MOD January 2018 Fanfic Press Conference - XenForo update edition

January 2018 Fanfic Press Conference - XenForo update edition​

Another year has come and with it has come AN UPDATED VERSION OF THE BOARDS (OMG FINALLY!).

Every so often the Fanfic mods will do a “State of the Fanfic Address”. Like the one last year, we decided a full scale address was not needed, however with the update and all the new features (and glitches) it brought, we’ve decided to make a thread dedicated to these issues and ask some opinions (which will be in teal so you can highlight them, add them to your multi-quote, more on that below). This thread will remain open for updates on some of these.

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Thread Titles

As per the banner, due to an odd glitch, users can no longer edit thread titles. We are trying to find a fix, but we honestly don’t know when this will happen. So, since thread titles can’t be edited to reflect when the last update was how would users feel about allowing authors to tag commenters without specific request? Being tagged upon a new update would essentially become an “opt-out” option, rather than an “opt-in”.

As a note to this, though the mods are not willing to edit story threads (as that would just be way too much for us), we are willing to edit resource thread titles, so just PM us with your request. If this isn’t solved within a reasonable time frame, the mods will discuss the possibility of editing out any “last update” info in story titles upon request.


Multi Quotes

If you haven’t played around with the new multi-quote feature, we highly suggest it! It makes doing longer replies to fanfics so much easier and helps when doing comment replies.

When you highlight something and hit the +Quote that pops up, or when you hit the +Quote button at the bottom of a post it adds that highlighted area or post to a list. You can add many parts or posts to this list. So for example you want to quote multiple things in a fic to comment. You highlight the part you liked hit the +Quote that pops up and then keep reading. When you come to something else you want to quote you highlight and hit it again. Or you can highlight and quote separate comments on your own story to reply to.

Then when you are ready to actually reply, when you go down to the text box you'll see something on the left that says "Insert Quotes". Click that and all the things you'd hit +quote on will be there. You can remove quotes you don't want to add to the post or you can hit "Quote these messages" and all of them will be in quote boxes in your post.

So when you hit it the first time, it added the post to your multi-quote list, if you hit quote on the same post, it removes it from your quote list (You'll notice it says -Quote after you've hit it once on the post since hitting it again will remove it from your multi-quote list).


Prefixes

We started to work on fixing the prefixes so we could take better advantage of our new multi-prefix feature (more info here). Since users can’t edit their own threads to re-adjust their prefixes, we’ve decided to put it on the back burner for now. However, if users want, we can go ahead and implement the new system of prefixes for new stories and once the editing problem is solved, they can go back to edit prefixes then.


Tags

WE NOW HAVE TAGS!! More info here where we are slowly adding new tags in batches.


Other Random Bits

While we have your attention, we just wanted to plug the awards. We are currently still accepting noms. More info can be found here.

If you have any other question or concerns you wish us to address, PM us and we will address them here.

Bri and Mav

 

The thing with titles doesn't sound...very optimistic. The below makes me think that we're not going to get them back for a loooooong time. Or, well, ever.

I have no issue with this, as long as they are people who already commented and people know to regularly comment on your stories. I normally don't ask to be tagged myself, since I keep lists of things to respond to on Evernote, but I wouldn't mind being tagged, either.

 

Now that the pessimism door has been opened, I will admit to thinking for several days now, that this thread title business was going to go the way of the truncation issue.

I just didn't want a backlash telling me I was thinking that too early.

Thank you for the detailed explanation of how multiquotes can be used, when I'm reviewing, or responding to reviews.
Somehow, that worked better for me than an open-ended explanation.

I can see how editing titles would be too much. Not the rosiest news I have heard.
If VIPs can edit threads, I would recommend that if any of my fellow writers get colours as a challenge prize, or Award, that that ability is the first thing you check out after taking your screenshot!

Hang on, what does opt out, not opt in, on the update tagging mean?
That we'll get update alerts till we tell someone to desist?

Cheers for the write-up, @Briannakin .

 

I wouldn't go that far. This is something that is offered by Xenforo as part of the package for the forums- that different sections can allow differing permissions. We have that package, it's just not working right for some reason. This may mean it's something bigger than just the JCF on Xenforo's end, or it could be something that we've changed in our own boards that doesn't immediately show where it should.

We just wanted to come up with a plan because we know it can sometimes take time to get things fixed because remember, everyone that 'works' here is a volunteer and have real lives and jobs, etc, and that includes the tech people. And if it ends up meaning we have to deal with Xenfo people, then it becomes an even longer process.

Right now, you shouldn't be sending alerts or PMing people about updates unless they request you do so, which is opting in. What we are wondering if people want to do is that if you comment on a story while the title thing is an issue, the author can sent you an alert saying they've updated unless you opt-out, specifically saying you don't want them to do that.

An author will often quote or @ someone when replying to comments, which is frequently right before a new post, which is allowable since it's replying to something. This would allow the author to @ someone who maybe didn't reply to the most recent chapter, but has been commenting otherwise.

 

First of all a big thanks to @Briannakin and @mavjade for everything and especially for putting up with us

Quite frankly I'd rather things stay just the way they are. As mav said above, most authors do their replies to reviews just before posting an update, so readers who are keeping up with a story receive a notification anyway. Furthermore, if readers feel that the title bar issue may cause them to miss an update, they can watch the thread and/or ask to be tagged (as opposed to readers who drop out of a story for whatever reason, or readers who like to read updates in batches, and who therefore don't need/want a tag for every update).

I don't have a particular opinion about the prefix system, and I'm a partisan of the idea that you should never do today what you can leave for tomorrow, so that's totally up to you

Thanks again!

 

Hey, I'm dramatic. I was dramatic. I...am an endless source of unnecessary paranoia.

As far as the thing Chyntuck mentions goes, that's how I would deal with it myself, but not everybody is tech-savvy, notifications sometimes expire, threads from elsewhere on the forum can bury the fanfic notifications and more.

So, seriously, folks, keep lists and you will never ever forget anything. Go to http://evernote.com, register, open a new note and paste links to the threads you want to make sure you're following.

 

This applies to tag notifications just as it applies to reply notifications though – unless I'm missing something and all notifications were not born equal?

 

I had situations where threads were updated and there were no notifications at all, despite my having posted in them before. Somebody somewhere said that notifications are not kept after a certain amount of time, not sure if that's true, either. Not that familiar with Xenforo.

EDIT: It just happened - no notifications for the Celtic Challenge, DDC and Disney Quote threads. Weird.

 

Yes, however, some people delete the user info in the quote is code when doing replies (as I do when I'm posting in SW) so that people only get notified when I update when they specify ask for it.

I know @ tags (which are technically called mentions) expire after 3 days. I'm not sure about replies/quotes, but thread alerts shouldn't expire. I know before the update funky things were happening with notifications. Not sure if its happening again.

 

I'd gladly give up the tags to get title edit back! I've got one story which says it's in progress, when it's actually completed. SO annoying! I'm going to hope it someday gets sorted out.

 

Mav and I are trying to get an update on this stuff. If it is still unknown, we will discuss stuff.

 

About to get stuck with two early 2017 update dates, or make it look like I'm posting in the future. Gah, now I see the larger aspect of this issue.

 

Stuck with two. Gonna be stuck with at least two more by the end of the month.

Updated in June? Updated in March? Nope, dude, February next year. Gah!

 

Another weird instance would /could be for challenges with prompts. No, I don't have this many left. Or challenges that have new content running, like whenever the OTP thread gets the next challenge.

 

Wait, what challenge? I guess one of those two lines was...very dramatic?