I've been running UBB for about 17 years on multiple forums. I'm just trying to offer you some feedback based on my experience with our users. I never said a user could not figure out what "select file" or "drag and drop" means. The Attachment Manager is quirky when you try to upload an image that is too large. Like I said in the last post, the average user does not always understand the file size of their photos.
As for SD's image uploader, we've been using it for a few years and it's offered our members a nice solution to uploading images directly without having to use a third party host. Also, as I stated, we are using the image uploader on our forums that have not been upgraded to 7.6.
Since you mentioned that you have not upgraded from 7.5, the Attachment manager has been completely updated for UBB.threads 7.6
UBB.threads 7.6 Attachment Manager There is a progress indicator for upload. There is feedback if the file type is too big or if its the wrong type. Its fully drang-and-drop friendly. you are given a preview of the image you've attached. you can easily remove attached files. its mobile friendly (works on Android, iOS, Windows). attachments are sorted in order of upload. If a user types a description per each file, that description is displayed under the filename and thumbnail. and more!
See attached file, for what happens when you attempt to upload a file which is too big.
I've been running UBB for about 17 years on multiple forums. I'm just trying to offer you some feedback based on my experience with our users. I never said a user could not figure out what "select file" or "drag and drop" means. The Attachment Manager is quirky when you try to upload an image that is too large. Like I said in the last post, the average user does not always understand the file size of their photos.
And this is why I have suggested several times that the ability to have the software RESIZE the image to fit with in the scope set by the site admin be done during uploading the image onto the server. We have been doing it for YEARS in the gallery forums for the thumbnails and all sorts. It had been said that it would add more things to the Control Panel cluttering it up and making it more difficult to operate the software err something of that nature.
Making it easier for the "end user", and I determine the end user the people coming into the forum software as USERS in the website NOT the site owner as it had been referred to me as the SITE OWNER as the end user......, will in turn create more active users in that web community. We are battling social media everyday for users and social communities like ours are loosing for the simple fact it is much easier to use their software than ours as the end USER or community user per say.
this is why I have suggested several times that the ability to have the software RESIZE the image to fit with in the scope set by the site admin be done during uploading the image onto the server. We have been doing it for YEARS in the gallery forums for the thumbnails and all sorts. It had been said that it would add more things to the Control Panel cluttering it up and making it more difficult to operate the software err something of that nature
JAISP, if you want a Gallery Forum, create a Gallery Forum. UBB.threads can do that
There is a different between A) Message Forum are for Attached Files (not just images) B) Gallery Forum are for Attached Images (only images)
They both do slightly different things.
What you are asking for, is exactly what "B" already does.
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A) File attachments are never modified from what the uploader had uploaded. Files attachments are attached files that are attached to a post and are meant for sharing. They can give a preview of what they are, if they are an image. And I supose you could also insert file_id.dis (or, lol, a CORE.txt) in to a zip/rar/tar archive also, if you hacked it to do that. But as an person who uploaded the file, I wouldnt appreciate that much. Its no longer the file I uploaded. Its the file which the website thinks it should become.
B) Gallery attachments are modified to fit within the gallery. Gallery attachments are meant to do exactly the job you are asking. It takes the file and converts it in to a web-friendly format which you declare within your forum's Control Panel > Gallery settings pages. It also resolves the problem Ruben's FTP software creates (his FTP software limits how many files can be displayed at once). The Gallery stores images based on Forum ID and within their own directories, SMALL, MED, ORIGINAL.
I truly understand all of that and many forum owners do as well. However, the general public with their smart phones taking 12 mega pixel images do not and they get frustrated and go elsewhere very quickly. I personally have added free web online links to my full editor posting and new threads pages as so they can resize them on their smart phones and upload to a post not a gallery section. This only adds a link where they can resize their image.
Have you ever sat and explained to a 62 year old woman the difference and why they can't just upload off of her smart phone? LOL, try it sometime and let me know how it goes and if she come back. I'm sure she will tell you she can do it on Facebook really quick. Yes I know from experience and this has happened to me 6 times in less than a year. I have not seen them since.
I've been running UBB for about 17 years on multiple forums. I'm just trying to offer you some feedback based on my experience with our users. I never said a user could not figure out what "select file" or "drag and drop" means. The Attachment Manager is quirky when you try to upload an image that is too large. Like I said in the last post, the average user does not always understand the file size of their photos.
As for SD's image uploader, we've been using it for a few years and it's offered our members a nice solution to uploading images directly without having to use a third party host. Also, as I stated, we are using the image uploader on our forums that have not been upgraded to 7.6.
Since you mentioned that you have not upgraded from 7.5, the Attachment manager has been completely updated for UBB.threads 7.6
UBB.threads 7.6 Attachment Manager There is a progress indicator for upload. There is feedback if the file type is too big or if its the wrong type. Its fully drang-and-drop friendly. you are given a preview of the image you've attached. you can easily remove attached files. its mobile friendly (works on Android, iOS, Windows). attachments are sorted in order of upload. If a user types a description per each file, that description is displayed under the filename and thumbnail. and more!
