The Blue Dot

DekuStick · October 2007

The Blue Dot before a thread title is a very helpful little thing that helps me keep track of what I've posted in. I love it and have no idea how we lived without it before. However in threads that come and go such as Smash Bros threads you'll generally have the first couple pages filled with filler posts with a little (blue dotting) message.

Now when you open a thread and go to thread tools and select subscribe to thread it does it's thing but sadly does not give a dot. Often there are threads I just want to follow and not exactly contribute to and the blue dot would work wonders. It would be great if using Thread Tools > Subscribe added a blue dot. This would save wading through the user panel.

BahamutZERO · October 2007

Or if there was a button in the thread that let you mark it with the dot, that would be nice too.

Lucky Cynic · October 2007

Even better, if you could just click the dot and it changes colors/fill. Probably too advanced to do.

Mr_Rose · October 2007

I'm pretty sure that the default set-up for vB includes a little "subscribed thread" icon to the right of the thread title....

Henroid · October 2007

That's a pretty cool idea. I imagine lurkers would love it a lot (seriously, I'm thinking they would).

Magus` · October 2007

So THAT'S what that means. I feel stupid.

redfenix · October 2007

also, anything to cut down on posts of "blue dot' would be great.

I mean, it's equally, if not more annoying that posts proclaiming, "bump'.

locopostal · October 2007

Henroid wrote: »

That's a pretty cool idea. I imagine lurkers would love it a lot (seriously, I'm thinking they would).

its true! as a lurker i wholeheartedly support this. I generally don't have much to contribute anyway. see: this post

Unearthly Stew · October 2007

Once you subscribe to a thread I'm not quite sure how the blue dot's presence or absence makes any difference.

Having a blue dot marked as a priority thing would be a little handy, however, why not just unsubscribe to to threads you aren't really following anymore?

DekuStick · October 2007

Unearthly Stew wrote: »

Once you subscribe to a thread I'm not quite sure how the blue dot's presence or absence makes any difference.

Having a blue dot marked as a priority thing would be a little handy, however, why not just unsubscribe to to threads you aren't really following anymore?

Well the idea is that it will cut down on that. Making it a little easier for people to follow threads without having to roll through the User Panel.

Unearthly Stew · October 2007

I still don't follow. There are two ways to subscribe to threads: posting in them, or using thread tools->subscribe to this thread.

Is the idea to cut down on time spent unsubscribing to threads? Isn't that only a problem if people resurrect dead threads though?

DekuStick · October 2007

Unearthly Stew wrote: »

I still don't follow. There are two ways to subscribe to threads: posting in them, or using thread tools->subscribe to this thread.

Is the idea to cut down on time spent unsubscribing to threads? Isn't that only a problem if people resurrect dead threads though?

I'm just saying it makes things easier when you're browsing forums to see a Blue Dot you placed that shows you put interest into a thread. Thread titles can change and what not. It's cutting down on time spent in your user panel sifting through threads you've subscribed to. If you're browsing G&T you can look and see Blue Dots in threads you've posted in thats great. But you can't see everything you've subscribed to. What I'm really asking for is some identification to threads you've shown interest in without going into the user panel.

Unearthly Stew · October 2007

Ah ok, that makes sense to me now. I like it.

TheOne(AndOnly) · October 2007

locopostal wrote: »

Henroid wrote: »

That's a pretty cool idea. I imagine lurkers would love it a lot (seriously, I'm thinking they would).

its true! as a lurker i wholeheartedly support this. I generally don't have much to contribute anyway. see: this post

LaOs · October 2007

I really enjoy the Blue Dot system, as it's handy to be able to look in a forum index and see immediately what I've been participating in. (Or, as a funny aside, what threads I randomly drunkenly posted in--it's happened once or twice.)

I would also be interested in a way to remove the blue dot. There are some threads that I was interested in when they started, but now they've gotten to a point where the topic isn't anything I want anything to do with (for whatever reason), and removing the blue dot would be nice.

I say it would be nice, because it's not necessary. I've been managing just by ignoring it when it's with a thread I don't want to follow anymore and that works just fine. I did try unsubscribing from a thread, but it didn't change the blue dot back to the full yellow. Maybe I just did it wrong or am remembering wrong--that's possible.

Veevee · October 2007

I love this idea, except that I think it should be a different color if you haven't posted in the thread. Maybe like a red dot if you're just subscribed, and then a purple dot if you've posted and still have it subscribed.

Athenor · October 2007

LaOs wrote: »

I really enjoy the Blue Dot system, as it's handy to be able to look in a forum index and see immediately what I've been participating in. (Or, as a funny aside, what threads I randomly drunkenly posted in--it's happened once or twice.)

I would also be interested in a way to remove the blue dot. There are some threads that I was interested in when they started, but now they've gotten to a point where the topic isn't anything I want anything to do with (for whatever reason), and removing the blue dot would be nice.

I say it would be nice, because it's not necessary. I've been managing just by ignoring it when it's with a thread I don't want to follow anymore and that works just fine. I did try unsubscribing from a thread, but it didn't change the blue dot back to the full yellow. Maybe I just did it wrong or am remembering wrong--that's possible.

