Headlines cause confusion September 21, 2006 11:44 AM Subscribe
PonyFilter: CDC Recommends... what?
It is obvious when you open the post because the headline is shown, but in the front page, it is just confusing... Can the headline be included on the front page, or can there be a note in the posting page that the headline is not shown on the FP, and shouldn't be used as part of the post summary
It is obvious when you open the post because the headline is shown, but in the front page, it is just confusing... Can the headline be included on the front page, or can there be a note in the posting page that the headline is not shown on the FP, and shouldn't be used as part of the post summary
It seems reasonable to expect that someone posting will've looked at the front page once or twice and noted the lack of titles.
posted by jack_mo at 11:57 AM on September 21, 2006
posted by jack_mo at 11:57 AM on September 21, 2006
Please ignore quonsar's weak attempt at subterfuge. Displaying post titles is a customizable user preference. You toggle it on/off with Ctrl+W.
posted by Gamblor at 12:50 PM on September 21, 2006 [1 favorite]
posted by Gamblor at 12:50 PM on September 21, 2006 [1 favorite]
jack_mo: It seems reasonable to expect that someone posting will've looked at the front page once or twice and noted the lack of titles.
So you're saying: people must have noticed now how poorly this works, so there's no reason to change it.
Poor logic. The feature as it stands is (a) confusing (b) less than useful (c) prone to user error. Asking to have it reconsidered is a valid request.
posted by Dunwitty at 1:02 PM on September 21, 2006
So you're saying: people must have noticed now how poorly this works, so there's no reason to change it.
Poor logic. The feature as it stands is (a) confusing (b) less than useful (c) prone to user error. Asking to have it reconsidered is a valid request.
posted by Dunwitty at 1:02 PM on September 21, 2006
Or just possibly he's saying "A poster will see how that works and make an informed decision. If they choose to frame a post in such a way that you're not sure exactly what's being discussed until you click on the link or the thread, then it's a stylistic choice, perhaps a poor one, but not an error." Which is, in fact, what I assumed was going on in the example nielm gave.
posted by solotoro at 1:33 PM on September 21, 2006
posted by solotoro at 1:33 PM on September 21, 2006
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't there a picture on the 'post a link' page that shows exactly where each field in your post will show up? And isn't there a preview which shows what your post looks like? I'd check myself, but I posted a link today.
posted by Roger Dodger at 1:37 PM on September 21, 2006
posted by Roger Dodger at 1:37 PM on September 21, 2006
Maybe they're playing Jeopardy and phrasing their post in the form of a question?
posted by blue_beetle at 1:52 PM on September 21, 2006
posted by blue_beetle at 1:52 PM on September 21, 2006
But in that case, they forgot "What is: "
posted by blue_beetle at 1:52 PM on September 21, 2006
posted by blue_beetle at 1:52 PM on September 21, 2006
Some of you require no mystery in life, I guess. You need everything answered for you, and leave nothing to the element of surprise.
posted by crunchland at 1:59 PM on September 21, 2006
posted by crunchland at 1:59 PM on September 21, 2006
Can we not turn this into another creationism argument, please?
posted by Gamblor at 2:06 PM on September 21, 2006
posted by Gamblor at 2:06 PM on September 21, 2006
Mysteriously, we can't not.
posted by sonofsamiam at 2:10 PM on September 21, 2006
posted by sonofsamiam at 2:10 PM on September 21, 2006
crunchland writes "Some of you require no mystery in life, I guess. You need everything answered for you, and leave nothing to the element of surprise."
This is a long running debate of course. I'm one who looks for clairity and some idea of what I'll be looking at. Mystery meat rarely gets clicked on by me and never if it's youtube.
posted by Mitheral at 2:57 PM on September 21, 2006
This is a long running debate of course. I'm one who looks for clairity and some idea of what I'll be looking at. Mystery meat rarely gets clicked on by me and never if it's youtube.
posted by Mitheral at 2:57 PM on September 21, 2006
Er, nielm, have you ever actually looked at the Blue before?
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 4:08 PM on September 21, 2006
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 4:08 PM on September 21, 2006
So you're saying: people must have noticed now how poorly this works, so there's no reason to change it.
