Hope the Lazy
March 21, 2007 4:20 PM   RSS feed for this thread Subscribe

Can the anchors in the "posted by" line have a different link/visited color than anchors people put into either the post or their comments?
posted by maxwelton to feature requests at 4:20 PM (63 comments total)

Advertise here: Contact FM.


My desire is based on my own (possibly debased) habits, which include reading an entire comment thread and then scrolling back up it to check out the various goodies folks have pointed us to, or coming back into a thread later after recalling that there was a good link buried within it. In short threads it's obviously not much bother to separate the two, but in long threads it's tougher.
posted by maxwelton at 4:20 PM on March 21, 2007


So you mean just make links on comment attribution different than the links in a post, because you accidentally click them sometimes or think they're leading to other sites?

It's not a bad suggestion, I could unbold them so they're easier to pass over.
posted by mathowie at 4:27 PM on March 21, 2007


Right idea, wrong reason.

It's more of a quick scanning issue...when I scan a thread for interesting links, if the "real" links were different from the "posted by" links, I could quickly find them if they were different. Unbolding might work pretty well, actually.
posted by maxwelton at 4:32 PM on March 21, 2007


So, er, the idea is that you want the timestamp links in the "posted by username at 4:32 PM..." line—the "4:32 PM" in this case—to be tagged with a specific CSS class, say, styled noticably differently from normal hrefs?

So that if someone links to a previous comment, like this, it won't, uh, look the same as the aforementioned 4:32?

I think I'm not keeping up.
posted by cortex at 4:38 PM on March 21, 2007


Also, that was a lot of filled pauses. Not trying to be snarky, I just really er'ed and uh'd a lot while I tried to figure that out.
posted by cortex at 4:39 PM on March 21, 2007


Here, I'll make this thread a test case. maxwelton, lemme know if that's what you're after.
posted by mathowie at 4:42 PM on March 21, 2007


hmm, I kind of like usernames in bold, but I'm so totally used to the normal layout.
posted by mathowie at 4:46 PM on March 21, 2007


I like it!
posted by trip and a half at 4:47 PM on March 21, 2007


I was all prepared to heap scorn but I kind of like it. Humbler, even more professionaler.
posted by 31d1 at 4:50 PM on March 21, 2007


The unbolded user names make me feel like I'm going blind. I'm not.

I hope there is a good way to visually distinguish between links and usernames/timestamps, but I don't think un-bolding the comment apparatus is it.
posted by janell at 4:51 PM on March 21, 2007


Yep, I like it.
posted by onalark at 4:53 PM on March 21, 2007


I don't like it. I have comments in Trebuchet MS and 'posted by' lines in Verdana (set in preferences) which works well for visually separating them. Unbolded usernames are too hard to read quickly.
posted by Aloysius Bear at 4:55 PM on March 21, 2007


I'm in the "don't like it" camp. Blends in and makes it hard to read.
posted by FlamingBore at 4:56 PM on March 21, 2007


On refresh, please disregard my obviously hasty first reaction and let it <b>
posted by 31d1 at 4:57 PM on March 21, 2007


Definitely awesome. I don't think the username/timestamp thing is a big issue, but I definitely agree with maxwelton that it makes scanning for links in a long thread or even a long comment easier.
posted by Phire at 4:57 PM on March 21, 2007


I would like the user names to blink, please.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 5:00 PM on March 21, 2007


Well, if this all about me, I certainly dig it. Much easier to locate the scorn heaps.
posted by maxwelton at 5:07 PM on March 21, 2007


I like this better.
posted by danb at 5:34 PM on March 21, 2007


Count me in the camp that hates this change. You guys can set this on your own with a custom style sheet. Stylish.
posted by Rhomboid at 5:39 PM on March 21, 2007


I like this better. It makes what people say more prominent than who they are.
posted by nowonmai at 5:40 PM on March 21, 2007


I don't like it. Hard to read in the simple style.
posted by jessamyn at 5:48 PM on March 21, 2007


Look, there's no need for matt to make this change site wide just for a couple of people. If you want the names not bold, use the following style in Stylish:
@-moz-document domain(metafilter.com), domain(www.metafilter.com), domain(ask.metafilter.com), domain(metatalk.metafilter.com), domain(music.metafilter.com), domain(jobs.metafilter.com) {

.smallcopy a {
  font-weight: normal !important;
}

}

And likewise if you hate the change, use "bold" where "normal" is. There. Everybody's happy.
posted by Rhomboid at 5:48 PM on March 21, 2007


Yay Rhomboid!
posted by Aloysius Bear at 5:55 PM on March 21, 2007


Might want to make that "a:first-child" so that it affects only the username, not the "[n favorites]" part.
posted by Rhomboid at 5:58 PM on March 21, 2007


Wait, I have to do something? Words cannot express my outrage.
posted by maxwelton at 5:59 PM on March 21, 2007 [2 favorites]


And you can go crazy with this method, you can make links bigger, smaller, flashing, bold, all caps, whatever. Sky's the limit.
posted by Rhomboid at 6:01 PM on March 21, 2007


