Can the forum format be changed?

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mvlow
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Can the forum format be changed?

Post by mvlow »

As I was browsing the forum this morning I found myself wondering why I don't post as much as I used to, but tend to use the Facebook groups more. I think the subconscious reason is the lack of feedback certain types of posts receive on the forum compared to feedback on social media. Those of us that use social media have become used to getting immediate feedback in the form of likes or comments. If I post something on Instagram I can know relatively quickly if it is interesting to others or if I've missed the mark.

A good example of this lack of feedback on the forum are threads such as "Non CW of the day." Members regularly post their wrist shots to this thread, but rarely receive any feedback for their effort. For example, in the last 48 hours there were 29 pictures posted by members to this thread but only comments on 3 of the posts. That means that 26 members took the time to take pictures of their watches and post them and didn't receive any feedback at all. This may not affect all members the same way, but personally it discourages me from taking the time to post. I occasionally post to this thread, but would do it more if there was more feedback.

I know there are many members on this forum that do not use social media, but for those of us that do, we along with a large segment of society are programmed to gauge the relevance of our posts by the feedback we receive. With this in mind I was wondering if it is possible to add a feature to the forum to allow members to like a post without having to respond with a comment. This is obviously possible on some forum software as forums such as the popular Watchuseek have this feature enabled.

I am not complaining and I enjoy the interaction I do have with members. I am just wondering if the forum could be improved by enabling more instant feedback between members.
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Re: Can the forum format be changed?

Post by timor54 »

This could be contentious...

I’d agree that the forum can sometimes feel like a dark and cold place. There are periods, and occasionally topics, that provoke a lot of dialog, but in general it can feel like not a lot is happening.

Personally, whilst I have Facebook account I choose not to use it as I find the general level of interaction facile. My favoured platform is now instagram which I’m increasingly enjoying for its watch and other content.

WRT the forum software, PHPBB does not have a like button function as standard. However, there are many, many supported extensions that can easily be implemented to provide additional functionality. A quick google found one such called ‘Thanks for post’ which looks like it would provide this sort of functionality.

However, that’s really a question for the admin/mod’s.
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Re: Can the forum format be changed?

Post by FloridaPhil »

I think there was once a 'like' button (or something similar) which was disabled after only a short time following misuse. Or I could be confusing this forum with another. It may have been called a 'rep button'?
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Re: Can the forum format be changed?

Post by johnnysharp2 »

I know what you mean about the thread of the day, I don't often use them, partly to be honest as I can't always be bothered taking a photo of the watch I am wearing.
When I do there are rarely any comments that come back. Although there have been times when I have had replies.
Maybe it's because people think my watches are crap!

I don't use any social media at all.

There is a like button on the 'watchuseek' forum.
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Re: Can the forum format be changed?

Post by mvlow »

timor54 wrote: Wed Sep 04, 2019 5:43 pm This could be contentious...

I’d agree that the forum can sometimes feel like a dark and cold place. There are periods, and occasionally topics, that provoke a lot of dialog, but in general it can feel like not a lot is happening.

Personally, whilst I have Facebook account I choose not to use it as I find the general level of interaction facile. My favoured platform is now instagram which I’m increasingly enjoying for its watch and other content.

WRT the forum software, PHPBB does not have a like button function as standard. However, there are many, many supported extensions that can easily be implemented to provide additional functionality. A quick google found one such called ‘Thanks for post’ which looks like it would provide this sort of functionality.

However, that’s really a question for the admin/mod’s.
Thanks for the response Tim. I don't see how a like button could be deemed as contentious as simply liking a post does not change the overall format of this forum into something resembling social media. It just adds a little more interaction. There are times when I read a post that I agree with and/or support, but don't have the time to make a detailed response. In those cases it would be nice to let the author know I support their comment/observation by giving them a like. At present the only way to do that would be to post a reply saying a liked it. That would quickly clutter up the thread if numerous people made a similar post.

I am hoping the admins read and consider this post and any comments both for and against my suggestion. Based on your response it seems it is feasible to add this functionality via an extension.
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Re: Can the forum format be changed?

Post by mvlow »

FloridaPhil wrote: Wed Sep 04, 2019 6:06 pm I think there was once a 'like' button (or something similar) which was disabled after only a short time following misuse. Or I could be confusing this forum with another. It may have been called a 'rep button'?
Phil, I don't remember a like button on this forum; it could have been before I joined. I'm a little curious how a like function could be misused.
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Re: Can the forum format be changed?

Post by jtc »

Just because there are no comments doesn't mean people aren't looking at the wrist shots. A look at the thread view counts an hour apart shows it's quite popular!

At 18:20 it stands at 2270927 views. Check the number later...
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Re: Can the forum format be changed?

Post by mvlow »

johnnysharp2 wrote: Wed Sep 04, 2019 6:12 pm
When I do there are rarely any comments that come back. Although there have been times when I have had replies.
Maybe it's because people think my watches are crap!
When no one replies to my posts, I wonder the same thing :D
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Re: Can the forum format be changed?

