Dude, where's my post? (or, why so many threads are moved)

Dylan Couper · August 2nd, 2004, 01:22 AM

<<<-- Originally posted by Nick Medrano
IMHO, I think it's better to keep things straight-forward so that way people can find what they need quickly and efficiently, even if it means being boring: AUDIO, LIGHTING, TAPES, etc. This is also easier for people who do not speak English well.
-->>>

Yeah, us video guys are a quirky bunch...

If you want to play a fun game, try and find all the hidden Pink Floyd references... :)

Jim Underwood · August 26th, 2004, 06:26 PM

<<<-- Originally posted by Chris Hurd : Which begs the question, are our forum titles and descriptions confusing to our readers? -->>>

On one hand, I like the forum titles -- they are cute and interesting!?!?!

On the other hand, the cute titles make it harder to quickly identify the forum you want.

This is really a user-interface issue.

Do you want your app to be cute and funny, or easy to use?
Do you want new users to be able to quickly and easily find the correct/best forum to post their questions?

Someone said:
>>Well, I guess that's why the descriptions are there.
As long as the descriptions are clear, there really aren't any problems.<<

I have to disagree. If you have to read both the title and the description to even get an idea of the subject of the forum, then you're making the user do un-necessary work.

The cute/clever titles make it extra hard on international users whose first language is not English.

Most of us are very busy people. We don't have time to read a paragraph when a few words will do. Titles are like signposts -- if the signpost is misleading, you don't even go down the road to see the details.

The first rule of U/I design is to make your app as clear and intuitive as possible. If you can be cute/interesting WITHOUT compromising rule #1, then that's a bonus.

There are plenty of ways to keep the site interesting without making the forum titles confusing and/or misleading.

Just my 2c.

Nick Medrano · August 26th, 2004, 07:59 PM

Hi Jim,
As you can see from my earlier posts, I agree.

I still spend some needless seconds reading and re-reading the post titles and their descriptions to make sure I am posting in the right category.

Remember...Keep It Simple Stupid (KISS)

Jeff Donald · August 27th, 2004, 07:33 AM

This may be of help to many of our members. Be patient, it loads slow, even with broadband. Some of our members may need to watch it twice.

Graham Bernard · August 27th, 2004, 08:26 AM

Jim - true, true . . true . . . . .

Boyd Ostroff · August 27th, 2004, 08:31 AM

Jeff - that's very funny. I especially like the water stains on the title slides.

Nick - as you have posted here 243 times, it's hard for me to understand how you could possibly not understand what the different forums are about by now. I think I managed to figure it all out the first day. I suspect the time spent here posting about the user interface is much more than the "needless seconds" spent trying to understand the forum titles.

But in the end, this is Chris' website, and the titles of the forums give you a little insight into his sense of humor. I'm sure he will read your comments, and maybe they will influence some of his decisions in the future. But with 11,600 members and 211,000 posts online it doesn't seem that any of these user interface issues are creating much of a problem...

Nick Medrano · August 27th, 2004, 09:17 AM

<<<-- Originally posted by Jeff Donald : This may be of help to many of our members. Be patient, it loads slow, even with broadband. Some of our members may need to watch it twice. -->>>

That loaded way too long and I closed it. It broke rule #1. I left the website.

What was it about?

Jeff Donald · August 27th, 2004, 10:54 AM

Nick, when you have the time try and let it load. It's just a cute cartoon about posting and rules.

Nick Medrano · August 27th, 2004, 11:00 AM

I will Jeff, thanks.

Tony Davies-Patrick · February 21st, 2006, 07:19 AM

To be honest, I also think the main title headings should be simple and relate directly to that section, such as : Tapes, Audio, Lighting, etc, and the 'quirky' titles such as 'long black line', 'still crazy' etc should be placed in the sub-headings.

For longterm regulars there are no problems, but there is no doubt that someone who is new to the forums or quickly scanning down the page to find important headings, could find it frustrating, or miss important section headings.

Chris Bolt · May 22nd, 2006, 06:19 AM

Just to add my .02. I am new to this site and I have/had zero problems navigating to the correct area of interest. I think Chris has done a great job in taking a subject that can be rather dry and staunch and he inserted a little humor. I am still greatly confused by people that are saying that reading the sub-title is "too" much information and they simply do not have the "time" to read it. Point is this, if the additional 5-10 words in the sub-title tax you either in your mental capacity or in your amount of time on the web, then you really do not have the intellect or the time to read the material actually inside the forum section your looking for. One of my favorite saying to date and it has never proven itself to be false: "You can please all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but never all of the people all of the time." This is one of the situations where the minority would be those that have issue with the catchy titles. Great job Chris.

