With Today's Technology / No Reason Why We Shouldn't Be Able To Choose (Thread Or Topic)! *
- Thread starter ILLINOISLION
- Start date
I agree. I suppose cost is a factor but we know that all the Rivals people, especially the BWI folks, are gazillionaires many times over so that should not be an issue.
Seems entirely possible that the people tasked with this "upgrade" were unfamiliar with the concept. Or, they may lack the skills necessary to pull it off. Or, my most likely, they just do not care.
There are worse causes than promoting a thread/topic option. I went over to the USC board; USC's thread view had been excellent, very similar to McA. One comment there struck me especially: "You lose a sense of community." I plan to stay on as long as it's the McAndrew board, so here's my shout out to those who could make it happen, "Hey!, Make thread view an option!"
I agree. They should get it done fast. No reason at all not to have the option.
The forum software now being used for BWI (and all of Rivals/Yahoo), XenForo, is a flat (topic view) message board only and doesn't offer a thread view. The original message board evolved from mailing lists and are why thread view even existed in the first place. Thread view is not terribly complex (I haven't seen XenForo's database structure, but I'd be willing to bet there still is a parent associated with each post, which is what thread view requires), but it does have significant drawbacks in terms of performance (every view results in a call to the server) and load time. I can only assume that rivals/yahoo did the cost benefit analysis of load time vs additional page (read: ad) views, and that, plus looking at a more modern implementation, are what lead it to the change.
Bottom line, topic view is here to stay and simply isn't going to change. Personally I love the new look and am slowly but surely getting used to it and finding more and more things/features to like.
Yes, I'm a software architect (read: code monkey) for a dot com. I've also been running and modifying a small college football centric message board in my own little corner of the internet for going on 16 years now.
You're on that level (knowing the platform being used and what it can and can't do) and you're "slowly but surely getting used to it"? Schmoes like me have no chance.
I for one don't want Topic view to go away - it's obviously the preferred view of the majority - but I liked the option to choose Thread View. From what I can tell, you're saying a platform was chosen that is incapable of doing that. What is the "cost" of additional "calls to the server". Wouldn't each of those generate a new opportunity for an ad view as opposed to scrolling through a lengthy thread without seeing the banner ad since the Topic was first open? Obviously I'm not smart enough to understand it but can some of you guys please explain the economic benefits in terms that I can grasp? Thanks
To translate it for non computer geeks. It would be like asking Disney to still sell movies on VHS because you don't want to get a Blu Ray player.
I probably misstated with the phrase "getting used to it" and should have said that I'm finding more and more features and learning the new navigation. In fairness I used topic view on the old board about 95% of the time and only switched to thread view to see if a reply was directly to my post.
As for ad views, I have no idea the revenue model rivals/yahoo is based on, but if it's CPM (where they get paid a certain amount, pennies, per 1000 views of the ad) then I'm guessing it would be more bandwidth to load new pages than the ad revenue generated from those page loads. If it's CPA (where they get paid when someone clicks an ad and/or when someone acts on an ad they've clicked), then it would almost definitely be more for additional bandwidth and server costs than loading additional ads would drive. Considering the vast majority of ads I'm seeing are for Yahoo properties (autos, weather, etc.), I frankly don't think they have a whole lot of ad inventory anyway.
Ultimately I would assume the switch has more to do with modernizing than anything else.
Years back I switched my message board from thread to topic and I too got some negative response from my members. At the time I was small enough and savvy enough that I was able to modify it to provide both, but eventually they got used to it and I no longer maintained (and eventually got rid of entirely) thead view altogether.
And, you couldn't find Bernard Mickey Wrangle's mugshot so you had to get some doofus legacy to stand in for him? We've all changed in thirty-five years but I don't think that anyone in his wildest dreams would think that Kent Dorfman could make it with Princess Leigh Cheri.
No matter what people claim - topic view is for people who have ZERO social skills and who have never participated in an intellectual conversation.
And Topic view is NOT a technological step forward. It is a massive technological step backward. Kind of like using a Comodore64 in 2015.
And Topic view is NOT a technological step forward. It is a massive technological step backward. Kind of like using a Comodore64 in 2015.
Good grief! You're the one that needs to get xover the fact that some have different opinions than yours.
The new boards are much better in just about every way. Except...I agree thread view created a more community-like feel. I'm hopeful that won't be lost, and I'm sure I'll still enjoy coming on here, but the conversational nature of thread was nice.
Your level of obsession displayed by your posts is indicative that you suspect you are wrong. You need to know that.
Maybe this impacts the financials: despite what a previous poster (not sure who but I don't feel like scrolling to find out) said, I just noticed that the back button doesn't take me to the previous screen; there are many posts on what I would consider the same page listed under the Previous arrow. Maybe this format really IS reaccessing the server many times.
I don't think the Blu-Ray vs VCR analogy holds unless both of those technologies were given as options from the inception of video recording. Can one of you please describe the advantages of the new format over the old? What can I do now that I can't do before (and how would I know)? [Note: I found one: we can now embed video. I guess Thread View won't permit that?] Maybe that would help me adapt to it. I'm trying.
BTW, it would help if there was a Back to Topics button at the bottom of the window (or was that deemed another expensive unnecessary feature?).
I don't think the Blu-Ray vs VCR analogy holds unless both of those technologies were given as options from the inception of video recording. Can one of you please describe the advantages of the new format over the old? What can I do now that I can't do before (and how would I know)? [Note: I found one: we can now embed video. I guess Thread View won't permit that?] Maybe that would help me adapt to it. I'm trying.
BTW, it would help if there was a Back to Topics button at the bottom of the window (or was that deemed another expensive unnecessary feature?).
That's a simple fix and something that should be done. That's the only complaint I have with the new look.
Not a fair comparison as thread view isn't antiquated like VHS.
it is more like VHS vs Beta. Or for the younger crowds, HD-DVD vs Blu-Ray.
I think you Nancies need to let it go
.....I hated the fact that there were two views....it screwed up the sequence of posts
Ahhh yes, the BWI Dr. Phil strikes again. You've done your fair share of whining.
LOL... for every post about wanting thread view back there are 10 from you alone claiming those that like it need to let it go. Maybe you need to stop watching Frozen.
I just think that 04 is really into 'butthurt' ..................... not that there is anything wrong with that!
It turns out that I was totally off base on that. There IS a button to return to the main list of postings (it says Threads but it should say Topics) at the bottom of the page just above the reply box. I guess I was oblivious before.