Post by TheBeatles »

I think I agree with the concept, especially if the “like” doesn’t appear as an unread post.

A lot of my Forum time is taken up with entering an unread post/thread only to find its only someone saying “thanks, I agree or well done etc etc”

I’m not saying members shouldn’t post as above, it’s just I’m disappointed that it’s not a more meaningful post when I enter thread. And don’t get me started on those waste of space posts of only an emoji and no text at all. What’s the point of that, laziness is my guess or maybe just post count building :D

A “like” button, for me anyway, would be great.
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Re: Can the forum format be changed?

Post by mvlow »

jtc wrote: Wed Sep 04, 2019 6:18 pm Just because there are no comments doesn't mean people aren't looking at the wrist shots. A look at the thread view counts an hour apart shows it's quite popular!

At 18:20 it stands at 2270927 views. Check the number later...
I understand the forum shows how many people have viewed a post, but that does not give individual members any feedback as to what people actually think about their post. If I Make a post that is seen by 50 members, but there are no comments or likes, all I can ascertain is that 50 members took the time to click on that post. I have no way of knowing if anyone thought my post had any kind of validity to them. Feedback is important.

If I made a few posts on Facebook or Instagram and no-one commented or liked any of them, I could quickly assume I need to re-think what I am posting as no-one is interacting with them.
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Re: Can the forum format be changed?

Post by Mikkei4 »

I consider the CW of the Day and the Non-CW of the Day to be threads that are not necessarily wanting or expecting a response whether in the positive or negative.

It's just members showing what watch they are wearing that day, isn't it? If somebody has obtained a new watch it's generally shown off in an individual new topic thread so most or all of the watches in CWOTD or NCWOTD have all been seen before.

If you can think of another example I might agree with you but not with those 2 threads as the examples to support adding a like facility to the Forum.
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Re: Can the forum format be changed?

Post by mvlow »

TheBeatles wrote: Wed Sep 04, 2019 6:24 pm I think I agree with the concept, especially if the “like” doesn’t appear as an unread post.

A lot of my Forum time is taken up with entering an unread post/thread only to find its only someone saying “thanks, I agree or well done etc etc”

I’m not saying members shouldn’t post as above, it’s just I’m disappointed that it’s not a more meaningful post when I enter thread. And don’t get me started on those waste of space posts of only an emoji and no text at all. What’s the point of that, laziness is my guess or maybe just post count building :D

A “like” button, for me anyway, would be great.
Your post is a perfect example of one I would "Like" if it was available to me as I completely agree with everything you just said. As it stands at the moment I have to make this comment to let you know I like it :D
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Re: Can the forum format be changed?

Post by Mikkei4 »

TheBeatles wrote: Wed Sep 04, 2019 6:24 pm I think I agree with the concept, especially if the “like” doesn’t appear as an unread post.

A lot of my Forum time is taken up with entering an unread post/thread only to find its only someone saying “thanks, I agree or well done etc etc”

I’m not saying members shouldn’t post as above, it’s just I’m disappointed that it’s not a more meaningful post when I enter thread. And don’t get me started on those waste of space posts of only an emoji and no text at all. What’s the point of that, laziness is my guess or maybe just post count building :D

A “like” button, for me anyway, would be great.
Maybe I'm missing something here but what extra would a "like" button give you over a smiley emoji?
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Re: Can the forum format be changed?

Post by mvlow »

Mikkei4 wrote: Wed Sep 04, 2019 6:32 pm I consider the CW of the Day and the Non-CW of the Day to be threads that are not necessarily wanting or expecting a response whether in the positive or negative.

It's just members showing what watch they are wearing that day, isn't it? If somebody has obtained a new watch it's generally shown off in an individual new topic thread so most or all of the watches in CWOTD or NCWOTD have all been seen before.

If you can think of another example I might agree with you but not with those 2 threads as the examples to support adding a like facility to the Forum.
The WOTD thread was just an obvious example as there are thousands of posts and a very small ratio of comments in response. Without searching through the forum and mentioning specific threads, it is common for a lack of interaction in other posts as well, where a simple like would suffice to validate the posters opinion, time and effort to make the post. I may be missing something, but I'm not seeing a downside to a "Like' feature.

I do have a different opinion to you on the WOTD threads. If I take the time to post a picture in those threads it would be nice to know if someone likes the watch I am posting or even the effort I put into the composition and quality of the image. As not stands now, if no-one makes a specific comment I have no idea if anyone is interested in my post. Am I taking the time to share with forum members only to have actually posted to an audience of one, myself.
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Post by scooter »

I would be happy to have a 'like' button as long as there was a 'dislike' button as well.

That's only fair.

I think that it is important for those members programmed to gauge the relevance of their posts by all feedback, good or bad.

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