Arthur Kay · February 9th, 2007, 04:46 PM

I for one find the forum title hilarious :D

But - if I may play the devil's advocate for a moment - some of my collegues and friends find the titles very confusing. Mainly because they are not as fluent in English as I am.
You must remember that there are users (like me) who do not live in an English speaking country and have a hard time already deciphering the english in the posts.

Like I said, no prob for me. I find it gives the forum a unique look and feel. And I am all for it.

Cheers from Belgium
Arthur

Phil Anderson · October 9th, 2007, 11:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nick Medrano

I have been using this forum for almost two years now. I still find the forum titles confusing.....

I don't have that problem, but for me there are so many separate forums that it's sometimes hard to sift through all of them, and their descriptions, to figure out what fits where best.

Having said that, I don't mind at all if a moderator moves a post of mine to a more appropriate forum.

Kevin Randolph · October 31st, 2007, 09:15 AM

I fully understand the forum titles (at least the ones I frequent) and I have no problem with moderators moving things around (yes, let's keep things tidy).

Here's my question: Yesterday I posted a new thread in the "Open Dv Discussion" about an international video program. Where did it get moved to? Or was it deleted? Did I do something wrong in posting the thread?

I did a search about the program before I posted to see if there were any relevant threads. No results were returned on the handful of searches, so I thought it would be OK to start a new thread. I'm not affiliated with the program, just curious about it. Wondering if anyone has experience with it. But now the thread is gone. If I broke a rule about posting, just let me know what I did wrong and I won't do it again. If it was a taboo topic (I can't imagine it was, but who knows) then let me know and I won't bring it up again.

Could the moderator that removed my post send me an email and let me know why it was removed? I don't want to make trouble. I don't want to break the rules. I really enjoy this forum. I've learned a lot here.

Thanks,
Kevin

Chris Hurd · October 31st, 2007, 09:46 AM

Kevin, it's been temporarily withdrawn from public view due to some flaming responses it received. Most likely it will be restored minus a reply or two (as personal flames are never allowed on this site). Look for it to reappear soon in the Taking Care of Business forum.

Edit: thread has been restored to http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=106901

August 2nd, 2004, 01:22 AM	#16
Dylan Couper Wrangler Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Vancouver, British Columbia Posts: 8,314	<<<-- Originally posted by Nick Medrano IMHO, I think it's better to keep things straight-forward so that way people can find what they need quickly and efficiently, even if it means being boring: AUDIO, LIGHTING, TAPES, etc. This is also easier for people who do not speak English well. -->>> Yeah, us video guys are a quirky bunch... If you want to play a fun game, try and find all the hidden Pink Floyd references... :) __________________ Need to rent camera gear in Vancouver BC? Check me out at camerarentalsvancouver.com

August 27th, 2004, 07:33 AM	#19
Jeff Donald Warden Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Clearwater, FL Posts: 8,287	This may be of help to many of our members. Be patient, it loads slow, even with broadband. Some of our members may need to watch it twice. __________________ Jeff Donald Carpe Diem Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Where to Buy? From the best in the business: DVinfo.net sponsors

August 27th, 2004, 10:54 AM	#23
Jeff Donald Warden Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Clearwater, FL Posts: 8,287	Nick, when you have the time try and let it load. It's just a cute cartoon about posting and rules. __________________ Jeff Donald Carpe Diem Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Where to Buy? From the best in the business: DVinfo.net sponsors

February 21st, 2006, 07:19 AM	#25
Tony Davies-Patrick Trustee Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Worldwide Posts: 1,589	To be honest, I also think the main title headings should be simple and relate directly to that section, such as : Tapes, Audio, Lighting, etc, and the 'quirky' titles such as 'long black line', 'still crazy' etc should be placed in the sub-headings. For longterm regulars there are no problems, but there is no doubt that someone who is new to the forums or quickly scanning down the page to find important headings, could find it frustrating, or miss important section headings. __________________ www.WILDCARP.com www.NIKON.me.uk

May 22nd, 2006, 06:19 AM	#26
Chris Bolt New Boot Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Atlanta, Georgia Posts: 9	Just to add my .02. I am new to this site and I have/had zero problems navigating to the correct area of interest. I think Chris has done a great job in taking a subject that can be rather dry and staunch and he inserted a little humor. I am still greatly confused by people that are saying that reading the sub-title is "too" much information and they simply do not have the "time" to read it. Point is this, if the additional 5-10 words in the sub-title tax you either in your mental capacity or in your amount of time on the web, then you really do not have the intellect or the time to read the material actually inside the forum section your looking for. One of my favorite saying to date and it has never proven itself to be false: "You can please all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but never all of the people all of the time." This is one of the situations where the minority would be those that have issue with the catchy titles. Great job Chris. __________________ God Bless <>< VX-2100, Beachtek-6, Manfrotto 3011/501

