Need Help With TBN Addiction

Harv · Jan 7, 2001

Muhammad -

I keep trying to wean myself from reading every message that is posted, but I just can't help myself. /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif

Since I am now spending way more time reading TractorByNet than I really have time for, I was looking for a faster way to get through it each day.

I generally just use the "Past 24 Hours" link and then open each message I haven't previously read until I'm caught up. It takes a lot of time to open each message individually, so I was wondering if there's any possibility of having a "Flat" mode for this list of messages?

As long as I'm shooting for the moon, it would be super great if I could bring up a subset of the 24-hour list that consists of just the messages I haven't read yet, and then view them in flat mode.

I've tried all the other ways to read messages (forum by forum, etc.), but I keep coming back to the "Past 24 Hours" method.

If I'm the only one looking for remedy here, then I'll just seek professional help from a local Shrinkologist. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Thomas · Jan 7, 2001

I've yet to find a cure for this addiction.
Even have TBN on both of my computers at work,and one always has TBN showing.
/w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
Maybe when the weather warms up and spending more time outside.

Thomas..NH /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

Muhammad · Jan 7, 2001

Yeah, I know... I've been dealing with the addiction for 4 years now, counting time on other tractor forums before TBN was around. Tough, huh? /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Ok, now down to business... /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

Features are being worked on to deliver the unread messages faster.

1) Messages delivered by e-mail. Probably within 7-10 days we will be able to finish this up, once the time becomes available. The way it will work is....

You will subscribe to receive messages by e-mail, on a forum-by-forum basis. When a message in that forum is posted, you will receive an e-mail containing the message, and a link to the message.

2) Some type of new message check feature, so you can get a listing of new messages in a quicker to view format. Basically, what we plan (technical speed bumps aside) is a page that would look like the forum indexes do, but it would only show threads with new messages since your last login. Would most likely be forum-wide, but maybe in the future we could add options to select which forums to pull the new messages from.

I personally go into each forum with new messages (displayed on main index in blue) and then just check the threads that are marked as new in the forum indexes. This is much faster than going with the 24-hour check, since that takes you to the threaded/single message view. There is really no possibility (logical, anyway) to change that to flat view without causing too much of a stir technically. In other words, to change the searches to display in flat mode, many more calls would have to be made to the server, slowing everything up; especially with the volume we're talking about here.

I have found the fastest method to be going forum-by-forum... then since you can view in flat mode from there, and view the last page only if there are multiple pages, you will get what is new quicker. Plus, you can easily read back 3 or 4 messages in flat mode, if you weren't following that discussion. Also, you can set your preferences to display x number of posts per page, and x number of threads per page, to reduce loading times on those pages.

For the daily viewers, we know that we need to add a feature to display all new messages for easy reading. We just haven't had the time recently, with some other things being developed for the site.

Muhammad · Jan 7, 2001

Maybe we need to add an auto refresh feature, Thomas? The main index would automatically refresh every 5 or 10 seconds, for those of you who have it on all the time like a TV. /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Thomas · Jan 7, 2001

Muhammad,
Maybe one of those clap on..clap off like on tv,or something in the lines of smoker's patch for the addiction so I can pace myself. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

Sure glad there no chatroom on TBN...yikes. /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Thomas..NH /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

Harv · Jan 7, 2001

Muhammad -

Sounds like you've got a never-ending stream of improvements in the works.

Don't get me wrong -- this is by far the best message board on the net. I just want to have my cake and eat it, too. And in a timely fashion. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

Thanks for the detailed reply.

Muhammad · Jan 7, 2001

<font color=blue>Sounds like you've got a never-ending stream of improvements in the works.</font color=blue>

Yeah, that's safe to say! /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

Bird · Jan 7, 2001

Muhammad, I think I read the messages as you're saying you do; go to the main index, click on the forum with new messages designated by the blue number, etc. However, the "Jump to" feature has the forums in alphabetical order and the main index is in another order. It seems to me that it would speed up my going through them if the "Jump to" list of forums was in the same order as the main index.

Bird

gordon · Jan 7, 2001

Harv there are alot worse things to be addicted to!!! Maybe if your tractor was closer to home. That might help, have you got any room in your garage?
Gordon

Harv · Jan 7, 2001

Gordon -

<font color=blue>have you got any room in your garage?</font color=blue>

I might be able to get it in my garage -- the wife's car would have to move out, of course. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Then, let's see... the front and back lawns combined take about 20 minutes with a hand-pushed electric mower, so with my L2500 and 5-foot brush hog I should be able to do the job in about 3 minutes.

And then I would get to haul it up to the property every couple of weeks. By golly -- I think you're on to something. /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif