Recent activity

December 21, 2010 9:53 PM

On the Recent Activity page, I would expect my comments to appear with the little grey bar on the left rather than with a grey "best answer" background. This often confuses me. Note: I am easily confused and using the professional white background.
posted by doublehappy to Bugs at 9:53 PM (26 comments total)

I like this pony.
posted by russm at 10:09 PM on December 21, 2010 [1 favorite]

I would expect my comments to appear with the little grey bar on the left

This doesn't work either, as that indicates a comment from the original poster, at least in AskMe. Perhaps the actual pony should be "please highlight my comments on this post somehow"? Of course, I have no idea how easy that would be, and it may well be a job for Greasemonkey.
posted by booksherpa at 10:36 PM on December 21, 2010

thinking about it, the actual thing that gives me a little moment of "huh?" in Recent Activity is that my own last answer in an AskMe looks like a best answer, and actual best answers don't (apart from the little green tick)... perhaps just ditch the highlighting of my own comments on that page? there's only ever zero or one of them shown per post, and if it's there it's the top item, so it's not like I need to have them called out for attention...
posted by russm at 10:52 PM on December 21, 2010

I also find it confusing that my posts look like best answers. But I am satisfied with believing that they are, perhaps, in some universe, best answers, and that metafilter chooses to let me know this through a confusing colour scheme choice.

If it does change, I would prefer that my answers are painted with a red and white striped background, and that they flash on and off while playing automatically started music. Thank you.
posted by lollusc at 11:05 PM on December 21, 2010 [4 favorites]

could the background be set to an image of our choice? because I don't like red+white stripes...

(there's no xss vulnerability since the image URL is only ever served to the member who entered it...)
posted by russm at 11:26 PM on December 21, 2010

I would like to feed this pony some sugar cubes. I too am easily confused, but like lollusc's take on it.
posted by arcticseal at 11:39 PM on December 21, 2010 [1 favorite]

This often confuses me. Note: I am easily confused and using the professional white background.

It confuses me too. And I didn't think I was easily confused by UIs. Also I use the regular background not white.
posted by philipy at 12:45 AM on December 22, 2010 [1 favorite]

I use the white background; but instead of flashing answers, I'd like the mods to drive along the bottom in their open topped bus.
posted by arcticseal at 1:09 AM on December 22, 2010

If you use the non-white theme (as you should) then the background is blue instead of green which makes it pretty clear it's not been marked as a best answer.
posted by Rhomboid at 1:28 AM on December 22, 2010

But if you use the non-white theme, and your boss walks past and casually glances at your screen, it is pretty obvious that you aren't doing work.
posted by lollusc at 1:36 AM on December 22, 2010

nobody's the boss of me, so I can read MeFi at work, but I still use the professional white background because I find it easier on my eyes...
posted by russm at 1:40 AM on December 22, 2010

I was so impressed with myself the first time or two I used Recent Activity! I still bask in the glow of self-satisfied idiocy more often than I'd like. Sometimes it even has to do with thinking I have the best answers of anyone ever.
posted by msconduct at 2:46 AM on December 22, 2010

Just take off the markers altogether if they're confusing to users. There's a neat little string of characters attached to every comment (even on Recent Activity) that helps one identify whether the comment is yours or someone else's (and if it's someone else's, exactly whose it is).
posted by carsonb at 5:04 AM on December 22, 2010

Okay, if you want the grey bar then install Stylish and add this style. If you're using the non-white theme then change #CCC to #07A, or really any color that you want. But then you won't be able to distinguish between comments from the asker and comments from you because they will both be highlighted with a grey bar in Recent Activity.

And if you want the red and white blinking stripes, here you go.
posted by Rhomboid at 5:29 AM on December 22, 2010 [1 favorite]

This has never caused me any confusion, but I can see how it might be confusing to newer users. In the unlikely event we end up changing it, maybe just indent the "my comments" rather than offset them using a style that's used for other things on the site? Or like carsonb says, just remove the markers altogether, but I can see the usefulness in offsetting your own comments in your own recent activity stream.
posted by Gator at 6:17 AM on December 22, 2010

Yeah, please don't change this. Recent Activity is where I'm a viking!
posted by Grither at 6:44 AM on December 22, 2010

I vote for arcticseal's solution. I too would enjoy an animation of the mods driving across the screen in the Mod-Mobile.
posted by pineapple at 7:36 AM on December 22, 2010

(Not necessarily on Recent Activity though. Just, any ol' time for grins. If we could have a button to click that said "Drive the Bus!" and then the Mod-Mobile would go across the screen, that would be choice.)
posted by pineapple at 7:37 AM on December 22, 2010

We need a Mod Mobile racing game. Cortex could try and beat Matt on his bike, and the bus could drop ban hammers. App store riches await!
posted by arcticseal at 7:42 AM on December 22, 2010

I have been confused by this in the past. I approve of this pony. I promise to feed her carrots and brush her every day.
posted by Gordafarin at 8:42 AM on December 22, 2010

We had a Mod Discussion about this today and we're leaning toward the status quo. I completely understand the confusion—we're using the same highlighting in two different places of the site to mean two different things. We don't normally do that. However, our feeling is that Recent Activity is different enough from reading a standard thread that the difference in meaning while not optimal is ok. Once you're acclimated to RA, it's easy to separate the two meanings. (And because the problem is most pronounced in the plain theme, it affects fewer people.)

The other issue is that RA is heavily used by members and changes there need to be considered very carefully. It's difficult to say that the meaning of the shading in Ask takes precedence over the meaning of the shading in Recent Activity.

So the current setup is not ideal, but we feel it's also not so confusing that it's causing serious problems as it is.
posted by pb (staff) at 10:30 AM on December 22, 2010

Confused grey pony standing in the corner
posted by galadriel at 11:11 AM on December 22, 2010 [1 favorite]

russm writes "perhaps just ditch the highlighting of my own comments on that page?"

Please don't do this. When one of my comments is the only comment in a recent activity thread I know I don't have to scroll recent activity any further.

On preview: Yay! status quo.
posted by Mitheral at 11:08 AM on December 23, 2010

(And because the problem is most pronounced in the plain theme, it affects fewer people.)

I am so tired of being marginalized. I am going to form the plain theme party and we will gather at a rally in Oregon in 2011 to demand equal treatment as the regular theme folks.
posted by special-k at 1:39 PM on December 23, 2010

Hey Rhomboid, thanks! That's awesome! (The pink flashing one doesn't actually work for me, but the serious one is great!)
posted by lollusc at 3:30 AM on December 24, 2010

When I change to the "non-professional" background on the other hand... OW MY EYES! Rhomboid, you are seriously amazing. Best. Christmas. Present. Ever.
posted by lollusc at 3:34 AM on December 24, 2010