Deleting posts, adding logo, changing text in headline

[haozwang<Nabble>]

Hi, its absolutely possible, as its the case with view options. let me look into it more on how to do that

[haozwang<Nabble>]

okay, you can change the application type to "category" the display will be like the example you gave

[sportsfan2000]

Thank you. Can you tell me how to edit the display text under the category? Some text from the first pinned topic was added and I want to edit it.

http://www.rateclubsoccersocal.com/forum.html

[GregChapman]

Haozwang is right in saying that a "Category" app is what you want in order to produce the style of the surfer.com site. However, there's more to it that simply switching app.

Notice that the main headings on surfer.com, (e.g. "Surfer Discussion" and "Design Forum", etc.) are all folders that contain thousands of "Threads" (Nabble calls them "Topics").

Next, go visit one of the sub-forums (folders) on surfer.com. Notice the set of  links just above the forum content along these lines:

Forum » General Discussion » Surfer Discussion

Where "Forum" represents the forum home page, "General Discussion", a sub-forum and "Surfer Discussion", a sub-forum of the General Discussion. This is known as a "breadcrumb menu" as each time you drill down further into the forum you leave a trace of dropped breadcrumbs, so you can find your way out of the labyrinth again.

So to properly replicate the surfer.com design you need to create a number of folders (Nabble calls them "Sub-forums") and give each a name and description, exactly like to have done with the top level of your forum. It is the contents of the description that you see under the folder name on the surfer.com site.

Once you have a number of sub-forums set up people will then be able to post a new topic or reply to an existing topic within that sub-forum and will be able to navigate around the various sub-forums using the breadcrumb menu. Note that in Nabble those breadcrumb links are the generated from the "names" that you give your various sub-forums.

The text that is displayed under the sub-forum name is the contents of the sub-forum's Description field. The text is truncated at about 300 characters on the Category display. So to edit it you would simply visit that sub-forum then go to:
Options > Application > Edit name and description

You'll realise from the above that as you proceed to fully convert your forum to the way a Category app is intended to be used then the fact that you have hidden the name of your forum and reduced it to a dot becomes critical.

It will be near impossible for your users to navigate around your forum as a single dot link at the top left of each forum page is so small as to be unusable. That link is essential as visitors (and you) will need it to return to the top level and then navigate to another sub-forum.

I urge you to give your forum a suitable name that will make sense to first time visitor, perhaps "Forum Home", something that will make sense in the context of a breadcrumb menu.

[GregChapman]

One more reason to give any forum or sub-forum a proper name - and not just the "Forum Home" I suggested in my earlier post...

Search engines rely on meaningful, accurate, names to index them appropriately, so the names should reflect the content of the page. No one will search for "." and expect to find your forum.

That is why it is vital that you should give your forum and each sub-forum a name that reflects to content of that section of the forum.

[sportsfan2000]

Totally understand and thanks. I will revert the title back to "forum home." To enable the title again, do I just work backwards from your original direction?

I also think a normal forum is better for my needs so I intend to change that too back to "forum."

Thanks.

[sportsfan2000]

In order to do that, do I "edit" or "override" the change that I made to remove the title? Thanks

[GregChapman]

To change the forum name on your forum home page go to:

Options > Application > Edit name & description

To change from "Category" app to "Forum" app go to:

Options > Application > Change application type

[GregChapman]

I posted my last response before I saw that you have already worked out how to change back to a "forum" app and that you have now pinned your four topics.

That is a reasonable idea, as before you pinned them those four topics would have jumped around in the order depending on which topic most recently had a reply.

However, I'm not sure you are thinking far enough ahead - but I maybe misunderstanding the volume and nature of the content to expect your users to post.

For example, as a Brit, I imagine that even just half of California is a big place and that very soon, in the "Tournaments" topic there'll be posts about tournaments that take place in one city that will be of no interest to those in another 100 miles away and if people get into a heated discussion about one, the folk only interested in  another will never be able to find where their city/tournament is talked about.

Within a topic everything appears in date order so, in a popular site, the response about any one tournament may appear many posts below the the original post. It will become near impossible for a visitor to read about the bits they are interested in without having to wade through many posts of no interest.

