TopShelf TG Fiction in the BigCloset!
Have enough people complained yet about the author checkboxes on the submission page that it can get put back to the scrolling list thing (like this friendly "submit forum topic" page has)?
Or is there a theme or a configuration option I can pick to make it work the old way?
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I've been wondering about
I've been wondering about this, too. Was the idea to make it easier to select multiple authors for collaborations? In that case it seems like a good idea, but it does take up an awful lot of room. Perhaps it would be better with both, but with the author checkboxes collapsed until/unless you click on them, like the TG Themes & TG Elements sections? Or would that be impractical?
Saless
"But it is also tradition that times *must* and always do change, my friend." - Eddie Murphy, Coming To America
Collaborations...
... are the smallest part of the BCTS content. For all single authors, it's damned inconvenient, and for the partially sighted it's unusable.
I have suspended any posting until it's changed back.
Melanie
The way it works
If the list is optional, like themes and elements, you can make it collapse. But authors are required. You can collapse the list by clicking on the header of it.
Yes, it was done to make it easier to check multiple authors since some people complained that they could not make the other way work. This is a bit less convenient for many people but does make it possible to click any number of authors even if scrolling lists in your browser don't allow multiple choices.
Anyone else want to chime in? :)
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
Sorry...
..... but it's unusable for me. If you have no intention to change back, that would be nice to know so I can stop looking back every day to see it return to sanity.
Melanie
Not exactly...
...how I wished you had phrased it but I get your point.
Why is it unusable to you? It's still an alphabetic list, either way.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
Because as a partially sighted person ...
... it is hard to read the unordered, horizontally sorted names that follow no set pattern (e.g. column). I could use a vertically sorted, columned list. With this, it takes me close to 5 minutes to locate my name.
Unlike the list, I can't use the keyboard to insta-jump to the name. I have to read each one and on that page, the fonts don't zoom right for me. By the time I have them large enough to read them, I have horizontal scroll bars and have to manically shift the page left and right to be able to read entire lines.
So, I have, sadly, decided to refrain from posting until it's fixed in such a way that the less able-bodied can use it.
Melanie
Okay
This was changed so that the less able-bodied could use it. This is what makes doing anything to a layout difficult.
I prefer the scrolling list myself so I will probably change it back.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
In my work.....
... we have the magical term "90% case". It can be 85%, or 95%. Doesn't matter.
In the case of BCTS, the 90% case is the story by a single author, posted by the author themselves.
The 90% stands for "most common". Our UIs need to be designed to facilitate the 90% case, even if steps taken to achieve that cause hardship for other use cases. Only when the 90% case is 100% covered are other use cases even looked at.
At that point, anything that can be done to ease those use cases is done, but not to the detriment of the 90% case.
The change here disimproved the 90% case. I'm glad you will roll it back. Do I have to keep checking daily, or will you let us know when?
Melanie
Not accurate
The reason I'm taking this survey is to determine how many people this "disimproved" things for and how many it improved things for.
Yes, the 90+% case is a single author posting for herself. It does not follow that some of those people would not find the new way easier to use or would not be neutral about the change. Or would not be willing to put up with a small inconvenience for greater inclusivity.
As it is, what you want is for me to go back to my old usage of modifying someone else's posting to be correct. One of the major reasons that BC does not have the problems that some other sites have is that I keep making changes to reduce my workload. That way, I don't get burned out and say, "To hell with it," as one person has done lately.
I am leaning toward changing it back unless I can figure a way to reformat that large block of names and checkboxes without writing code that would be destroyed in the next upgrade. Decision tomorrow.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
Survey ...
... is not what I would call it when springing a new (mis?)feature on people. No one knew what was going on, at least not in chat. From "OMG it's broken!" to "Erin is trying something" I have heard everything. No explanation. No request for comments. No discussion.
That's no survey. That is change by fiat, followed by public unrest :)
Melanie
If you notice...
...I do things my way and I have my reasons.
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
Discussed in Chat...
