as their life's crowning achievement? I really don't like birdhouses, but do I need to hit a "dislike" button to tell the creator that I don't like their 18th century mansion-style birdhouse? Why not just click to a new post and end the "wasting of your time"?

Cheers,

 

If I understand what you are asking for, the pulse page does that.

Good point, I'm always forgetting because I only use the Pulse page for watched topics. Usually it's when I'm browsing through the forums that I see threads I might want to check in on.

 

First, the ability to reply DIRECTLY to another post with quoting. Second, the option of linear, threaded, or hybrid display of each 'topic'.

 

Ditch Google search and use your own in-house search.

Please pardon me if this has already been mentioned, as I have limited time for reading every post. If there was one thing I would change, it's the use of Google as your search. Google simply searches every blog, review, forum, etc… and dumps all gazillion results to search through. Sure, it's easy to implement and LJ can earn a few extra bucks from using it, but it lacks many of the features which a good site-search should have… especially a site such as LJ, which has literally tens of thousands of pages of information.

A proper search feature should allow the users to sort results from different sections of the site, such as blogs, forums and such. It would also allow for sorting by date, and by requiring all terms, phrase specific, or excluding terms.

To me, Search is among the most useful tools for any information bases website. If LJ thinks Google search is good enough, they are wrong… Search is way important and should not be relegated to any outside provider.

 

I Vote AGAINST adding a like button!

 

I would like to see the real date of the post and not the number of days .

 

Dutchman, that has always driven me crazy as well. LOL

 

I have been a member here for less than a year and I am also a beginner woodworker. That being said I am also against the "Like" button, for all the already stated reasons. I would also like to see the actual time and date of the post in a thread, instead of the amount of time or days since it was posted.

 

I agree about the date. Many forums show the number of hours/minutes for the first day, then date thereafter, but I think that takes a bit of coding magic that's usually built-in with the forum software they use.

I'm indifferent about a like button on projects.

 

Some people close to me may not be so happy if you create a mobile app.. they may be very unhappy.

 

I would like to see more advanced search feature so that you can search within thread topics as well as the body of the post. Also, the search should allow you to specify if you want to search within specific forums.

The forums should also allow certain threads be pinned so that they stay on the top of the forum. Threads like "which saw to buy", "which blade is the best" etc would qualify to be pinned.

 

It all been stated, but to cast my vote.

1. Watch a blog series
2. Organize favorites
3. Lose 20 pounds (okay that one is my responsibility)

 

Cricket
It would be nice to know if any of the suggested changes are really going to happen, if so which ones?

 

How about a LIKE button, that then requires you to make a comment. I agree with A1Jims opinion about like buttons, but also would like a counter of who likes what. It might keep both community through conversation, the ability to crowd rate comments and experts, and temper those ratings with spoken defense and attributions???

 

I still would like to have the ability to find other wood workers in my area. example is I know of no wood working groups in the Akron Ohio area where I am at. I know of one in Columbus but that is 100 miles from here, and at my age by the time I got down to a meeting I would forget why I went it would be nice be able to chat and share ideas with others close to home.

 

Other like options: Ability to add a poll. There is another site I post on that gives the creator of a thread or blog the ability to add a poll to the thread so people can vote on things. This might be a good compromise on the 'like' button. There are diffidently times when someone may just want a yes/no vote without a lot of comments. Or the poll may require you to comment why you voted, then add that to the thread, but still keep a tally of votes at the header of the thread. "should I buy a DeWalt 735 planer, answer the poll"

 

Still other like options: Have a 'like' button that is similar to a poll.

>It would never appear in a LJ's general profile,Avatar or in the pulse header of a thread, blog, or project post. (This would help discourage 'LIKE hunters', and keep newbs from being intimidated from sharing input, or posting on certain threads)

>In the body of a forum, blog, or project post, if A1Jim comments on a great method for clamping a glue up I could hit a 'like' or 'caution' button
>I would then be prompted to comment on why I made my selection, and those comments would be added to the thread. (this is similar to the +1's that are going on right now, and no 'Lazy' votes)
>A like and/or caution icon would appear on A1's post, and possibly in the header.
>If I hover over the icon it displays the Avatar and name of those who liked or cautioned. (no anonymous votes!)
>If I click on the Avatar it takes me to that specific comment. (Like the links some have asked for)
>Once someone likes or cautions in a thread post, the option is given in the original post to see all likes, see all cautions, see all comments. (additional sorting options for reading threads) (maybe a 'joke' button if you just want to see all the 'smarta$$' comments (jk)
>The creator of a thread would have the ability to disable likes and cautions, or even hiding just the counter at the thread heading, giving them the control of how they want to build their 'crowd' in the 'community'
>The poll option would still be a valid option.

There are versions of these ideas present in several of the forums I participate in (not all woodworking), but not all together. I think it could preserve the look, flow, and community by discussion, not expertise, that is present in LJ's, while providing the option to both poll, rate expert advice, without creating 'experts', and upgrade the sorting and readability of long opinion based threads.

IMHO there are very good arguments on both sides of the 'LIKE' button argument. Why not 'LIKE' our cake and eat it too!!

 

a1Jim, I will be compiling a list of all of the requests and then determining which ones are feasible and in the best interest of the community as a whole. In order to do that, I needed to hear feedback from all of you, so this has been very helpful for me.