dj06482
dj06482 New Reader
9/2/08 7:46 a.m.

I'm not sure if this has been covered anywhere else, but the software doesn't seem to recognize when I choose to watch a topic. My watched topics page is blank, even though I've selected to watch several threads. In addition, I'm not receiving any email notifications about these topics.

Thanks!

DJ

pinchvalve
pinchvalve SuperDork
9/2/08 8:02 a.m.

Add to that list that you can only insert links and pictures at the very beginning of your post. Regardless of where your cursor is located, using the buttons above will only insert at the very beginning of your post. And if you cut and paste the inserted text elsewhere it won't work. I have just been typing my own html, but it kinda negates the reason for having the buttons.

Duke
Duke Dork
9/2/08 8:12 a.m.
pinchvalve wrote: Add to that list that you can only insert links and pictures at the very beginning of your post. Regardless of where your cursor is located, using the buttons above will only insert at the very beginning of your post. And if you cut and paste the inserted text elsewhere it won't work. I have just been typing my own html, but it kinda negates the reason for having the buttons.

That's not true for me. I've had other forums behave that way with their formatting buttons - the formatting tags would ONLY appear at the end, no matter where the cursor was - but here at GRM I can make inline links anywhere I want.

Tim Baxter
Tim Baxter Online Editor
9/2/08 8:21 a.m.

DJ, there is no email notification, not at this time, anyway. Send me an email telling me which topics you were trying to watch and I'll look into it.

Pinchvalve, what you're reporting was changed months ago. If you're still seeing that, send me an email letting me know your browser and any other possibly relevant info and I'll look into that, too.

jrw1621
jrw1621 Reader
9/2/08 8:31 a.m.

What about pictures that are too big. When I read some posts, the pictures are so large that I can not see the whole picture.

Sample: http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/introducingthe-thunder-wagon/2171/page1/

IE6 (as chossen by employer)

RedS13Coupe
RedS13Coupe New Reader
9/4/08 5:56 a.m.
jrw1621 wrote: What about pictures that are too big. When I read some posts, the pictures are so large that I can not see the whole picture. Sample: http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/introducingthe-thunder-wagon/2171/page1/ IE6 (as chossen by employer)

This is the only problem I've been having... Pictures that are too big don't get resized, they get their own scroll bars. It usually means having to scroll the forms down to the picure's scroll bar, move it over to the side, scroll back up to see part of the picture, scroll back down, move it further to the side, scroll back up to see the picture, ect ect...

On firefox 3.0.1

Supercoupe
Supercoupe New Reader
9/4/08 12:51 p.m.

oh yeah..try viewing that on a sidekick screen..

Strizzo
Strizzo Dork
9/4/08 12:57 p.m.
Supercoupe wrote: oh yeah..try viewing that on a sidekick screen..

or ipod touch!

93celicaGT2
93celicaGT2 Reader
9/4/08 1:00 p.m.

Or a PSP!

pinchvalve
pinchvalve SuperDork
9/4/08 1:26 p.m.

OK, here is a test of inserting a picture.

Yep, still does it. My cursor was one line below the above sentence, but the IMG code was inserted at the very beginning of the post.

I am on Windows XP Version 2002 SP2, using Internet Explorer 7.0.5730.11. Let me try another picture my cursor is here_.

Yep, same result, photo up top.

pinchvalve
pinchvalve SuperDork
9/4/08 1:27 p.m.

OK, now I am going to insert a photo and cut and paste it below:

pinchvalve
pinchvalve SuperDork
9/4/08 1:27 p.m.

OK, the paste works, but I still have to move every photo if I use the little button.

Tim Baxter
Tim Baxter Online Editor
9/4/08 1:28 p.m.

Perhaps people should stop posting ridiculously large images? I cringe at the download times for some of these images. They're just too big.

This has been covered before, but the short version is this: there's no reliable method to resize an image that's hosted on another server that I know of. So, my options are:

  1. Let you upload your images to this server. Problem is, that creates a whole new set of problems with file size, file type, upload time, server load and storage. Frankly, flickr and photobucket have a whole lot more resources to throw at these problems. It's what they do. I don't want the whole server struggling because somebody decided to upload a 10 meg 300dpi BMP file, then deal with complaints because it doesn't display properly.
  2. Do nothing. Let large images blow apart the layout and overflow smaller screens anyway. That's what a lot of forums do, but it's lame.
  3. Crop 'em. This is what I was originally doing, but people complained about not being able to see all of the ridiculously large images.
  4. Contain them in the overall viewport, but allow a scrollbar so you can see the ridiculously large image if you like. This is what we have now. It ain't perfect, but it appears to be the best of a bad lot.
jrw1621
jrw1621 Reader
9/4/08 2:14 p.m.

I do not have the scrollbar capability.

That would be a fine solution but it does not show for me.

I can only see to the rear tire on the red car above and have no other way to see the rest of it.

dj06482
dj06482 New Reader
9/5/08 11:11 p.m.
Tim Baxter wrote: DJ, there is no email notification, not at this time, anyway. Send me an email telling me which topics you were trying to watch and I'll look into it.

Tim -

That's the problem, there are probably 50 threads or so that I've selected to watch at one point or another, and there's not a record of a single one in my watchlist. To be honest, not having email notification is a huge drawback. I can't think of another forum I'm on that doesn't have working email notification. I realize that you changed the forum for a lot of reasons, but to me it's a huge step backwards. And on top of it, not being able to search the "old" forum really hurts, as there's a lot of good tech in there.

