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Author Topic: Too many categories?  (Read 8514 times)

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Offline DzikiZdeb

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Re: Too many categories?
« Reply #50 on: March 22, 2021, 10:56:42 am »
There are two parallel SMF lines: 2.0.x and 2.1.x, 2.1.x is still in the testing phase, so version 2.0.18 (the last of the 2.0.x line, released in early February) will be fine. Besides the ability to put pictures in the middle of posts, there are many other features not available in 1.0.x, e.g. the ability to skip entire categories (for those for whom there are too many), additional spam protection, etc.

Offline Heliodromus

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Re: Too many categories?
« Reply #51 on: March 22, 2021, 12:27:38 pm »
Quote from: Carausius on March 21, 2021, 11:53:24 pm
2.  Ability to upload video or other multi-media to posts.

Realistically the only way any additional features like this are going to be supported is if they are available as SMF add-ons. The alternative, customizing the SMF software, would be too expensive, as would be self-hosting videos.

However, there is an "Auto Media Embedder" add-on for SMF 2.x that would go a long ways towards this, and potentially add to user engagement. What this add-on does is automatically convert URLs you post pointing to multi-media content into an inline (aka embedded) part of your post. It supports dozens of source web sites, including YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Imgur, Flikr and Google Drive.

So, to include your video/etc you'd upload it to one of the supported sites (Google Drive is an interesting option, since it doesn't require a social media post) then just include the URL in your post, and the video would display/play directly in your post. Video does seem to be increasingly used for ancient coins - some auction sites now including video as well as photos.

What's cool about this is that it'd of course also work for existing content, so if you find an interesting video somewhere you could just post the URL and it'd show up in the post rather than users having to click-through to an external site. I wonder how much ancient coin content is on TikTok ?  ;D

Ben

Offline Lech Stępniewski

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Re: Too many categories?
« Reply #52 on: March 22, 2021, 03:26:50 pm »
What this add-on does is automatically convert URLs you post pointing to multi-media content into an inline (aka embedded) part of your post.

Yes, it would be great to have such add-on. Then I could embed in this thread this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCud8H7z7vU
Lech Stępniewski
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Offline SC

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Re: Too many categories?
« Reply #53 on: March 22, 2021, 06:51:41 pm »
Killer funny!!

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Offline SC

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Re: Too many categories?
« Reply #54 on: March 22, 2021, 06:53:34 pm »
One issue with merging threads is the all the stickies get combined. 

On my laptop the new Admin section is all stickies except for the bottom two entries.

Minor detail but annoying.

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Offline Jay GT4

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Re: Too many categories?
« Reply #55 on: March 22, 2021, 08:08:28 pm »
Yeah, I mentioned that too Shawn.  Those pinned posts could be combined and condensed.  Just needs a trim. :afro:

Offline Jay GT4

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Re: Too many categories?
« Reply #56 on: March 23, 2021, 05:10:24 pm »
At least the Polish Forum is on fire  ;D.  Wish I could read it...

Offline Lech Stępniewski

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Re: Too many categories?
« Reply #57 on: March 23, 2021, 05:43:58 pm »
At least the Polish Forum is on fire  ;D.  Wish I could read it...

Google Translator is amazingly good and getting better. Numismatic terminology is similar: awers - obverse, rewers - reverse, etc. Comments and questions can be written in English. You are welcome.
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Offline Jay GT4

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Re: Too many categories?
« Reply #58 on: March 23, 2021, 06:21:50 pm »
Hopefully you took that as a joke Lech :laugh:

Offline Bill W4

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Re: Too many categories?
« Reply #59 on: March 23, 2021, 07:58:15 pm »
I suppose I am in the minority, but I  am quite happy the way things are.  That said, I use a desktop and others may prefer a laptop or iphone.  I'm old and dislike change but there it is.  Can't see having likes because then there are dislikes and it tumbles from there.  I see forum as an educational source more than anything.
I wouldn't join any club that would have me as a member!

Offline Virgil H

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Re: Too many categories?
« Reply #60 on: March 23, 2021, 08:28:33 pm »
Ha ha, me too. I spent many months with the Polish Army in Afghanistan. This is one of the most difficult languages I ever tried to learn and I was very much a failure at it. I tried, but I have never been very good at languages.

Virgil

At least the Polish Forum is on fire  ;D.  Wish I could read it...

