Post your tech glitches, errors, issues, etc. here.

Moderators

Thanks Nancy -- yes, we're discussing this idea as well!

We appreciate your input!

MinusTwo

Mods - we've had this discussion before about suspending or cutting off threads. If I remember correctly, most people were not in favor of stopping threads or banning new posts. It was a very vigorous discussion. I certainly hope you do NOT do this. I have memories back from 2008 and love to go back & find important posts by people who are no longer with us.

Most regular members will pop in and tell a new poster that a thread isn't very active and suggest other alternatives. I think we should let the members 'patrol' themselves.

Back to the dates - if you have to leave it there, can you to 8/23/18? Frankly I don't think new members will look at that any more than the date of the last post.

ruthbru

There might be a very good reason that a thread started by a deceased member is still going. Our Book Lovers Club founder, konakat, would be thrilled that the thread she started is still active!

Sara536

I’ve only been using my iPhone and Safari for BCO. I wish you could make the “report this post” button smaller and move it to the middle. Since I’m right handed, I hit that button several times a day accidentally when I’m scrolling. Hopefully, since it is at least a two-step process, I have been cancelling successfully.

ceanna

I don't think you're going to change the way new people post to older threads no matter how you try to date posts or threads. The new people haven't yet experienced the threads and they are usually anxious about getting information and answers for their questions. I don't feel older threads should have an expiration date. I know some members seem to "facilitate" a particular thread, but I guess I've always looked at threads as topics/content and if someone finds an older, not current thread and posts to it, one of us may pick up on it and answer--it doesn't have to be the original poster. Does it matter, as long as the new person finds what they need? Please, just drop the "last seen" unnecessary addition to our threads and leave it on the profile.

Moderators

So, in summary:

We would only potentially "lock" threads that have had no activity for x (e.g. 3) years. We adore the threads (like Book Lovers Club) that continue to be active for years! That's what makes this community so wonderful.

As for "Last seen", would it make it better to get rid of it, or change it to "latest activity"? The site, PatientsLikeMe posts this with the member name. We could adjust to 8/24/18, probably to shorten it. We still think this could be helpful to some new members, but we're open to hearing everyone's feedback.

Sara536, do you mean "report this post" or "remove this post"

JaBoo

please leave the Aug. 24, 2018... it's so much more informative! I admit, being European, I have to seriously think about each date here (up to 12th each month).

.................

my humble proposal: Could the Forum name in each topic be a link??

This would help .... What I mean: Up here on this page, there's the "Topic: Post your....." in large letters. Bellow, there's "Forum: Comments,...." - this could function as a link to the given forum.

Moderators

JaBoo, the only thing is that we have the forum as a link directly above the topic title already, so could be too much?

LoriCA

Agree about the date JaBoo. Having worked with many Europeans over the years I've even adopted the habit of writing 24 August 2018. I can see how using a strictly numerical format would be confusing for people around the globe when no one is sure if 8/3 means August 3 or March 8.

As for people replying to old posts, at least it means that they are using the Search function and posting in a relevant thread instead of multiple posts on the same topic, over and over. Granted here our health considerations mean that doesn't always work out best, but in most other forums everyone begs people to do exactly that instead of starting a new thread. As ceanna pointed out, usually someone chimes in to either answer the question or point the person to a more appropriate thread.

MinusTwo

Please DO NOT lock threads. As Lori & Ceanna have both said - people search for what is relevant to them. Much of the information (like tips for chemo) does not change just because 3 years has gone by. When I was a 'newbie', I read several older threads all the way from beginning to end and learned a bunch of important things. I have a ton of threads in "my favorites" that aren't particularly active. But you can bet that I do respond whenever a new person jumps in. And I have seen several threads rejuvinate themselves as new posters take over.

MelissaDallas

Recently A nowadult child of a long-deceased member posted recently on her mother's thread wanting to reach out to her mom's friends here. Couldn't have happened if the thread had been locked

JaBoo

Moderators, you mean the link to breastcancer. org Community? Well for me, this isn't much of a help. To find a forum after clicking the link, I actually have to use the "find on this page" function. Being on my phone, the forums' list is endless. So I thought a direct link from a topic would be helpful.

