New message boards coming

[Chris Peak]

This was discussed below, but I wanted to draw everyone's attention to it:

Rivals.com will be releasing new message boards on Monday, April 20.

You can see what the new board looks like and how it works on the Rivals.com Main Board, where the new format has been active since Wednesday. Overall, this is a considerable upgrade from what we have been using for quite some time.

That said, this will be a change, and I know that it might take a little getting used to. I highly recommend that you check out this "How-To" post; it explains a whole lot about how the new boards work and what you can do on the new boards. I will pin that post here on the board so you can reference it; it definitely comes in handy.

The first change is that the new boards are all Topic View. That will take some getting used to, so the boards overall will be much more functional, and they will be the same no matter what device you are using - computer, phone, tablet - to access them.

These changes were long overdue, and I think they will be for the better. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Thanks for reading Panther-Lair.com.

 

[Hailpitt]

I visited the new board. It immediately goes to a "pop-up" ad in middle of page (with no way to click to remove the pop-up) for Rivals premium content. Will this happen every time with new board? The new board is better for who?

 

[Chris Peak]

I don't know about the ad situation; it might be different since that was the Rivals Main Board.

But the new boards will overall be a better user experience. It will seem strange and unfamiliar at first, as with all change, but I think we'll all come to like what the new boards do.
Posted from Rivals Mobile

 

[CaptainSidneyReilly]

Re: Agree With HailPitt!

I used to go to Scout to compare Recruiting Information, Rankings, and other ratings and quite frankly, they had a better and easier system to use when comparing information. Yet, Rival's Message Boards were always easier to use and I just prefer the simple and easy way to post on Rivals and just loyal to the Lair.

I was asked to join Scout many times but just never cared for their message Boards although I really like "College Football News: Pundits that would exchange information and emails with you on various subjects. They then changed and updated their "Message Boards" so-called "Improvements" and once I went back it was so hard to find anything and "Pop Ups" I never go there anymore whatsoever, because of the "Maze of Information" that makes it a waste of time to navigate.

I did what I did to the Fan 93.7 and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, I banned them from my viewing and listening. They no longer exist, except on the rare occasion I visit a Barber or listen to the Fan to hear You or Zeise or Pitt Games, and they survive without my participation, and that is just fine since I am just one guy any way.

Although the Scout Website looks very nice and offers tons of information, it is now clouded, confusing, and simply can't find anything quickly without multiple links. Let alone what and where one wants to go look up information. I just avoid all websites that do the same thing.

ESPN has also changed where one is hit with a "Voice Ads" that blasts a Commercial and they have gone to "Insiders Subscribers" more easier to follow and locate than free information, so I have cut them out too and now use CBS Sports!

If Rivals is adopting that kind of Website and makes it harder to link and uses "Pop Ups" and future "Blasting Commercials" where one has to mute Sound", I for one will leave Rivals too, and I do not take myself that serious to think just like Scout, PPG and The Fan, easily survive without my viewing, reading or listening.

I was looking into setting up another Website Anyway on College Football and the Business aspects, NCAA regulations, and Archives on Information about all Schools and Programs to make Rankings, Ratings, and Traditional History of players and Coaches and Scheduling easier for Posters. Including details on Scandals, Business Journal Information, and Court Cases with registration to avoid and ban Posters like PnnyLion that post misinformation and attacks various Websites. meaning you have to have some kind of intelligence to contribute and not be just a Cultists on any Teams or School.

Many newspapers are going to advanced "Website Improvements" and I know it is about Revenues especially Advertisements, but if it becomes tough to navigate or find places to posts that make it harder, just like newspapers today, they won't be visited, and when a website is no longer visited, it is like a newspaper, it is no longer bought and one knows what is happening to them.

So, I will wait and see what Yahoo and Rivals will be doing, but simply is best, and the whole purpose of computers was make "Friendly User Systems"! Yet, I used to be able to Color Code my Emails Addresses to help prevent ID Theft Phishing and it was very easy using Microsoft Outlook Express, then they """Upgraded and Improved""" and when I wrote to them saying they made it more difficult, and after studying my Complaint said, they can't do that so easy anymore.

Today, I dropped them and never pay extra for their "Upgraded" License as well dumped their Stock (Smart Move Too), and my Server Emails is far Easier, Safer, and with more Security than anything Norton, Macfee or Security System out there and no more Virus Attacks either and now my security is free and better.

