Site Upgrade

[hendi_alex]

Since upgrade, I have to sign back in most of the times that I visit the site, especially from one day until the next.

[webmaster]

What browser are you using? Are you using Norton Internet?

[hendi_alex]

Computer is an iMac running Firefox. Sophos is installed but does not constantly monitor, just scans manually. I don't get kicked off every time, but have had to sign back on multiple times over the past week.

[applestar]

When you log in, do you checkmark the checkbox that says "keep me signed in" or maybe "log me in at each session" ... Something like that ?

If you had it checkmarked before, you have to remember to do that again if you have been logged out and you are logging back in.

[hendi_alex]

Yep, every time.

[Dillbert]

with FF, I'd suggest deleting all the HG cookies -

version upgrades are particularly apt to confuse your cookies - not only the 'directly related' site cookies - but all those wonderful advertising streams . . .

[tomf]

I have the same issue with safari, I will try deleting HG cookies.

[webmaster]

I just finished the last of the upgrades. From here on out I'll just be making little changes to make things easier to use and maybe getting rid of the Friends and Foes thing.

Unless people want to use it. Personally I'm ok with the Friends part of it. Not crazy about Foe.

[hendi_alex]

Cleared my cache and cookies the other day. Have gone a couple of days now without being kicked off. Perhaps it was a cookies issue, though had cleared those about a week ago. No noticeable problems at this time.

It does appear that some new restriction has been placed on the editing feature. I do prefer unlimited edit time, as some times it is the next day or later that I notice a really idiot looking mistake on a post. What is the time limit for editing now and is that a change? Maybe I'm just remembering wrong as I visit quite a few sites.

[webmaster]

The editing time is set for 12 hours, which I think is extraordinarily long. I think 20 minutes is better. A longer editing time interrupts the flow of discussion when someone notices an error and points it out. But if the OP fixes the error then the post pointing out the error no longer has a context and actually confuses the discussion.

I believe, and feel free to disagree, that if no one has noticed an error, there is always the option of simply PM'ing a mod and ask them to fix the error. Any one of us would be happy to oblige. I've asked moderators in other forums to correct things for me on other forums.

[hendi_alex]

Editing time seems to be quite variable. Silicon Investor allows just 15 minutes. But I'm pretty spoiled by Investor Village which gives unlimited editing. You are right, that the poster needs to be careful in editing such that context of later posts is not affected. I probably should just spend more time proofing before clicking the post button.

[hendi_alex]

Maybe it is too early and my brain is just foggy. Maybe my brain is always too foggy! But what does an orange title signify? At first I thought it represented a post that I responded to. But others are orange as well. Then I though that it represents a post that is new, but that doesn't work either. Then, maybe posts initiated by admin, nope. Help this foggy old brain out!

[webmaster]

Orange means that it is a link that you have already visited. If it is not orange then that means you have not read that post. Thanks for asking that question because I initially didn't know either.

[Dillbert]

oops

[Dillbert]

oops 2

[Dillbert]

un-oops1

that orange/black explanation / theory is not holding water.

[webmaster]

dillbert, take a look at the forum from this view
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=33

Do you see some orange links there? The orange ones should be the links to discussions that you already clicked through to and viewed. The black ones should be discussions that you have not clicked through and seen.

Does that hold true for you?

[hendi_alex]

But does not apply to sites that were visited prior to the upgrade. Those only turn orange after a new visit to the thread. I just tested that and it worked. Under 'View your posts' all of the posts from prior to the upgrade are still grey, but when the thread was visited, it did in fact turn orange as has been described.

Ignore this:[I find that this to be a very useful feature, as by visiting the 'view' new posts' view, all of the threads that the reader has participated in will jump out with their new orange color.]

Edited: As Cynthia pointed out in her reply, both viewed only and viewed plus replied to posts show up as orange. Grouping those two categories actually makes things a bit more confusing to me.

[Dillbert]

ayup. and that's the curious bit.

link . . . 33 followed

Waiting for my son - been there, done that
luluby - been there, done that
my wife hit a tree - been there, done that there, posted there
error mgs - been there, done that, posted there
etc and et al

first, one could ask, given an 'active' member, why highlight where one has _been_ vs. where one _has not_ been... but that's just a different shade of logic.

next, threads appear in black / orange regardless
using:
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=33
here's the display:
(keep in mind, it's Microsoft, so they may may randomly redefine colors without explanation....)