Traveltext

Last year my group lost a long thread because the original poster cancelled her account. Could BCO institute a policy of flagging a thread proposed for closing? This way hundreds of posts won't just disappear overnight. Often the original poster hasn't contributed much and the content is from dozens of people who are suddenly left without their posts. Deleting an account should not even lead to the deletion of a thread IMO.

ruthbru

Before just deleting a valuable, and much frequented thread, started by someone who chooses to delete an account, perhaps active posters on the thread could be notified and one of them might be willing to claim at as theirs. Their name and a blurb about the thread could be substituted for the the original poster's.

There are several very active threads I'm on where MANY of us would be devastated if thread would one day just disappear (and the two I'm thinking of haven't seen input from their originator for years).

Moderators

We know, it is terrible to lose a whole thread when someone insists that we delete their account. It is something we try to avoid at all costs, but sometimes people have been very demanding. This is a "must-change" indeed.

As for locking threads, we don't do it now, nor do we need to if folks don't think that is necessary. We'll take that off the list!

Now, back to "last seen":

should we change it to "latest activity" like PatientsLikeMe does, or get rid of it?

Luckynumber47

I really like that feature but probably not for the reason you expect. If someone's post stands out to me, either because they gave excellent advice or because they were struggling I often wonder how they're doing, if they're still coming back to BCO. Having the last seen info in the header saves me from having to go into their profile.

I believe the reason new members end up on old threads is because they don't realize there is an "active" feature and instead just start reading the forums that seem to apply to them the most. I know I did and didn't realizethat I was on an old thread. If there was some way to point that out in the intros to new members it might solve the issue.

MinusTwo

Mods - what about Ruth's idea that someone else can take over as "substitute" originator of a thread if the original creator chooses to bow out? So even if that person insists on leaving, and even if their posts are deleted, the longevity & the substance of the thread goes on. I think that's a great solution.

Moderators

we really like that idea, and have offered that. We can easily change their name, and delete all else. But sometimes people are straight out insistent on us deleting all their records. But, YES, we agree whole-heartedly.

Mominator

Moderators, 

Suggested option 1: Maybe a phone call or private message to suggest to a person, rather than leaving, that they take a step back from the boards. Maybe a small bunch of posts need to be deleted while they take a break, but the rest of their contributions could be left behind, explaining that their contributions are valuable and other members depend on the information contained in the threads. 

Suggested option 2: If they still insist on leaving, could you separate the user account from the created threads? Then deleting someone's account would be just their profile information. Maybe you could delete the user name, but leave behind the posts. The credit could go to "Deleted Member" or something similar, leaving the posts behind. If a person doesn't like their posts, they always have the option of deleting individual posts. Again, a small bunch of posts need to be deleted, but the rest of their contributions could be left behind as Deleted Member. 

For example, we lost a lot when B** asked to be deleted. Her "death bag" has been recreated, but many threads were lost. The Amen prayer thread, for example. (From my point of view, it looked like a misunderstanding, and only a small cluster of posts were bad. If those posts were removed, maybe it would have been resolved. There's probably more to the issue that what I saw.) 

Suggested option 3: Worst case, deleting an account would delete all their posts, but leave a blank/place holder as a post. Similar when we see "This post deleted by user" but there's still a space there. The thread still exists, with blank posts from the deleted member. 

If the deleted user/poster is an original poster in some threads, then the original post will be blank. You could offer one of the active users the opportunity to replace the original poster's post with some other head post describing the thread.  

I appreciate the balancing act of handling many thousands of users with many different opinions. I hope my ideas here do not suggest you are not doing a great job or minimizing the job you do. Or maybe I'm misunderstanding how things or users work.

Best regards,

Madelyn / Mominator 

ceanna

I agree with mominator for suggestion/option #3. No one should be allowed to delete other people's postings on a thread and if they feel they must delete their own posts, the thread needs to remain, even with the blank posts. I would be very disappointed to learn some of my posts suddenly disappeared permanently because someone deleted a thread I had posted to. I have long felt that no one "owns" any particular thread. Yes, they are many times facilitated by one of more people, but the threads are part of the BCO community and should not be deleted in total from a choice by one. Perhaps instead of someone taking over ownership, BCO could put in a generic statement at the opening post saying the original poster has left the community, but the topic continues to be of interest to all. Active members can take it from there in the discussion thread.

