Ursa Majoris Posted January 29, 2005 Share Posted January 29, 2005 Reading this board is certainly an exercise in vertical scrolling, but it has little to do with super-sized sig lines. The problem is that the width of the text area is fixed at about 800 pixels. Of that, roughly 20% of the available space is taken up by profile information. Does it really make sense for every post to display these attributes? Group: Members Posts: <number> Joined: <date> From: <place> Member No.: <primary key value from members table> It's trivial. Actually, it may even have a negative value. Do away with the post count and remove the post pad incentive. In addition to wasting real estate and encouraging spam, it also detracts from the sense of a "virtual community." Showing 'Joined' and 'Posts' serves only to promote class distinction. Let the size of the text area be as wide as my browser window. I'd rather see a lot more message and a lot less blue filler. If it's a limitation of the skin, then ditch it. This skin is slow, restrictive, and hot pink of all colors. Invision out of the box looks fine and performs well. My last appeal will be to The Huddle's IT guy. I hope you don't pay for your storage by the byte. How much would your database shrink if the signature column were VARCHAR2(100) vs. what currently must be CLOB. 677650[/snapback] Wouldn't you know the longest post in the thread comes from the Oracle DBA. Shock! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10g_DBA Posted January 29, 2005 Share Posted January 29, 2005 I think I can asnwer at least a few of the issues. The width size is fixed and not variable which is in keeping with the standards of the site. There are no pages of variable width and using it is not considered to be preferrable by most of the internet - particularly from the design and readability standpoint since it gives a different looking page to everyone that views it with any difference in the size of the browser window. I would seriously doubt that there would ever be variable width pages on anything from The Huddle - we stopped doing that many years ago as has most all other sites as well.As for the demographic info on the left you refer to, some of that is controlled by the software and I am not certain what, if anything, could be removed. Adding and removing things merely means you have to pick which group of people you want to dissappoint. We defaulted to what people have always seen on the MB. As for storage, we have to pay for a dedicated server which is separate from the server(s) used for the site mainly for reasons of speed and being to handle peak times without affecting each other (which is why there were no slow downs this season unlike 2003). Server storage space is not an issue. 677661[/snapback] Mr. Dorey, I can appreciate the need to standardize the look and feel of any product, web sites included. For the record, I think the look and feel of 'The Huddle' is first-rate. Of course, I'm here for the content, but I also enjoy the snazzy presentation. (especially how the column headers in 'Predictions & Projections' match the team colors - makes it fast to zero in on the team I'm looking for on the XXgp-projections.php page) My petty grumblings were only in reference to the message board. Perhaps a standard width is less important for a forum. Here are a couple of examples of variable width boards that seem to work OK: http://www.maximumpc.com/forum/ http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/index.php In any event, thanks for footing the bill for this forum and making it freely available. Double thanks for the absence of advertising and TV time-outs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big John Posted January 29, 2005 Share Posted January 29, 2005 There is an option of not allowing siglines to appear if you don't like them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunther Posted January 29, 2005 Share Posted January 29, 2005 Force the sig line author to maximize the amount of hurt in as short of a sig line as possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twiley Posted January 29, 2005 Share Posted January 29, 2005 The long siglines are cool to read once but after that it get's a little annoying. That's not the real reason I'm posting though. I'm actually the only one in the forum right now. My own little world <devious evil laughter> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donutrun Jellies Posted January 29, 2005 Share Posted January 29, 2005 Set a limit on length and force some concise creativity ... or in the immortal words of Johnny Cochran ... "To give 'em s**t, it's gotta fit." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaterMan Posted January 29, 2005 Share Posted January 29, 2005 Didn't you lose a sigline bet on the Falcons game? Whatever happened to that? 677419[/snapback] No one who was in the bet, 2 Eagles fans I think, wrote one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loaf Posted January 29, 2005 Share Posted January 29, 2005 short and sweet... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chavez Posted January 29, 2005 Share Posted January 29, 2005 IMO long siglines that boil down to "Huddler x/team x is smarter/better/cooler/et al than huddler y/team y" are usually pretty lame and show a distinct lack of creativity. But hey, I'm all in favor of plebian tastes and those who have them, so carry on. It's a tad tiresome but do what ya gotta, I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squeegiebo Posted January 29, 2005 Share Posted January 29, 2005 I'm surprised the poll wasn't created to ask what is really thought about the mindless, and I mean MINDLESS fascination people all of a sudden have with post padding around here. IMHO, that's much more worthless fodder than a long sigline. Do it a few times, ok...but on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on---- 677697[/snapback] What is this post padding of which you speak? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donutrun Jellies Posted January 29, 2005 Share Posted January 29, 2005 What is this post padding of which you speak? 678375[/snapback] It is that which put the ART in pop tART. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skins Posted January 29, 2005 Share Posted January 29, 2005 Yeah, but "the man" is paying for the billboard space. 