Forum Question: New Responses at Top?

Here's a technical question about this forum. Is there any option to set it up so that the threads with the most recent activity/responses are at the top of the list?

Right now, it seems that the most recent posting is at the top.That is, the list is sorted by the date/time of the original posting or question that started the thread.

I find it hard to find and check new responses to older threads as the latter fall further and further down the list. In other words, the most recent activity is often half-way or more down the page. Maybe I'm wrong, but my sense is that most other forums bump threads with new responses to the top of the list so that folks know they are the latest activity.

Thanks and best wishes! Lance

I agree. It would be nice if possible to have the latest post at the top of the chain. Most forums do.

Whatever the case, I LOVE this forum. It is a God Send for me. Such Love and good people who are knowledgeable and patient.

Lance - Don't you have a red flag signal that appears in the LH margin opposite the post Title that indicates new activity?

Mine does and then that way, you know to look there for new comments to that particular post.... you do have to scroll back through some of the pages, though to see if something was added to an older post, although often, if it's quite old, a new post is started to bring it forward.

I've asked that this be done, before, but it was a no-go. That was before Shannon took the reigns, though. Maybe, this time the request will be honored.

It is tedious to weed through, what has, at times, been pages to see if someone responded, or start a new thread because you are essentially answering a question on page 3.

It might even encourage more people to check in here, if they could see new activity at the top of the first page like every other forum I've visited or belong to.

lisa
__________________________

So much of medicine is looking solely down the wrong end of the gun barrel, and that is really a pity for all of us---Shannon



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/11/2015 07:44PM by lisa s.

I recall Hans set it up the way you want when the Phorum software was upgraded. If memory serves, there were a lot of complaints and Hans set it back to this...

Hi Folks,

it is a good question and one I will seek out the answer too in the coming weeks.

I've officially just now taken reins of the site as of first of this year, though for the past year I have been editing the forum and putting together The AFIB Report with some very kind help by Judi Larsen and Hans in the actual emailing out of each issue.

There are now a large list of many things and issues I look forward to gradually embracing over this coming year and more, but as a one man show and one with my own temporary sabbatical in mid swing while helping my wife navigate this medical urgency ... and now her recovery from major surgery ... some patience will be required and most gratefully appreciated by me from all of you as I at first begin to fully upload the website code into Dreamweaver from which I will take over detail management of the website.

In addition, it will take me sometime to get more fully up to speed with the inner workings of the forum mechanics too, and I agree, if this forum structure allows a more effortless sequencing of recent threads and then most up to date posts within those threads , I will try to apply that update.

In the not too distant future, and as funds allow, I do very much hope and plan on undertaking a full website design revamping and modernization to use the up-to-date HTML5 and CSS3 coding, where appropriate to create a very flexible and responsive website layout and function to even better host, and make readily accessible, the large amount of wonderful data and resources Hans and Judi accumulated here over the past 15 years ... Plus all the new goodies to come!

Hosting educational video clips and interviews with key EPs, cardios as well as other cutting-edge allopathic specialties and integrative physicians as well are part of future goals and plans for website evolution ... All in due time of course and step by step.

I will try to clarify what changes, if any, can be made to the existing forum structure to reflect the most current postings within recent threads. It may take a little while to sort it out but will let you know when I find the answer.

Cheers!
Shannon

PS hopefully Magdalena and I are able to fly home this Thursday but will have to see on Wednesday with final Dr Wood visit if she is able too yet.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/12/2015 04:49AM by Shannon.

"...a full website design revamping and modernization to use the up-to-date HTML5 and CSS3 coding,,,,"

remember some of your correspondents are old fogies who seemly cannot manage the simplest things, I am referring to myself of course. I could not manage the signing-in process for the present "new format" when Hans first went to it, but Hans kindly called me up on the phone and walked me thru it. Is there any hope of return to the vastly more simple version that this website used to have before the present format arrived? I know i am not up-to-date and it is not likely that i will become so in time to learn to use the "up-to-date HTML5 and CSS3 coding". so please try to use something that lame old fogies with out of date skills and antique equipment can handle.

Sincerely,

PeggyM

PeggyM Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> "...a full website design revamping and
> modernization to use the up-to-date HTML5 and CSS3
> coding,,,,"
>
> remember some of your correspondents are old
> fogies who seemly cannot manage the simplest
> things, I am referring to myself of course. I
> could not manage the signing-in process for the
> present "new format" when Hans first went to it,
> but Hans kindly called me up on the phone and
> walked me thru it. Is there any hope of return to
> the vastly more simple version that this website
> used to have before the present format arrived? I
> know i am not up-to-date and it is not likely that
> i will become so in time to learn to use the
> "up-to-date HTML5 and CSS3 coding". so please try
> to use something that lame old fogies with out of
> date skills and antique equipment can handle.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> PeggyM

Not that I am a computer expert but many of these changes are "internal" and you will not see a difference. In my many years on different forums for different sicknesses in a attempt to find answers, This is only the 2nd forum I have been a part of where the newest response does not go to the top of the forum. To me this would be much easier to see who responded the most recent.

