kentaurus
Tue 21st Oct '08, 1:52pm
Well, in my forum they are actually named "profile messages", y didn't really liked the "visitor" term :) Anyway.
It has been several days after I setup 3.7 and activated visitor messages. Since some users are used to a "wall" in their facebook, it wasn't really a shock. For others, it was really fun signing others' profiles, lilke a classic "guestbook" (are there guestbooks anymore on the Internet?)
What was really hard for my users was that concept of "answer in the other member profile", "that way you can use the 'view conversation' link". Even I had trouble with it. I just kept answering on my own profile... after everybody got used to answering in the target profile (with the following reasoning: 'that way, the user gets a notification, instead of having to read all profiles in which he has left a message', everything made sense).
The shock for my database was also considerable. With 1000+ vm a day (and growing), they are by far a popular option. I have seen a single member with 10,000 visitor messages and vBulletin handles them really well. I'm starting to think that sooner or later I'll have to recycle them and delete the old ones.
Nowadays, the visitor messages are used as a substitute for private messages. I don't know why, or if people just like to show off, it's common to enter a profile and view a conversation between the member and someone else, that spans several messages.... they don't care that everybody can see it. Some members post in my profile for support on the forum, and I keep directing them to my private message inbox so I can keep organised.
If 3 years ago, I said that all the "private messages" were going to be 'public' and the conversations between 2 person that nobody else cares about (besides maybe for gossip) would be completely visible, I would have been labeled as crazy! :)
It has been several days after I setup 3.7 and activated visitor messages. Since some users are used to a "wall" in their facebook, it wasn't really a shock. For others, it was really fun signing others' profiles, lilke a classic "guestbook" (are there guestbooks anymore on the Internet?)
What was really hard for my users was that concept of "answer in the other member profile", "that way you can use the 'view conversation' link". Even I had trouble with it. I just kept answering on my own profile... after everybody got used to answering in the target profile (with the following reasoning: 'that way, the user gets a notification, instead of having to read all profiles in which he has left a message', everything made sense).
The shock for my database was also considerable. With 1000+ vm a day (and growing), they are by far a popular option. I have seen a single member with 10,000 visitor messages and vBulletin handles them really well. I'm starting to think that sooner or later I'll have to recycle them and delete the old ones.
Nowadays, the visitor messages are used as a substitute for private messages. I don't know why, or if people just like to show off, it's common to enter a profile and view a conversation between the member and someone else, that spans several messages.... they don't care that everybody can see it. Some members post in my profile for support on the forum, and I keep directing them to my private message inbox so I can keep organised.
If 3 years ago, I said that all the "private messages" were going to be 'public' and the conversations between 2 person that nobody else cares about (besides maybe for gossip) would be completely visible, I would have been labeled as crazy! :)