August 26th, 2004, 06:26 PM	#17
Jim Underwood Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 37	<<<-- Originally posted by Chris Hurd : Which begs the question, are our forum titles and descriptions confusing to our readers? -->>> On one hand, I like the forum titles -- they are cute and interesting!?!?! On the other hand, the cute titles make it harder to quickly identify the forum you want. This is really a user-interface issue. Do you want your app to be cute and funny, or easy to use? Do you want new users to be able to quickly and easily find the correct/best forum to post their questions? Someone said: >>Well, I guess that's why the descriptions are there. As long as the descriptions are clear, there really aren't any problems.<< I have to disagree. If you have to read both the title and the description to even get an idea of the subject of the forum, then you're making the user do un-necessary work. The cute/clever titles make it extra hard on international users whose first language is not English. Most of us are very busy people. We don't have time to read a paragraph when a few words will do. Titles are like signposts -- if the signpost is misleading, you don't even go down the road to see the details. The first rule of U/I design is to make your app as clear and intuitive as possible. If you can be cute/interesting WITHOUT compromising rule #1, then that's a bonus. There are plenty of ways to keep the site interesting without making the forum titles confusing and/or misleading. Just my 2c.

August 26th, 2004, 07:59 PM	#18
Nick Medrano Major Player Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 331	Hi Jim, As you can see from my earlier posts, I agree. I still spend some needless seconds reading and re-reading the post titles and their descriptions to make sure I am posting in the right category. Remember...Keep It Simple Stupid (KISS)

August 27th, 2004, 08:26 AM	#20
Graham Bernard Old Boot Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: London UK Posts: 3,633	Jim - true, true . . true . . . . .

August 27th, 2004, 08:31 AM	#21
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,802	Jeff - that's very funny. I especially like the water stains on the title slides. Nick - as you have posted here 243 times, it's hard for me to understand how you could possibly not understand what the different forums are about by now. I think I managed to figure it all out the first day. I suspect the time spent here posting about the user interface is much more than the "needless seconds" spent trying to understand the forum titles. But in the end, this is Chris' website, and the titles of the forums give you a little insight into his sense of humor. I'm sure he will read your comments, and maybe they will influence some of his decisions in the future. But with 11,600 members and 211,000 posts online it doesn't seem that any of these user interface issues are creating much of a problem...

August 27th, 2004, 09:17 AM	#22
Nick Medrano Major Player Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 331	<<<-- Originally posted by Jeff Donald : This may be of help to many of our members. Be patient, it loads slow, even with broadband. Some of our members may need to watch it twice. -->>> That loaded way too long and I closed it. It broke rule #1. I left the website. What was it about?

August 27th, 2004, 11:00 AM	#24
Nick Medrano Major Player Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 331	I will Jeff, thanks.

February 9th, 2007, 04:46 PM	#27
Arthur Kay Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Belgium Posts: 37	I for one find the forum title hilarious :D But - if I may play the devil's advocate for a moment - some of my collegues and friends find the titles very confusing. Mainly because they are not as fluent in English as I am. You must remember that there are users (like me) who do not live in an English speaking country and have a hard time already deciphering the english in the posts. Like I said, no prob for me. I find it gives the forum a unique look and feel. And I am all for it. Cheers from Belgium Arthur

October 31st, 2007, 09:15 AM	#29
Kevin Randolph Major Player Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Columbus, Ohio Posts: 423	Dude, where's my post? No really, where is it? I fully understand the forum titles (at least the ones I frequent) and I have no problem with moderators moving things around (yes, let's keep things tidy). Here's my question: Yesterday I posted a new thread in the "Open Dv Discussion" about an international video program. Where did it get moved to? Or was it deleted? Did I do something wrong in posting the thread? I did a search about the program before I posted to see if there were any relevant threads. No results were returned on the handful of searches, so I thought it would be OK to start a new thread. I'm not affiliated with the program, just curious about it. Wondering if anyone has experience with it. But now the thread is gone. If I broke a rule about posting, just let me know what I did wrong and I won't do it again. If it was a taboo topic (I can't imagine it was, but who knows) then let me know and I won't bring it up again. Could the moderator that removed my post send me an email and let me know why it was removed? I don't want to make trouble. I don't want to break the rules. I really enjoy this forum. I've learned a lot here. Thanks, Kevin __________________ "... the drama is on your doorstep..." - John Grierson www.grvideo.net

October 31st, 2007, 09:46 AM	#30
Chris Hurd Obstreperous Rex Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: San Marcos, TX Posts: 27,368 Images: 513	Kevin, it's been temporarily withdrawn from public view due to some flaming responses it received. Most likely it will be restored minus a reply or two (as personal flames are never allowed on this site). Look for it to reappear soon in the Taking Care of Business forum. Edit: thread has been restored to http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=106901 __________________ CH Search DV Info Net \| 20 years of DVi \| ...Tuesday is Soylent Green Day!