I've been using this site for a little bit of time, and in general, i like the attitude here, so much so, that i made it part of my almost-daily routine to check this site. I've got a few comments that i just want to scream somewhere. Feel free to ignore them.
1) There's a lot of markers around: Cows, Pies, Thumbs Up, Horseshoes, and perhaps others. Although search does find explanations for them, that's tedious. The FAQs link just leads to a forum. I wish there were a simple link to explain everything about the site. Not reasons, not long explanations, just what they are. For example:
Thumbs Up: A reader liked your post.
Cows: A privileged reader
really liked your post, or thought it was of high quality.
Pie: A user with Pie decided to give you pie, perhaps for a good post. (There are no specific rules for when to give Pie.)
It could include links for more information. If it is already there, perhaps it can be made a little more obvious. Horseshoes seems to be book ratings, but i see them on forums as well. Not sure what they are though.
2) I clicked Watch Forum on a few forums. I expected emails on new posts, but that has not happened. Is there an option i am missing? I'd probably rather have a section for Favorite Forums.
3) A slice of pie has gone unrecorded. I have +2, +1, +1, -1, -1, with a total of 1. I'm guessing a slice expired. Perhaps there should be a listing for that?
4) I don't look at most of the forums, so i tried using preferences to ignore them. However, there is a limit to how many can be ignored. I wish that were expanded, or the choice were what to include rather than what to exclude.
5) I wish i could ignore entire sections, rather than just forums. It looks a little strange when there is a section with no forums in it (because they are ignored). Alternatively, collapsing sections would probably works better.
6) I prefer the old view. I took one look at the new view and ran back. The old view is simpler, lighter, and cleaner, which i find more conducive to forums. I like that there are two choices though, but the board keeps "suggesting": "You are currently on the old view. Why not go back to the current view." Aside from missing a question mark, the yellow stands out. I have removed it with an element hider, so, that isn't the issue. The message itself causes me to wonder if the view will ever go away.
7) Titles are cute, but cost a lot, as intended. I'm not sure if and how much i would ever donate, but i wonder if it'd be nice to be able to make down payments toward a title or, for that matter, any purchasable item. That is, for yourself or even for others. I'm not sure if that makes any sense, but i wanted to say it out loud.
8) There is a ban on the
word "than(x)". I think the word conveys a specific meaning not meant by "thanks" or "thank you". The former does not really convey anything, and the latter is too formal for most situations. "Than(x)" is a simple response to say thank you, without sounding too formal. I feel certain others will disagree, but banning the word seems out of hand.