Similarly under "Youth Soccer Injuries" I can imagine pretty soon they'll either be people wanting to discuss the different age groups affected by different types of injury, while others will only be interested the parts of the body affected.

In short, what you have as single topics, really need to be set up as Sub-forums, so that those who want to start a discussion on one tournament can create a topic within the Tournaments sub-forum about a single tournament and someone else can start a topic on the tournament that interests them and each can re-visit and quickly find just the information/response, they are interested in without having to wade through a lot of other material.

As you realised, when you looked at surfer.com site that's the very reason introductory text that explains the general range of topics to be discussed within that folder can be very helpful. Without sub-forums you you make it very difficult to let people find only the stuff they are interested in. That's what makes the "Category" app appealing. Otherwise you tend to need far more sub-forums covering a much tighter subject area with clearly differentiated names.

Why do people have filing cabinets with many drawers and each drawer with a number of folders inside - with every drawer and folder labelled? Because it makes things far easier to find things than if you just throw everything in one large bin! While you obviously realise this, I fear that you have only thought you need four drawers in your forum, and not realised that you need dozens of folders in each of them - all neatly labelled as sections of interest within the general subject of the sub-forum.

[sportsfan2000]

I didn’t ask correctly. How do I reinstall the site title macro? Also, currently my forum is not pulling up on my website.

Thanks

https://www.rateclubsoccersocal.com/forum.html

[Gary Lewis]

You have security enabled, and Nabble doesn't work with sites with SSL.  You can see that security is enabled by the "https" in the URL, with the "s" being security.  (Technically secures socket layers)  You will have to turn the SSL off.

[sportsfan2000]

Brilliant thanks

[sportsfan2000]

Ok. How will this affect my site? Thanks

[Gary Lewis]

I didn't see any difference when I turned SSL off on my forum.  But then I'm not dealing with anything sensitive.  However, I doubt you are either, so it shouldn't be a problem.

[sportsfan2000]

Why does Nabble not work with SSL? Thanks

[Gary Lewis]

I don't know.  I've only been a Nabble user for about 7 months.  But I know there's a replacement for Nabble in the wings, called Blasma, and I hope it supports SSL.  Not because I need it, but because so many people seem to think they do.

[sportsfan2000]

So  you think that the Category idea is better? I see your points.

[Gary Lewis]

I think you are asking Greg that question as he's the one that was talking to you about that.  He's in the UK so is, hopefully, in bed.  Perhaps he will respond in the morning.

[GregChapman]

Hi Sportsfan2000,

The main point hidden in my long post was that I believe you will need a number of sub-forums in your forum. All forums do. It's the way users find the information they want quickly and It's how a forum administrator manages the posts when a topic begins to drift away from the point indicated by the topic subject line and splits into a number of different strands.

My reason for thinking that you were moving in the right direction when asking about copying the format of the surfer.com forum was because that format of forum, the type Nabble calls "Category", only works if you create a number of sub-forums.

By abandoning the Category app and creating a number of topics instead, it seems you hadn't grasped the basic point about the underlying structure of any forum and you were thinking only about appearance and style.

A forum needs and area where the administrator can set out any rules and provide general instructions to users. Your forum will need a number of other areas (sub-forums in Nabble jargon) One  of these will be where users can post about different tournaments.

Once each area begins to fill with topics it will become clear whether, for your users, it will be more helpful to them to arrange those topics into different areas (sub-forums) by age (Juniors, Seniors, Veterans, etc), or geography (City or County), or style, (league or knock-out).

Creating topics does not do the job as a topic only allows for direct replies. It doesn't allow for the discussion of a very different aspect of the subject.

In summary, have I clarified the concepts behind the terms "Topic" (a point made and direct responses to it) and a "Sub-Forum" (an area where a number of related topics can be discussed).

[sportsfan2000]

Very well said. And thanks. I'm a newbie, but I'll get it.

On Feb. 17 you told me how to remove my title. I want to put it back to a "Forum Home." Can you explain how to back out of the macro? I think I need to overwrite what I did before, but I want to make sure I push the right button. Thanks