Offline Simon

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Re: Too many categories?
« Reply #61 on: March 30, 2021, 08:14:39 pm »
I have been a forum member for many years.  This board really has helped in gaining knowledge in this hobby. I have met with great people and my knowledge has been expanded a lot. I slowed down on the boards because of work travel. As I came back to do more I found many other great collectors had left us but their words are still here.

Forum was quiet in the Byzantine page so I started using cointalk Its been a year or two now, It has a few advantages  over forum and that is we are all talking about ancients, not just one category of ancients but everything. I got interested in types that I did not know I was interested in.  It started me on several new collections because of other peoples threads. My focus is 12th century Byzantine but because of posts on Coin talk I have expanded my collections greatly. More Greek, Different time periods of Byzantine and Turkoman Coins.

Bottom line, I love forum for the knowledge and the ability to search old threads, I never want to see that go.

I think  it would be beneficial if  we brought people to one general category,  leave the others , have everyone go through the one board to get to the other categories. Eg. Roman, Celtic, Byzantine.  Likes are fun too.

More Traffic means more business for Forum.


This solution does not disrupt the Moderators of the boards but does bring people together for Ancient coins, it is just one idea but I think it will increase activity greatly. Change the colors too, website needs a paint job. 

Simon
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=5633 My main collection of Tetartera. Post reform coinage.

Offline Joe Sermarini

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Re: Too many categories?
« Reply #62 on: March 31, 2021, 03:51:35 pm »
We are not going to have just one general category. If I wanted that, I would have started a Facebook discussion page.  If you want to see all the topics, click the 100, New Topics, or New Posts links at the top of the page. Then everything new is there all in one place, just like those other discussions. 

We are not going to change our colors.

We are going to update to SMF 2.x, which will bring changes. I don't know what the changes will be, but it should be improved. It is not going to combine all the topics into one. Sorin is working on that now. It is a big job.
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Offline Simon

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Re: Too many categories?
« Reply #63 on: March 31, 2021, 04:19:14 pm »
We are not going to have just one general category. If I wanted that, I would have started a Facebook discussion page.  If you want to see all the topics, click the 100, New Topics, or New Posts links at the top of the page. Then everything new is there all in one place, just like those other discussions. 

We are not going to change our colors.

We are going to update to SMF 2.x, which will bring changes. I don't know what the changes will be, but it should be improved. It is not going to combine all the topics into one. Sorin is working on that now. It is a big job.

No offense, just some suggestions Joe. I look forward to the new update.

Simon
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=5633 My main collection of Tetartera. Post reform coinage.

Offline Joe Sermarini

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Re: Too many categories?
« Reply #64 on: March 31, 2021, 04:30:55 pm »
I am not offended. No worries.
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Offline Stkp

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Re: Too many categories?
« Reply #65 on: April 02, 2021, 07:01:00 am »
... click the 100, New Topics, or New Posts links at the top of the page. Then everything new is there all in one place...

That is how I always use the discussion board and assumed (until this thread) that most others did so as well. Stkp

Offline Joe Sermarini

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Re: Too many categories?
« Reply #66 on: April 02, 2021, 08:39:56 am »
Many, many features of the discussion, shop, NumisWiki, etc. are not noticed by most users. There is a lot here that few know. Every once in a while someone will find something and mention how much they like it to me in email or PM. I am happy to be informed when someone finds something useful but sometimes I am also surprised when they have just discovered something that has been on the site for 5 or even 15 years.
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Offline Lech Stępniewski

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Re: Too many categories?
« Reply #67 on: April 02, 2021, 08:58:58 am »
There is a lot here that few know. Every once in a while someone will find something and mention how much they like it to me in email or PM.

Maybe you should make a list of them: "Frequently overlooked features".
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Offline Heliodromus

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Re: Too many categories?
« Reply #68 on: April 03, 2021, 05:22:25 pm »
Quote
Maybe you should make a list of them: "Frequently overlooked features".

Along those lines, I wonder how many members realize what you can do with the "img" and "url" BB-code tags ?

