ScienceForums Setup

[blike]

Do you like the current SFN setup?

[ed84c]

If i may, i would suggest a few things.

 

1.An area for loads of SFN statistics, average post count Per Day, Maybe even average location of posts (there is a string you can use which does this).

 

2.Where has the thing were u could see all the memebers gone along with avitar and post count? I would be greatful to have that back.

 

3. The Server is stupid, is it possible to have attatchments say of 10MB max in a post, and allow other file format types e.g. .xls, .lwp.

Also im having trouble viewing threads sometimes, it keeps saying 'forbidden'.

 

4.There was at one point speculation to the closure of the GD topic area, could that be straightened out?

 

5. Can Normal users have the option of deleting their own posts?

 

But i would just like to congratulate the SFN staff on a throughly good job in maintaining one of the best websites on the interweb.

 

Well done!

[Lance]

I think its great.

[5614]

2.Where has the thing were u could see all the memebers gone along with avitar and post count? I would be greatful to have that back.

you mean the member list?

 

is it possible to have attatchments say of 10MB max in a post

a lot of room would be needed on the server to host all of this, try hosting files on another website and giving us links.

 

Also im having trouble viewing threads sometimes, it keeps saying 'forbidden'

i have had that very occasionaly, just refresh the page, i am assuming it is due to the server change over.

 

other than that, it is great.

[bloodhound]

good reccomends ed84c.

 

but i dont agree with 10MB max attachment. thats ridiculous.

 

i would definitely like an option to delete our posts.

 

average location of post counts? whats that?

[5614]

Do you like the current SFN setup?

before i vote what do you mean by 'setup' ?

 

like the colour lay out or the sub-categories, or both or what?

 

also im sure there's always the opinion 'there's always room for improvement'

[Martin]

Yeah i like the setup at SFN a lot!

 

I have to make two qualifications: one I am not a computer jock so I cant really evaluate all the design choices, all i have is a casual non-tech users impression. But this impression is very good.

 

second, I like Ed who just spoke because he has made some very helpful contributions to threads i was involved in and he has a good inquiring attitude and likes data, so i would like to support what he says. But I find that on several of the points he makes I disagree with Ed!

 

My only regret is that it is impossible to use bubbles. There should be certain days of the week where one could use bubbles in all forums including science. Maybe the first tuesday of every month. Bubbles are extremely funny.

 

at present bubbles are reserved for General Discussion, or so I have been told. I would like to see bubbles crop up in other places.

 

==================

the other thing is not about the setup so much. the setup is essentially right on target.

 

there should be something that could be done that would cause exponential growth of the posts per day number.

 

I think about what could be done, sometimes. but dont have any surefire ideas.

 

one thing is to go out to various science blogs, like Peter Woit (mathphyscis, Columbia) and Sean Carroll (cosmology, Chicago) and

make some comment or ask some question and then just drop a hint "Oh, we were just having a raging controversy about this over at SFN" and give a link.

It is a kind of low-key advertising on science-oriented blogs.

Blogs are usually open to comment.

Woits blog is "Not Even Wrong"

Carroll's blog is "Preposterous Universe"

google will find both I am sure, just from their names.

But I dont know whether this would work or not.

 

For me a big point about SFN is that it has LaTex

most science blogs and Usenet boards and such dont have that.

[YT2095]

Werkz 4 me

 

although an Electronics section in Physics wouldn`t be bad.

 

edit, had to add the Thumbs Up thingy

[Martin]

it would be better if we could get more women like coquina

she has a real brain

and knows actual interesting facts about geology and paleontology

besides running her own marine-engines machine shop

 

if we had 2 or 3 more like that then SFN would probably grow like wild

[ed84c]

women with brains are few and far between martin.

 

Lol of course i was joking i couldnt resist

[5614]

it is interesting that the majority here are males... but back to the original topic...

 

what is meant by 'setup' ?

[bloodhound]

setup as in everything.

[ed84c]

Actually coquina is intelligent, probably as she was born on the 25th march

 

Also what does a blog mean?

[bloodhound]

blog is short for web log.

[noz92]

I think there should be a way to have avatars larger than the current size limit. There aren't very many pictures that fit that size limit, and when you edit it on paint, often times the scale is distorted.

 

And I would also like to point out (for catagorization of forums) that astronomy isn't a physical science. For that, there should be a whole section entirely for earth sciences.

 

There are also a few problems with the Latex. Every once in a while I find that I can't use Latex. I end up with a box with in x in the corner, and it has the code I used for the formula.

[ecoli]

Good suggestions, everyone. But I must say, I've looked around at other science forums and SFN is the best. The layout, especially, is the best I've seen.

[JaKiri]

although an Electronics section in Physics wouldn`t be bad.

 

But that's engineering

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

I still think that the number of categories is ridiculous. It could be condensed some.

Also I really would like to be able to delete my own posts.

 

The only other thing I find funny is how many philosophical discussions we get into, on a science forum.

[ecoli]

Why not have General discussion posts go towards your post count...I dont understand why it isn't that way.

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

Because GD isn't related to science.

It's basically a forum for all of the off-topic stuff.

 

The post count is supposed to be for your meaningful posts.

[ydoaPs]

as already mentioned, we should be able to delete our own posts.

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

It would certainly save me a bit of trouble when I seriously goof up.

 

Perhaps we could have a few different styles to choose from too. Couldn't hurt to be able to have a different style now and then.

[Primarygun]

Ya. The set-up is pleasing. The picture uploaded appear several seconds later, compare to 3 to 4 days in physics forum, that's very good.

[noz92]

If you delete your posts, what would happen if that post is quoted?

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

The quote would still remain, because it's fixed and doesn't depend on the source post. So that would be kind of odd...