Poll - Member forum browsing practices

[Ralph Barker]

We'd like to get some actual data on how different people browse and read posts, and the methods being used to manage that process. So, please tell us about your forum reading habits by taking the following poll.

[Kirk Gittings]

aaaaaa what poll?

[Tim Meisburger]

I think the overwhelming use of computer vs smartphone is an indication of advanced age (i.e. don't understand technology later than rotary dial) and poor eyes (at least for me):cool:

[Sal Santamaura]

I answered "Unified View" even though it probably excludes some categories. In reality, I use this search


http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/search.php?do=getdaily&days=30

as my bookmark to access the forum. It presents every post made in every category, including "For Sale/Want to Buy" and "The Lounge," in reverse chronological order, from the last 30 days. In other words, a display just like what LUSENET provided when I became active here lo those many years ago.

That's the way I like it. Nothing anyone posts, in any category, gets missed. Everyone here, their activity, attitudes and behaviors, are visible for my contemplation, evaluation and analysis. :D

[rdenney]

aaaaaa what poll?

Polls are not visible in Tapatalk, if that's what you (or others) are using. One needs to view it in a real browser.

Rick "FYI" Denney

[Joe Smigiel]

Polls are not visible in Tapatalk, if that's what you (or others) are using. One needs to view it in a real browser.

Rick "FYI" Denney

Well that should skew the stats in favor of us dinosaurs...

FWIW, I do not mark individual forums read but regularly mark all forums read, sometimes several times a day if I'm following certain topics.

[Tin Can]

I was about to post a very similar poll.

I use 2 computers and a smartphone, but never Tapatalk. :(

I have no trouble viewing the full site on my smart phone without Tapatalk and Ralph taught me to only reply on a real computer or I mess up and reply to Mods by mistake. Thanks Ralph! :)

The only time I use smartphone is in bed, I should just throw the darn thing away. It's never good news. :(

[Dan Fromm]

I think the overwhelming use of computer vs smartphone is an indication of advanced age (i.e. don't understand technology later than rotary dial) and poor eyes (at least for me):cool:

Um, er, ah, Tim, when I'm at home I can access the 'net from my cell using WiFi or I can access the 'net from my PC. My PC has a much larger screen, end of that discussion.

And when I'm away from home accessing the 'net from my cell risks incurring data charges. End of that discussion.

Yes, I'm an aged luddite but that doesn't mean I always make the stupid wrong decision.

[HMG]

Confusing. You can choose "only from a desktop or laptop" but other devices give the option of "mostly".

[Oren Grad]

Confusing. You can choose "only from a desktop or laptop" but other devices give the option of "mostly".

Ralph can make a change in the poll if he thinks it's necessary. But as a general answer, we're not trying to exhaustively characterize browsing behavior, we just need to understand the prevalence of certain patterns that might affect the decisions we make about the FS/WTB rules.

[Joe Smigiel]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUtJPnwXmxs

[Henry Ambrose]

Not enough choices in the poll for me.

I clicked Unified View but that is spread across laptop, pad and phone at any given time. I don't use Tapatalk, because I can still use mobile browsers - even on a phone. And I like a browser over a dedicated app because it lets me see all the web and not just areas that are "mobile ready" or whatever the buzz word is these days.

The poll is a great idea - it may sort out the squeaky wheels from the larger base of users.

Thanks for going to all the trouble to sort this out.

[Kirk Gittings]

I answered "Unified View" even though it probably excludes some categories. In reality, I use this search


http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/search.php?do=getdaily&days=30

as my bookmark to access the forum. It presents every post made in every category, including "For Sale/Want to Buy" and "The Lounge," in reverse chronological order, from the last 30 days. In other words, a display just like what LUSENET provided when I became active here lo those many years ago.

That's the way I like it. Nothing anyone posts, in any category, gets missed. Everyone here, their activity, attitudes and behaviors, are visible for my contemplation, evaluation and analysis. :D

Actually I use that too. I may have gotten that from you. I rarely go deeper than the first two pages no matter how long I have been away.

[Wayne]

I use a computer and this bookmarked search,

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/search.php?&do=getnew&exclude=7,17,21,27&sortby=forum

which brings up only new posts and excludes forums of less interest to me. When I'm finished reading everything I want to read, I click "mark all forums read" under "forum Options" and come back 7 or 8 minutes later and do it all again. :)

[jp]

I think the overwhelming use of computer vs smartphone is an indication of advanced age (i.e. don't understand technology later than rotary dial) and poor eyes (at least for me):cool:

For me, my fingers are too big to type on my average sized smartphone. Frustrating as hell, but it works when needed.

