Guild Launch News
Updates: LoL and G&H Templates, Last Forum Post Widget
Greetings,
Today we are releasing 3 updates. 2 new tempates and a new Last Forum Post widget. The new last forum post widget is meant to be an upgrade, but more of a compliment to the existing last forum post widget. Some people will like one version, some people will like another. The choice is yours. In addition the new widget is slightly faster and the issue where the number of posts showing would fluctuate has been fixed.
Last Forum Posts v2
We didn't want to scrap the old widget because a lot of people use it, and love it. So, we made Version 2!
The new version highlights the members more, uses the space a touch more efficiently and is slightly more compact. In addition it provides a last post link, better anchor usage and less font size changes. Try it out!
New Last Forum Post Feedback Summary
After launching this yesterday it proved to be a great way to solicit feedback and as is the case when you have awesome users we got some great feedback. So here is the compilation of our plans for updates over the next 24-48 hours.
1. We've found a way to link to the last 'Unread' post by the user. We've got to do some checks for performance though before we implement it so it might be tomorrow before it is live. The old widget is used by nearly every site and we don't want to add something hastily to the new one that will eventually make the widget load slowly.
2. We're going to add tooltips to the Avatar
3. We're going to reposition the RSS link
4. If the new 'Last Unread Post' method proves out performance wise then the default link on this widget will be the latest post, if we know what your last unread post is we will go to that and your first unread post will be directly after it.
New Templates
League of Legends
An awesome game and now we have an awesome template to go with it.
Gods and Heroes
Gods and Heroes just launched and we've been working with their community team on Dragon*Con promotions and other projects, so now we've got a template to match the game.
Today we are releasing 3 updates. 2 new tempates and a new Last Forum Post widget. The new last forum post widget is meant to be an upgrade, but more of a compliment to the existing last forum post widget. Some people will like one version, some people will like another. The choice is yours. In addition the new widget is slightly faster and the issue where the number of posts showing would fluctuate has been fixed.
Last Forum Posts v2
We didn't want to scrap the old widget because a lot of people use it, and love it. So, we made Version 2!
The new version highlights the members more, uses the space a touch more efficiently and is slightly more compact. In addition it provides a last post link, better anchor usage and less font size changes. Try it out!
New Last Forum Post Feedback Summary
After launching this yesterday it proved to be a great way to solicit feedback and as is the case when you have awesome users we got some great feedback. So here is the compilation of our plans for updates over the next 24-48 hours.
1. We've found a way to link to the last 'Unread' post by the user. We've got to do some checks for performance though before we implement it so it might be tomorrow before it is live. The old widget is used by nearly every site and we don't want to add something hastily to the new one that will eventually make the widget load slowly.
2. We're going to add tooltips to the Avatar
3. We're going to reposition the RSS link
4. If the new 'Last Unread Post' method proves out performance wise then the default link on this widget will be the latest post, if we know what your last unread post is we will go to that and your first unread post will be directly after it.
New Templates
League of Legends
An awesome game and now we have an awesome template to go with it.
Gods and Heroes
Gods and Heroes just launched and we've been working with their community team on Dragon*Con promotions and other projects, so now we've got a template to match the game.
Last edited by GL_Support on Thu Jun 30, 2011 6:09 am; edited 4 times in total
This one is so much cleaner great job.
Was wondering if it would be possible to use the official SWTOR fan site avatars on our guildlaunch sites??? I did copy about 30 into our file library so guild members can choose those if they want to use them. But was wondering if there was a way they could be added to a guildlaunch library for all the SWTOR sites to use?
Elle
Was wondering if it would be possible to use the official SWTOR fan site avatars on our guildlaunch sites??? I did copy about 30 into our file library so guild members can choose those if they want to use them. But was wondering if there was a way they could be added to a guildlaunch library for all the SWTOR sites to use?
Elle
Last Forum Posts v2 is really nice =) Good job.
Two quick suggestions for it:
1. Add a tooltip to the member avatar link to make it clear that the icon doesn't point to the forum post. 'View Akiera's Profile' or something. The avatar icon and the link to the post kinda mesh together horizontally, and I think a tooltip might improve usability.
2. A minor suggestion/personal preference... I prefer the extra space between the RSS feed icon and the 'View Forums' link in v1, and think v2 puts them too close together. Again, for the purpose of making the link destinations clearer visually, I'd like to see the RSS icon left aligned as it is, and the 'View Forums' link right aligned in the widget as it was in v1. Leaving out the trailing '...' in v2 was the right choice =)
Two quick suggestions for it:
1. Add a tooltip to the member avatar link to make it clear that the icon doesn't point to the forum post. 'View Akiera's Profile' or something. The avatar icon and the link to the post kinda mesh together horizontally, and I think a tooltip might improve usability.
2. A minor suggestion/personal preference... I prefer the extra space between the RSS feed icon and the 'View Forums' link in v1, and think v2 puts them too close together. Again, for the purpose of making the link destinations clearer visually, I'd like to see the RSS icon left aligned as it is, and the 'View Forums' link right aligned in the widget as it was in v1. Leaving out the trailing '...' in v2 was the right choice =)
Lovely advance on the "last forum post widget", however it doesn't quite work when in the main (centre) portion of the screen .. despite a large amount of space available, it "wraps" the two final icons for going to the last post, so that the "view newest post first" icon is underneath the rest, which seems a bit odd .. check out our website to see what I mean, or I can link an image if needed.