1) If there's an image already on the web (maybe in your FORVM gallery) that you want to appear inline in your post, then just post the image URL and enclose it in "img" tags like this:

Code: [Select]
[img]https://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190517103414-01-grumpy-cat-file-restricted-super-169.jpg[/img]



2) If you want to include a clickable link in your post (to anything, e.g. a youtube video), then enclose it in "url" tags, and add the text you want displayed, like this:

Code: [Select]
[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLb5QKJs_14]click here to watch video[/url]

click here to watch video

3) You can combine these methods to post clickable images by replacing the clickable text with an image, such as this clickable grumpy cat that takes us to the same video:

Code: [Select]
[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLb5QKJs_14][img width=300]https://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190517103414-01-grumpy-cat-file-restricted-super-169.jpg[/img][/url]



Finally, if you want to get fancy, you can do a better job of faking embedded videos by using that last "clickable image" technique, but use a custom image that looks like a video. First use your favorite image editing tool such as Photoshop or GIMP to create the clickable image you want, upload it to an image sharing site such as https://imgur.com/, then use it as above. In this example I've done a screen grab of the youtube screen and used that as the clickable image (uploaded to imgur):

Code: [Select]
[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLb5QKJs_14][img width=400]https://i.imgur.com/iTUex06.jpeg[/img][/url]



Ben

Offline *Alex

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Re: Too many categories?
« Reply #69 on: April 03, 2021, 06:06:00 pm »
Google doesn't like those image insertions. Apparently they adversely affect FORVM's Google rating. I don't know why.

Also, if you insert such an image which is from a site other than FORVM there is no guarantee how long they will stay there.

Alex.

Offline Heliodromus

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Re: Too many categories?
« Reply #70 on: April 03, 2021, 08:29:08 pm »
Quote
Google doesn't like those image insertions. Apparently they adversely affect FORVM's Google rating. I don't know why.

I'd be surprised if that is true. What mostly affects PageRank is who links to you, not who you link to. People make careers out of trying to second guess and keep up with the changing rules. Google themself even recommend SEO consultants for some people !

https://developers.google.com/search/docs/beginner/seo-starter-guide

Anyhow, that'd be a nice problem to have - so much engaging multimedia content that some arcane google rule notices it! I don' think it's going to happen.  ;)

Quote
Also, if you insert such an image which is from a site other than FORVM there is no guarantee how long they will stay there.

The same is true even for content on FORVM - anything that isn't managed as part of the post may have a different lifetime. I'm not even sure that FORVM gallery image URLs are guaranteed not to change. Some sites like YouTube and Imgur are pretty safe though. Imgur was specifically created to host linked-to content.

The upgrade to SMF 2.x would allow the inline image insertion add-on, but even then we're going to be dependent on external sites to host video.

Ben

Offline Jay GT4

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Re: Too many categories?
« Reply #71 on: April 03, 2021, 10:29:43 pm »
Those image tags and links rarely worked for me so I gave up trying.  The new boards don't need any coding by the user, just clicks.  Simple.

Offline Heliodromus

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Re: Too many categories?
« Reply #72 on: April 04, 2021, 08:48:12 am »
Agreed - it seems people do want to post inline pictures (very natural: here's coin A: A, here's coin B: B), but having to do it this way isn't exactly fun (and I'm a software developer).

Ben

Offline wolfgang336

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Re: Too many categories?
« Reply #73 on: April 04, 2021, 11:05:08 pm »
I joined FORVM nearly 20 years ago and then disappeared for over a decade. I've only begun to re-explore this hobby during COVID. I was saddened to see that Forum is not as lively as I recall.

During my temporary retirement, the nature of the internet changed. For many, the internet is no longer a place for deep knowledge acquisition. It's now about gratification. Every time I get a like or a follow on Facebook or Instagram, I get a little hit of dopamine. That little rush makes me want to engage more with the platform in order to get my next hit of dopamine.

If we want to have more engagement and new members (and for Joe, more sales), the platform should recognize this evolution. For that reason, I think a "like" function is extremely important. People will be encouraged to post more if they receive 'likes', even if commenting is low.

This may make FORVM seem less academic. That's not a bad thing. First, this will be a less intimidating place to post and learn, and second, there's no reason that academic conversations can't continue to occur (i.e. there's a false dichotomy between academic and 'fun').

As for combining topics: I think COTD should be collapsed into Ancient Coin Forum, to try to facilitate a bit more of the show-and-tell feeling that seems to have led to some success on Coin Talk. I also think Members Gallery could be added to Ancient Coin Forum (for the same reason).

Just my 0.02.


Offline Meepzorp

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Re: Too many categories?
« Reply #74 on: April 05, 2021, 12:02:12 am »
I think COTD should be collapsed into Ancient Coin Forum...

Hi wolf,

I agree. I actually suggested this merger earlier in this topic. You may have seen my post.

Meepzorp

 

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