Multitool.org in 2013?

[Grant Lamontagne]

I asked this last year and we ended up implementing a bunch of different member ideas over the year, so I thought maybe we should try it again.  Here's last year's thread for reference.

Since Multitool.org is a community site I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts on what you like, what you don't like and what you'd like to see us achieve in 2013. 

If for some reason you don't want to say something publicly I'm also available through PM, email, IM, Skype or by phone.

Otherwise, let's hear your thoughts and ideas on what we can do to move Multitool.org ahead.  As usual I have many projects on the back burner so don't be surprised if we are a bit further along on some ideas than you expected!  I can't say that we'll act on every idea, but we'll certainly be happy to consider and discuss each thought you have.

So, what's on your mind? 

Def

[Mr. Whippy]

I'm going to throw this out here and see people think. 

On another forum, there was a thread which was a running series of interviews with members.  Questions were asked and the interviewee answered them.  It would run for about a week or 2 before it went on to the next member interview.

[dks]

Not so much activites as improvements:

Chat room   

The ability to see when a thread was started as well as when the last post made

Ability to see the full title of a thread and the 1st post just by hovering over it, like in BF.

Some topics that come up often or are really good may be made into "stickies".

Increase the number of attachements to 8; size is fine.

Transfer of the reviews to the main review part of multitool.org (I know it takes time)

Ability to have larger text, like BF (I am aware of the zooming and text functions of IE)

[Whoey]

The ability to see when a thread was started as well as when the last post made

why is the thread start date important? some threads have been active for years.

Ability to see the full title of a thread and the 1st post just by hovering over it, like in BF.

we had this in the past, but lost it in the upgrade, was waiting for a compatible version, and seems there is one now, so it's installed already.

Some topics that come up often or are really good may be made into "stickies".

MODS: take note 

Increase the number of attachements to 8; size is fine.

just reply to the topic again to add more?

Transfer of the reviews to the main review part of multitool.org (I know it takes time)

I believe a list is being compiled and prepared of content to be featured on the main site.

Ability to have larger text, like BF (I am aware of the zooming and text functions of IE)

added, needs tweaking but seems to work.

[AimlessWanderer]

Bring back Bob!

[dks]

The ability to see when a thread was started as well as when the last post made

why is the thread start date important? some threads have been active for years.

It just helps when you want to quickly see if this a new thread or just an older one continuing.
Also helps with sorting through recent threads, when looking for some information on a new model etc.

I tend to use it in BLF for some reason. Usefull for forums you do not visit very often really, so not much use for me here.

[dks]

Increase the number of attachements to 8; size is fine.

just reply to the topic again to add more?

Like this?   

I just think it looks neater to have just one post for i.e. 5 pictures instead of having to do 2  (see womens thread)

how do you use the larger text size option whoey?

found it
+ - buttons at the top right

[Whoey]

tbh there are few threads that require more than 4 attachments per post, apart from say a build thread... and in any case it tends to be bit by bit, not all at once... The women thread is already teetering on the edge of NSFW, and in any case you can use external links to multiple pictures rather than attaching... the contents of that thread are not really multitool relevant, I would say keep attachments for important stuff only, not break room topics...

[dks]

Some break room threads are important too   

  Maybe you can stop backing up to the servers posts past e.g. a month old or only save the last 3 pages in threads that are not tool related, like the ones in the Break room to save space. I doubt many people will go through and read an 100 page break room thread..

[Whoey]

boss has a strict no disintegration policy

[dks]

boss has a strict no disintegration policy

The boss is allways the boss 
As long as there is server space that system works.

[enki_ck]

Ability to see the full title of a thread and the 1st post just by hovering over it, like in BF.

we had this in the past, but lost it in the upgrade, was waiting for a compatible version, and seems there is one now, so it's installed already.

Can we make this go away. or at least have an option to turn it off. It's ok (not good, just ok) for the threads that start with text only, but if there's a picture in it it looks terrible.

[dks]

I have to agree that, though it is nice, maybe it should be text only and in small writting.

 

[Nikos]

Yup, please make it configurable. It's one of the "features" I totally hate on other forums. Makes me turn javascript off completely for said forums, also making other useful stuff go away in the process.

[Whoey]

this one was definitely not as nice as the old one unfortunately...

[N_N_R]

Of course, when you can be heard and there's a chance for you to say something, everyone has some opinion, poor people who have to "listen" to us

I'll just mention something that I found weird when I came here and compare to an old forum where I was a mod loong ago...

