I've been very busy working hard on MovieForums.org and have made the following changes and improvements to the forum:
1. Improved Editor
I've increased the text size of the Title field in the editor area when you write messages. It is now the same font size as the main message area. This was a minor annoyance that had been bugging me for a long time.
2. Contact Page Modified
I've added "Advertising" and "Site Suggestion" to the list of subject options on the
Contact page.
3. Enhanced WYSIWYG Editor now Default
New members to the forum will now have the enhanced WYSIWYG editor selected by default.
4. PM Pop-Up Notification now Default
New members to the forum will now have private message pop-up notification enabled by default.
5. Memberlist Has One-Post Minimum
Our
memberlist page now only shows members who have made at least one post on the forum. This was done since we have 1,000 members on the forum now and the lists were getting very long with members who've never posted.
6. Shouting Prevention Removed
Previously, whenever a member would write in all caps (upercase), the forum would automatically change their text to capitalize the first letter of each word. For example:
"HELLO HOW ARE YOU I AM FINE" would automatically change to "Hello How Are You I Am Fine".
While shouting is still frowned upon, the automatic changing didn't really help things. It's better to have somebody type in caps and then kindly tell them that it's considered rude.
7. Maximum Images Per Post Increased
The maximum number of images per post has been increased from 15 to 20.
8. Maximum Characters Per Post Increased
The maximum number of characters per post has been increased from 20,000 to 25,000.
9. Thread Title Editing Time Limit Increased
The time limit set on how long after a thread was created that the creator can edit the title has been increased from 5 minutes to 10.
10. Number of Files Per Post Increased
The number of files that may be attached to a single post has been increased from 5 to 10. This includes attached images.
11. Maximum Poll Options Increased
The maximum number of poll options a member can choose when creating a poll has been increased from 10 to 15.
12. Birthday and Calendar Notifications Removed
I've removed the Birthday and Calendar notifications that would appear at the bottom of the front page. The calendar is not used here, and the birthday feature is very antiquated and does not serve much purpose. In addition, as we are now at 1,000 members, it becomes even less useful.
13. Hot Threads Qualifying Views Increased
The number of "Views" that constitutes whether or not a thread is marked as "Hot" has increased from 150 to 250. This was done because MovieForums is growing in size, and most threads were getting marked as "Hot" simply because we have more people viewing them now. This change will make the more popular threads more relevant now since "Hot" threads will be less frequent now.
14. Hot Threads Qualifying Posts Increased
For the same reasons listed above, the number of posts that constitutes whether or not a thread is marked as "Hot" has increased from 15 to 20.
15. Multi-Page Links Increased
The number of page numbers listed after a thread in a forum has been increased from 3 to 5. For example, previously it would show as:
Random thoughts ( 1 2 3 ... Last Page)
But now it shows as:
Random thoughts ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page)
This makes jumping to particular pages easier since members can now jump directly to any of the first 5-pages instead of only the first 3.
16. Threaded/Hybrid Option Removed
I've removed the Threaded/Hybrid option that used to be available at the top right of each thread. This option would allow users to view the threads/posts in a different format, but the other formats are so inferior that it didn't warrant having the option.
17. Number of PM's Increased
The number of total Private Messages members can have at any one time has been increased from 50 to 75. This allows members to keep more message before they need to remove some to clear up room.
18. Signature BBCode Text Size Reduced
In signatures, the maximum text size that members can choose has been reduced from 7 to 5. 6 and 7 font size is much too big and makes the forum look tacky.
The "movieforums.jpg" attachment at the bottom of this post shows just how big they used to be.
Signatures are not supposed to overwhelm readers and take attention from actual posts. Members who have signatures with a text size of 6 or 7 are still in tact, but are encouraged to please reduce the size to honor this new restriction.
19. Signature Alignment Option Removed
Signatures no longer have the option of being aligned in the middle or to the right. They will simply display aligned to the left by default. This was done to keep signatures in uniform and not distract readers from the actual posts.
Members who have their signatures center or right-aligned still have their signatures in tact, but are encouraged to left-align them to honor this new restriction.
20. Signature HTML BBCode Removed
The HTML BBCode option for signatures has been removed since it is not really needed and can pose some display issues in different browsers.
21. Maximum Font Size in Posts Reduced
Lastly, the maximuim font-size that can be used in posts has been reduced from 7 to 5.
The "movieforums2.jpg" image attached below shows just how big the font used to be allowed.
Using such a large font size makes the forum look tacky and can be very distracting to members. Existing posts with font sizes of 6 or 7 will remain in tact, although it would certainly be welcomed if users who used large text in their old posts reduced their sizes
There you have it - 21 modifications and improvements to MovieForums.org! I told you I've been working hard
Hopefully these changes have improved the forum and will provide for an even better user-experience here at MovieForums.org
Enjoy!
MASSIVE List of Forum Improvements
