GameInformer

I think a minimum word count for guides is a great idea jpow. In the mod group, I brought up the topic of spam blogs for the same reason you're talking about the guides (members posting complete spam in order to get points). So I think a minimum word count for guides AND blogs would be a really good thing to have.

The only problem that I can see in having a minimum word count would have to be users spamming pure garbage at the end of their posts just to make the count.

Perhaps the Copy/Paste option should be disabled in guides and blogs, since it should be the user's original thoughts in the first place? We could still have the "Insert Media" as an option... 

That makes me wonder: Will the update give you moderators the freedom of monitoring the blog/guide section?

Something's come to my attention:  when you search for a thread with the search bar, the results show both threads in the main forums and thread results in a group.  Considering when you search for a thread, if there's a group about that topic then it shows up at the bottom of the search screen.

If nothing else it'd be nice if there was something that distinguishes threads as threads from a group or something in the main forums.  That'd make the mod's jobs easier too when we try to point people to official threads when a duplicate thread is created in the main forums.

dbull620:

Something's come to my attention:  when you search for a thread with the search bar, the results show both threads in the main forums and thread results in a group.  Considering when you search for a thread, if there's a group about that topic then it shows up at the bottom of the search screen.

If nothing else it'd be nice if there was something that distinguishes threads as threads from a group or something in the main forums.  That'd make the mod's jobs easier too when we try to point people to official threads when a duplicate thread is created in the main forums.

Like the forums, our Search results (and even what can/is being searched on the site) are being updated and re-themed.  Thanks to feedback like this, we can greatly improve that page, and that will even affect the rest of the site.  Expect that hopefully by summer.

I just saw the article on the update for the site, and for the most part like the improvements.

My only beef is that all the videos are now in HD.  Sounds weird at first, but if you consider those with less than savory internet connections (ex. dorm rooms), than perhaps you can see the issue.

It's good that everyone has the option to see the HD version, and I understand that most people won't have a problem with the connection speed.  However, I would like the option to watch it in SD so I don't have to wait half an hour to watch a five minute preview. (I'm exaggerating obviously, but you get the point)

@Redfuzzy: I can see that being a problem, sure, but I'm on my laptop right now which I frequently complained choked on the old video player. It's running videos silky smooth, and loading them at least twice as fast. It may not be relevant to connection speed I guess, but it has to be a good sign.

Yeah, at the moment with the video player it's buffering much quicker than the old one.  Also sometimes the old one wouldn't even load for me.

This may or may not be a good idea, but has any consideration gone into enabling user comments on game reviews?

People have always talked about game reviews and the scores given, but looking around, I see no real designated place to voice opinions on the matter. Users do have the option to write a blog or review, and some have done that, but others may not want to write an entire page when all they might want to say is a simple, "this review helped me make an informed decision on my purchase," or, "I disagree with the score given."

Anyway, just a thought.

I was wondering...

Would it be possible to have the threads automatically go to the latest page in the Forums? In addition to that, could the original post be made to be always visible at the top of each page?

Also in the Forums, would it be possible to have the thread's page numbers on both the top and the bottom of the webpage? Sometimes having to scroll through a whole page to get to the next can be annoying, especially if it's full of Youtube videos.

I know this a lot to ask for at once, but I think it would drastically improve navigating our Forums section.

@Mr.SmashterMeister

I actually realized later that my internet connection was particularly slow that day.  I'll check again once I get back to my dorm (currently in the library) to see if it's any faster.

My request for an SD option (not the default, but the option), still stands as of now though.

I beleve that they need to give the new posters some more options instaed of forcin them to get points to unlock ceartain things on the website. to me thats kind of stupid.

I relation to 'first!' posters, why not add the term and derivative spellings (like "phirst" and "fir$t") to a moderation que so that then it appears the comment doesn't show up and goes into a delete bin.

I understand that sometimes people use "First off" in a comment, but that's why you add the "!" to the term so that 'first' itself doesn't get picked up.

I also understand that people add relevant contribution to things after they play the dumb 'first!' game, but it'll get them to stop with the firsty nonsense once they get their comment moderated a couple of times.

Okay so I think this has been mentioned before but it's still happening so I'll say it again. For lack of better judgment I ventured into the wild of the games guides section. HO. LEE. CRAP! There is so much non sense in there. Hardly anything useful. It might take a while to fix and moderate all that stuff, but for now I think an update should make it so that only certain members can post guides. Maybe silver and above.

I've got a few ideas that I think could really help this site out. First, I think we should bring back Kudos. It was a way for people to say, "yeah I agree" without actually having to say it. Or, it could be seen as a meaningless reward for your amusing post. And although you don't actually gain anything, it still was still fun (sort of like Achievements).

My second idea is a relatively simple one. Going back to the routes of the old website, we should have a way to jump to the last unread message of a thread. I can't tell you how many threads I've reread just because I was trying to find the place I last left off. Along with this, there should be a column that says "total messages (number)" and then one that says "messages unread (number)".

Lastly, there should be a post/level requirement for starting threads/blogs. Let the newcomers learn how to actually use the forums. This isn't Yahoo! Answers. I don't want someone signing up just to ask for game recommendations. And if that is the sole reason why they're signing up, they can take the two minutes to use the search bar.

@Luke: No kidding. The Guides section is mostly crap right now. Requiring Silver level to post guides is extreme, but I would agree with Bronze or a few points less.

@bpfx216: You nailed all three of my most wanted things, and as far as I can tell the most wanted features of nearly everyone.