New FF Homepage

[viscousmemories]

We've redesigned the Freethought Forum homepage by adding a 'portal'. If you don't know what a 'portal' is, just head on over to:

http://www.freethought-forum.com/

and check it out. When you're on that page you can just click "Forums" on the navigation bar near the upper left-hand corner of your screen, and you'll be back at the traditional forum index page. To come directly to the forum index page, use (or bookmark):

http://www.freethought-forum.com/forum/index.php

When on the forum index, you can use "Home" on the navigation bar to get back to the portal page. Also, while it is not yet possible for you to rearrange the portal page as you wish, you can disable any of the components (modules) on the page that you don't wish to see by using the options at the very bottom of the "Edit Options (http://www.freethought-forum.com/forum/profile.php?do=editoptions)" page.

Play around with the options as much as you want. All you have to do is check the box to disable a module, and uncheck it to bring it back.

Good luck and thanks for supporting the Freethought Forum! :)

[Corona688]

Could there be an explanation of the change put in the portal somewhere? I personally, I found it very confusing to go to freethought-forum.com to get dropped off at a place that's kind of not the forum. I like it but it takes some getting used to.

[livius drusus]

That's a really good point, Corona; thank you kindly for raising it. Upon reflection, I think we rushed this up as soon as it was technically feasible without giving due consideration to the implementation itself. I apologize for that.

vm's working on an announcement block for the portal even as I type. Hopefully, that will cushion the blow for any members who land there expecting the forum index.

Thanks again, Corona.

[viscousmemories]

Yep. What she said, Corona. Apologies for the confusion but thanks for inspiring us to get an announcement block up there, which I've just finished doing.

And I'm glad you like it. :)

[JoeP]

... we rushed this up as soon as it was technically feasible without giving due consideration to the implementation itself. ...
Done like true techies! :bow:

[livius drusus]

No need to be insulting about it. Sheesh...

[Penni]

I really like it. The only thing I was confused about was some of the posts that are highlighted. It looks like latest forum topics really is like "recent posts", but then what are the entire posts highlighted in the center? Just ones that you guys chose to put there, or how do they get there? Then news archive. Those are also posts in the forum, but are they really "news" and how did they get there?

Not that any of that really matetrs, I just like to have everything make sense to my brain and fit it into my little boxes that I like to put everything in.

Anyway, good job! It's nice to have a jumping off point, plus I LOVE how it has a link to the User CP. That's something I didn't like trying to get to from the Forum Index.

[viscousmemories]

I really like it. The only thing I was confused about was some of the posts that are highlighted. It looks like latest forum topics really is like "recent posts", but then what are the entire posts highlighted in the center? Just ones that you guys chose to put there, or how do they get there? Then news archive. Those are also posts in the forum, but are they really "news" and how did they get there?
Hey thanks for the input, Penni. I can totally see what you mean about the naming conventions being wacky. I'll doublecheck but off the top of my head I believe that the Latest Topics section actually consists of links to the latest posts in the latest topics. The posts in the center are drawn from all the available fora randomly, and the "News Archive" is actually just a history of previous randomly drawn posts. Lemme see if I can't mess with the names of things a bit and clarify things.

Not that any of that really matetrs, I just like to have everything make sense to my brain and fit it into my little boxes that I like to put everything in.
No, it does matter. We need constructive criticism, thanks. :)

Anyway, good job! It's nice to have a jumping off point, plus I LOVE how it has a link to the User CP. That's something I didn't like trying to get to from the Forum Index.
Thanks again, and especially for pointing out that we don't have a link to the UserCP anywhere else. :doh:

[viscousmemories]

Aha! The link to the UserCP is there (in the Member Options menu), it's just called something else. Lemme fix that right now so it's more obvious.

[JoeP]

Here's an idle comment. Some idiot's posted a truly monster post which is currently the first highlighted post on the new home page. Much as I appreciate the space and attention, I'd be equally happy with a clip - say the first 10-15 lines - and a traditional [more] link.

While I'm looking at it - what's the difference between "» Latest Forum Topics" and "» News Archive"? Seems like any topic can be news. And: are the "» Recent Articles" in time order, latest first?

[JoeP]

And also ... this is just weird ... viewed as a thread my post contains the smeyeleigh :innocent: (http://www.freethought-forum.com/forum/images/smilies/inc.gif) but on the home page it shows up as a broken link (http://www.freethought-forum.com/images/smilies/inc.gif). Note the missing 'forum/' in the url. But all the other smyleas are ok.

I had a theory on this but it didn't work.