Also ... personally I would prefer to be able to click on the actual title to be taken to the latest post. I realise that, if people take the time to check out the little (tiny) icons to the side, they can go directly there, but it is an instinctive response, especially in a widget entitled "last forum post", to click on the title of the specific forum post to actually go to the last forum post. If that makes sense
Regardless .. many thanks for the steady stream of updates and support we get
Also ... personally I would prefer to be able to click on the actual title to be taken to the latest post. I realise that, if people take the time to check out the little (tiny) icons to the side, they can go directly there, but it is an instinctive response, especially in a widget entitled "last forum post", to click on the title of the specific forum post to actually go to the last forum post. If that makes sense
Regardless .. many thanks for the steady stream of updates and support we get
There was some debate here about the default link. I wanted it to go to the last post, but I was shot down internally. What say you all? This is a brand new widget, so it can be changed without hurting too many feelings.
-Stephen
-Stephen
We're now working on our Buzzword compliance by 'crowd-sourcing our synergies towards a win-win' on the default link destination debate. Cast your vote on Facebook or Twitter.
http://www.facebook.com/FansOfGuildLaunch
http://www.twitter.com/GuildLaunch
The winning response: Last Post or First Post will get the go ahead!
-Stephen
http://www.facebook.com/FansOfGuildLaunch
http://www.twitter.com/GuildLaunch
The winning response: Last Post or First Post will get the go ahead!
-Stephen
Great widget
And, as I noticed, it has fixed the issue when all new posts were in only 1 or 2 threads.
+1 to the Akiera's idea about tooltip on avatar
And my wishes about links - first of all I would like to have First New Post link. So links would look like this:
1. The main link opens First New Post
2. The small icon opens Last Post
3. I would get rid of the Newest Post First (honestly, the reversed order is like driving in UK - it can make You dizzy).
If the First New Post option is not possible atm, then I vote for First Post as the main link.
And, as I noticed, it has fixed the issue when all new posts were in only 1 or 2 threads.
+1 to the Akiera's idea about tooltip on avatar
And my wishes about links - first of all I would like to have First New Post link. So links would look like this:
1. The main link opens First New Post
2. The small icon opens Last Post
3. I would get rid of the Newest Post First (honestly, the reversed order is like driving in UK - it can make You dizzy).
If the First New Post option is not possible atm, then I vote for First Post as the main link.
Oh, and I just found small bug in the widget - it shows   (without semicolon) between 'minutes' and 'ago'.
For 'hours' and 'seconds' it's ok.
For 'hours' and 'seconds' it's ok.
After launching this yesterday it proved to be a great way to solicit feedback and as is the case when you have awesome users we got some great feedback. So here is the compilation of our plans for updates over the next 24-48 hours.
We got quite a few responses that users would like to be taken to the last unread post in the topic. There are technical limitations that make this difficult. However, we have a system in place that with minor additions should be capable of doing this. We'll make a change today, check performance, and if it has no negative impact we'll update the widget to use it tomorrow.
With this update what we can do is take you to the last post in a topic as of the last time you read it. This means we can take you to the post *before* your first unread post and that destination can be different per user. This should be functionality equivalent for most threads and actually provides a nice 'anchor' psychologically since you can be confident you are at the right spot since you see the last post that you did read.
New Last Forum Post Feedback Summary
1. We've found a way to link to the last 'Unread' post by the user. We've got to do some checks for performance though before we implement it so it might be tomorrow before it is live. The old widget is used by nearly every site and we don't want to add something hastily to the new one that will eventually make the widget load slowly.
2. We're going to add tooltips to the Avatar
3. We're going to reposition the RSS link
4. If the new 'Last Unread Post' method proves out performance wise then the default link on this widget will be the latest post, if we know what your last unread post is we will go to that and your first unread post will be directly after it.
We got quite a few responses that users would like to be taken to the last unread post in the topic. There are technical limitations that make this difficult. However, we have a system in place that with minor additions should be capable of doing this. We'll make a change today, check performance, and if it has no negative impact we'll update the widget to use it tomorrow.
With this update what we can do is take you to the last post in a topic as of the last time you read it. This means we can take you to the post *before* your first unread post and that destination can be different per user. This should be functionality equivalent for most threads and actually provides a nice 'anchor' psychologically since you can be confident you are at the right spot since you see the last post that you did read.
New Last Forum Post Feedback Summary
1. We've found a way to link to the last 'Unread' post by the user. We've got to do some checks for performance though before we implement it so it might be tomorrow before it is live. The old widget is used by nearly every site and we don't want to add something hastily to the new one that will eventually make the widget load slowly.
2. We're going to add tooltips to the Avatar
3. We're going to reposition the RSS link
4. If the new 'Last Unread Post' method proves out performance wise then the default link on this widget will be the latest post, if we know what your last unread post is we will go to that and your first unread post will be directly after it.
Last edited by GL_Support on Thu Jun 30, 2011 6:15 am; edited 1 time in total
Ok, the new 'Intelligent' linking is now active in the new Last Forum Post widget. Please let us know how it works for you. Essentially, if the system knows you have read the topic it will take you to the *First* post you *haven't read*. Since it can't actually read your mind it will take you to the first new post since you last viewed the topic.
-Stephen
-Stephen
GL_Support wrote:
pfft .. what, you didn't build in the mind-reading software?!
I've tested it on already-read long threads on our site and it works perfectly (ie, as I've already read them all, it takes me to the last post in the thread) - I haven't been able to test the "last unread" post yet because we haven't had anything new posted yet, but I don't see any reason why that won't work in exactly the right way.
The widget also looks much cleaner without the extra option icons there.
*thumbs up*
Since it can't actually read your mind it will take you to the first new post since you last viewed the topic.
pfft .. what, you didn't build in the mind-reading software?!
I've tested it on already-read long threads on our site and it works perfectly (ie, as I've already read them all, it takes me to the last post in the thread) - I haven't been able to test the "last unread" post yet because we haven't had anything new posted yet, but I don't see any reason why that won't work in exactly the right way.
The widget also looks much cleaner without the extra option icons there.
*thumbs up*