I realize that sometimes we take a few steps forward to take a few back, but from an end-user perspective, I haven't really seen any positives from the new forum. I know I prefer the old display to the new one (seems like a lot of wasted space with the frames at the left hand side and top of the page), and I spend less time on here than I used to (which is a shame). But, judging from the number of topics I'm seeing each day, I'm not the only one spending less time on here.

I'm not trying to just complain, but to offer constructive criticism. I'm sure that there are people who are on the forum who haven't subscribed, and having an excellent forum will only encourage more people to subscribe, which brings in more views for advertisers, which makes everyone happy.

Thanks for all of your help!

DJ

dean1484
dean1484 HalfDork
9/6/08 7:58 a.m.
Tim - That's the problem, there are probably 50 threads or so that I've selected to watch at one point or another, and there's not a record of a single one in my watch list. To be honest, not having email notification is a huge drawback. I can't think of another forum I'm on that doesn't have working email notification. I realize that you changed the forum for a lot of reasons, but to me it's a huge step backwards. And on top of it, not being able to search the "old" forum really hurts, as there's a lot of good tech in there. I realize that sometimes we take a few steps forward to take a few back, but from an end-user perspective, I haven't really seen any positives from the new forum. I know I prefer the old display to the new one (seems like a lot of wasted space with the frames at the left hand side and top of the page), and I spend less time on here than I used to (which is a shame). But, judging from the number of topics I'm seeing each day, I'm not the only one spending less time on here. I'm not trying to just complain, but to offer constructive criticism. I'm sure that there are people who are on the forum who haven't subscribed, and having an excellent forum will only encourage more people to subscribe, which brings in more views for advertisers, which makes everyone happy. Thanks for all of your help! DJ

So this explains why I don't get emails when I subscribe to a post. Tim, What is the point of having thread subscriptions for then? I tend to concur with everything DJ said above. I am sure that there is some marketing guru that is whispering in your ear saying that this is for the best but GRM needs to re think this and possibly hit the "Guru" over the head with a camshaft or something.. . . One form a 280Z would do nicely. This is why I emailed you the other day about not getting emails from GRM. I shut down all my spam filters and put up with a boat load of male enhancement, get rich and have hair emails. Oh ya Then there is the porn. WTF. All this just to make sure that I could get GRM emails. Now I read that you don't even send them? I am a bit annoyed. If you ask me this is crap.

Two words - Fix it! OK one more word - Please!

Oh ya I am not criticizing I am trying to be constructive here.. . . Ya rite.. .. . I am an annoyed customer venting a bit... .

You know, and I hate to admit this, but I can see email notification becoming a "pay to play feature" on boards in the future. Great for the list owner a bad day of the rest of us :-(

RedS13Coupe
RedS13Coupe New Reader
9/6/08 8:12 a.m.
jrw1621 wrote: I do not have the scrollbar capability. That would be a fine solution but it does not show for me. I can only see to the rear tire on the red car above and have no other way to see the rest of it.

Thats actually all there is too it

I suppose he makes a valid point on that one, but most good browsers will auto resize, I believe that's why most forums just leave it...

Tim Baxter
Tim Baxter Online Editor
9/6/08 3:47 p.m.
dj06482 wrote: That's the problem, there are probably 50 threads or so that I've selected to watch at one point or another, and there's not a record of a single one in my watchlist.

I'll look into that. It's not right. They should be all in your watchlist.

To be honest, not having email notification is a huge drawback. I can't think of another forum I'm on that doesn't have working email notification.

I could show you plenty, but regardless, email notification for watchlist items may come up at some point in the future. It's not a top priority, but it's a definite possibility.

And on top of it, not being able to search the "old" forum really hurts, as there's a lot of good tech in there.

Go search it. that's what that "archive" link up top is.

dean1484
dean1484 HalfDork
9/6/08 5:46 p.m.
Tim Baxter wrote: email notification for watchlist items may come up at some point in the future. It's not a top priority, but it's a definite possibility.

You/GRM should definitely re-think the priorities. Without notification of posting to watched topics I only come back here when I remember to. I may serf by once a day but I need to delegate time for it. With it I can see that I need to get the latest on what ever I am watching every time I check me email. Many times I leave my email open on one screen and work on another (I have multiple screens on my PC at work). When I see a GRM email I can not help but see that is being discussed. (And at the same time see all the wonderful advertising.) Being the boss is a good thing!!!

I think email notification is a very important. I would bet that you are loosing exposure by not having it. (or you will eventually) I have several companies all with web sites and I learned the hard way that people don't want ge-wizz they want dumb as a stump simple functionality and even more important if I can do something for them they are all the more happy. And they come back. Email notification is one of those things that make there live easier. Having to come back and find a topic and see if it has been responded to gets old and makes the usefulness of the board that much less. In a way it is diminished the value of the GRM board by making it less useful and a whole lot less convenient. I will bet you that people will post other places when they need help advise as they will be notified when there is a response.

Anyway please re think the priorities. .. . . Or at least please explain why no email notification as I am really curious as to the logic behind it.

dj06482
dj06482 New Reader
9/8/08 10:52 a.m.

Tim -

Thanks for fixing my watchlist, it works perfectly now!

My apologies on the archive, I hadn't seen a thread that noted it's return. Again, my fault.

Thanks for all of your help, having a working watchlist goes a long way towards helping me keep track of the discussions...

DJ

Tim Baxter
Tim Baxter Online Editor
9/8/08 10:53 a.m.

hey, thanks for pointing it out. It wasn't just you, so I'm glad to have it fixed.

You'll need to log in to post.

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