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Some Questions for DP Locals/Admin

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COTO

COTO

Panthera Uncia
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Why don't threads in the "International" sub-forum appear in the "What's New?" most-recent-topic list?

Perhaps I'm missing something more comprehensive. Is there some qualification aside from containing one of the most recently submitted posts for a thread to make it into the list?

Another question, out of curiosity: What does the [W:###] tag prepended to thread titles signify?

A technical question for the staff: Have you considered switching character encoding on the site backend to UTF-8? To avoid the ‘ and ’ ASCII gibberish in thread titles, for instance?

Finally, for staff: Is there any chance of expanding the rules to allow linking to more comprehensive polls on, e.g. Google Forms or SurveyMonkey? The native DP polls are painfully primitive and restrictive.

Thanks for any and all answers. :)
 
COTO said:
Why don't threads in the "International" sub-forum appear in the "What's New?" most-recent-topic list?

Perhaps I'm missing something more comprehensive. Is there some qualification aside from containing one of the most recently submitted posts for a thread to make it into the list?

Another question, out of curiosity: What does the [W:###] tag prepended to thread titles signify?...

Thanks for any and all answers. :)
Click to expand...

One answer to one of your questions: the [W: ###] denotes an in-thread warning. Go to the Post ### to read the warning.

For instance, a MOD might have placed a warning to stay on topic and dial back insults. Thereafter, even if you have not read the warning, you might face an infraction or find yourself banned from the thread for an off-topic post or insult.
 
COTO said:
Why don't threads in the "International" sub-forum appear in the "What's New?" most-recent-topic list?

Perhaps I'm missing something more comprehensive. Is there some qualification aside from containing one of the most recently submitted posts for a thread to make it into the list?

Another question, out of curiosity: What does the [W:###] tag prepended to thread titles signify?

A technical question for the staff: Have you considered switching character encoding on the site backend to UTF-8? To avoid the ‘ and ’ ASCII gibberish in thread titles, for instance?

Finally, for staff: Is there any chance of expanding the rules to allow linking to more comprehensive polls on, e.g. Google Forms or SurveyMonkey? The native DP polls are painfully primitive and restrictive.

Thanks for any and all answers. :)
Click to expand...

The W:### tag signifies that a moderator had issued a warning to the participants in the thread, because too many people were breaking the rules. The ### is the post number where the warning was issued.
 
COTO said:
Why don't threads in the "International" sub-forum appear in the "What's New?" most-recent-topic list?

Perhaps I'm missing something more comprehensive. Is there some qualification aside from containing one of the most recently submitted posts for a thread to make it into the list?
Click to expand...

It is a known bug.
Another question, out of curiosity: What does the [W:###] tag prepended to thread titles signify?
Click to expand...

Explained in the forum rules, near the bottom: Forum Rules. Basically, it means there is a moderator warning in the thread at the post number indicated, so read it before you post in the thread.

A technical question for the staff: Have you considered switching character encoding on the site backend to UTF-8? To avoid the ‘ and ’ ASCII gibberish in thread titles, for instance?

Finally, for staff: Is there any chance of expanding the rules to allow linking to more comprehensive polls on, e.g. Google Forms or SurveyMonkey? The native DP polls are painfully primitive and restrictive.

Thanks for any and all answers. :)
Click to expand...

I do not handle the technical stuff, and will pass this along to those who do, but I suspect such changes won't happen, at least not in the short run, do to time constraints. The 2 guys who do this stuff have families, jobs and so on, and only so much time to handle technical stuff, so they focus mostly on stuff to keep the board up and running properly. Adding new things is way down the priority list.
 
Is there a rule about not linking to SurveyMonkey or something like that? I'm almost positive I've seen that done before.
 
Lutherf said:
Is there a rule about not linking to SurveyMonkey or something like that? I'm almost positive I've seen that done before.
Click to expand...
I don't know if there's a rule against it explicitly codified anywhere. I was recently informed by DP admin that it was prohibited to administer a survey (a collection of poll questions) constructed using Google Forms.

I of course accept the decision, although I don't know the rationale behind it. Polls are quite popular on DP, but the polling UI is (frankly) terrible and cripplingly restrictive. Modern DIY survey tools open up a lot of rich polling options and opportunities for political dialog, hence I'm hoping DP admin might be amenable to at least considering whitelisting some survey sites.
 
COTO said:
I don't know if there's a rule against it explicitly codified anywhere. I was recently informed by DP admin that it was prohibited to administer a survey (a collection of poll questions) constructed using Google Forms.

I of course accept the decision, although I don't know the rationale behind it. Polls are quite popular on DP, but the polling UI is (frankly) terrible and cripplingly restrictive. Modern DIY survey tools open up a lot of rich polling options and opportunities for political dialog, hence I'm hoping DP admin might be amenable to at least considering whitelisting some survey sites.
Click to expand...

To be fair, the nature of this format is that we occasionally attract students trying to do their homework or an academic soliciting data for their thesis or some other project. That may be where the thought process is coming from.

It might be a good idea to put together a model of what you'd like to do then contact one of the administrators to see if it meets their approval. You'll be MUCH more likely to get useful feedback that way.
 
Lutherf said:
To be fair, the nature of this format is that we occasionally attract students trying to do their homework or an academic soliciting data for their thesis or some other project. That may be where the thought process is coming from.

It might be a good idea to put together a model of what you'd like to do then contact one of the administrators to see if it meets their approval. You'll be MUCH more likely to get useful feedback that way.
Click to expand...
Is there any admin in particular I should approach?

I get the impression only the superadmin, i.e. the site owner, would be able to authorize a change in the rules, and I don't know who that is. RedAkston perchance?

More generally: is there a site resource that lists all of the DP staff (both payroll and volunteer) and their positions?

Finally, as far as you know, is this even worth pursuing? In your 8 years here, have you witnessed any technical upgrades, changes to the rules, etc. in response to member suggestions?

Thanks for your help. :)
 
COTO said:
Is there any admin in particular I should approach?

I get the impression only the superadmin, i.e. the site owner, would be able to authorize a change in the rules, and I don't know who that is. RedAkston perchance?

More generally: is there a site resource that lists all of the DP staff (both payroll and volunteer) and their positions?

Finally, as far as you know, is this even worth pursuing? In your 8 years here, have you witnessed any technical upgrades, changes to the rules, etc. in response to member suggestions?

Thanks for your help. :)
Click to expand...

Red would likely be the one to decide if it came down to a one man decision but, as far as I know, any of the others should be able to give you more insight.

As far as it being worth pursuing, sure. It's a fairly simple question and a matter of rules interpretation rather than site maintenance or structure.
 
I've forced the software to convert URL's to UTF-8. This may cause an issue with performance or those still using IE (why on Earth anyone still uses that dinosaur is beyond comprehension). We'll see how it goes.

The [W:xx] question has been answered.

The polls will remain as they are. No linking of outside polls for reasons already stated as well as other factors.

I hope this helps.
 
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