1@rainbowtrax wrote:
On a forum which is just for quick Q&As it could be argued that the sort order of the board should be the most recently posted question as those types of forum are not designed for ongoing discussions. So it may be appropriate for the Answer Centre. I don't know as I rarely go there as I can't post. (This id was supposedly added to the list of responders several years ago by one of your predecessors but it has never worked and they didn't know how to change it so just gave up.)
But on a discussion board, it is unheard of and totally ridiculous to display the board threads in any order other than with the most recently replied to at the top.
New reply equals bumped to the top of the list. That is the most important correction that needs to be made to this crazy mess.
Yes, exactly. That applies even to social media which are just for social intercourse, posturing and ego massage. But how much more we need this for boards to which people bring specific problems!
Before this great disaster we saw several buyers wit transactions which looked like costing them hundreds of pounds, and sometimes the early advice was inadequate or discouraging. Have you noticed how many fewer replies threads are getting, before they fade out of sight? Buyers need to see replies criticised and a concensus reached.
We often see people saying online that eBay is only interested in fees collected on a crooked or unfulfilled transaction. But we can all see that it doesn't take long for eBay's financial welbeing suffers far moredeom the fees they lose if a buyer, and his friends and relations, give up buying because of a bad transaction.
Titles for threads should be chosen carefully, and in the past it was quite sufficient to see the titles.So if thed idea is to help users of the pocket-sized screen, what on earth is the point of filling it with white space and the beginning of the op[ening post?
Another feature which has disappeared is the number of posts a member has made. That is sometimes very informative. It can still be reached by clicking on his user name, bbut the ability to see his recent posts can't. That is how I would normslly have found my way back to this thread, on a board I hardly ever seem but now that is impossible.
I am reminded of Jack London's story of Soubienkoff (sp?) the Russian fur poacher in the days of Russian Alaska., who is captured by Indians and sees several comrades, men he knows to be tougher than himself, die in degraded terror under torture.
When his turn comes up, he says "All right, but it is a pity about the medicine." When questioned, he tells the vhief that he knows the secret of a medicien that would have made him invulnerable to blows. The chief wants it, and Soubienkoff drives a hard bargain, for a house, goods, fine food, and the chief's daughter in marriage. For several weeks he roams the woods, under heavy escord, collecting ingredients. At last he tells thie chief it is ready, and the chief should rub some on his neck... But the chief isn't so easily fooled. He makes Soubienkoff test it. A huge brave raises his heavy, razor-sharp chopper - and chops Soubienkoff's head clean off.
The point is, people are thinking "How can he get out of this one?", and he knows he can't get out. He wants a few enjoyable days, a quick death, and the humiliation of the chief. Perhaps eB ay doesn't wan t what we think. Perhaps they want to shorten and cool down discussion on the boards - which can indeed get overheated at times. But the means to deal with that did exist, and I believe still does.
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