I agree. The entire site should be plain text. If you want colors or formatting, write your own darn stylesheet, and download some sort of addin for your browser. Actually making concious choices about site design is SO Web 1.0.
posted by blue_beetle at 6:05 PM on March 21, 2007


To me it's more a matter of having become used to a style that has been present for X years and not wanting to have to adapt to something different for a reason that I personally cannot derive any usefulness out of. But, I should really shut up now, consider my complaints withdrawn; do whatever you want, I will undo it in my local stylesheet.
posted by Rhomboid at 6:11 PM on March 21, 2007


I like the change, but I'm with cortex (sort of) in that I thought what maxwelton was getting at was that links to other comments in the same thread (e.g., see the thread right above this one) would be unbolded, which I thought also addressed the issue (and is perhaps more relevant to those users who are already conditioned to skim right over the "posted by" line).
posted by Doofus Magoo at 6:14 PM on March 21, 2007


Agreed re intent of posited action being to differentiate internal links, if oddly put.
posted by 31d1 at 6:32 PM on March 21, 2007


I don't mind the change, but it does break Mefi Navigator and likely some other Greasemonkey scripts.
posted by macrone at 6:52 PM on March 21, 2007


It won't, macrone, if you have the most recent version.
posted by Aloysius Bear at 6:53 PM on March 21, 2007


Hmmm. Well, it did break Mefi Navigator until I posted my comment -- and then all of a sudden it was working again. Odd. (I'd force-refreshed the page before commenting to make sure.)
posted by macrone at 6:53 PM on March 21, 2007


Aloysius Bear: nope. I already had the most recent version. The behavior seems to toggle for some reason: broken before I made my first comment; fixed after my first comment; broken again after my second comment.

No big deal. I'm sure matthewr will work around any such change.
posted by macrone at 6:58 PM on March 21, 2007


Without the bold, the sickly yellow is actually less prominent than the grey parts of the line, which is opposite how it should be. Can't just change one bit.
posted by smackfu at 7:07 PM on March 21, 2007


I vote for "Dislike." Wasn't broke, don't fix.
posted by cribcage at 7:44 PM on March 21, 2007


I'm so small and normal weight.
posted by and hosted from Uranus at 7:50 PM on March 21, 2007


I dislike this.
posted by XQUZYPHYR at 7:53 PM on March 21, 2007


I like this style, but not so much that I'd actively advocate for it to be used if the loss of the old one bothers people.
posted by Abiezer at 8:16 PM on March 21, 2007


Yuck.
posted by yhbc at 8:24 PM on March 21, 2007


Stop this, what is this. Stop stop stop stop.
posted by geoff. at 9:11 PM on March 21, 2007


*still hoping for uploadable user-selectable stylesheets*

Of course, I'd probably use the default, because it just wouldn't taste like MeFi otherwise.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 9:57 PM on March 21, 2007


This makes me a little bit queasy.
posted by !Jim at 11:16 PM on March 21, 2007


I have a whole other comment typed out on my clipboard, but MeFi keeps telling me that my comment appears blank. WTF?
posted by carsonb at 12:43 AM on March 22, 2007


I don't like it. I have comments in Trebuchet MS and 'posted by' lines in Verdana (set in preferences) which works well for visually separating them. Unbolded usernames are too hard to read quickly.

I don't like it either, and I support Aloysius Bear's notion of altering the "smaller font" on your preferences page to differentiate the posted by line. Also, I tentatively suggest to maxwelton that he add to his personal habits the technique of opening the various goodies folks have pointed us to in new tabs as he reads down the thread.
posted by carsonb at 12:44 AM on March 22, 2007


WTF?

[small]posted by[/small] kills comments. dang. sorry to go on.
posted by carsonb at 12:45 AM on March 22, 2007


Please stop the deboldery. Please stop. Please stop.
posted by blasdelf at 2:22 AM on March 22, 2007 [1 favorite]


I hated it. Then I liked it. Now I just think it's dignified. OK, maybe not that last one. But it's still pretty.
posted by fvw at 4:32 AM on March 22, 2007


The usernames are too hard to read quickly. I vote no.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 4:38 AM on March 22, 2007


stavros, I like your pony.
posted by that girl at 6:07 AM on March 22, 2007


nowonmai writes 'I like this better. It makes what people say more prominent than who they are.'

Ditto.

And it suits the plain theme nicely, I reckon.
posted by jack_mo at 7:00 AM on March 22, 2007


No sir, I don't like it.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 7:48 AM on March 22, 2007


Lord no. No no no. I wish I didn't have to say so because I hate to see my username looking so naked and forlorn but I'm doing it anyway for the public good. No, don't call me a hero. Just remember me to the children not yet born who will have bolded usernames just as the universe intended. Hey user 1500173. Hey there little guy. You're welcome.
posted by melissa may at 10:14 AM on March 22, 2007


Not a fan. I wouldn't be averse to Doofus Magoo's idea where links which stay in-thread are not bolded, however.
posted by quin at 12:12 PM on March 22, 2007


Count me as one who doesn't like it. I read metafilter threads skimming for a variety of things, but chief among them is a username I recognize and enjoy the posts by.
posted by Manjusri at 12:34 PM on March 22, 2007


See, I've united everyone in dissent. My work here is done.