I like to see photos at the forum and there's no replacement for displacement when it comes to screen size.

[Jac@stafford.net]

There is a missing question: Do you browse LFI (more or less) as often on mobile as home computer?

[David Karp]

I have morphed with technology to mostly reading the forum on my tablet or smartphone. However, most of my contributions are via a laptop. The computer is far more convenient for creating content. The tablet/phone is nice for consuming content.

[Tin Can]

I have morphed with technology to mostly reading the forum on my tablet or smartphone. However, most of my contributions are via a laptop. The computer is far more convenient for creating content. The tablet/phone is nice for consuming content.

Agreed, a real keyboard is wonderful.

[Darren Kruger]

I use a bookmark for a saved search. Always via a desktop, never by mobile.

Search Single Content Type (http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/search.php?search_type=1)
Search Subscribed Forums
Find posts -> Your Last Visit / And Newer
last posting date -> in descending order
show results -> as threads

-Darren

[StoneNYC]

One thing I would suggest is adding "poll" to the headline so us tapatalk users know to go to the Browser to vote.

Also, the option names for browsing are different, I wasn't sure what "new posts" vs "today's posts" was, my option on tapatalk is "timeline" which is all posts that are most recently commented on.

That's the one I use almost exclusively.

If this helps, these are the options available for Tapatalk users (the check marks are the ones I use as default, the others are options available, but that I use very little).

136825

[John Bartley]

Choices weren't really clear ....

Most often I use a tablet, but it's a Microsoft tablet running Win8 and with a keyboard attached, so I guess it's really a laptop, of which I also have one (Sony Vaio), but which I only use intermittently.

I always use the "view new posts" feature. I often mark "all" the forums read, not just one or two subforums.

[rdenney]

One thing I would suggest is adding "poll" to the headline so us tapatalk users know to go to the Browser to vote.

Also, the option names for browsing are different, I wasn't sure what "new posts" vs "today's posts" was, my option on tapatalk is "timeline" which is all posts that are most recently commented on.

That's the one I use almost exclusively.

If this helps, these are the options available for Tapatalk users (the check marks are the ones I use as default, the others are options available, but that I use very little).

136825

I only use "participated" and "forum" with Tapatalk Pro.

Be easy on Ralph--he's never used it. But the lack of support for polls is a problem with Tapatalk.

Rick "who uses it but doesn't depend on it" Denney

[rdenney]

All,

The choices intentionally overlap and if two apply strongly, you can click both. It's not a vote.

Rick "we only need a sense of common practice" Denney

[djdister]

I access the forum from both a desktop and a tablet. But I don't like using Tapatalk, so I access it the same way whether I use the desktop or tablet device.

[Michael Graves]

I voted "from laptop or desktop only" simply because there wasn't a "mostly" option. But when I'm on the road, I will use my table or smart phone if I did not bring a laptop. While I primarily use Unified View, I do occasionally spend way too much time browsing from the index. On weekends, I'm usually out shooting.

[Robert Brazile]

My usage is like Michael's.

I generally visit daily, hit the main index, look at the forums I'm interested in today (practically always the Image and DIY forums, often some subset of the otehrs), and scan the threads that look interesting at the moment. The "New Post" functionality of vBulletin is pretty good about marking the threads that have new content since my last visit, so I can quickly scan for threads I've been following or new ones of interest.

Robert

[Ralph Barker]

Thanks for the additional details in your responses. The polling features within vBulletin are limited and a bit klunky. Knowing the breakdown between desktop/laptop only and mobile users is helpful, along with the breakdown of index options.

FWIW, my computer uses vacuum tubes, and my smoke-signal blanket doesn't have any options. ;-)

[Peter Lewin]

I noticed that I was the only member choosing "mostly desktop or laptop" which seemed odd, so to clarify, I mostly view on my desktop, because it has a good monitor and I enjoy the image threads. But if I am downstairs at home, I occasionally use my iPad, as I am doing now. Never realized I was unique!

[StoneNYC]

Thanks for the additional details in your responses. The polling features within vBulletin are limited and a bit klunky. Knowing the breakdown between desktop/laptop only and mobile users is helpful, along with the breakdown of index options.

FWIW, my computer uses vacuum tubes, and my smoke-signal blanket doesn't have any options. ;-)

If you ACTUALLY know smoke signals, you would be the only one, AFAIK that knowledge has been sadly lost in the eradication of the tribes who used them. I could be wrong, "Barks At Ralph" might be the last :)

PS I didn't mean to come across harsh with my "add poll" to the title, I also thought it might be helpful for those on the desktop skimming and the word "poll" is often a Call-To-Action and would get more traffic as identifying it as more than just a discussion.

