Server alerts shown first

[wolf693]

With all of these new server updates going on, I have noticed a lot of users posting new threads with one thing in common; they all complain that they are unable to log in, or report an error that has something to do with the failure of logging in. I have also noticed that the post after it or somewhere near it mentions something of the News and Announcements section of the forums and one certain thread that everybody is keeping an eye on, including me. To eliminate these complaints and the trouble of telling them of that thread, I had an idea. What if the administrator was to temporarily redirect the index page of the forums to that one thread when we log in. That way the first thing people see is the explanation of what they came here for!

 

[DefecTalisman]

I think this isn't possible, else it would have been done already.

Also this would effect all the forum users including the VIP paid members, I am sure they don't want to see whats going on with servers that don't affect them.

 

[GamingX]

It is possible to do that. The suggestion was made before this. And there were plans to do it. But I don't know, it just sort of fell away. It is a real good idea to force the users to read the News before they do anything else on the forum.

 

[conceptye]

I like the idea...but it might be a nuisance if you already know there are problems and just want to browse the non-hosting content of the forums.

 

[Livewire]

I like the idea...but it might be a nuisance if you already know there are problems and just want to browse the non-hosting content of the forums.

Agreed on that. Maybe an announcement that popped up and displayed a short message just above the forum list?

I dunno how this forum software works so I dunno whats possible or not, but it's definitely possible.


My main question REALLY is would it only work when you log in, or when you view it at all? Some of us have Remember Me checked so we never actually log in, so we wouldn't see it.

Granted I don't know how many of us have that checked and having Server Alerts get shown would certainly cut back on the number of posts (I hope), so it's still a good idea. Just wondering if it'd show if Remember Me is checked.

 

[wolf693]

Thanks for all your support guys. I've seen this done on other forums before, and it worked great. It really cut back on stuff like this. However I just don't know if it wouldn't redirect when you actually want to go to the index. Maybe just changing the link on the main page to the thread page and then change it back when the updates are all done? Who knows?

 

[eN0ch]

Maybe a more general solution ... (but maybe a bigger job too?) Not intended as a whinge, but an honest observation. IMO the whole layout of the forum is like the streets of an ancient city that just kinda' happened without any town planning ... I'm never sure whether to check server alerts, or one of the specific forums to find what might or might not be going on. And I'm not geeky enough to understand a lot of jargon, so thread headings don't always communicate in a way I understand or tell me the specifics of what might happen to my account if X is happening, etc.. I'm just wondering whether there's some way the forum layout could be redesigned to make the problems a lot more obvious to users of all levels of geek-ness.

Related thought .. maybe an RSS feed for each server or account type, so one gets a message that X is happening and is likely to produce Y results?

 

[Sharky]

After I log in to internet banking, the first thing that comes up is an Announcements page, with a checkbox next to each news item (and a 'check all' box), then a button to Proceed to Internet Banking. The announcements keep coming back every log in unless the box is checked.

Maybe there is a module for vBulletin that does repeats this behaviour?

EDIT:
eg. this one: http://www.vbulletin.org/forum/showthread.php?t=151737&highlight=news

 

[DefecTalisman]

In regard to knowing where to look for certain things happening.

News and Announcements for exactly that.
Server Alerts for those.
It can't be much easier than that. The best way to know whats going on in those forums is if the thread is locked then the issue is no longer relevant. If its open then it is.
I recommend subscribing to those forums for daily updates. Then when a thread is updated or created you will be informed via e-mail.

 

[Xemnas]

We should probably write a mod that automatically subscribes users to News and Announcements when they register

 

[DefecTalisman]

Another note :

The threads in the above mentioned forums are for informative use only, they are not to post errors and support issues in unless they say to do so.

 

[eN0ch]

DefecTalisman, with all respect your very suggestion precisely highlights the
problem. "Server Alerts" is a sub-forum of "News & Announcements". If they actually were two distinct forums, it might make some sense. But instead we have N&A comprising two sub-forums: SA & "Useful information".

So thinking this thing through a bit ... How about replacing N&A and SA respectively with two parallel top of the list forums (not one inside the other) called something like "Important News" & "Server Alerts". IMO this would be much clearer for the unitiated.
Edit:
Yes I understand that those top forums aren't for posting in, but that raises another problem for the confused newbie. If they're not meant for posting in, then why are they configured such that it's perfectly possible to post in them. They should be locked (pinned, whatever jargon one uses) so this isn't possible.

I repeat, the current structure is horribly confusing to the unfamiliar user. I have every sympathy for the frustration felt by the folks who run the show when people keep posting on issues that are covered in the announcement threads. I'd be frustrated too. But OTOH from the other side of the desk, it can also be hard being berated for doing something when it's not that obvious what one actually should (or shouldn't) do where .. I guess I'm trying to say that whilst it may all be plain and obvious to you guys who've been hanging out here for ages, it's far from obvious to the rest of us. (well, either that or I'm just alone in my moronism.)

 

[DefecTalisman]

Well when I am confused as to what to do I usually try and search for what I am supposed to do. This applies to everything, not just x10hosting.
If you don't know where and how to use the forums then you should read the rules.
It is proven that people do not read and just post. There is a marquee at the top of every forum/thread saying please read the NEWS, there is a announcement at the top of every forum saying if you are having issues please look here, yet people are still asking why?

 

[Sharky]

You've highlighted the issue. In a panic people are picking the first thread that looks promising. The forum(/forum group) where support questions should go doesn't even have Support in the title. If the forum group was SUPPORT, then the forum named Free Hosting Support, and then have this at the top under a single "Server Alerts" forum, maybe it'd alleviate the issue of people posting where they shouldn't.
Think along the lines of "What would my parents do?" (as parents are known for not generally being tech savvy, or thinking when it comes to computers... I keep telling them, "Read what it is asking!")

 

[eN0ch]

OK, look .. I suspect this discussion will just end up frustrating us both, so we might be best leaving it and agreeing to disagree. But I'll just make one last attempt to say what I'm trying to say ...

I'm asking you to try to step outside the box and look at the whole forum putting yourself in the place of a newbie who knows nothing about x10 hosting, little or nothing about website creation or management generally, is confused about sql, php and all that ... Now: How easy do you honestly imagine it would be to get all the info you need to get in order to understand how things work with your account and how to be a functional member of the x10 online community.

Yes the information one needs is all there, and can be found. No argument there. But in my experience it's not very consistently or logically laid out. There's really core vital info buried two or three layers into the forum structure; there's relatively extraneous or specialised stuff right on the top; there are some showstopper announcements inside other less important-looking threads; there are threads that aren't meant to be discussion threads at all, but are configured as if they were ... etc etc. All of which is entirely natural in a service that's been started from something basic and had bits added to along the way whilst growing pretty big.

Please note, I've raised this stuff in a forum that's actually described as being for suggestions on how x10 hosting could serve us better. If you don't think any of it actually could be done better, and it all just boils down to us general users needing to read more carefully, then maybe you don't need a forum that calls for suggestions. I'm trying to help you guys here. I feel that if the forum was laid out differently then us users would be better informed (because it'd be easier for us to access all the info we need) and you guys who oversee the show would be less frustrated and distracted (because we'd be posting fewer unnecessary and unwanted comments or questions).

I can't really think of anything else I could say without just repeating myself. If you can see where I'm coming from, great. If not, then let's just leave it and agree to disagree.