37 replies to this topic

[Saru]

In the very near future we will be updating the UM forums to the new Invision Board 3.0 board software, this will bring about a whole host of new features and changes that will both improve and expand upon the existing system.

A few examples of new features and changes you can expect in this update:

A fresh new look
The forums will be receiving a facelift with a cleaner, fresher design better suited to today's modern browsers. The core experience and layout will remain the same but there will be a lot of cosmetic and functional changes to make browsing and participating on the forums easier than ever.

Private Messanger Revamp
Members will be able to have "Conversations" with other members, a "Conversation" is a new concept that allows you to have a back and forth discussion with someone via PM in much the same way as if you were posting in a forum thread and is a lot easier than sending individual replies. As we expect this feature to be very popular we are doubling PM inbox size so you can send and receive twice as many PMs.

Forum Sidebar
A completely new feature, the collapsible sidebar will be displayed on the right hand side of the board index. The sidebar will feature a number of content blocks with information such as newest topics, last updated blogs, the day's top posters and a list of your watched topics and boards. It offers an at-a-glance summary of what's happening on the boards to help you keep on top of things.

Search improvements
We've had a few people commenting on the rather limited search function the forum currently offers - as of this update the search system is being greatly improved. A quick search box will be available at the top of the page at all times, the search will use a new engine that is significantly faster than the old one and the 4-letter word limit is being ditched so that you can search for words as short as two letters in length.

Profile Page Revamp
Member profile pages are being redesigned, the comments and friends list have been expanded to give them a lot more room and a modern layout akin to the likes of Twitter and other social networks. You'll also be able to set a "status" to let others know what you are up to.

Other changes include:

- Improved navigation
- Ability to embed Youtube videos in to posts
- A better integrated "watch topic" / "watch forum" system
- Better integrated polling and news posting buttons
- Color-coordinated quoting and quote embedding
- Automatic image resizer that stops huge images from distorting the page

and a lot more besides.

This update will be arriving very soon indeed, more details to follow.

[behaviour???]

I think that is going to make UM more and more attractive....
Will the PUBLIC LOG feature be ready in this update?
Will updating this take more time...I don't wanna loose my time here...
Thanks
B???

Edited by behaviour???, 15 August 2009 - 02:05 PM.

[Karlis]

Saru, on Aug 15 2009, 11:54 PM, said:

In the very near future we will be updating the UM forums to the new Invision Board 3.0 board software, this will bring about a whole host of new features and changes that will both improve and expand upon the existing system.
~~~ ...
...
This update will be arriving very soon indeed, more details to follow.

Presumably this will make it easier for technological illiterates like me to work all (or some of) the bells and whistles on UM?

Regards,
Karlis

[Saru]

behaviour???, on Aug 15 2009, 03:04 PM, said:

Will the PUBLIC LOG feature be ready in this update?

There are no plans to add a public log to the chat room at this time.

behaviour???, on Aug 15 2009, 03:04 PM, said:

Will updating this take more time...I don't wanna loose my time here...

The actual upgrade process will be done in such a way as to minimize downtime as much as possible however there will be a short period during which time the forum will not be accessable.

I will have a more detailed answer to this nearer the time.

Karlis said:

Presumably this will make it easier for technological illiterates like me to work all (or some of) the bells and whistles on UM?

Well there will be more of those bells and whistles but they should be easier to use as well.

[drakonwick]

I can't wait to see how this new forum update will look. This is good information to know and should greatly help with the functionality of this forum.
I will like the new PM feature myself, as it will help people to quickly communicate with other members more efficiently.

[Princess Serenity]

Oooooooooo. The upgrade sounds really cool! <3333

Can't wait!

[Colonel Rhuairidh]

I don't like it. I'm not good with change.  





I hope that the health & safety people have approved the collapsible sidebar.

[Hugh]

Saru this is FANTASTIC news!

Thank you.

[The Silver Thong]

747400, on Aug 15 2009, 10:11 AM, said:

I don't like it. I'm not good with change.  

I hear ya....  I still have a hard time with this format  


However the changes will be ummm I really don't know but I'm curious.

[Blood_Sacrifice]

Can there be a 'like' or 'thank you' button under every posts (like how we have the 'debate', 'quote' or 'reply' button); when members will click it, the posts will be marked as being liked by the following member (maybe a sentence at the end stating: "The post had been liked by the following members: X, Y, Z, etc etc)?

On that way a lot of spamming will go down. There are times when you may love a member's post, but you have nothing more to add except for "I fully agree with you", "You are 100% correct", or anything along that line. Then members could easily hit he like button when they like or appreciate a good post. It would be useful.

[Blood_Sacrifice]

Change doesn't bother me even at the least. Sure I'd feel a bit awkward a few days, but I will get over with it, soon - as long as the change isn't being worse than what it was before.

The Silver Thong, on Aug 15 2009, 04:25 PM, said:

I hear ya....  I still have a hard time with this format  

Huh? You means there was a one before this one, as well?

[Saru]

Blood_Sacrifice, on Aug 15 2009, 05:27 PM, said:

Can there be a 'like' or 'thank you' button under every posts (like how we have the 'debate', 'quote' or 'reply' button); when members will click it, the posts will be marked as being liked by the following member (maybe a sentence at the end stating: "The post had been liked by the following members: X, Y, Z, etc etc)?

On that way a lot of spamming will go down. There are times when you may love a member's post, but you have nothing more to add except for "I fully agree with you", "You are 100% correct", or anything along that line. Then members could easily hit he like button when they like or appreciate a good post. It would be useful.

There is a feature of this type supported by the updated software however while we won't be using it as a part of this update there is the possibility that it will be implemented here in one form or another in the not too distant future.

[InHuman]

EMBEDDING!

[behaviour???]

By layout do you mean the banner and the blue color?..It would be better if we chose some different colors...though its your wish to consider that
thanks
B???

[Colonel Rhuairidh]

Blood_Sacrifice, on Aug 15 2009, 05:27 PM, said:

Can there be a 'like' or 'thank you' button under every posts (like how we have the 'debate', 'quote' or 'reply' button); when members will click it, the posts will be marked as being liked by the following member (maybe a sentence at the end stating: "The post had been liked by the following members: X, Y, Z, etc etc)?

On that way a lot of spamming will go down. There are times when you may love a member's post, but you have nothing more to add except for "I fully agree with you", "You are 100% correct", or anything along that line. Then members could easily hit he like button when they like or appreciate a good post. It would be useful.

There are other forums with that sort of feature, and I've often thought that it might be useful in showing if you appreciate a particular post without having to make another post just to say so, but I'd much prefer that it was known only to those making the post.