See attached file, for what happens when you attempt to upload a file which is too big.
Maybe I wasn't clear. One of our forums has been upgraded to 7.6. The rest are still running the last release. My observations are based on the forum currently running 7.6 and on my use of this forum.
I truly understand all of that and many forum owners do as well. However, the general public with their smart phones taking 12 mega pixel images do not and they get frustrated and go elsewhere very quickly. I personally have added free web online links to my full editor posting and new threads pages as so they can resize them on their smart phones and upload to a post not a gallery section. This only adds a link where they can resize their image.
Have you ever sat and explained to a 62 year old woman the difference and why they can't just upload off of her smart phone? LOL, try it sometime and let me know how it goes and if she come back. I'm sure she will tell you she can do it on Facebook really quick. Yes I know from experience and this has happened to me 6 times in less than a year. I have not seen them since.
Yes. I work with a 75 year old woman who can upload to a correctly set up forum. But gender and age both have nothing to do with this conversation.
A post that draws people in is well edited like a good blog. You should be able to easily insert photos and videos in to the post where they need to appear. If you are writing a paragraph on a red sign, you might want to post a photo of a red sign below the paragraph. If your next paragraph is about a blue sign, you might want a photo of a blue sign below that paragraph. It would be nice to do this without having to go back and edit the post.
Maybe I am missing something. Is there an easier way to do this? In order to display the image in a post where I want it, I have to load an image with the Attachment Manager, then after it loads, click on Attachment Manager, get the image URL, then click the Insert Image button (or just add IMG tags) and paste the image URL. Like this...
I don't think we need a web editor. I think we need a simple image uploader that does what it needs to do for the user. I know you have worked hard on this and have reason to get a little defensive. Keep in mind, I'm just offering my opinion ... and it's that the Attachment Manager doesn't seem to be the best solution for uploading images. The few people I have asked to demo the upgrade have complained about the same thing.
We are battling social media everyday for users and social communities like ours are loosing for the simple fact it is much easier to use their software than ours as the end USER or community user per say.
Good point... more functionality in that direction would be most welcome.
PSA: There is no support on Facebook, Twitter or any similar social media website.
While Facebook is a nice medium to share information, it is utterly unsuitable for any form of serious support.
With message forums, all topics have their own discussion threads on your message forum .com, which can be referenced and shared in most social networking websites.
If your users need assistance, want to start a new discussion, look up group answers, file a bug report, or discuss anything related to a release, they can do so, by simply going to a relevant discussion category on your message forum.
HOW THE PLATFORMS DIFFER: Facebook/Twitter = Comments on individual topics. Opinions. UBB.threads/Discussion Forums = Discussions leading to answers. Solutions.
If Reddit can do it, why is your forum unable to do it? The truth is, there are still many successful forums out there. And there are dead ones, where the forum owners complain about Facebook/Twitter. Either their [dying/now dead] forum wasnt a strong forum to begin with, or their clientele really just wanted to share opinions, or their topics were great last decade, but times have changed in this decade. If Reddit can be made successful by doing exactly what your forum software does, why is your own forum unable to do it?
in 2000-2008, there were a number of people who visited websites daily. now in 2009-2017, that number has mostly doubled! meaning that the pool for "eyes" has doubled. if your forum cannot capture XX number of eyes for your main topics, plus the new YY number of eyes, that is not a problem of Facebook. That is a problem of changing times and your ability to adapt to the changed times.
Slapping on 80% more ads to your website and complaining that you're not making 80% more income than you did last decade, is being blind. Your ads today are not only competing the doubled amount of ads all over the rest of the internet, but you are also annoying your visitors 80% more than you did last decade!
Times change. Either adapt to these changes, or keep doing the same thing you've been doing for the past decades and continue to see people leave. The upset argument about "Facebook killed my website" is not time well spent. Figure out what your customers TODAY want, and then give that to them.
Also keep in mind, that while you are still very excited about the topic of your forum, the general population may have moved on. Your niche website could have been a fad at one time. That era has come to pass. Be thankful you were part of leading it.
Facebook/Twitter = Comments on individual topics. Opinions. UBB.threads/Discussion Forums = Discussions leading to answers. Solutions.
Its why companies which care about providing technical support for their products, primarily use discussion forums. Not Facebook or Twitter.
My last words on the subject then I'm totally finished other than it isn't working type post.
Now for you young guys whom weren't born yet.
When Windows 3.1 came out the manual was a few inches thick, people actually read things and wanted to learn.
When Windows 95 came out the manual was less than an inch thick because people were less interested in learning.
When Windows 98 came out the manual was 3/8" thick because people just couldn't bring it to them selves to read anything. This was the last time a manual was written for the most popular operating system in the world.
Yes id242 I see where you're going with your rant but you young guys need to learn that if you can't make things easier to use in this day and age it doesn't matter how good you are or how good your community was. You will loose users day after day because the end user doesn't want complicated things. They won't read or want to learn. If they can't do it without asking or reading how they won't bother. Your drag and drop image attachment is the best achievement this product has ever had and thank you for incorporating it into UBB.threads it does make a difference.
