The new format

[Mat Sklansky]

[Mat Sklansky]

The poll above is one of the many reasons I believe that this new software is a vast improvement over what we had previously. Before I go over these reasons I want to point out that registered users have access to some important features others do not. And for those of you who do not wish others to know when you are here and what you are doing, you have the option of making yourself "invisible."

The most important information a registered user has access to is knowing when there are new posts since their last visit, and how many. At the main index, the lightbulb next to a forum title turns yellow when there are new posts. Next to the number of posts in any particular forum, in parentheses, is the number of new posts.When you access a forum, new posts are tagged by orange icons.

The other feature registered users are able to utilize is the ability to change your default preferences. I, for instance find the ability to view threads in a "flat" mode to be a tremendous time saver. In this mode, a post and any replies can be viewed on one page without the need to click on individual responses. You can also change how many posts are listed on one page, as well as a number of other things.

I will be posting this on a variety of forums, and reposting it with needed additional information in the next few weeks. If, in the end, we discover this new format is inferior to the old one, we will happily switch back. However, for those of you who liked the old way better, here's a tip. Set your preferences so that you view 50 or so posts per page. View things in an "expanded" and "threaded" mode. In this way things are nearly identical to the way they were.

But we barely do polls, do we?

Hi Mat- I like the new format, although I am still navigatating through it. So far, the thing I like MOST is the speed of the program. Kudos to you, Mason, David and everyone else who worked on improving our forum. Babe