Actually, what I was originally hinting at was a way to make the in-post links a different color, but looks like I can install a plug-in or two and make this my own personal problem (what's another of those when the list is so long?).
posted by maxwelton at 4:03 PM on March 22, 2007


Well that's trivial too... just put something like this in your user style sheet:

div.comments > a:link { color:#fc0 !important; }
div.comments > a:visited { color:#dc9 !important; }
div.comments > a:active { color:#ffd !important; }
div.comments > a:hover { color:#fff !important; }
posted by Rhomboid at 4:57 PM on March 22, 2007


Screenshot of AskMe with the above, for example. (ANd no I didn't really pick those colors, just made them something different to illustrate.)

I just realized this will not color a user's links inside a block element, for example links in a <UL> or <BLOCKQUOTE>. That's a side effect of using the ">" selector, otherwise it will also color the "posted by" and timestamp links. But I guess that's a minor detail. You could overcome this by using "div.comments a" to override users link colors and then re-specifying the stock colors on a later selector for the posted by/timestamp/etc.
posted by Rhomboid at 5:03 PM on March 22, 2007


The MeFi visualization is featured on the Many Eyes home page! Yay!
posted by monju_bosatsu at 3:07 PM on March 24, 2007


Bah, wrong thread.
posted by monju_bosatsu at 3:08 PM on March 24, 2007 


 _______            _________          _______
(  ___  )|\     /|  \__   __/|\     /|(  ____ \
| (   ) || )   ( |     ) (   | )   ( || (    \/
| |   | || (___) |     | |   | (___) || (__    
| |   | ||  ___  |     | |   |  ___  ||  __)   
| |   | || (   ) |     | |   | (   ) || (      
| (___) || )   ( |     | |   | )   ( || (____/\
(_______)|/     \|     )_(   |/     \|(_______/
                                               
                   _______  _______ 
|\     /||\     /|(  ____ \(  ____ \
| )   ( || )   ( || (    \/| (    \/
| (___) || |   | || |      | (__    
|  ___  || |   | || | ____ |  __)   
| (   ) || |   | || | \_  )| (      
| )   ( || (___) || (___) || (____/\
|/     \|(_______)(_______)(_______/
                                    
 _______  _______  _        _______ _________ _______  _______ 
(       )(  ___  )( (    /|(  ___  )\__   __/(  ____ \(  ____ \
| () () || (   ) ||  \  ( || (   ) |   ) (   | (    \/| (    \/
| || || || (___) ||   \ | || (___) |   | |   | (__    | (__    
| |(_)| ||  ___  || (\ \) ||  ___  |   | |   |  __)   |  __)   
| |   | || (   ) || | \   || (   ) |   | |   | (      | (      
| )   ( || )   ( || )  \  || )   ( |   | |   | (____/\| (____/\
|/     \||/     \||/    )_)|/     \|   )_(   (_______/(_______/

posted by killdevil at 9:49 PM on April 13, 2007 


 _______            _________          _______
(  ___  )|\     /|  \__   __/|\     /|(  ____ \
| (   ) || )   ( |     ) (   | )   ( || (    \/
| |   | || (___) |     | |   | (___) || (__    
| |   | ||  ___  |     | |   |  ___  ||  __)   
| |   | || (   ) |     | |   | (   ) || (      
| (___) || )   ( |     | |   | )   ( || (____/\
(_______)|/     \|     )_(   |/     \|(_______/

posted by killdevil at 9:50 PM on April 13, 2007 


 _______            _________          _______(  ___  )|\     /|  \__   __/|\     /|(  ____ \| (   ) || )   ( |     ) (   | )   ( || (    \/| |   | || (___) |     | |   | (___) || (__    | |   | ||  ___  |     | |   |  ___  ||  __)   | |   | || (   ) |     | |   | (   ) || (      | (___) || )   ( |     | |   | )   ( || (____/\(_______)|/     \|     )_(   |/     \|(_______/
                                              
                   _______  _______ |\     /||\     /|(  ____ \(  ____ \| )   ( || )   ( || (    \/| (    \/| (___) || |   | || |      | (__    |  ___  || |   | || | ____ |  __)   | (   ) || |   | || | \_  )| (      | )   ( || (___) || (___) || (____/\|/     \|(_______)(_______)(_______/                                     _______  _______  _        _______ _________ _______  _______ (       )(  ___  )( (    /|(  ___  )\__   __/(  ____ \(  ____ \| () () || (   ) ||  \  ( || (   ) |   ) (   | (    \/| (    \/| || || || (___) ||   \ | || (___) |   | |   | (__    | (__    | |(_)| ||  ___  || (\ \) ||  ___  |   | |   |  __)   |  __)   | |   | || (   ) || | \   || (   ) |   | |   | (      | (      | )   ( || )   ( || )  \  || )   ( |   | |   | (____/\| (____/\|/     \||/     \||/    )_)|/     \|   )_(   (_______/(_______/

posted by killdevil at 9:55 PM on April 13, 2007


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