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General discussion

ATTENTION forum users: New forum features and changes on 4/14/2011 9:30 PST! Please read.

Apr 9, 2011 3:02PM PDT
4/13/2011 UPDATE: We will be deploying these new forum features and the forum redesign tomorrow morning (4/14/2011) at 9:30AM Pacific Time (12:30PM Eastern). CLICK HERE to see note.. Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I hope this post finds everyone well! Now that we've been on our new forums platform for six months and everything has been running pretty stable, I wanted to let you know we will be releasing some new features in the forums, in addition to a forum redesign this coming week. (If all goes according to plan, new features may coming to you as early as 4/13.) This is a long post, so please bear with me while I take you through what's new.

Up first is the forums redesign; it's nothing too drastic, but it will make our forums align with the rest of CNET's overall look and feel. Here are a few screenshots to give you an idea of what's to come. (As a reminder, these are screenshots, and sometimes when viewing them, the text or the page layout may appear smaller than in reality, and I wanted to reassure you that the text size and page layout sizes will remain the same.)

Forum directory/home page:

What's new:
-- Rather than displaying an overwhelming list of forums on a page, we've collapsed them into their categories, and when you hover over a category, the list of forums will be displayed for you to select from.
-- Members will be able to create new discussions directly from these pages.
-- Click here for screenshot

Forums category home page:

What's new:
-- All categories of forums will have their own home page now--not just Mac and Software. This will be a landing page that lists all forums within a category.
-- Members will be able to create new discussions directly from these pages.
-- Click here for screenshot

Forum home page/discussion listing page

What's new:
-- We've added the ability for our readers to view a snippet of the first post of the thread without having to open the thread entirely. When you are on the Forum listing page, if you hover your mouse pointer over the thread's subject line, it will display a small snippet of post content to give you an idea what the discussion pertains to.
-- We've added the ability for you to sort discussion threads by their "Creation date" and "Latest updated" date.
-- We've added the ability for you to filter the forums by post types (explained further down the page).
-- Click here for screenshot

Discussion thread page:
What's new:
-- New Q&A post type format (explained further down the page).
-- Different types of voting mechanisms (explained further down the page).
-- Click here for screenshot of discussion expanded
-- Click here for screenshot of discussion collapsed

Now, for all the exciting new feature sets.

New voting mechanisms

As you will see below, we've incorporated a number of new voting mechanisms for you to use. The whole idea around votes is that it will give you a simple method to share and express what you like and find helpful.

-- Helpfulness ratings for replies. This will allow our members to vote thumbs up (positive) or down (negative) on the helpfulness of any replies, giving our readers and members a better sense of whose contributions within a discussion have been helpful or not.

-- Popularity vote for discussion threads. This lets our members gauge the popularity of each individual discussion throughout the forums and vote if they "Like" the discussion.

-- Popularity vote for forums. Similar to the popularity vote for each discussion, but at the forum level, which will allow members to vote if they "Like" each individual forum.

-- CNET staff picks. This allows the CNET staff, which includes our CNET editorial team, volunteer forum moderators, and forum administrators to selectively pick any discussion thread or individual post as a favorite. While helpfulness from the members weighs in highly for great contributions, CNET staff picks give additional recognition to those contributions that stand out. Threads or posts that have been selected as "CNET staff picks" will be recognized by a special icon.

-- "I have this question, too" vote. This is another voting mechanism specific to Q&A discussion types (see below for specifics on Q&A type discussions) that will allow members to click on a button to indicate that they also have this question and allow them to sign up for alerts when new answers are posted. This feature will also help to highlight common problems and issues.

Post text editor (only available to users using Firefox, Chrome, and Internet Explorer 8 or higher versions.

When creating a new discussion or replying to a post, you will now be able to use a WYSIWYG text editor. This feature will allow members who have no knowledge of the forum BBS codes to easily customize their posts with the ability to bold, italic, or underline text, add text links to Web sites, and add emoticons to their posts. If WYSIWYG text editors are just not your cup of tea, you will have the option to toggle between the WYSIWYG text editor and the standard submission form that we currently have.

New discussion post types

With this new feature, when you are creating a new discussion thread, you will have the ability to specifically designate what type of post it is. Each post type will have a unique icon. This will show other members, at a glance, what type of discussion you are presenting and allow them to filter each forum by post type.

-- Click here for a screenshot of the submission form which includes all the post type selections

Post types will include:
-- Question or (Q&A) (which will trigger a Q&A type discussion style, detailed explanation further down below)

-- Rant (not limited to this, but as an example--when you'd like to share something that you are unhappy about, a complaint, or bad news...)

-- Praise (not limited to this, but as an example--when you'd like to share something that you are excited about, a positive experience, or good news... )

-- Tip (not limited to this, but as an example--when you'd like to share advice or a how-to type post...)

-- Idea (not limited to this, but as an example--when you'd like to share an idea for feedback...)

-- Alert/warning (not limited to this, but as an example--when you'd like to share an announcement, warning, or alert with others...)

