XF 2.1 Newest First?

[AtomicZombie]

My new XF2 install is working great so far, but I just found a show stopper.

Suprising to me, my forums and threads are listed in oldest first order!!
Not sure why anyone would want that, and I really need to fix it.
Tried all the ascending, descending, and date option combos and nothing changes.

The order almost seems random.
Here is an example...

Not a problem, just a question...

Is there any way to display the most recent post FIRST, instead of last (at the bottom) of a thread? (If that makes sense)

atomiczombie.com

Members are not going to like it if I cannot fix this.

Thanks,
Brad

 

[AtomicZombie]

The main conversion goal of my site has always been a click on "Plans", and both forums drive that right now. Eventually traffic will drop on the old forum, so perhaps I will retire it one day.

My Google ranking issue has always been the main site, never the forums, and I think the issue was a combination of aspx, small fonts, and a non responsive design. It worked well in 2010, and being a weekend hobby for me, I just didn't have the time until now.

Brad

You're not dealing with visitors in SEO you're dealing with spiders. You want google to point people to the NEW place in searches. Not the old place and hope they stumble onto your new spot. Hope ain't a plan. Subdomain or not, it's a competitor.

 

[imno007]

You mentioned both threads and posts to begin with, so just to be sure you know: you can change the default sort order of threads, just not posts. Xon's addon, which someone already linked here to, can do that on a per node basis, set by the admin. I kind of miss SMF's implementation of this myself, which allowed users to choose the default sort order for themselves, but honestly I can't say I heard from a lot of people who were distraught over losing the option.

 

[AtomicZombie]

Thanks.

What I am after is the exact opposite of what Brogan said is "logical", because I totally disagree with that. I want EVERYTHING to be "last in, first out. A forum is not a book, you peek in to see "what's new", not "what's old"!

I want ALL threads and posts to show newest first all the time.
This is what my members want as well.
Can't honestly imagine anyone wanting old first, with perhaps the exception of a very first time visitor reading the thread for the first time. Even then, it's a once only thing.

I messed around with all possible combinations of "Default sort order", but could not get what I wanted.
Maybe I am missing something totally obvious?

Brad

You mentioned both threads and posts to begin with, so just to be sure you know: you can change the default sort order of threads, just not posts. Xon's addon, which someone already linked here to, can do that ona per node basis, set by the admin. I kind of miss SMF's implementation of this myself, which allowed users to choose the default sort order for themselves, but honestly I can't say I heard from a lot of people who were distraught over losing the option.

 

[imno007]

Well, to be fair, it's comes down largely to what you (and your users) are used to. To me, and probably the majority of forum users, it will seem perfectly normal to have last posts...well, last. Which is why you don't see it being something much talked about here (not that I'm aware of offhand). Here's another addon you might find of interest:

Unmaintained - [TH] Post Comments

Post Comments Modernize your forum’s discussions with Post Comments. Like Reddit and Facebook, keep your post replies inline so the discussion is relative and easy to follow. With Post Comments, your users can comment on each other’s posts...

xenforo.com

 

[Kirby]

I want ALL threads and posts to show newest first all the time.
This is what my members want as well.
Can't honestly imagine anyone wanting old first, with perhaps the exception of a very first time visitor reading the thread for the first time. Even then, it's a once only thing.

The highlighted "exception" is actually the norm

Unless your forum is primarily or even exclusively member only, the vast majority of traffic (usually 70+ %) is generated by guests who do not know your threads and have to read them from the beginning to unterstand the content.

It is completely illogical for this audience to have the newest post in top.

 

[AtomicZombie]

Well, I guess I am the exception... but that is normal for me!

My forum is like a ClubHouse where those who have already built something from my plans or from their own designs come to hang out. Most members just bookmark their favorite threads, which is why seeing the newest first would be ideal.

This is also how I prefer to land on a forum, even if it is my first visit.
You can gain a lot from the latest few posts so you can quickly see if it is really worth digging through the rest.

So yep, 90% of my traffic will be return visitors looking to see "what's new".

Actually, I do the same on this forum. For example, I may land on "XF2 - How do I call PHP?".
I then get past all of the "bla bla bla bla", and hit the last few posts, where the answers live.

Brad

The highlighted "exception" is actually the norm

Unless your forum is primarily or even exclusively member only, the vast majority of traffic (usually 70+ %) is generated by guests who do not know your threads and have to read them from the beginning to unterstand the content.

It is completely illogical for this audience to have the newest post in top.

 

[imno007]

Well, I guess I am the exception... but that is normal for me!

My forum is like a ClubHouse where those who have already built something from my plans or from their own designs come to hang out. Most members just bookmark their favorite threads, which is why seeing the newest first would be ideal.

This is also how I prefer to land on a forum, even if it is my first visit.
You can gain a lot from the latest few posts so you can quickly see if it is really worth digging through the rest.

So yep, 90% of my traffic will be return visitors looking to see "what's new".