H_A may have a point - pre / post upgrade . . . except for the last one - we're in that thread....

but note it shows "last post" as of April 6 - oh bother, took that screen shot less than a minute ago....

[cynthia_h]

...as by visiting the 'view' new posts' view, all of the threads that the reader has participated in will jump out with their new orange color.

I'm not finding that to be the case. What I find to be the case for me (Mac computer, Firefox browser) is that any thread I've even looked at, whether or not I've posted to it, turns orange. Since I read so many relative to the number on which I post, practically the entire list is orange, defeating the intended purpose. And it accumulates from visit to visit.

When I logged in for this episode (Tuesday afternoon, approx. 1730 Pacific), there were 50 "new" topics since I had been here last. Very few of them were black.

Botheration.

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

[Charlie MV]

"The more complicated they make the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain."

Montgomery Scott
Chief Engineer
Enterprise

[hendi_alex]

I agree, figured that out after having made the post. Not so useful as I was thinking, would prefer that only links that have replied to were orange. Not a big deal though, as usually scan through 'view new posts' when coming to the site, and then go to 'view your posts' to make sure no new replies were overlooked.

Probably would make the site less confusing just to turn that switch back off, if it is a simple matter.

[webmaster]

That's good feedback. I'm fairly certain it's do-able.

[rainbowgardener]

Well the orange highlighting still doesn't seem to have any rhyme or reason to me. When I click on "view your posts" the list that comes up will have two orange ones at the top then one or two black ones and then more orange, etc.

Since it is my posts, by definition, all are threads I have looked at and posted on. The orange ones at the top will have new responses on them that I have not seen AND so will the black ones at the top. Some of the orange ones further down do not have new responses AND some of the black ones further down also do not. Sometimes when I read one that it black, it turns orange, sometimes it stays black.

In the meantime, I thought I read somewhere (either here or FB) that amongst the "bells and whistles" in the upgrade would be a way to report spam. I haven't seen that and would appreciate it.

[webmaster]

In the right hand corner of every post there is an icon that looks like this:

Click that icon to report a post to the moderators.

[webmaster]

I updated the "Report-a-Post" button. Is it more visible & obvious now?

[applestar]

It still looks like an exclamation point [!] to me, and not [REPORT]

Is this a cookie issue?

[hendi_alex]

Same here. There is nothing intuitive about the button. Would probably never find it unless just randomly exploring. Certainly wouldn't relate the icon to 'report abuse'.

[webmaster]

Thanks! Refresh your browser and let me know if it changes. There should be a button labeled "Report."

[applestar]

Yep. Cleared cookies, logged back in, and the button now looks like [REPORT]

[tomf]

I have to keep logging in.

[hendi_alex]

Same here. Not every time, but several times per week.

[tomf]

Some times I have too log in on my iPad as well, like today.

[webmaster]

Are you on a Satellite connection?

[hendi_alex]

Yes for me. Exede from ViaSat.

[tomf]

Yes .

[TheWaterbug]

Sorry to revive an old thread, but this seems to be where all the site upgrade feedback is going.

I'm loving the new Attachment feature, as it allows me to post pictures from my phone, which is where I take all my pictures anyway. Three items of note:

1) The previews are frequently rotated incorrectly. For example the photo in this post was taken in Portrait, but the preview is rotated. But if you click the photo to see it full size, the orientation is correct again.

2) Attachments are limited to 2 MB, which is smaller than the native photo file size of many modern phones. Would it be possible to downsample/resize them on the server after uploading? Right now my workaround is to email the photos to myself, during which time my phone allows me to resize them. But then I have to send the photo on a round trip and then add it to my Camera Roll, then attach it to HG, and then delete it from my camera roll so I don't have a duplicate.

3) Would it be possible to rename the files as we upload them?

Thanks for making this the best forum on the Internet!

[webmaster]

Thanks for the feedback. I believe there is a way to handle most of what you're suggesting. I will work on it over the next week.

Thanks a bunch for being the best forum members!

[SOB]

Currently, when you hover over the link to a thread it tells you the time, date, etc of when that thread originated. I am on other non-gardening-related threads that when you hover over the link it gives you a brief preview of the first bit of text in that thread. A couple lines or so. This sometimes helps to make my decision as to whether or not I'm going to read that thread.

Does this make sense? Is this something that could be added because I don't feel the date and time is very beneficial and that the preview is.

[webmaster]

I don't feel the date and time is very beneficial and that the preview is.

That is a very good suggestion. I just added that feature. Go ahead and try it out!