Actually, I was in the BCTS/SD chat a week or so when Erin discussed it in chat and why it was happening. So why it may not have been wide spread, it was discussed. :)
-HuGgLeS-
-P/KAF/PT
I hope that I haf not been to much uv a distracshun?
Love, Andrea Lena
Interesting
Am I the only other person who thought this when I saw the title?
Penny
Sorry, I didn't explain
Sorry, I didn't explain myself very well. I meant for the checklist only to be collapsable, but still have the old scroll list as the default. I have no idea how easy/difficult that would be to implement, it just seemed like a good compromise.
Saless
"But it is also tradition that times *must* and always do change, my friend." - Eddie Murphy, Coming To America
Not available without hacking
The advantage BC has over other sites is that I don't write code unless I absolutely have to. :)
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
From your previous comments
From your previous comments I kind of thought that would be the case. Oh well, I tried! ;)
While I do prefer the scrolling list myself, I'm okay either way. Thanks for trying out ways to improve the site all the time Erin. ^_^
Saless
"But it is also tradition that times *must* and always do change, my friend." - Eddie Murphy, Coming To America
Erin, I have to admit I find
Erin,
I have to admit I find the new method cumbersome to use, it was far simpler to soft-seek my name, even though it would jump to Kristina first and then down one to me, then scrolling through this to find my name, even though it is alphabetical.
I think we all know that you try very hard to make improvements to make things better for this site, and it is always good to try ideas, but in general this is one that I would not be at all upset to see fade into the mysts of time.
Hugs,
Kristy
I know I can collapse it, but I prefer to uncollapse it
only when needed the way it has been the past few years.
Now, a rant ...
This is like the upgrades to major corporate software that is upgraded every six months .
The 'upgrades' add new features that only a few use, or want, and making them the default.
(I think it is done mainly so they can say, "See? We added some features, so now you have to buy the latest version, because we will stop supporting your older version in a year. ) ( I have worked with a few great pieces of software that have added no features I need, but with the new defaults, take maybe 50% more mouse clicks to get the job done. )
It’s not given to anyone to have no regrets; only to decide, through the choices we make, which regrets we’ll have,
David Weber – In Fury Born
Holly
It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice.
Holly
Come on people ranting at
Come on people ranting at Erin for trying to respond to an issue people have?
Is it so hard to say, "Erin, we don't think this approach is working out well, and would like to see it set back?"
She provides this service and puts up with way too much nonsense for this to escalate to "rant" and yelling about it.
Erin is quite reasonable when we act like adults.
Kristy
I don' wanna act like an
I don' wanna act like an adult! No, no, no! Don' wanna!!! Waaaahhh!
Heheh. Just jokin'.
But, yes, I totally agree with Kristy. This is, after all, Erin's universe, and we are but guests here. Yes, perhaps such remarks can be said in a better, more positive way (and in fact, Erin sort of hinted at that), but better yet, maybe after having gone on record on one's point of view, additional follow-ons and rebuttals one may have can be taken off-line, discussed in private and off the public boards?
Just my own humble point of view.
Now, after that brief interlude of sanity...
Nooo! Don' wanna act like an adult! Want STORIES! Stories, stories, stories, stories!! Waaaah!!!
http://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/book/14775/roberta-j-cabot
Um, no
It was never collapsible before.
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
Umm, hadn't looked lately
Until I saw this blog. It does sort of smack you in the eye that big box of names and check spots. Realistically it doesn't make much diff to me but I do prefer the older drop down list. Perhaps if you do go back Erin a point by point on how to use two or more author names if that's where the trouble is. I know I've had trouble adding multiple tags once or twice when I wanted to.
Kristina
You'd think
I tried that three times. :)
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
Oooh Miss
Um, just had a play (oh you've done TG themes too) holding CTRL and clicking I can add multiples in any category. At least it seems to work. Is it that simple??
Kristina
Yup
It works just like almost every scrolling menu on the web that allows multiple selections. :)
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.