Brad

It helps then that they literally have a big Whats' New link at the top of every page where they can see the latest threads and posts and profile comments, as well as the ability to watch and unwatch threads and forums, etc. Also, you might want to make sure they're aware of the filtering options in each node, as well as the filtering options under New posts which will allow them to sort by only threads they've participated in, etc.. Don't worry, they'll get used to it. I think I only saw two members complaining about it in the thread you linked to, so if that's as bad as it gets then it could be worse.

 

[AtomicZombie]

Thanks, will see how thing progress.
I only put it online last night though.

Brad

It helps then that they literally have a big Whats' New link at the top of every page where they can see the latest threads and posts and profile comments, as well as the ability to watch and unwatch threads and forums, etc. Also, you might want to make sure they're aware of the filtering options in each node, as well as the filtering options under New posts which will allow them to sort by only threads they've participated in, etc.. Don't worry, they'll get used to it. I think I only saw two members complaining about it in the thread you linked to, so if that's as bad as it gets then it could be worse.

 

[imno007]

Thanks, will see how thing progress.
I only put it online last night though.

Brad

I'll be surprised if you don't get at least a few complaints about other things. One thing you have to expect if you've been running a community for any length of time is that some, maybe a lot, of your users resent change and they'll moan and groan a bit before they settle in and get used to things. But hopefully your experience will be like mine and a lot of others and most everyone will be happy in the end. Good luck!

 

[AtomicZombie]

I am old enough to not like change as well.
If I had it my way, I would still be booting Dos6.22, and coding in Debug.
Brad

I'll be surprised if you don't get at least a few complaints about other things. One thing you have to expect if you've been running a community for any length of time is that some, maybe a lot, of your users resent change and they'll moan and groan a bit before they settle in and get used to things. But hopefully your experience will be like mine and a lot of others and most everyone will be happy in the end. Good luck!

 

[imno007]

I am old enough to not like change as well.
If I had it my way, I would still be booting Dos6.22, and coding in Debug.
Brad

Well, there's plenty of research that proves that trying out and learning new things and new ways of doing things keeps the brain agile and healthy, so I guess we have to console ourselves with that. And I'll just say no to DOS, I don't miss that at all, or floppy disks.

 

[Max Taxable]

I am old enough to not like change as well.
If I had it my way, I would still be booting Dos6.22, and coding in Debug.
Brad

I don't and never have liked "change" if it's just for the sake of "change." When it's either necessary or beneficial I have no problem with it. The rub though is, the widely varying opinions on the definitions of "necessary" and "beneficial." Lots of people think any "change" automatically fits both parameters, simply because it is "change."

 

[AtomicZombie]

I design cinematography equipment at my day job. Motion control, assembly programming, FPGA layout, etc, so it is nice to have something that isn't so much in a constant state of flux. The old forum was a nice getaway for me and its members! I even made the new XF look like the old forum.

I don't mind Win10 actually. But when given the chance, I retreat to my cave and power up my VIC-20!...

Not many can say they still boot up and enjoy their 38 year old computer!
The square system on the far right is my original PET from 1978. Yep, that still works as well!

Brad

Well, there's plenty of research that proves that trying out and learning new things and new ways of doing things keeps the brain agile and healthy, so I guess we have to console ourselves with that. And I'll just say no to DOS, I don't miss that at all, or floppy disks.

 

[imno007]

I don't and never have liked "change" if it's just for the sake of "change." When it's either necessary or beneficial I have no problem with it. The rub though is, the widely varying opinions on the definitions of "necessary" and "beneficial." Lots of people think any "change" automatically fits both parameters, simply because it is "change."

Well, there's the hitch: definitions and people's varying opinions on what is and isn't necessary and beneficial. I don't understand why all the aisles are constantly getting shifted about when I go to Walmart, but I'm sure they have their reasons.

 

[Max Taxable]

Well, there's the hitch: definitions and people's varying opinions on what is and isn't necessary and beneficial. I don't understand why all the aisles are constantly getting shifted about when I go to Walmart, but I'm sure they have their reasons.

Marketing the change of seasons and holidays mostly. Necessary stuff for maximizing customer convenience and profit. Removing discontinued/recalled items. And so on. Not just to do it. They're not going to waste labor costs on trivial matters.

 

[Kirby]

I don't understand why all the aisles are constantly getting shifted about when I go to Walmart, but I'm sure they have their reasons.

They are getting shifted around to increase sales If customers immediately find only the stuff they want to buy and don't have to search a little bit, chances that they stumble upon products they did not plan to buy but that trigger interest and thus get bougth anyway would be much less.

 

[imno007]

Marketing the change of seasons and holidays mostly. Necessary stuff for maximizing customer convenience and profit. Removing discontinued/recalled items. And so on. Not just to do it. They're not going to waste labor costs on trivial matters.

Of course. My point was just that if it were left up to the customers, they might have a different opinion on the matter.

 

[Max Taxable]

Of course. My point was just that if it were left up to the customers, they might have a different opinion on the matter.

Just like forum dwellers. Or any other customer.

 

[imno007]

Just like forum dwellers. Or any other customer.

Exactly. But the decision ultimately lies with the person holding the purse strings.

 

[Max Taxable]

Exactly. But the decision ultimately lies with the person holding the purse strings.

And so do the consequences.