-- General discussion (not limited to this, but as an example--when you'd like to carry on a conversation that doesn't fit into any of the post types available and do not want the discussion to be restricted to a Q&A type format.)

The biggest change for the different post types is when you select a "Question" (Q&A) post type. All other post type formats, besides the cosmetic changes, will remain in the format that you are all currently familiar with (i.e., they will have multiple layers of post levels.)

Question/ Q&A post type in details

Now for a detailed explanation of how the Question/Q&A post type will work. The Q&A type thread is a new concept being introduced to our forums and may require a bit of time to get used to. There will be some significant differences between this type of discussion and the traditional types of discussion. Please note that this format is for Q&A discussions only[/b?]; all other discussion types listed above will remain in the format most of you are already familiar with.

In a Q&A thread, we have restricted the post layers to three levels deep only. Those layers being:

-- First layer is for the question
-- Second layer is for "Answers" or "clarification request" posts
-- Third level is for replies to the Answers or Clarification requests

I know this is more restrictive than our current posts, but the whole idea of this methodology is to keep the Q&A experience as simple as possible to use and follow.

How this Question/Q&A post type works:

When a person enters a Question post, the post itself will be designated by a question icon.
-- Here is a screenshot with just a question on its own

Once a question has been created, members will be able to reply in two manners:

-- Submit an answer to the question, which will be designated with an Answer icon.

or:

-- Ask for a clarification in the event that the question at hand needs more details in order for the participant to provide an answer (these will be represented with the text "Clarification request"). Anyone can reply to the clarification request posts and all clarification requests will remain directly below the first post/question.
-- Here is a screenshot with a question and a clarification request and no answers yet.

-- Here is a screenshot with a question and a couple of clarification request and answers, but the question has not yet been resolved.

Once there are answers available, the author who created the question can pick one of the answers as the best answer to their question. Once a user has selected "Best answer," the thread will be marked as "Resolved," and the icon will change from a question mark to a question mark with a check mark. The chosen answer will be also highlighted within the thread. In the question post, some text will appear noting that the author has chosen an answer resolution, along with a link to the chosen answer.

Here is a screenshot showing that the question has been resolved

I know this type of Q&A discussion is a different process, and we've thought long and hard on this Q&A post type as to what might be the best way to present this. Since this is a brand-new feature in our forums, we'd like hear your feedback once we release it for all of you to use. With your feedback we will be able to make adjustments to make it even better. Also I'd like to thank the few moderators who have chimed in with their thoughts on the whole Q&A process and layout. I know we have a few kinks to work out, but we'll get there as we refine the process.

Well, folks, this about sums up what we have planned for this upcoming release. It's a lot of stuff, and I hope you'll find these features fun and helpful. Our team has worked hard on this, and we look forward to getting it out in front of you.

Thanks for your time!

-Lee Koo
CNET Community

Message was edited by: Lee Koo (ADMIN) to update launch date and time 04/13/2011 4:10PM

Discussion is locked

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I know the answer to the humming PC!!!
Apr 9, 2011 9:09PM PDT

It hums because it doesn't know the words.

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*sigh* !
Apr 9, 2011 9:10PM PDT
Happy
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Very old telephony joke . . .
Apr 10, 2011 12:59AM PDT

Rural phone lines would pick up AC induction from power lines and it would cause an AC hum that could be heard on the phone. We used to tell it to the younger phone people.

I actually had a case of trouble years ago out south of Cedar Hill, south of Dallas. The customer called in with the report, hum on the line. I explained the reason. She was not impressed and actually called in and reported me while I was there. I took my time fixing the problem.

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(NT) I like:D
Apr 10, 2011 7:35AM PDT
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How about cheering on the bug fixes?
Apr 10, 2011 7:58AM PDT

Personally, I'm excited that old threads appearing at the top of the listings will be crushed with this round of updates. Bug fixes generally aren't glamorous like new features are, but they're often far more fundamental and critical.

John

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John.... was wondering if the revised version will include
Apr 10, 2011 9:40AM PDT

a reminder to posters to furnish more complete info re their system....specifically the "mfg name, the series and model number". Posts often fail to indicate the platform ..desktop or laptop or the complete system names as indicated above. So often poster omit the series such as 'Pavilion' which makes it very difficult to locate mfg docs or compatible RAM at sites like Crucial.com

Regards,
VAPCMD

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Same 'red text' as we have currently...
Apr 10, 2011 11:09AM PDT

Here's what we will see when we go to create a new thread:
http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/i/forums/screenshots/createnewdiscussion1.bmp

Basically, wording remains the same. However, my experience is that the 'red text' isn't read consistently anyway, so adding to the bulk there likely will not make much difference. Perhaps there's another way to get the point across?

John

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Sure, my suggestion will work
Apr 10, 2011 8:42PM PDT

If they have not included that information, then as soon as they click the Submit button with their mouse, they get electrocuted, with an on-screen message, "I TOLD You!!"