No, I was saying that if you're posting to the site, it seems reasonable to suppose that you'd know that the title appears on individual post pages and in the RSS feeds, but not on the front page. It may not be the ideal set up catering to every possible eventuality, sure, but it doesn't work that poorly - this is the first time in I've ever seen someone make this 'user error'.
Plus, you know, there's the whopping great image showing you exactly how your post will look on the front page:
posted by jack_mo at 6:32 PM on September 21, 2006
No, I was saying that if you're posting to the site, it seems reasonable to suppose that you'd know that the title appears on individual post pages and in the RSS feeds, but not on the front page. It may not be the ideal set up catering to every possible eventuality, sure, but it doesn't work that poorly - this is the first time in I've ever seen someone make this 'user error'.
Plus, you know, there's the whopping great image showing you exactly how your post will look on the front page:
posted by jack_mo at 6:32 PM on September 21, 2006
but isn't there a picture on the 'post a link' page that shows exactly where each field in your post will show up?
Whenever people make mistakes with the "title" thing, people always reference the instructions, and post the big picture of the instructions as though that's the end of it. When I first posted (which I have done once) I stared and stared at that picture, on two separate occasions, and it was (and is, to me) not clear. I remember thinking there were several confusing things about the picture/instructions, but the one I remember now is that the repetition of the word "title" makes the reader think that writing in the title on the one line will appear in the place described as "link title."
Also, there's no description for non-tech people re how to link something in addition to the "main" link. I didn't know until I asked how to use the link button -- that you highlight something and then click link -- I kept clicking link with no highlight which doesn't work. While people may think that's dumb, I can guarantee you that none of the very smart people at my office (a legal non-profit) (except for the computer guy and the one other MeFi) know how to do that.
I know some people think that the instructions are crystal clear and that people who can't follow them are dense, but I really don't like the Sample Link.
posted by ClaudiaCenter at 7:13 PM on September 21, 2006
Whenever people make mistakes with the "title" thing, people always reference the instructions, and post the big picture of the instructions as though that's the end of it. When I first posted (which I have done once) I stared and stared at that picture, on two separate occasions, and it was (and is, to me) not clear. I remember thinking there were several confusing things about the picture/instructions, but the one I remember now is that the repetition of the word "title" makes the reader think that writing in the title on the one line will appear in the place described as "link title."
Also, there's no description for non-tech people re how to link something in addition to the "main" link. I didn't know until I asked how to use the link button -- that you highlight something and then click link -- I kept clicking link with no highlight which doesn't work. While people may think that's dumb, I can guarantee you that none of the very smart people at my office (a legal non-profit) (except for the computer guy and the one other MeFi) know how to do that.
I know some people think that the instructions are crystal clear and that people who can't follow them are dense, but I really don't like the Sample Link.
posted by ClaudiaCenter at 7:13 PM on September 21, 2006
jack_mo this is the first time in I've ever seen someone make this 'user error'. I have seen it several times before (no I did not make a note of each and every case!), on both the blue and the green which is why I posed this suggestion.
Perhaps this user never reads the FP, and only reads via RSS... Who knows. The minimum I was asking for 6 words to be added to the posting page...
dirtynumbangelboy: whats that supposed to mean? Apparantly there is some kind of a user info page that can let you know this sort of thing...
posted by nielm at 4:18 AM on September 22, 2006
Perhaps this user never reads the FP, and only reads via RSS... Who knows. The minimum I was asking for 6 words to be added to the posting page...
dirtynumbangelboy: whats that supposed to mean? Apparantly there is some kind of a user info page that can let you know this sort of thing...
posted by nielm at 4:18 AM on September 22, 2006
This is probably another case of the user thinking the title is included... On preview, he would have seen:
posted by nielm at 3:56 AM on September 24, 2006
Cooking with naked porn starswhich would be fairly clear that it is NSFW
September 24, 2006 7:57 AM CET
Lesson 1: The lovely Taylor Rain shares her brownie recipe.
posted by nielm at 3:56 AM on September 24, 2006
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posted by nielm at 11:44 AM on September 21, 2006