677642[/snapback] I view the Huddle as a for profit business for the Man. Thus, I view the paying customers as paying for all of the Huddle, whether it is open the non-paying public or not. I do not think the Man has the Huddle set up as a non-profit. I view the decision to have the forums open to the non-paying public as a promotional business decision intended to develop the paying member base. In that sense, the paying members--and I am one--pay for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homey123 Posted January 30, 2005 Share Posted January 30, 2005 I view the Huddle as a for profit business for the Man. Thus, I view the paying customers as paying for all of the Huddle, whether it is open the non-paying public or not. I do not think the Man has the Huddle set up as a non-profit. I view the decision to have the forums open to the non-paying public as a promotional business decision intended to develop the paying member base. In that sense, the paying members--and I am one--pay for it. 678523[/snapback] Hmmmm. I too am a paying member. As you rightly point out Skins, all paying members are subsidizing the bandwidth. Perhaps the annual fee should be proportional to number of post pads and those responsible for excessively long sig lines? I am gonna get ripped for suggesting this... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squeegiebo Posted January 30, 2005 Share Posted January 30, 2005 I am gonna get ripped for suggesting this... 678721[/snapback] Someone sure has a persecution complex. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skippy Posted January 30, 2005 Share Posted January 30, 2005 I realized how badly my sig-line junks up a thread about a minute after I added it. I vote for B. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phenom Posted January 30, 2005 Share Posted January 30, 2005 IMO long siglines that boil down to "Huddler x/team x is smarter/better/cooler/et al than huddler y/team y" are usually pretty lame and show a distinct lack of creativity. But hey, I'm all in favor of plebian tastes and those who have them, so carry on. It's a tad tiresome but do what ya gotta, I guess. 678373[/snapback] Anything over 2 to 3 sentences and you start to get into mindless rambling and yes a lack of creativity. No one follows the "less is more" philosophy anymore. Also it used to be just just for a week. Now we have to see these siglines until the end of your natural life or middle eastern resolution whichever comes first. I thought Swerski's was unnaturally long but the Steeler-Patriots sigline battle is just ridiculous........... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainHook Posted January 30, 2005 Share Posted January 30, 2005 (edited) No one who was in the bet, 2 Eagles fans I think, wrote one. 678339[/snapback] Wasn't it an avatar bet too? It shouldn't be too hard to find a Philly avatar. broncosn05 changed his, so why haven't you? I can see not posting the sig, since no one wrote one, but you did lose the bet. . . Edited January 30, 2005 by CaptainHook Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ts Posted January 30, 2005 Share Posted January 30, 2005 Since there is already a setting in My Controls (as noted by Big John): "Do you wish to view members signatures when reading topics?" I'd rather see development time devoted to not wasting 20-30% of the browser window in the Forums with the blue panels if you have a monitor that supports > 800x600 & choose not to run your browser full-screen (as noted by DBA). Just my $0.02 for the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaterMan Posted January 30, 2005 Share Posted January 30, 2005 Wasn't it an avatar bet too? It shouldn't be too hard to find a Philly avatar. broncosn05 changed his, so why haven't you? I can see not posting the sig, since no one wrote one, but you did lose the bet. . . 678979[/snapback] Don't see why it even matters when the people who should care about the bet, never wrote the sig line. The only person it would make happy is you, I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainHook Posted January 30, 2005 Share Posted January 30, 2005 Don't see why it even matters when the people who should care about the bet, never wrote the sig line. The only person it would make happy is you, I guess. 679090[/snapback] Actually, you just kind of come off as a welsher, to be honest. You made a sig line and avatar bet. You lost. Nobody wrote a sig, because no one cared, but the avatar bet was still valid. broncosn05 changed his avatar, in accordance with the bet, but you did not. I am not surprised. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaterMan Posted January 30, 2005 Share Posted January 30, 2005 I'm willing to honor this bet if one of you guys who were in this writes a sig line. 671553[/snapback] This is the worst run sigline-avatar bet in history. It is Tuesday and nothing has been done yet. 671687[/snapback] I know you, as was Bill with trying to say I was Random Guy, would love to make me look as bad as possible. So if you want to call me a welcher for the, as Menudo said, "worst run sigline-avatar bet in history." Then have at it. But I am lucky no one had the talent, the time, or even cared to write such an epic sig line as yours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainHook Posted January 30, 2005 Share Posted January 30, 2005 You're right. No one wrote the sig. But it was an avatar bet. Yeah, you get off easy without having to change your sig, but the right thing to do would be to change you avatar. . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vet Posted January 30, 2005 Share Posted January 30, 2005 Actually, you just kind of come off as a welsher, to be honest. You made a sig line and avatar bet. You lost. Nobody wrote a sig, because no one cared, but the avatar bet was still valid. broncosn05 changed his avatar, in accordance with the bet, but you did not. I am not surprised. 679100[/snapback] You're right, Cap'n. I'm not surprised either. This Water Guy's had enough free time on his hands to post over 3,000 posts since Sept 2004. None of which have added any value. Clearly he has no life. Not surprised he'd welsh on a bet. Let him go Cap'n - not worth the effort. Throw him on the old ignore list, like I just did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainHook Posted January 30, 2005 Share Posted January 30, 2005 I know you. . .would love to make me look as bad as possible.679102[/snapback] You do that on your own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squeegiebo Posted January 30, 2005 Share Posted January 30, 2005 .... had enough free time on his hands to post over 3,000 posts since Sept 2004. None of which have added any value. Clearly he has no life. 679104[/snapback] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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