I have a close friend that works at Yahoo Security and he works with directly with the Secret Service when Cyber Crime happen and he told me how the procedures they use to go after such people and the limit amounts and a number of details when postings and using websites.

He said, many websites are going to a what many think are bigger and better viewing but actually causes less participation.

Rivals built its reputation on one thing he told me and why Yahoo bought them. They were one of few Websites where the average Blogger stayed online and posted over 3 Hours Per Blogger and Subscribers. All I can say is I never go on Scout due to there "Improved" Website, and hope that does not happen to Rivals?

I remember when The Lair Changed the way it went from "Thread to Topic" and many complained but it was not a problem because Rivals made it easy to accommodate. I hope Rivals will do that again with these changes.

Thank you for the notice!

This post was edited on 4/20 1:12 PM by CaptainSidneyReilly

 

[PittSquared]

How is taking away thread view an improvement?

We currently have two options for viewing threads, but taking one of them away enhances the experience.

 

[cruzer]

Chris:

First of all, thanks for the heads up. Nothing worse then to have unexpected changes sprung on the user base.

As a long time participant, I want to chime in on the topic view vs thread view issue and give you one users perspective. When the last changes to the board were made and the default setting was changed to topic view, I tried the new interface. Overall, topic view is OK however, my fundamental objection has to do with how I use the forum. The real value of the Lair is the ability to engage in a conversation with multiple Pitt fans. IMO, thread view is significantly more conducive to conversations because the thread shows a visible hierarchy of each comment and response. When I respond to a specific comment, my respond is indented under the comment I'm responding to. It's fairly clear and easy to use. In fact, I find that many times I'll get comments from other users like "what comment are you responding to?" I will bet that these users are looking at the comments in topic view, where it is harder to tell who is responding to whom since the entire thread is "flat". Yes you have a time stamp, but it's hard to follow because a conversation is not always conducted in real time. Other comments get inserted in the conversation, making the whole thing hard to follow.

It's possible I'm not using topic view correctly, but I suspect that others have this issue too, which is why many users continue to use thread view. I'm curious as to how many users actually use topic view vs thread view.

In any event, I'll continue to come to Panther Lair, but a lack of threaded view will make the experience more difficult IMO.

Thanks,

Cruzer

 

[cruzer]

Let Me Amend My Comments


Chris:

Just to refresh my memory, I went into user options and changed my preferences to topic view. Then I went back to the boards to check out the experience.

Quite honestly, I can't see why anyone prefers topic view. It is extremely difficult to find stuff and almost impossible to know who is responding to whom particularly on long threads.

In all candor, I visit Panther Lair frequently and I also visit TOS. I make 10 posts on Panther Lair for every 1 post on TOS. That being said, they continue to offer a threaded view. It the Lair eliminates thread view, I will give the new topic view a chance, but if it is anything like the current topic view, my viewing and posting behavior will switch completely to TOS. I hope this doesn't come off as a threat....It's not intended that way. I truly like this site better but I will not suffer an unuseable interface just to remain on the site. Maybe no one cares because I'm not a paid subscriber, but I suspect that large numbers of users leaving the site will not do wonders for your ad revenue.

I hope Rivals seriously considers this before moving forward.

Cruzer

 

[Chris Peak]

Re: Let Me Amend My Comments

Originally posted by cruzer:

Chris:

Just to refresh my memory, I went into user options and changed my preferences to topic view. Then I went back to the boards to check out the experience.

Quite honestly, I can't see why anyone prefers topic view. It is extremely difficult to find stuff and almost impossible to know who is responding to whom particularly on long threads.

In all candor, I visit Panther Lair frequently and I also visit TOS. I make 10 posts on Panther Lair for every 1 post on TOS. That being said, they continue to offer a threaded view. It the Lair eliminates thread view, I will give the new topic view a chance, but if it is anything like the current topic view, my viewing and posting behavior will switch completely to TOS. I hope this doesn't come off as a threat....It's not intended that way. I truly like this site better but I will not suffer an unuseable interface just to remain on the site. Maybe no one cares because I'm not a paid subscriber, but I suspect that large numbers of users leaving the site will not do wonders for your ad revenue.

I hope Rivals seriously considers this before moving forward.