It's a pretty common thing amongst all forums.

vs

The trick is that PA's color scheme is very high-contrast and such, making it easy to identify. However, most software only turns on that flag if you post in a thread.

the EASIEST way to implement what people are saying is to have the flag for subscribing to a thread match the posting in a thread icon, or maybe have some subtle differences (like shading). This will get confusing, though, once you have a post where you have both subscribed and posted in.

Also, keep in mind that double-clicking on the dot marks a thread as read/unread. So you can't use that to subscribe.

Henroid · November 2007

So, to the G&T mods I ask this:

Can we get "Blue dot" posts flagged under the same rule as the "In before the lock" shit (which hasn't been used in lord knows how long, but that just goes to show that the clamp on it worked)?

Recoil42 · November 2007

What the hell? Are these "blue dot" posts common? Because I certainly haven't seen a single fucking one, ever. o_0

Mr_Rose · November 2007

Recoil42 wrote: »

What the hell? Are these "blue dot" posts common? Because I certainly haven't seen a single fucking one, ever. o_0

They're generally confined to the Brawl threads at the moment, but they could easily spread. I'd consider it a vaccination against a much worse disease if they were stomped on now rather than later.

Tube · November 2007

If people are doing dumb shit in that thread again so help me...

Mr_Rose · November 2007

Cardboard Tube wrote: »

If people are doing dumb shit in that thread again so help me...

I'm not entirely sure this is a coincidence, but it seems to me that the ones posting the bullshit in the previous iterations are the same ones making the blue dot posts. Or at least that's how it seems.

Just please don't stop the threads completely; as much as I have no interest in Street Fighter or 9/11 conspiracy theories, I do want to discuss Smash Brothers....

Wyborn · November 2007

Cardboard Tube wrote: »

If people are doing dumb shit in that thread again so help me...

I assume it's not entirely limited to the Brawl thread, and if it is it isn't exactly kill-the-thread-and-everyone-in-it-I-told-you-guys-I-would-do-this -worthy.

Basically some people in the first few pages are dropping relatively short posts expressing opinions on the last update or the game in general, with the words "blue dot" spoilered.

Ramius · November 2007

I'm willing to allow people to make the occasional blue-dot post for purposes of thread tracking until such time that I can implement the feature talked about in this thread (associating thread subscriptions with a visual indicator on the forumdisplay.php page).

I need to deal with the performance issues before I even consider purple-dot or whatever it ends up being.

Tube · November 2007

I personally went through the thread and infracted anyone who posted purely for the purpose of putting a blue dot on the thread.

Ramius · November 2007

Ah, I see that now... Looks like the infractions hit about the same time I was posting my opinion.

To the public: Sorry I didn't check-in with tube first before expressing my opposing view. While I feel differently than him on this issue, his is the opinion that counts on this matter. Consider it an official rule, that posting in a thread just to add a blue dot is unacceptable and punishable behavior.

MKR · November 2007

So achieve the blue dot by contributing something meaningful? :P

Cokomon · November 2007

MKR wrote: »

So achieve the blue dot by contributing something meaningful? :P

That and don't just put the words 'blue dot' or 'blue dot poast' anywhere in it.

LewieP · November 2007

So are we reporting 'blue dot' posts now? Is this just ones with only "blue dot" or any post containing it?

DekuStick · November 2007

LewieP wrote: »

So are we reporting 'blue dot' posts now? Is this just ones with only "blue dot" or any post containing it?

I certainly wouldn't go around looking for it like some forum back seat moderator but if the post only contains Blue Dot or doesn't contribute to the thread at all then I guess we could report it. Seems like a waste of time for our mods to go around slapping infractions for it. The idea of my thread wasn't to crack down on Blue Dotters but to consider the idea of having an indicator without actually posting in the thread.

Henroid · November 2007

Just don't make a scene of it if it shows up.

Echo · November 2007

Athenor wrote: »

Also, keep in mind that double-clicking on the dot marks a thread as read/unread.

For me it locks the thread. :P

Recoil42 wrote: »

What the hell? Are these "blue dot" posts common? Because I certainly haven't seen a single fucking one, ever. o_0

It tends to happen in threads that are... stupid. This is why we've had to threaten to take the stupid thread away recently.

LaOs · November 2007

Echo wrote: »

Athenor wrote: »

Also, keep in mind that double-clicking on the dot marks a thread as read/unread.

For me it locks the thread. :P

Recoil42 wrote: »

What the hell? Are these "blue dot" posts common? Because I certainly haven't seen a single fucking one, ever. o_0

It tends to happen in threads that are... stupid. This is why we've had to threaten to take the stupid thread away recently.

Last I checked, double-clicking threads didn't do anything. Double-clicking Forums marked them read. If I recall, it's due to the fact that Mods double-click threads to lock them that us normal forum people cannot use a double-click to mark threads as read.

Narian · November 2007

LaOs wrote: »

Echo wrote: »

Athenor wrote: »

Also, keep in mind that double-clicking on the dot marks a thread as read/unread.

For me it locks the thread. :P

Recoil42 wrote: »

What the hell? Are these "blue dot" posts common? Because I certainly haven't seen a single fucking one, ever. o_0

It tends to happen in threads that are... stupid. This is why we've had to threaten to take the stupid thread away recently.

Last I checked, double-clicking threads didn't do anything. Double-clicking Forums marked them read. If I recall, it's due to the fact that Mods double-click threads to lock them that us normal forum people cannot use a double-click to mark threads as read.

You are correct on both points.

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