I never paid attention to the Red flag until Jackie brought that up in this forum. I guess my attention span is short in some areas . LOL

Whatever the case, This Forum is a Gem. I love the information and knowledge individuals have and on a personal note what it has done for me.

LHi Peggy,

Smackman is correct, the HTML5 and CSS3 is all background code that the end user need know nothing at all about. When executed well, it can make for a beautiful and very easy to navigate site where getting to all the information is as intuitive as it can be made.

One minor complaint I have often heard is the difficulty some have in locating the forum ... Part of that seems to be the current name 'bulletin board' which doesn't immediately jump out as a patient message exchange or forum for some people, but while the existing design has been quite functional and useful for the last 15 years, there are numerous limitations to the coding and design that reduce our search engine optimization capabilities to make the site easier for new afibbers to find and the older only HTML structure does not easily support video clips and other multimedia content as well as regular updating of the main website content with blog-like entries etc that hopefully, once the site is all revamped, will inspire more people to return more frequently to the main site too in addition to the forum.

We will also look at modifying the AFIB Report and integrating such study reports and AFIb/Cardio related news more into the website itself, as well as via email deliveries as now, but likely in more frequent smaller chunks that are easier for many to digest along the way and with some video/multimedia content blended in where appropriate.

But all of this, as noted, will take some time and money and until now all income this past year went directly to purchasing the rights and assets to the website and newsletter and thus all the expenses for the various AFIB conferences and such have been out of my pocket so far. As such, a period of modest fund raising and income will be needed before we can embark on these needed upgrades and revamping of our little corner of the AFIB universe.

But Peggy no worries, the whole aim will be to make the website both more attractive and easier to use and access with such a remodeling job over time. I'll hire a very good web design outfit to bring it about. And with the aim of not only maintaining the broad-based and independent content Hans laid out from the beginning, but hopefully in a beautiful and refined design that makes this wealth of great content available here even more readily apparent and accessible.

Now it's back to Magdalena, she had a rough night last night with the pain from this 11" deep incision through her left flank muscle and to cut free her 12th rib to move it aside in order to access her left kidney. This one is clearly going to take a while to recover from and its Magdalena's very first medical procedure outside of an epidural for the birth of her second child 35 years ago, and I'm not sure we will be able to fly back to AZ and drive the couple hours from Phoenix to Sedona on Thursday morning as it's going today.. Flying home may have to stretch out here in this Houston hotel a few more days.

Shannon



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/13/2015 11:52AM by Shannon.

One simple way is to click onto 'Make Forum Read' which is at the top just above the Subject line, it resets the red flags, then the next day you will see the newest replies by the number of new red flags there are.

Colin

Yes, I do see the flags. And yes again, Colin's trick--clicking the "Mark Forum Read" button up at the top--is a nice one.

Thanks to all for their thoughts!

Lance

My best to you and Magdalena, and a quick recovery.

PeggyM

Shannon, this sentence jumped out at me when i re-read your kind response to my worries about being able to use the new improved version:

"purchasing the rights and assets to the website and newsletter"

I did not realize Hans was selling the website and newsletter to you. Congratulations, i think.

PeggyM

Kudos to Shannon for taking this over. He has a wealth of knowledge and I'm sure this is much more of a labor of love than one with a lot of remuneration. Thanks Shannon!!!

Wishing Magda a speedy recovery. Hopefully you are able to travel home Thursday.

George

I can understand Shannon's wife pain. I have a 18 inch incision on my left side where I had a T12 Anterior corpectomy with a spinal fusion.

They remove half of one of my ribs to graft into the titanium cage that replaced T12 and L1. My greatest post operation pain was the Rib area. To this day, I still have much pain in this area from nerve damge, weak left side from rib removal etc.

I was 2 years post op before the spinal surgeon released me as "god as it is going to be". He told me not to dwell on the things I could no longer do but dwell on the fact I AM ALIVE. The surgery was in Jan. 2006 after a car accident in Sept. 2003 while on the job. Workers Compensation denied my surgey for that many years but that is another forum.

I wish the best for your wife Shannon. Many Physicians when seeing my scar think I had a kidney issue but I so not.
My max. weight limit is occasionally 20 lbs and I just accept that and am thankful I did not die from the wreck OR the floating split Vertebrate T12 that the spinal surgeon found in Aug. 2005.

After almost 10 years in the Workers Comp "Arena" I was declared PTD (Permanently and Totally diabled). We finally settled in Jan. 2012. They tried to screw me by offfering small settlements which many Injured workers are forced to take because they are financially strapped.

My wife is a Manager at a large telecommunication company and makes good wages. That being said I was fortunate and Lawyered UP and waited those greedy bastards out.

The Rib area is so sensitive to pain..... especially when tampered with.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/15/2015 12:05PM by smackman.

The problem with the red flags is that there may be some on page two or even three that get ignored if you don't go looking for them. New posts at the top, that's the norm on almost ALL forums.

I don't like the way all the other forums work. Perhaps because I was trained on this one. No problem looking back for red flags.

Adrian

Lance,

If you want to keep track of the latest posts click on the RSS feed.

Hans