It's a point and click instant gratification society. Until you learn this and how to compete with it you will continue to loose customers and followers. I'm done. I will just post if it doesn't work, what would I know ayy? When I was growing up I listened and took into consideration what my elders thought me and told me. I made informed decisions upon their experiences. I learned and became better. That is also so,etching lost with the younger generation.
Rant over. Lips sealed. Now I will sit back and just watch and tell if it is broken.
Times change. Either adapt to these changes, or keep doing the same thing you've been doing for the past decades and continue to see people leave. The upset argument about "Facebook killed my website" is not time well spent. Figure out what your customers TODAY want, and then give that to them.
Exactly
Please don't take my comments as a criticism. You've done some great work here. I thought this suggestion would make things better.
In my forum a big part of discussion has always been ... look at this... (uploaded photo,,, ) what do you think?...
Back in the day I had to worry about dial up connections and monitor size, etc... I'd say... send us the photo and we'll resize and post it for you.. More recently, it's upload the photo here.. (to Gallery or other photo upload site and include the photo your post using [img / img] tags)
With the convenience that sites like Facebook provide nowadays to upload photos I think it would be a great thing to make it equally as easy to include a photo in any post.
My last words on the subject then I'm totally finished other than it isn't working type post.
Now for you young guys whom weren't born yet.
When Windows 3.1 came out the manual was a few inches thick, people actually read things and wanted to learn.
When Windows 95 came out the manual was less than an inch thick because people were less interested in learning.
When Windows 98 came out the manual was 3/8" thick because people just couldn't bring it to them selves to read anything. This was the last time a manual was written for the most popular operating system in the world.
Yes id242 I see where you're going with your rant but you young guys need to learn that if you can't make things easier to use in this day and age it doesn't matter how good you are or how good your community was. You will loose users day after day because the end user doesn't want complicated things. They won't read or want to learn. If they can't do it without asking or reading how they won't bother. Your drag and drop image attachment is the best achievement this product has ever had and thank you for incorporating it into UBB.threads it does make a difference.
It's a point and click instant gratification society. Until you learn this and how to compete with it you will continue to loose customers and followers. I'm done. I will just post if it doesn't work, what would I know ayy? When I was growing up I listened and took into consideration what my elders thought me and told me. I made informed decisions upon their experiences. I learned and became better. That is also so,etching lost with the younger generation.
Rant over. Lips sealed. Now I will sit back and just watch and tell if it is broken.
JAISP. Try it yourself: Press F1. Its the reason why software manuals are no longer being printed.
Originally Posted by JAISP
LOL, I started by writing software for dial up BBS's back in the 80's
Cool. A fellow BBSer. I wrote BBS software and some BBS doors.
Figure out what your customers TODAY want, and then give that to them.
my customers today want easier image uploading.
that is the number one complaint I receive.
while the file manager makes it a bit easier, it's still not perfect. even with that, and my posts on how to use it, I had someone complaining to me that of all the forums he uses, mine was the only one he couldn't upload to pics to.(he has since been educated on that point)
the system works, but it's not "stupid" enough for the average internet user.
Originally Posted by id242
AT M0
I still remember my first 300 baud modem, that's not something I ever want to go back to.
"No matter where you go, there you are." "If you can't do something smart, Do something right" "There are three kinds of people in the world, those who can count, and those who can't"
Figure out what your customers TODAY want, and then give that to them.
my customers today want easier image uploading.
that is the number one complaint I receive.
while the file manager makes it a bit easier, it's still not perfect. even with that, and my posts on how to use it, I had someone complaining to me that of all the forums he uses, mine was the only one he couldn't upload to pics to.(he has since been educated on that point)
the system works, but it's not "stupid" enough for the average internet user.
Originally Posted by id242
AT M0
I still remember my first 300 baud modem, that's not something I ever want to go back to.
hehe "300 baud: You can read the text it as it prints." That, and those internal modem cards were so much fun. COMs and IRQs!
Moving forward to today, I am so incredibly happy that the general public never has/had to deal with that. They have a whole new set of issues to work with now. Browser Quirks, Launcher Widgets, and Bandwidth Throttling :/
As such, James and I have been working to make things easier. One of those ways is by bringing the Attachment manager at least a bit closer to the expectations of today's users. The 76x Attachment Manager is a great improvement from what everyone had to deal with for the 75x series. Its not impossible to understand, but its becoming easier as it gets worked on. Prior to James and I, no one had touched it in nearly a decade.
It will keep improving as more work gets put in to it. Just as modems are no longer things that most people need to "program" today.
while the file manager makes it a bit easier, it's still not perfect. even with that, and my posts on how to use it, I had someone complaining to me that of all the forums he uses, mine was the only one he couldn't upload to pics to.(he has since been educated on that point)
the system works, but it's not "stupid" enough for the average internet user.
Bad Frog, I'm going to take on this request personally and see what I can do for you and many others that are seeing the same need.
id242, I know you have that wysiwyg interface in the works, I'm looking forward to that
"No matter where you go, there you are." "If you can't do something smart, Do something right" "There are three kinds of people in the world, those who can count, and those who can't"
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