[viscousmemories]

Here's an idle comment. Some idiot's posted a truly monster post which is currently the first highlighted post on the new home page. Much as I appreciate the space and attention, I'd be equally happy with a clip - say the first 10-15 lines - and a traditional [more] link.
Limiting the number of characters in the posts and having a "read more" link is an option in the portal software. Unfortunately there's a bug in the code, so that if the char limit is reached in the middle of a quoted block, the page layout gets trashed. The code author's are aware of this bug but haven't provided a fix yet, so the only other option is to not limit the characters.

While I'm looking at it - what's the difference between "» Latest Forum Topics" and "» News Archive"? Seems like any topic can be news.
I think I answered that in my reply to Penni above.

And: are the "» Recent Articles" in time order, latest first?
At the moment they're sorted by number of views.

[viscousmemories]

And also ... this is just weird ... viewed as a thread my post contains the smeyeleigh :innocent: (http://www.freethought-forum.com/forum/images/smilies/inc.gif) but on the home page it shows up as a broken link (http://www.freethought-forum.com/images/smilies/inc.gif). Note the missing 'forum/' in the url. But all the other smyleas are ok.

I had a theory on this but it didn't work.
I noticed that too but didn't look into why yet. I'll do that now, thanks. :)

[viscousmemories]

And also ... this is just weird ... viewed as a thread my post contains the smeyeleigh :innocent: (http://www.freethought-forum.com/forum/images/smilies/inc.gif) but on the home page it shows up as a broken link (http://www.freethought-forum.com/images/smilies/inc.gif). Note the missing 'forum/' in the url. But all the other smyleas are ok.

I had a theory on this but it didn't work.
I noticed that too but didn't look into why yet. I'll do that now, thanks. :)
Okay I fixed that one. The problem is that the portal code software requires that the absolute path to the smilies be associated with each smilie. The relative path (which is the vB default) doesn't work. When we installed the software it made this change for us to all the existing smilies, but all the smilies we've added since need to be changed. Thanks for pointing it out.

[viscousmemories]

It looks like latest forum topics really is like "recent posts",
Okay, now they're called "Recent Posts". :)

but then what are the entire posts highlighted in the center? Just ones that you guys chose to put there, or how do they get there?
Just random posts.

Then news archive. Those are also posts in the forum, but are they really "news" and how did they get there?
That's really the "Random Posts Archive", and is now so named. :)

I've also renamed "Recent Articles" to the more apt "Articles", and "Freethought Forum Statistics" to "Forum Stats", to make it fit better.

Let me know if you have any other questions/suggestions. :)

[JoeP]

Then news archive. Those are also posts in the forum, but are they really "news" and how did they get there?
That's really the "Random Posts Archive", and is now so named. :)
This is brilliant!

Let me know if you have any other questions/suggestions. :)
How about moving the 'active users' panel to the top?

[viscousmemories]

Then news archive. Those are also posts in the forum, but are they really "news" and how did they get there?
That's really the "Random Posts Archive", and is now so named. :)
This is brilliant!
Thanks!

Let me know if you have any other questions/suggestions. :)
How about moving the 'active users' panel to the top?
How's that?

[JoeP]

Perfect. Now move it back again! :muahaha: :twisted: :demon2: (not)

And can you hide this: Top Poster: livius drusus (991)? (wot, no rolling eyes?)

[livius drusus]

I wouldn't have half that post count if you didn't keep making me answer your smilie clarion calls (btw, I found a normal duck, a mallard, a tiger and something else that my foggy brain can't think of right now but haven't uploaded them yet).

And no, I don't really like rolling eyes smilies. Until I find one that works for me, I prefer other means of implying sarcasm. :woopdedo:

[JoeP]

here
Am I the only one who's noticed that almost every thread in this forum ends up becoming a discussion of food in some way or another?
Close. The home page is yummy enough to eat.

[JoeP]

I wouldn't have half that post count if you didn't keep making me answer your smilie clarion callsTouche. (How, if poss, do I do accents in this board?)

And no, I don't really like rolling eyes smilies. Until I find one that works for me, I prefer other means of implying sarcasm. :woopdedo:OK. I'm not going to argue with the smilie hoard :dragon:.

[nvexio]

now if you'll just make the user cp link easier to find in the nav. i made the wheel, and you made it into a damned cube! FIX IT!!! :D

[viscousmemories]

now if you'll just make the user cp link easier to find in the nav. i made the wheel, and you made it into a damned cube! FIX IT!!! :D
I'm not sure what you mean... isn't it pretty easy to find under "Member Options"? Or do you think it should be on the main navbar?