Forum layout thread

Pretty much anything that widens the posting area, I'm all for.

That works for me. I also suggest reducing the gap between columns to about half of what it is now. There is no need for that big of a separation.

I do not know if this is really the correct place for this question...but just wondering what happened to the forum jump option.  It makes it much faster for those of oldtimers who still use dial up connections at home and it is actually useful on another computer I use that has McAfee (slows down page loading).  Just a suggestion, but at the moment clicking on forum gets back to the main page then to the desired forum, but the forum jump was much faster....

Cheers
P.E.Hannon

You will find the existing discussions in the main Feedback area:

Where is the jump to other forums?

Check out the new forum nav!

Parker:

As much as I think I'd like to see the posting area grow even wider, your proposal is gibberish to me since I have very little grasp of pixel-widths, etc. 

I guess I would kinda need to see an example to "get it."

It "seems" to me as if you are talking about cutting the right-hand column nearly in half (from 300 to 160 pixels wide)?  Would that be right? 

I don't know how the layout is written, but is it possible to use percentages instead of a set pixel width? Using the percentage method adjusts the screen width to the users screen size.

My views on the right-hand column are critical. Forgive me for any lack of grace:

The current right-hand column is a dumping ground for HTF detritus. The feature seems designed encourage users to flit about from thread to thread, forum to forum, never stopping to contribute in discussions. This seems contrary to the intent of a "discussion forum" (but there may be some greater thinking about Web2.0Social that I don't get).

WIth that, I think the question of column width may be secondary to the question of "what's the point of the sidebar"? My current thought is: get rid of it, extend posts 100% across the page, and move on.

Barring that, the width of the page is driven by the use of the right-hand column. And it could have some very useful features -- one of which was here at the start of HTF2.0 and then removed.


Edited by DaveF - 9/22/09 at 7:05am

I have agreed with that from the beginning...except, of course, where advertising is concerned.  If the space is necessary for advertising income, then so be it.  But I get the feeling that the other features that have been in place--or are currently in place--are designed to "fill the space."

I haven't seen a need (or good use for) any of these "features." 

"Other threads?"  Yup.  There are other threads and I know how to find them.  "What Users Want?"  Yup.   I know what I want (and it's not The Truman Show on Blu-ray).  "Tags?"  I am constantly being admonished to add tags.  I won't be.  "Recent Reviews?"  While this might be useful in letting me know about a new review I might be interested-in, I have always been able to find the appropriate reviews through normal means (that is, visiting the appropriate sub-forums where such reviews are posted).  There is also the huge redundancy of having a listing of "Recent Reviews" at the bottom of every single HTF page--meaning that something I feel is superfluous is prominently presented twice on every HTF page I visit! 

Has anyone ever clicked on the link "See All the Latest Reviews" offered as part of the "Recent Reviews" box in the right-hand column?  Instead of an actual list of reviews, you get taken to something called "Live Feed" which seems to be a housekeeping list of activities on the HTF. 

I am already on record that I find the info presented in the big blue box at the bottom of each page to be useless.  I have already covered "Recent Reviews" above.    "Recent Wikis" mean nothing to me.  While I a huge advocate of resources for members such as the HTF Primer and info on how-to-use the forum, most of the wiki information isn't something I need to be presented with on each HTF page (especially the arbitrary "recent" wikis!).  And, since the switchover, I will admit to clicking on threads listed in "Recent Discussions" a handful of times...only to be disappointed that the title of the thread had no bearing on what the content turned out to be.  

In fact, the only value the Blue Boxes at the bottom have for me is the tiny little link that says "Home" so I can go back and check out my subscribed threads list. 

But I digress from my reaction to DaveF's post about the right-hand column...