Some topics look... waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyy too long according to me. What's the point in having a hundreds of pages of a topic? On this old forum I mentioned, mods used to lock a topic when it reached 50 pages or so (ok, may be 100 here?) and then open another topic with the same title (may be adding a number in the title) and linking the previous such topic in the first post in the new topic. Or may be you could lock a long topic in the end of every year and start a new one in the beginning of the next year or sth. Thus, let's say, EDC 2011, EDC 2012, EDC 2013... Or: EDC part 1, when it reaches 100 pages move to EDC part2, etc...If you imagine a big library, it would be much better to have 10 volumes of 500-page books rather than one volume of 5000 pages. May be.

That's just the first thing that stroke me as a surprise when I came here Again, only sharing thoughts

[Mr. Whippy]

Of course, when you can be heard and there's a chance for you to say something, everyone has some opinion, poor people who have to "listen" to us

I'll just mention something that I found weird when I came here and compare to an old forum where I was a mod loong ago...

Some topics look... waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyy too long according to me. What's the point in having a hundreds of pages of a topic? On this old forum I mentioned, mods used to lock a topic when it reached 50 pages or so (ok, may be 100 here?) and then open another topic with the same title (may be adding a number in the title) and linking the previous such topic in the first post in the new topic. Or may be you could lock a long topic in the end of every year and start a new one in the beginning of the next year or sth. Thus, let's say, EDC 2011, EDC 2012, EDC 2013... Or: EDC part 1, when it reaches 100 pages move to EDC part2, etc...If you imagine a big library, it would be much better to have 10 volumes of 500-page books rather than one volume of 5000 pages. May be.

That's just the first thing that stroke me as a surprise when I came here Again, only sharing thoughts

Hmm...

I like it! 

For example:  What's your EDC 2012, What do you have on the way? 2013. 

Good thought.

[nuphoria]

I've wondered about the long threads, but if it doesn't cause any actual problems in the forum software, what's the issue with it being long? Is it a time reference thing that people want mostly?


Mr.Whippy's idea of member interviews might be fun


As for the Women thread, I agree that it's a bit borderline at times. Perhaps we should try and keep it more about ladies we find attractive, rather than the soft porn pics some people having been posting. If it gets pushed to far, it gets locked, and I doubt that's what anyone actually wants... open to discussion in this of course, but I feel the thread has frequently strayed beyond it's original intentions.

[Mr. Whippy]

We did have a series of "Can we break the internet?" threads where the nesting went on a LONG time...

Well lookie here!  A lovely link

[nuphoria]

Ooooh, I remember that! Fun

[Whoey]

the HDC thread in the breakroom is getting pretty long...

[dks]

  I think these long threads need to be broken down into topics by the moderators, and given a title according to the subject.
For example the "what we have on the way etc." should be broken down into LM, Gerber, SAK, slipjoint, locking etc. subject areas, allowing ofcourse cross-linking from one thematic area to the other, in cases where someone has items from two makers coming or where people replied to two posts and thus need to be linked to both.


(Actually, as long as the search function works well the long threads are ok)

[Whoey]

sounds vaguely like a lot of un-necessary work for moderators.

I don't think a new thread for longer threads is a bad idea, and they could in fact be broken up by year in the case where they've been running a long time...

[dks]

Some forums have archives for older threads, though I do like the fact that here you are not told off by all, like in other forums, if you post in a thread that has not been active for some time.

[Whoey]

and why should you be told off, if the old thread is relevant to the topic.

[dks]

and why should you be told off, if the old thread is relevant to the topic.

I know, but try explaining that to e.g. BF   

[Mr. Whippy]

Please read the FAQs.

We don't have time to go over this with you.  Don't post anything until you see how this forum runs.  If you do, we cannot be responsible for the flaming you receive.  No thin skin allowed. 

Newbie.



 

[dks]

Please read the FAQs.

We don't have time to go over this with you.  Don't post anything until you see how this forum runs.  If you do, we cannot be responsible for the flaming you receive.  No thin skin allowed. 

Newbie.



 

New member: Where is the FAQ etc etc etc
Old members: Use the search engine!!!   

 

[Whoey]

never been on BF, don't plan to either...

[N_N_R]

Yeah, also forgot to mention that the interview-thing idea sounds fun

Another thing: may be moderators could delete clear spam topics and in this way save some space? I'm technically and IT retarded, so I don't really know how much spam topics hinder anything, but I still think keeping things like this is unnecessary:


http://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,38601.msg619290.html#msg619290

http://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,33224.msg541552.html#msg541552

http://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,40962.msg654419.html#msg654419

http://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,39274.msg630101.html#msg630101


................... and all such topics that appear when you type SPAM in the search field


** I mean, delete them timely, of course, not dig months&years old topics now.