Cruzer

That concern - that it will be difficult to tell who is replying to who - gets brought up a lot in the discussion of Thread View vs. Topic View, but the new boards have a solution for that: every time you click to reply to a post, that post will automatically get quoted in your reply. So really, the new format will serve the goal of cohesive conversation even better. And you'll be able to choose what you want to quote, not just from the post you're replying to but also any other post in the thread. You can go through the thread and pick out relevant points in order to build a more coherent discussion.

Instead of just saying, "Well this guy said this and that guy said that," you'll be able to easily quote from multiple posts - in addition to the automatic quoting that will happen any time you post a reply - so I would contend that, in theory, the new boards will be even more conducive to discussion.

I appreciate you giving it a chance; I think that's all we're asking for, and I believe that you will come to feel pretty comfortable with the new boards in pretty short order.

 

[CaptainSidneyReilly]

Re: Thanks Chris, Sounds Exciting!

Change always gathers opposition, but the last change we all use now, only took some little time to get use to, and it made the Board the better!

I am looking forward to the new design you are outlined.

I think the only caution is when other websites did make changes too, and now went too far to accommodate all devices just like Microsoft told me they made mistakes trying to being everything to all devices and in the end, could no longer color code emails as easier and simple as before.

I don't always want to post a Quote from the other Threads and hope I have that option like we do now to delete it or use only part of it.

But I just want to be able to go to the website and read posts and look up recruiting scheduling, and rankings without having to find it or go through multiple links whereby the Pop Up Ads cause much delays.

I really respect the Lair's Website, Radio, and Your Comments and fairness to all Posters. Scout really wrecked their website and just don't want Rivals doing the same thing?

This post was edited on 4/20 11:46 PM by CaptainSidneyReilly

 

[95isBack]

The new look board looks great!

 

[CaptainSidneyReilly]

This was discussed below, but I wanted to draw everyone's attention to it:
Rivals.com will be releasing new message boards on Monday, April 20. Thanks for reading Panther-Lair.com.

1. Did Rivals decide to give a "Year of Jubilee" (Forgiveness For Past Mistake That Got One Banned). or are we still Ban on "Certain" Boards that do not care for our views, posts, or telling the truth about subjects?

2. Can we make sure PnnyLion, Tratur, & Others Nics does not attack us or can he keep coming back using false names and hidden accounts???

3. Anything else we should know about?

Thank you for your time and attention and thank you for all the work you do for us on Rivals, Pitt, and chance to talk about subjects we enjoy!

 

[rpost3]

New boards are a huge improvement. Been using them for a week on the free national board. Well done.

 

[cruzer]

This was discussed below, but I wanted to draw everyone's attention to it:

Rivals.com will be releasing new message boards on Monday, April 20.

You can see what the new board looks like and how it works on the Rivals.com Main Board, where the new format has been active since Wednesday. Overall, this is a considerable upgrade from what we have been using for quite some time.

That said, this will be a change, and I know that it might take a little getting used to. I highly recommend that you check out this "How-To" post; it explains a whole lot about how the new boards work and what you can do on the new boards. I will pin that post here on the board so you can reference it; it definitely comes in handy.

The first change is that the new boards are all Topic View. That will take some getting used to, so the boards overall will be much more functional, and they will be the same no matter what device you are using - computer, phone, tablet - to access them.

These changes were long overdue, and I think they will be for the better. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Thanks for reading Panther-Lair.com.

Chris:

Just wanted to alert you to what I think is a bug. When I click on my user profile in the upper right hand corner, I'm taken to a page that has recent activity, posts, etc. My profile shows that I have 4200+ posts over the years. When I click the link "show all comments by cruzer" it indicates I have zero comments. That seems like a bug.

While I'm writing I'll add that the new topic view is definitely an improvement over the old topic view approach. I still prefer threaded view because in the threaded view, I can scroll past an entire thread and all the responses without ever having to open it. Topic view obviously allows more thread per page, but you have to open the thread to see who has responded. Just my 2 cents.

 

[9nationalchampionships]

I can see much easier on my mobile app. New font looks good. Topic view will take me time to adjust to.

 

[rpost3]

The only glitch I see is the date I joined. I joined way before 2008, and I've only ever had one username.
That's around the time I canceled by premium membership. I wonder if that has something to do with it.