Forum Suggestions thread

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K Factor

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thats is not the case contents of upto 3 threads are vissible to a guest after which he/she will be redirected to register if he wants to continue reading the forum its our marketing policy and has been in place after serious discussions with members and management alike and is serving well for the forum as of now
I suggest the number be increased.
Currently the number is 2 or 3 threads, regardless of the number of posts. So if a visitor/guest opens (views) a new thread, that counts as one thread wherein actually it does not actually contain any posts, or maybe only a couple of posts.

I suggest that it should be made into actual number of posts, say 30-50, from which the guest may judge accurately what DFI is all about.
 

prahladh

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please increase font size in the new skin. FYI
 

Sridhar

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Also the Quick search option need to be there.
 

johnee

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I suggest the number be increased.
Currently the number is 2 or 3 threads, regardless of the number of posts. So if a visitor/guest opens (views) a new thread, that counts as one thread wherein actually it does not actually contain any posts, or maybe only a couple of posts.

I suggest that it should be made into actual number of posts, say 30-50, from which the guest may judge accurately what DFI is all about.
Rather than the number of posts, its better idea to let the people get used(addicted) to the forum by allowing them the access for about 2weeks, once they are suffieciently hooked on, then they will automatically sign up when the access is denied.
 

ppgj

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the new skin is really good. but the default font size in the message box is too small. can that be bigger please?
 

A.V.

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the default font size on the reply box INCREASED
 

ant80

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Forum structure suggestions

I love internet forums. I frequent several. I am going to use as examples, ones that I frequent, as suggestions on how to improve the design. There are some designs that appeal to me better. So please take these suggestions in that context.

BuckeyePlanet Ohio State Forums
Buckeye Planet (BP) is an Ohio State (american) football site. IMO this is THE BEST structure for internet forums I have ever come across. Everything is on topic, and there are forum moderators that make sure everyone adheres to the rules. However, the aspect that appeals to me most is the structure.

Let's look at "Football Recruiting" subsection of the forum. In that, look at the "Buckeye Verbal Commitments for 2010" thread (stickied). This contains links to other threads that were once stickied. However during large recruiting classes, they almost made the whole page, so the mods devised a new way to keep track of things by creating a stickied thread that takes care having to sticky the threads of every individual recruit, thereby cluttering the page.

The reason why I bring this up is something like what is seen in the Naval Forces or Military Aviation subforums. There are 12 stickied threads in the former and 16 stickied threads in the latter, and people haven't posted in several of those threads in close to a month. This also takes up space. Some users might not see the newer threads that can't be seen unless you scroll down some. Also, please ook at another recruiting site called Irish Envy. Their 2009 recruiting forum is in the same structure as DFI and it has the same clutter problem as DFI.

There is a hidden sub-forum called the rumor mill that you can't see unless you register, post a few times, get reputation and specifically request access by admins. There, they have a thread with news, and discussions about the news. For projects like the LCA, Kaveri, MCA, ADS, ATV etc, I would recommend the same, one thread containing news articles only, and one thread containing discussions pertaining to the ongoing news. This can be accomplished by heavily moderating the news articles thread. By requiring the mods to approve of every post, and delete or move irrelevant posts like "this is so cool" to the news articles thread, it can become a database of information. Pertinent discussion of those articles can be made in relevant discussion threads.

Speaking of reputation, that is another feature. I like the give thanks to a poster on this site. But sometimes, that isn't relevant. I would also like to see reputation like what is granted at BP. At the top right corner in every post, there is a "Report Post" button (which is present here as well), and a "Add to <user>'s Reputation" button. When you click the latter, it gives you two options (positive and negative reputation), and a small text box where you can customize comments. If the user you are adding reputation to clicks on the UserCP button on the top menu, he/she will be able to see the type of reputation (positive or negative), link to the post, reputation giver's username, and reason for that. If you get enough positive reputation, the user is given a "buckeye leaf" and if you get too much negative reputation, the user is given a frowny face, and this is displayed on the member posts. Here, the buckeye leaf can be replaced with an Indian flag, or a chakra that is part of the flag, or anything the mods find relevant.

These changes might seem unappealing at first, but it WILL grow on you. I've heard that multiple times from multiple sources, so I am sure of it. I know it grew on me to the point where BP is my primary source for everyday Ohio State Football info. Consider it addition by subtraction, if you will.

The one single thing I have a serious problem with on this forum is the Global Economy section. The economy is the primary strategic weapon in any country's arsenal. There should be an Indian Economy section. Global economy should be a subsection of within the Indian Economy forum. I'll also recommend subsections on Pakistani, Chinese, American and European economies as well.

These are just suggestions. For the most part (except for the economy section), these are visual and operating modifications. There are other minor points I'd like to make, but I'll do so if requested. This will require a considerable amount of work on the part of the mods, not to mention the startup coding time required to make these changes. The owner and the admins will have to put in a lot of effort. I've been looking for a forum like this for a while now. I love it, and just want to help make it better. I think the details are what make the difference between a good site and a truly well-designed site. And BP has done a good job of paying attention to the minute details. It is, of course, up to the owner, whether he/she wants to go in this direction.
 

Vladimir79

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Here's a thought, how about modifying the shoutbox not to post when someone responds to a thread so people can have an uninterrupted conversation.
 

StealthSniper

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Here's a thought, how about modifying the shoutbox not to post when someone responds to a thread so people can have an uninterrupted conversation.

I kinda like how it posts when someone responds to a thread because it notifies you if a thread is active or not.
 

A.V.

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the shoutbox is on ajax feature means we get to know the new posts /threads without even refreshing the page or clicking on the link
most people will ike to limit themselves to only certain forum sections of their interest if the shoutbox notification is not there
we are looking at the shoutbox to chill out from time to time and act as a force multiplier for the forum so that members go directly to the thread from there without having to refresh or change page
we can omit certain forum posts from appearing on the shoutbox and we have that feature for the management hidden forum
 

ppgj

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is there anyway of peronalising the threads one wants to view? like by way of settings in their profile which can be changed by themselves. many people are interested in some threads and not so wrt other threads so they like to view only threads that interest them.
 

Sridhar

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is there anyway of peronalising the threads one wants to view? like by way of settings in their profile which can be changed by themselves. many people are interested in some threads and not so wrt other threads so they like to view only threads that interest them.
You can subscribe to the threads you want and check them via User CP.
 

S.A.T.A

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is there a board exclusively dedicated for Indian political and current affairs ?
 

S.A.T.A

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Why isn't there a Indian current affair board on the "defense forum of India",or doesn't the forum subscribe to generally held view that Indian are obsessed by their politics........ :)

I was looking around to see if there had been any discussion on the recent assembly election here,apparently i wasn't able to find any........did anyone even know there were elections :)

It makes sense to have a current affairs board
 

S.A.T.A

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Rather have an India section/category and have Indian specific boards for current affairs,economy,culture&history etc...
 

ahmedsid

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Why isn't there a Indian current affair board on the "defense forum of India",or doesn't the forum subscribe to generally held view that Indian are obsessed by their politics........ :)

I was looking around to see if there had been any discussion on the recent assembly election here,apparently i wasn't able to find any........did anyone even know there were elections :)

It makes sense to have a current affairs board
Serioiusly! No one spoke of the elections! I too was wondering why!!! We need to have something like this!
 
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