Glad to hear most do not want threads locked even after not being active recently. There are issues that pop up that still concern us even if the thread has not been active in some time. Perhaps there can be some sort of "flag" at the opening of an inactive thread that could suggest people start a new thread or still allow them to post to an old thread if that is their informed choice.

As to the Last Seen date: I was the one who brought this up a few days ago. Not sure, as several have pointed out, that it would make any difference for a new person posting to a topic of interest to them. The date of the last post is there and they don't see that! I can see the points a couple of people have made about its usefulness, so I guess I could live with it if BCO chooses to leave it or modify it.

To open up another old topic--somewhat related. Why doesn't BCO delete the 1000s of people/user names who signed up, were only on the boards that one day, and never, ever, posted anything, and never logged in again? In looking at only the first page of "Member List" many of the "members" have never had any activity other than signing up years ago--zero posts, zero activity. Time to clean up the lists!!!!

Moderators

These are all great suggestions, and inputs.

Mominator, yes, this is actually the route we begin with (#1). Some people leave because of privacy issues, and things that they have expressed, and want it all gone. But you bring up a number of ideas that we could try to implement!

ceanna, as for deleting member who haven't posted, this is a constant battle. We see that some people post after years of being a member. Or they leave, and then return year. And some sign up and end up just reading. Indeed though, agree that there are MANY members who have never posted!

We really appreciate your thoughtful suggestions and bringing them back to our tech team!

Cowgirl13

I am very much against locking older threads. The wisdom, knowledge and encouragement from members would be totally lost. Case in point, Beesie's threads in the DCIS threads. They are invaluable and no one on this board has the clarity and expertise on this sugbect. Or Special K. Or Melissa. The newcomers would lose the treasure trove that many of us have benefitted from for many years.

NancyHB

I feel like something else has changed recently in the message headers - they seem suddenly confusing. There’s a Joined date, Last Activity date, and a post date. In the middle of all this is “Post a Reply” button, which makes things very cluttered (or maybe it’s just me). Too many dates make it difficult to sometimes sort out exactly when the post was made - I could do without the Last Activity date, especially since that can be found on the person profile if I really wondered. Also,Is it necessary to have the reply button at the top of each post, especially when, regardless of where the post is in the thread (beginning, middle, fourth from the last, etc.) the reply will always be the last/end post?

Maybe I just need more coffee this morning...

borogirl

I have posted pictures a couple of times but they show up HUGE and I tried everything I could think of to make them smaller so they are not so "in your face". Any tips?

Moderators

Dear borogirl,

We are going to check with our tech team to figure out your question. The MOds

IllinoisLady

Mods,

Just checked recently since in many of my posts I highlight pictures, memes etc. Today ( after checking again for so long ) I was finally able to resize down to a much smaller and I felt realia tic size.

Only one item left on my wish list -- that posts that are read will not continue ( even when I post ) to be NEW. I know it is somewhat lazy of me, but I like to know at a glance what I need to deal with -- and also I like knowing at a glance if threads I'm on are moving or not.

I would like to say a BIG thank-you for the sizing issue. I hated not being able to put in something that would glare just due to size. Thank you, thank you.

Jackie

Moderators

Dear Jackie,

We are glad that your photo size has been resolved. We are not sure about the issue with the posts reading as new. We will check in about it. The Mods

ceanna

Just noticed something tonight and wanted to ask. In August when you added the "latest activity" date to everyone's posting, I wasn't a fan--still not, but tonight I starting looking at threads before I logged in. Usually I log in first. Even when we don't log in, we can see members "latest activity" date. I'm concerned about non-members knowing when someone has been online, privacy, and security issues with the date being available to non-members. Can you block this date to non-members?

MinusTwo

Mods: the "back to the top" link does not seem to be working on any of the 5 or 6 threads I tried tonight. Yes, I can 'motor' back up to choose the next option in 'my favorites', but hope this isn't permanent.

Moderators

Dear MinusTwo,

Can you try again and let us know the outcome. It does seem to be working for us right now but if you continue to have difficulties let us know. The Mods