New Specktra platform feedback and bug reporting

[keijukainen]

My first impression is very sleek and cool layout!

It'll take a while to learn how to navigate (hehe I had trouble finding the reply button

) but I think the Forums "frontpage" is a lot clearer now and I also really like the drop down menu that somebody already mentioned.

Thanks for all the hard work!


Edit: Ok, hold on. Why are some of the quotes in italic without boxes and some in boxes like in Janice's last msg? The ones without the boxes in italic are hard to separate from the actual msg text.
I mean like in this one: http://www.specktra.net/forum/thread/164718/mac-venomous-villains-discussion/8280#post_2040085

 

[InspiredBlue]

Quote: Originally Posted by SuSana

I can see the ads, did the terms of the premium subscriptions change?

Nevermind, fixed it!




I see the ads too. How did you "fix it"?
And I agree about the new color scheme being hard on my eyes.
Other than that I haven't had time to look around much yet, so I can't really comment. I am sure there was a technical reason for the change, and it will just take some getting used to.

 

[Lyssah]

I wanted to say thanks for an awesome update.. I was a little lost at first, but it does look great!
Some feedback to maybe keep in mind; like somebody else said, the black text on the white background is a little harsh. I feel it's a little slower to nativgate around - but I could be imagining that!

Thanks again - love your work

 

[Honey&LemonGirl]

Loving: The drop-down menu for the forums. It makes it super easy to get to places! And I'm glad we still have smilies. The look is very up-to-date and tech-y!

Not so loving: The opening home page is quite cluttered, in my opinion. There's just too much stuff going on on one page, all in very small font, so it just looks and feels a bit crammed and overwhelming. I'm also finding the page a bit harder to read than before. I forgot what color background forum posts used to be on, but I don't recall it being white; perhaps it was a lavender-ish shade? I find that for many of the forums I post on, the background color is a shade or two away from white, so the contrast isn't so stark on your eyes when you're reading tons of text!

I also agree with Lyssah above, things seem to be loading several paces more slowly.
EDIT: Oh, she said the white background thing too. I didn't see that.

 

[user79]

I love the fluid width adjustment for the forum. I have a huge monitor and this makes browsing and reading so much more enjoyable. The old one felt a bit "cramped"


BUG: I tried to edit my signature. When I use Firefox on OS/X I don't see a cursor nor can I seem to erase things. Works fine in Safari though.

 

[bellaboomboom]

Hi everyone! Wow is this different but like anything else new - it will take some time and patience to get comfortable again. Is there a USER CP section anymore?

 

[Kirsty]

How do I insert an image into a post for swatches/FOTD etc? I used to copy & paste the IMG code from photobucket, but that doesn't work anymore.
:S I tried html & direct link codes but neither work.

 

[keijukainen]

I'm a little lost with private messages..

I just sent pm and I see that sent msg in my inbox and sent items. I hope I didn't send it to me LOL.

There's no "quote"-button, so am I supposed to use the " icon above the msg box to quote?
It does add a quote box to my msg but it doesn't show who I'm quoting and no text either.

 

[MzzRach]

Am I missing where you can view all unread posts in a thread? This a feature I used constantly.

I agree with those who are finding the white forum background hard on the eyes - overall the font is smaller and a pure white background is a bit harsh.

My premium gold supporter badge seems to have vanished.

I am also finding that pages are loading slower in general.

The new site will take some getting used to, but I think once tweaks are made it will be really fantastic.

Thanks for all your hard work, Janice.

 

[LittleMaryJane]

Same here.

Am I missing where you can view all unread posts in a thread? This a feature I used constantly.

 

[Janice]

How do I insert an image into a post for swatches/FOTD etc? I used to copy & paste the IMG code from photobucket, but that doesn't work anymore.
:S I tried html & direct link codes but neither work.

Hi Kirsty, in the rich text editor (the box you use to input text for a reply) just click on the little photo over to the right that says "Insert Image" when you mouse over it. Gone are the days of having to paste all the code into the box. (you still can use bbcode to insert images and to create links)









Quote: Originally Posted by keijukainen

I'm a little lost with private messages..

I just sent pm and I see that sent msg in my inbox and sent items. I hope I didn't send it to me LOL.

There's no "quote"-button, so am I supposed to use the " icon above the msg box to quote?
It does add a quote box to my msg but it doesn't show who I'm quoting and no text either.



