This is the Thread Prefix test

[Steve Ashton]

This is the thread prefix test.

You should have been able to see the prefix "This thread is from a Contemporary perspective" very plainly.

If you found this thread by clicking on "New Posts" it should have been very clear.

For example of how this could be used - If the OP of a thread wants his thread to be within the "The Kilt as everyday or street wear" section but wants everyone to know that his intent is only from a Contemporary perspective, this could make it very clear.
Traditionalists can ignore the thread if they wish because they would know that they may find posts with kilts worn with a t-shirt and sandals.

Please let me know what you think of this way of highlighting threads.

[Laird_M]

Good idea Steve. Should stop some of the "It's in the wrong section" complainst.

[sailortats]

Sorry but I do not see this as much help at all. To me it is just muddying the waters

[ratspike]

I understand where you're coming from but this isn't the solution.

I'm a member of several forums that are much, much bigger than xmarks, with more activity in a day than we see here in a week, and they run just fine while still maintaining a pretty simple user experience.

[California Highlander]

I kind of like it. I'm a 'what's new" reader. My suggestion though would be to use a one word prefix for each forum, so "Contemporary" for this post, to keep the subject lines shorter. May not be easily possible though.

So they could look something like this in a "what's new" search:

Contemporary: This is the Thread Prefix test
Started by Member, Today 07:50 AM

Traditional: Dress codes and changing trends
Started by Member, Today 07:50 AM

Media: Kilted Underwater Wedding!
Started by Member, Today 07:50 AM

Contemporary: Sara Thorn Art Jacket and Kilt
Started by Member, Today 07:50 AM

Traditional: Now that we have a definition... a question of Tradition...
Started by Member, Today 07:50 AM

Pics: Texas Ren Fest 2014
Started by Member, Today 07:50 AM

[ratspike]

So unless I'm missing something in the way this new functionality would work, users would need to remember to notice which section the thread was originally posted in, already a little bit imperfect, with the additional step of selecting the context in which their reply should be taken?

[sailortats]

The way I see it is that the reason threads seem to move from hither to yon is that things are too confusing now. We should be trying to simplify things, not make them more and more confusing.

[ratspike]

And honestly, it's on the poster to pay attention to where he/she is commenting. Everyone has a forum fail from time to time but in general, this just isn't a difficult thing and IMO is a perfectly reasonable expectation of members.

So I've been a member at mtbr.com for years, which is a mountain biking forum. It's enormous and has a ton of daily activity, and has a lot of sub-topics that all fall under the general heading of "mountian biking". The forum sections are broken down very simply, with a single section for each main topic. Basically the same idea as the historical, traditional, and contemporary sections we have here only on a much larger scale. Aside from an occasional mis-post, that forum functions just fine. Threads are started in the correct places and commenters seem to know exactly where and what they're commenting on. Someone who has questions about a new fork for his enduro bike or looking for feedback on a 1x10 drivetrain can expect to receive on target replies. That forum runs on the same software as xmarks, but with a well organized and IMO pretty simple user experience. If it works there it can easily work here.

[Godot]

For crying out loud. This has clearly become a case of the anecdotal million dollar ink pen vs the pencil. This whole situation blew up because there has been a rash of debatably unnecessary thread moves, many of which were from the "Traditional Kilt" subforum (in fact, for a time there it seemed like every thread started in the traditional sub-forum was being moved). The pattern became noticeable, the threads became buried elsewhere, complaints were voiced, sticky posts regarding "THCD" were unstuck, and things descended into a swirl of accusations and several bizarre, incomplete forum changes. Over moderation and excessive fragmentation are slowly ruining my experience on this site. I like having the subforums as it appears they more historically were when you look through older threads. Historical for the really old styles, Traditional for the "THCD" type folks (for lack of a better word), and Modern for those that want to wear something more approximating the latest fashions. Clean, simple, and if the members pay attention, they can quickly find the discussions appropriate to what they want to discuss.

As a sidenote, I am thankful for all the information I have gotten from XMTS about kilting in general, and for the many wonderful people I have interacted with here. I hope to continue using this site and interacting with other enthusiasts of this wonderful, versatile, historical garment... the kilt.