Thread starter should be able to add posts at top of thread anytime: Getting rid of the "Reserved"

Kier said:
'First post footnotes'... hmm :)
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Loving the sound of First post footnotes.
Any more thoughts on this idea ?

Grover said:
The new client I am talking to now who is interested in XenForo, is searching for a system that let's their members edit the first posting of a thread indefinitely.
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OMG.
Grover, PM me about this. I'd like to hear what's going on about your client.
I have a post on vb.com I'd like to PM you. A very smart guy said something a long time ago dealing with this exact topic. You'll recognize his train of thought when you read it. I have an Addon idea that is basically this same idea with some obvious expansion.

Forums are used for much more then simply starting a new post and discuss that further. In this day of age (in my opinion that started already 7 years ago) we use forums for all kinds of content-creation/interaction. The first posting of a thread has -ideally- more uses to it, so I dearly hope to see more flexibility in this.
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Precisely!
We are so on the same wavelength.
Forums aren't evolving as much as they should.
People get worried that Facebook will kill their community .... well harnessing the community's knowledge in a more effective manner than just threads and posts will show Facebook what it's missing.
 

aculate said:
you know how many users keep writing to me (i'm the admin of my board) to add something to the main thread they created? I support this suggestion... it should be an option per usergroup
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option per usergroup = is a good idea.
or an admin could give a thread the "First Post Footnotes" ability at any time to any thread.
 
This relatively easy to implement idea would show that Xenforo is a forward looking forum.
The bigger forums really need it.

Note: Ideally the thread starter could also assign someone else to a new post at the top ! (get someone else to write the documentation or whatever needs doing.).

Note: This "adding posts to the beginning of a thread" might also be a moderator function where someone can ask for the post to be added - and a moderator would perform it.
 
I realized why Kier said "First Post Footnotes".
My original idea was that if you added a post at the top, it would just be the #2 post, and all the posts would just be increased in number accordingly.
I now know that would be disruptive to threads (especially thread "pages"), so somehow you want to be able to add "posts" to the top, but they wouldn't be numbered as other posts in a thread are ... they would just be footnotes of the first post.

I hope that is clear as mud.
 
I understand the idea of collecting overview info very well. Would be very useful; for "how to" threads/ collecting data like links, reviews, books, new versions of games.

I am discussing the idea with a coder of an Article system where an Article can optionally link with a thread (or forum).

Top + bottom of page - link to the partner item (article/ forum thread) ,
and frontend edit of the Articleusing copy paste
it would be easy to update the Article to include new posts' contributions.
 
I am having a need for this also. I have a massive excel file which I want displayed in text format for search engine indexing. If you don't split this up, you have to increase the maximum message size, if you go to far you create issues with your database and cause caches to fail when rebuilding, etc.

I need to basically "Insert" a post between my first post and the first reply.
 
Digital Doctor said:
If you start an important thread, and have lots of replies ...
... wouldn't it be sensible to allow the OP / Thread starter to add a post under his/her original one .... say for documentation, screenshots, etc.

Kier called this idea "First Post Footnotes".
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I think this would do what you want.

I use AndyB's add-on here: https://xenforo.com/community/resources/change-date.2371/
when you change the date and/or time of a new post it inserts the post at that datt and time insertion point in that forums thread.

Hope this is what you were wanting to do? I love this add-on.

Sam
 
Sam F said:
I think this would do what you want.

I use AndyB's add-on here: https://xenforo.com/community/resources/change-date.2371/
when you change the date and/or time of a new post it inserts the post at that datt and time insertion point in that forums thread.

Hope this is what you were wanting to do? I love this add-on.

Sam
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If it can do that, then this works perfectly. Thank you so much, I already have some of Andy's addons and they are good!
 
Not to bump an old thread, but I was clearing out my watched threads and I figured I'd mention this.

Try checking out the addon called "Threadmarks". You can set it so the OP or moderator or even the members can create bookmarks to specific posts within a large thread.
 
Reddit automatically “thread marks” via upvoting. Superior by design.

I do like thread marks. It helps retain some usefulness to large threads to newcomers. Not near enough mind you.

Forums are dying because they create poor content and content density.

Facebook and twitter are for chit chat.
 
Digital Doctor said:
Reddit automatically “thread marks” via upvoting. Superior by design.

I do like thread marks. It helps retain some usefulness to large threads to newcomers. Not near enough mind you.

Forums are dying because they create poor content and content density.

Facebook and twitter are for chit chat.
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Forums will never fully die so long as Facebook groups continue to be closed and Facebook's moderation and search tools remain awful.
 
doublespaces said:
Forums will never fully die so long as Facebook groups continue to be closed and Facebook's moderation and search tools remain awful.
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Forums may not fully die but they become a lot more difficult to build a critical mass around, that's for damn sure. And that's the problem... the stickyness factor is being lost. The regular contributions slow down considerably when the members think the people reading their contributions is declining. When a forum that used to be strong sees its members, most of whom used to chat via PMs on the site and in the sub-forums daily, doing most of their chatting with the same people over on FB, the site ends up losing part of its soul - and eventually ends up becoming more of a searchable archive than a bustling community.

It's a little like Route 66 - some will still go to enjoy and immerse themselves in it, but more and more are using the newer highway system.

I wouldn't say it's inevitable, but it's not something you can just dismiss anymore.
 
If you build a forum now, it will only appear to be growth. I think it's just a matter of not generating enough compelling reasons to post. I have been successful so far in growing. How long that can sustain is unknown.
 
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