Hi Kei, there are two quote options and both are displayed on the bottom right of each post. You can choose the multi option to select several posts to quote, or the single quote option to quote just one source. They are both located to the left of the Reply button. Scratch that - I just realized you're talking abotu PM's! You're right, there is no quote option. Since PMs are threaded now they display in your inbox in a conversation style, rather than individual messages with no relation to each other. Your sent messages will also display in your sent folder. On the new system, all users can store unlimited numbers of messages!

Quote: Originally Posted by MzzRach

Am I missing where you can view all unread posts in a thread? This a feature I used constantly.

I agree with those who are finding the white forum background hard on the eyes - overall the font is smaller and a pure white background is a bit harsh.

My premium gold supporter badge seems to have vanished.

I am also finding that pages are loading slower in general.

The new site will take some getting used to, but I think once tweaks are made it will be really fantastic.

Thanks for all your hard work, Janice.



I'm not sure about the all unread posts in a single thread. At the top of every page towards the right (once you click into the "Forum" section of the site) there is "All unread posts" link that will take you to the equivalent of our "Unread Posts" on the previous site. Also there is an option within each thread, under the thread title, to "view unread posts" in that specific thread. I'll work with our team to address the complaint many of you have about the white on white background. Regarding your badge, I also posted this in the two other places you reported it, I will need to look into seeing if we have the option for badges to stack on the new platform. If we don't right now, then it's something we may have to submit as a feature request. I hope we can tweak things just enough to make everyone happy! I think that we can get it there, just ask for the community to have patience while we work the kinks out.
Quote: Originally Posted by LittleMaryJane

Same here.




At the top of every page towards the right (once you click into the "Forum" section of the site) there is "All unread posts" link that will take you to the equivalent of our "Unread Posts" on the previous site.

Keep the feedback coming!

LIST OF FEEDBACK WE ARE AWARE OF:

• White on white background is too much contrast
• Page loading times seem a bit slow
• Forum subscriber badges are not stacking with their other badges
• Imported quotes are a bit wonky and display with a white background
• BUG: I tried to edit my signature. When I use Firefox on OS/X I don't see a cursor nor can I seem to erase things. Works fine in Safari though

 

[peachsuns]

Am I missing where you can view all unread posts in a thread? This a feature I used constantly.

I agree with those who are finding the white forum background hard on the eyes - overall the font is smaller and a pure white background is a bit harsh.

My premium gold supporter badge seems to have vanished.

I am also finding that pages are loading slower in general.

The new site will take some getting used to, but I think once tweaks are made it will be really fantastic.

Thanks for all your hard work, Janice.

I agree with both of you. The pure white background is bit harsh. =)
Also, may I suggest a bit darker color for quote? The box for quote is very light gray. I love to see more contrast between the background color and this box. It is hard to distinguish one from another.

Thank you so much for your hard work!

 

[MissResha]

personally, i LOVE the new design. its so much easier to read, loads way faster, and its just snazzy. i think we all have to get used to it though because it's a stark change, but a great one.

 

[MzzRach]

One other comment - I noticed that the blog portion of the site is now on Wordpress and requires a separate login from a user's Specktra username and password for the forums. Was that intentional or will the blog be incorporated into Specktra user accounts? Or will one need a Wordpress account to post to the Specktra blog section of the site?

 

[keijukainen]

Thanks for clearing out the quoting and PM stuff, Janice!

Another thing, would it be possible to get "Go to the first post" button for "Recommended threads"?
For example, it'd be neat to get straight to the newest post of product swatches now that the collection swatches are separated from the other threads.

 

[littlepickle]

I'm really enjoying the new look forum! Great work, Janice!

 

[silentstorm143]

I don't know if its just me but I cant see most of the photos they are all color blocked. I went to another site to make sure my LT wasn't the issue and its fine . I cant see most of everyone profile pics or the newer photos in the product swatch threads. Thanks
No longer experiencing image problems.

 

[Meisje]

I know it's been addressed, but here's another vote for changing the background. The white is too harsh for reading so much text.

 

[LittleMaryJane]

Question about the "thumbs up" option... Do they mean anything? Like the thanks kind of meant something in the sense that the amount of thanks you had was recorded and kept track of. Is that the same at all with the thumbs up?

 

[Janice]

Quote: Originally Posted by LittleMaryJane

Question about the "thumbs up" option... Do they mean anything? Like the thanks kind of meant something in the sense that the amount of thanks you had was recorded and kept track of. Is that the same at all with the thumbs up?



Yes, they are all recorded and kept track of. We don't yet have the statistics featured anywhere, but I am sure that will be worked into a future feature release for our new platform!