How to best use the forum

comments

by Tracey_E - 2022-02-08 14:24:35

The best way to see if there is a new comment on a post is the little red New Comment button. I usually just go to General, it covers all of the sub-forums. Most of the posts in the last week will be on the first page so I just look for ones with new comments. 

If there is a new comment on an old post that is buried, it's harder to find. Once a week or so I go to my own comments and scroll through them for any with new comments. You can find your own posts and comments by clicking on your username at the top left. 

It's a little clunky. If I had a magic wand, posts with new comments would appear first. 

Tracey

Moderator

how to know

by new to pace.... - 2022-02-08 15:19:28

When i first started using this site in Aug 2019, i would be sent an email telling me a new comment was posted to my query.  Also would receive  an email telling me someone had private messaged me.  Those stopped coming now i have to login to see if I recieved a private email and check my query to see if a new comment.

  I use recent messages. to look at other posts.  Notice that Chat is not used.

new to pace

Chat

by AgentX86 - 2022-02-08 21:36:49

I think the reason that the "chat" function isn't used is that the group isn't all that large and people aren't on at the same time.  Even though they show up in "Who's Online", it doesn't mean they're available or watching at that moment.  You can be logged in for hours, with your computer turned off, even.

Tracey_E

by sgmfish - 2022-02-08 21:43:28

".... the little red New Comment button. "

I can find such a button. Can you be more specific?

How best to use the forum?

by Gemita - 2022-02-09 08:40:50

sgmfish, unfortunately we are no longer receiving notification of any new comments to either current or older posts (either for our own posts or for those posts we may have followed).  Also we are no longer receiving notification of private messages.  There is no easy solution to finding our way around this site which is in need of an upgrade.  However it is still a wonderful free resource and we are indeed fortunate to have it.

I keep a file and links of ‘particular’ threads of interest, recording “User names”, so that I may quickly search for updates or send a private message to the User/Member in question.  However, since the Member will not be notified of your Private Message, you may need to wait patiently for an answer.

Unfortunately the Club can be slow moving at times, either due to failure sometimes of the Original Poster to respond to members’ kind comments (I call them "rude" non responders!) or to the fact that it can take considerable time and effort for a Member to respond to a New Message, especially if a New Message is lengthy and difficult to answer.  

How best to use the Forum you ask? The best way to use the Pacemaker Club is simply “to use it” - I frequently observe many ‘views’ to posts but so few ‘comments’, so it would be nice to receive more feedback and for us all to get involved.  

All I can suggest is that All Members might do better to post a New Message every time they wish to give an update on their ‘original message’ which might be weeks/months old by the time an update is added which will probably never be seen by those members who participated in their original thread.

Cannot help with locating little red button, since I cannot see it either. 

the red button

by Tracey_E - 2022-02-09 09:34:05

If a post has a new comment, there will be a little red box to the right of XX Comments that says New Comment. If you don't see a red box, that post does not have new comments since your last visit. 

apologies, I should have said BOX not button. It's not a button.

how to know if new comment

by new to pace.... - 2022-02-09 12:50:39

When i am following a post, i write down how many comments. that way i know if a new comment appears.  Since i cannot remember in my mind how many comments there have been.

  I agree with Gemita about putting in a new update rather than adding to an old post.

new to pace

The red button

by AgentX86 - 2022-02-09 13:11:53

The read button only shows updates since you logged in.  It doesn;t show updates since your last session.  If you "stay" logged in, you'll be thrown out in a few hours.

I agree that there should be some flag telling you that an update has been made but there would have to be something that tracked each user.  Cookies?  Maybe, but enough hate tracking cookies that most will have theirs turned off.  It would be a lot of data to keep this information for everyone.

IMO, the forums should be stored in reverse order (last first) so one doesn'h have to scroll to the bottom to see if it's been read.  Maybe that, plus the entire header post and the last response shown on the forum topic list. 

But none of this is going to happen since the software no longer is supported.  I'm actually surprised it still works.

Tracey_E

by sgmfish - 2022-02-09 15:49:37

"....there will be a little red box to the right of XX Comments that says New Comment"

I guess you're just lucky <grin>. There is no such red box when I go to the forum. I checked it very carefully today and threads with new comments don't have the red box indicator of which you speak.

For example, when I looked at this thread today (which did have some 2/9/21 new comments) the line I see looks like this. No red box.....

"BY SGMFISH 2022-02-08 14:17:10 GENERAL POSTING 116 VIEWS 8 COMMENTS EDIT"

I also did a thorough looksee for any settings etc that might turn this feature on or off. Can't find anything. From comments of others, it doesn't look like they are seeing the red box either. As I said.....you must just be lucky <grin>.

P.S. Also, a comment was made above that by going to the "General Posting" sub-forum one can see new postings in all sub-forums. I tested that today, and this is not true. One must go to every sub-forum individually to see new comments in that sub-forum.

"Recent Messages"

by sgmfish - 2022-02-09 16:01:59

Just to be complete regarding stuff I have learned, here's another data point.

If one goes to the "Recent Messages" sub-forum (not really a sub-forum, but it is in the sub-forum list as if it were), one can see all new posts in any forum. This means that you don't have to go to every sub-forum individually. However, this feature is not really useful either since it only lists brand new posts (i.e., first message in a new thread). The thread is not listed if it simply gets a new comment. IMHO, this ignoring of new comments makes the "Recent Messages" feature rather useless.