VB5 Demo Feedback

[Andy]

While you can disable the activity streams in individual modules, you'll need to maintain those modules on the page. The topic list, forum list, etc... are all technically part of the Activity Stream modules.

Sorry Wayne, you need to first explain what a module is, remember this is all new stuff.

Personally, I see future potential in the Activity Stream and the filtering it provides in vBulletin 5. It needs three things...

1) The templates need to be tightened up so each entry.
2) Items need to be grouped better. So instead of nine entries for replies on a thread it says "Thread XYZ has nine new posts".
3) Filters need to be in two forums... Permanant Saved Filter options and the ability to have temporary filters.

I think once you implement point #2 and make in two lines per entry it will become similar to the New Posts we all want.

[craigvm]

Why have VB gone down the activity route in VB5, when so many people asked how to disable it in VB4.2

because IB know best lol

[Regs]

Unanimous? Really Scott?

Come on, you are brighter than that.

[craigvm]

will the quote system be available too or is it the comment system or nothing

[Wayne Luke]

Sorry Wayne, you need to first explain what a module is, remember this is all new stuff.

Most of the boxes on the vB5 pages are modules. You can drag and drop them in any location you want. In vBulletin 4.X Publishing suite we called them Widgets or Forum Blocks. The difference here is that they are available on every page and you can see how the pages look as you build them since you do so from the Front-end of the site instead of in an abstract in the AdminCP.

If you look at the online manual, you can get more of an overview of Site Builder. http://www.vbulletin.com/docs/html/sitebuilder

[Regs]

I'm not sure if I do or if I don't - ultimately it will be my members that give me real-world feedback if it is useful or not.

If I remember correctly, many people seemed to like the "threaded" view in vB software years ago... personally, I couldn't stand it but I guess I did see it's value under certain circumstances... seems that these post comments could be used in the same manner, no?

I don't have a use really for "user notes" either but I can recognize that others do.

[Andy]

Most of the boxes on the vB5 pages are modules. You can drag and drop them in any location you want.

Hopefully we can simply not insert the Activity Stream module if we don't see any need for it.

[Wayne Luke]

Piggybanking on Andy's suggestion on Usergroup Permissions for comments, I have added a suggestion to rework how they are turned on and off. Instead of a global switch, move that to usergroup permissions as in the original suggestion. I don't really see a need for both a global and usergroup level permissions. Permissions on the channel level take a little longer to setup but you're not going to change it very often and it provides a lot more flexibility.

http://tracker.vbulletin.com/browse/VBV-4523

[Wayne Luke]

Hopefully we can simply not insert the Activity Stream module if we don't see any need for it.

Then you wouldn't have a forum directory or a topics list. That is what I am trying to say...

For instance take Topic list in a Forum... There isn't an Activity Stream Module and then a Topic List module. There is a "Forum Latest Activity" module that contains the Topic List, Latest Activity (channel wide activity stream), the user's subscriptions (or personal activity stream), and a Photo view. Each of these show up as a tab. You can rearrange the tabs, you can set whichever tab you like as the default and you can disable individual tabs. However you can't remove them from the module. Removing the module itself removes everything.

[Andy]

Then you wouldn't have a forum directory or a topics list. That is what I am trying to say...

For instance take Topic list in a Forum... There isn't an Activity Stream Module and then a Topic List module. There is a "Forum Latest Activity" module that contains the Topic List, Latest Activity (channel wide activity stream), the user's subscriptions (or personal activity stream), and a Photo view. Each of these show up as a tab. You can rearrange the tabs, you can set whichever tab you like as the default and you can disable individual tabs. However you can't remove them from the module. Removing the module itself removes everything.

I think it's going to be very important to make simple modules. For example the Topic List Module you mentioned, all I want my members to see when they are viewing a forum are topic listings. I don't want any Activity Stream Module located on that page. Why you may ask, because I would like users to use the What's New (aka New Posts) to find latest posts and that should be located in a tab and be display in only one page.

[Wayne Luke]

I think it's going to be very important to make simple modules. For example the Topic List Module you mentioned, all I want my members to see when they are viewing a forum are topic listings. I don't want any Activity Stream Module located on that page. Why you may ask, because I would like users to use the What's New (aka New Posts) to find latest posts and that should be located in a tab and be display in only one page.

You click on a pencil icon for the module... Uncheck 3 checkboxes. Click Save at the bottom.

The module now just shows Topics only.

[sadiq6210]

Beta11 released

http://tracker.vbulletin.com/browse/VBV#selectedTab=com.atlassian.jira.plugin.system.project%3Achangelog-panel

[Wayne Luke]

Out of curiousity, but why are threads now called topics and how does that fit in with any other content types?

Scott

Thread is something you sew clothes with. This is a long term issue with terminology in English. I understand you use the same word for both words in German.

Topics are a text/mixed content type.

[Wayne Luke]

Beta11 released
http://tracker.vbulletin.com/browse/...hangelog-panel

Kind of sort of...

[Alfa1]

As others have commented, this is optional and can be turned off. That said, we think some forums will find significant value in this, and I'll give a couple examples.

One is for threads which persist over an extended period of time. We operate over 200 forums and on many of these, some of the richest evergreen content was posted months or even years ago. In such cases there can be significant value in letting users attach add-on content to the relevant initial post on a subject.

Another use case where commenting will be helpful is in discussions with a broad range of subject matter. Imagine, "What's the greatest rock and roll album of all time?" (Do we still call them albums?) It might be much more readable to have all comments on each suggested album tied together with that album's original post.

I'm glad to finally see you posting on vb.com I hope you will stick around.

Regarding the post comment function you state:

One is for threads which persist over an extended period of time. We operate over 200 forums and on many of these, some of the richest evergreen content was posted months or even years ago. In such cases there can be significant value in letting users attach add-on content to the relevant initial post on a subject.

I agree with your line of thought, but think that you are trying to solve a problem that was already addressed by another function: reputation comments. Reputation comments can highlight and address either bad or rich content. Not only by reputation ratings, but also with comments.
Please consider adding reputation comments back into the system (by popular demand I might add).
Please consider showing reputation comments under posts.

I have been using both functions for many years and it has added a lot of value to my big board. It has not only greatly increased the richness of posts, highlighted high / low quality posts, but has also teached badly behaving members how to improve.