Thanks for your efforts Ralph and the rest of the mod team.

[Old-N-Feeble]

I only browse with a desktop PC. I never browse specific forums unless I'm looking to buy something specific from the "Classified Ads"... and then I only go back 2-3 days. I only browse the forum with the "New Posts" link and my "Subscriptions".

Sal, I humbly bow to your wisdom. :D

[ic-racer]

Browsing this forum is a major pain. The only way I was able to figure out how to do it to keep non-Large Format content from appearing is the following:

1) "Advanced Search"
2) "Search Single Content" (Why does it always default to "Search Multiple Content?" I don't even know what that means.)
3) "Search Subscribed Forums" (Why does it always default to "All Forums?" The "Save Search Preferences" button is broken.)
4) "Search Now"


The above sequence brings up the most recent posts in all the Large Format content sub-forums.


The "Unified View" is close, but, even though it eliminates the "Lounge" it still allows a lot of non-Large Format noise.

[Oren Grad]

The "Unified View" is close, but, even though it eliminates the "Lounge" it still allows a lot of non-Large Format noise.

Can you be more specific about what you mean by "non-Large Format noise"?

[Vaughn]

I use "Mark Forum Read" only for global marking, not sub-forums.

[StoneNYC]

Can you be more specific about what you mean by "non-Large Format noise"?

"Safe haven for tiny formats"
"Small format nudes"
"6x6, 6x7, 645, etc MF B&W images"
Etc etc

All the non-LF threads that at this point almost outweigh the LF threads.

I agree there's too much non-LF noise these days on this forum.

[Ralph Barker]

I noticed that I was the only member choosing "mostly desktop or laptop" which seemed odd, so to clarify, I mostly view on my desktop, because it has a good monitor and I enjoy the image threads. But if I am downstairs at home, I occasionally use my iPad, as I am doing now. Never realized I was unique!

I added the "mostly" category after the poll was started, to provide for mixed-device use. Unfortunately, the polling function doesn't allow for changing responses after the poll is edited. So, both numbers will probably represent a mix.

[angusparker]

Poll was a bit confusing. I mainly use Tapatalk on phone and tablet but also on a desktop. Principly look at Unified view, FS subforum and the search function. Search function is pretty poor but I guess I could use google search instead. Tapatalk is pretty good when they don't mess it up with an "upgrade".

[Ralph Barker]

Browsing this forum is a major pain. The only way I was able to figure out how to do it to keep non-Large Format content from appearing is the following:

1) "Advanced Search"
2) "Search Single Content" (Why does it always default to "Search Multiple Content?" I don't even know what that means.)
3) "Search Subscribed Forums" (Why does it always default to "All Forums?" The "Save Search Preferences" button is broken.)
4) "Search Now"


The above sequence brings up the most recent posts in all the Large Format content sub-forums.


The "Unified View" is close, but, even though it eliminates the "Lounge" it still allows a lot of non-Large Format noise.

You might benefit from examining the special link/search syntax that others have posted here, which allow specific sub-forums to be excluded.

There is also some instructions about how to construct your own special link within the following thread:

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?18266-Exclude-individual-Forums

The original feature is now gone, but the other info may be helpful.

[analoguey]

Not enough choices in the poll for me.

I clicked Unified View but that is spread across laptop, pad and phone at any given time. I don't use Tapatalk, because I can still use mobile browsers - even on a phone. And I like a browser over a dedicated app because it lets me see all the web and not just areas that are "mobile ready" or whatever the buzz word is these days.

The poll is a great idea - it may sort out the squeaky wheels from the larger base of users.

Thanks for going to all the trouble to sort this out.

I somewhat browse similarly but I mostly Consume content on tapatalk. Any short reply (like this one) goes out from tapatalk.

Tapatalk also has one convenient location for subscribed threads AND forums - makes things very Easy, compared to a browser, mobile or pc. Only issue is that threads like this don't show up as polls.

Also the demarcated ' participated' threads. If you don't want to subscribe but still wanna see what happened after your last post -very useful, imho.

But most otherwise, betters the browser for quick, focused consumption. :-)

And thanks for the poll!