Mark

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LOL! I like it...
Apr 11, 2011 2:21AM PDT

It's sad, but as much text as we put to tell people to include the necessary information, people just don't seem to read it. Honestly, it never fails--no matter how bright, how flashy, the warning is, many people either choose to ignore it or just don't read. I've seen this in many other places besides the forums. Sad The use of the mouse shock might be the only resort Wink

-Lee

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Not only do I like it ..... I LOVE it!! ROFL
Apr 11, 2011 10:27AM PDT

The on-screen message, "I TOLD You!!" is a wonderful touch! Grin

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Shhhh, John that was suppose to be a surprise!
Apr 11, 2011 2:24AM PDT

Ahhh well, the secret is out noww, but yes, that will be the fix as part of this roll out. We attempted to release that fix last Thursday 4/7, but we encountered some technical issues during that deployment. We'll see how it goes either tomorrow or the following day. I got my fingers crossed.

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Well why didn't you tell me...
Apr 11, 2011 2:09PM PDT

How was I supposed to know that the files in the hidden floor safe were secret?? Shocked

Might as well divulge another little one - they explored the electro-shock mouse idea, but determined that playing a recording of fingernails on a chalkboard would be more humane. Triggers: omitting critical information and entering "hi" as the subject line. Devil

John

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I've always been partial
Apr 13, 2011 5:23AM PDT
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John W: In a Cagney comedy
Apr 20, 2011 6:52AM PDT

the East German cops used a recording of Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini to torture an E German suspect. (Implied it wouldn't work on us Yanks, who thrive on such.) Happy

BTW love your initials. Grin

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The post text editor....
Apr 12, 2011 2:44AM PDT

....is great news and long overdue. Looking forward to it.

Will this release address the issue of people resurrecting years-old discussions to post spam?

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Yes it will, see above how John spilled the beans ;-).
Apr 12, 2011 3:37AM PDT

Yes once those spam post have been deleted on reincarnated threads, those old threads will drop back to where they came from. I can't wait! This bug has been bugging me since we launched the new forums backend.

As for the text editor, I'm hoping it works out for everyone. Depending on the browser, copy and pasting into the body field can do weird things, sometimes it works great sometimes it doesn't--it is a bit finicky depending on where you are coping the text from. If all fails, people can toggle to the standard submission form that we currently have and bypass the WYSIWYG editor.

All these years of waiting for this text editor I can't believe it's actually going to be implemented. I've personally been waiting for 8 years to get this into the forums! For some reason or another adding a text editor into the submission form everytime has been a huge challenge--even this time around.

I have my fingers crossed that it works out.

Thanks Josh.
-Lee

Note: This post was edited by forum moderator on 04/12/2011 on 10:56 AM PT

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Cool
Apr 12, 2011 9:00AM PDT

I'd still like to see an Edit option, at least within the first 60 seconds after posting. Would save people having to post again to explain or fix a typo, and allow people to delete a post entirely if it was done in haste and the person regrets having posted it.

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The benefit of having a 'preview' option...
Apr 12, 2011 3:05PM PDT

Just leave that open for those 60 seconds. Happy

John

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I saw that!
Apr 13, 2011 5:25AM PDT

But it left me wondering. What if someone puts a spam on an old thread, and then someone adds a post that isn't spam. When the spam is deleted will the whole thread drop back, or only if all new posts in the thread are deleted?

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Answer: only if all new posts in the thread are deleted...
Apr 13, 2011 6:08AM PDT

then it will drop down. If the post is legit, then it stay up top.

Hope this clarifies it.

Thanks,
-Lee

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:)
Apr 12, 2011 2:19PM PDT

Thank you Happy

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Update folks. We are a go tomorrow 4/14/2011!
Apr 13, 2011 9:05AM PDT

Hey everyone,

Great news! We will be deploying these new features and the forum redesign tomorrow morning (4/14/2011) at 9:30AM Pacific Time (12:30PM Eastern). While this transition takes place, there will be a 2-hour forum outage in which the forums will be placed in read-only mode. If all goes according to plan, we should be seeing the redesigned forums and all the new features at 11:30AM Pacific Time (2:30PM Eastern).

I will have a separate announcement for the outage.

Please wish us luck for a smooth transition.

See you all on the other side tomorrow!

Thanks!
-Lee

Thanks!
-Lee

Note: This post was edited by forum moderator on 04/13/2011 on 4:06 PM PT

Note: This post was edited by forum moderator on 04/13/2011 on 4:28 PM PT

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On 4/20 so far, so good.
Apr 20, 2011 6:57AM PDT

You'll have noticed that many of us were having trouble posting inadvertently, blaming it on STUPID COMPUTER! However with the new layout I haven't done it yet, so it must have been CNET/CBS/STUPID OLD SOFTWARE!

I notice that sometimes the Track Thread is selected, sometimes not. (I rarely track.) Maybe it's something I'm doing on the keyboard. Easily corrected, anyway.