[mdm]

I use an iPad mini and Safari, because I hate tapatalk, or my home computer sometimes. I browse new posts for the image sharing threads and early interesting sounding threads, but once the usual idiots get there it's nothing but a time waster, over and over the same crap. As it stands now, this forum caters almost exclusively for the pretenders, like the camera clubs and their stupid competitions. People who actually make pictures are mostly absent. The for sale forum is a crap shoot and always has been, let apug and the digital haters do that work, they deserve it. Shoot some of the unproductive big mouths, the world will be a better place. Off topic, delete away. Fine with me.

[rbultman]

I use Tapatalk on an Android phone and on an iPad Mini. I use Firefox on a computer. 80% mobile, 20% desktop. I do simple posts with the mobile app and more complex ones on the computer.

I mostly use the "New Posts" link but also use Unified. I rarely look directly at subforums.

Regards,
Rob

[sanking]

I took the poll, though no question directly addressed my personal habits since I tend to browse the forum mostly from an iPhone or iPad, but respond primarily from a computer with a keyboard.

Although I don't sell or buy much on the FS/WTB thread it is in my opinion a valuable resource for the community and I hope that it is not taken down. It would appear, at least to me, that the moderators have created a lot of unnecessary work for themselves with all the new rules and prohibitions that have made their way into the forum over the past several years, in the FS/WTB thread, and especially with the Buyer Advisories thread, which seem to create more problems than they solve. I understand it is their intention to set rules to avoid having to spend too much of their time with moderation, but at some point every one of these rules will require some intervention by a moderator, and if an issue is not addressed it is worse for forum morale than if there were no rule at all.

Sandy

[Bruce Watson]

The URL I use to access the LFP.Info website is:

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/search.php?&do=getnew&exclude=17,22,18

So I'm doing a "get new" and excluding three sub-forums from the results.

[David A. Goldfarb]

Mostly from my laptop, but a good percentage from Tapatalk on my iPhone.

I like the fact that there's a built-in link in Tapatalk to find my own recent posts and see if there is any followup on discussions I've participated in. I know I could create my own search and bookmark it, but I don't want to give up the real estate on my bookmarks toobar in Firefox to have multiple buttons for the same forum. I'd rather have that search as a button in the toolbar on the forum's website.

[axs810]

When I first log on this is the order that I view the site from my computer:

1) Subscribed threads
2) Todays posts
3) FS section
4) Image sharing (LF) & Discussion


When I'm on my mobile I only check the forums on the internet browser and only look at my subscribed threads.


Not sure if that helps? (I already voted on the poll)

[ic-racer]

You might benefit from examining the special link/search syntax that others have posted here, which allow specific sub-forums to be excluded.

There is also some instructions about how to construct your own special link within the following thread:

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?18266-Exclude-individual-Forums

The original feature is now gone, but the other info may be helpful.

Ok I got it now. Thanks.

http[colon]//www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/search.php?&do=getdaily&days=30&exclude=21,7,27,32,17,33

[analoguey]

When I logged on the desktop to post in the FS /WTB, thread I saw that about 180-90 ppl were logged in along with ~350 non logged in viewers.
But seems like a lot less posted on that thread. This thread seems the same way. How's the poll participation? Compared to no of avg logged in users?

[angusparker]

I took the poll, though no question directly addressed my personal habits since I tend to browse the forum mostly from an iPhone or iPad, but respond primarily from a computer with a keyboard.

Although I don't sell or buy much on the FS/WTB thread it is in my opinion a valuable resource for the community and I hope that it is not taken down. It would appear, at least to me, that the moderators have created a lot of unnecessary work for themselves with all the new rules and prohibitions that have made their way into the forum over the past several years, in the FS/WTB thread, and especially with the Buyer Advisories thread, which seem to create more problems than they solve. I understand it is their intention to set rules to avoid having to spend too much of their time with moderation, but at some point every one of these rules will require some intervention by a moderator, and if an issue is not addressed it is worse for forum morale than if there were no rule at all.

Sandy

+1 Describes me / my thoughts to a tee

[Kirk Gittings]

When I logged on the desktop to post in the FS /WTB, thread I saw that about 180-90 ppl were logged in along with ~350 non logged in viewers.
But seems like a lot less posted on that thread. This thread seems the same way. How's the poll participation? Compared to no of avg logged in users?

Its always pretty low on polls and always has been.

[Ralph Barker]

Its always pretty low on polls and always has been.

Yep, the participation level is usually fairly low on polls. Hopefully it represents our equivalent to a "random" sampling, thereby making the results statistically interesting. Probably not, though.

The poll feature within vBulletin is, however, rudimentary at best, making it impossible to construct a poll that covers most possibilities of an issue. But, some information is better than no information.

[Curt]

I don't use Tapalot and I use an iPhone, always, that's when I do log on and read, which is not very often.