Jump to content
The Dark Mod Forums

Dark Mod Website


Subjective Effect

Recommended Posts

If there were more sections I'd agree with you Bikerdude. I think that layout will be find for News, Team and Media. Forum is obviously forum and I think that Download is the meat of the page - people need to get TDM and missions!

 

The whole idea is indeed so you get all the info at once. The Main section now has repeated info from the News page. Content is king, but content organisation is queen.

 

Spring - the functional difference between having it all on one page is it's all loaded at once. The stacked version is a compromise for smaller screens, but very few people these days will use it. Even an 13inch MacBook Air won't need it. For the majority of users they'll get the side by side version.

 

Tapatalk is a mobile app for connecting to forums. Here is the list of forum types it uses: http://tapatalk.com/activate_tapatalk.php

 

There is an app for every major mobile OS and it lets you browse whilst using very little data because it doesn't load stuff like images. TTLG has it and it's really easy to set up - you just include a script.

I want your brain... to make his heart... beat faster.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Actually it's kinda' annoying to me the forums constantly pop up a mobile version, you have to scroll all the way to the bottom to get back to the regular version (on an old flip phone without touch screen, that's a pain) and end up loading two pages with twice the data to get at the one.

 

Many people nowadays have tablets or phones with full featured browsers and wireless connectivity, so the old 2G slow data requiring separate mobile sites à la the 2000's is kind of a thing of the past.

 

Tapatalk is an app for mobiles that seems redundant to RSS (which everyone already has access to, is free, and doesn't have a separate company's ads). I'd enable RSS over a proprietary alternative.

"The measure of a man's character is what he would do if he knew he never would be found out."

- Baron Thomas Babington Macauley

Link to comment
Share on other sites

RSS to access the forums? How do you work that?

 

Tapatalk has no ads and if you have it you can remove the forums mobile version. Then you'll get the full version RJFerret, and anyone wanting a stripped down/mobile version can access it through tapatalk.

I want your brain... to make his heart... beat faster.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

RSS to access the forums? How do you work that?

 

I don't know, this is the only forum I frequent without RSS feeds. It would work the same way RSS has for the past what, decade or more, showing new content in a unified UI along with your other forum/news feeds?

 

Tapatalk has no ads...

 

Which version do you have? That's a rather curious blanket statement, considering the company announced a free-to-download, ad supported version in the latter half of last year, and I don't see a pay-for version on Google Play anymore.

 

They use VigLink for advertising/link affiliation and PostRelease for user tracking according to their FAQ. Their support forum has folks who paid for the "pro" version who are unhappy seeing ads. Worse, apparently they serve a pop-up to non-Tapatalk users of a forum to promote themselves (one time each supposedly--but you'd probably have to whitelist their cookie I'm guessing). It's not made clear if the site pays the $29 or $39/month for a customized version, if that alleviates the users from such, but they do say you receive 100% of the revenue--although from what isn't made clear.

 

*shrugs, but I obviously don't have it, since it's not available for my device, and am happy using the current incarnation of the forum, both mobile and full, I'd just heard of it on another forum before (for a commercial MMO) where someone asked if they'd support it and was met with a "no" response. So, hearing a mention of it again peaked my curiosity, especially in this tinier venue.

 

It sounds like they took the concept of RSS, saw that nobody profits from that, and figured out a way to monetize it, which is brilliant for them.

"The measure of a man's character is what he would do if he knew he never would be found out."

- Baron Thomas Babington Macauley

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just my 2 cents on the mobile version of the forum, the only issue I have with it is -

 

in a nutshell - when accessing the forum from a mobile device there is no option to go to the last post on a forum thread or a private convo like you can in the main forum. Other that that the mobile version of the forum is perfectly adequate.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

RSS feeds are just for news. You can't use them to access and post in the forums. I don't think Tapatalk has anything to do with RSS feeds. I know how the mods on TTLG implemented it though.

 

RSS feeds are a different issue.

 

I don't have ads on my Tapatalk Pro and I've not heard any of that stuff. You don't need a customised version, just list TDM forums in the directory. TTLG is there if you search for it.

 

Do ads on it matter? They aren't anything to do with TDM. It's just an interface. And it will solve the problems you mentioned Bikerdude.

 

I just don't see how giving people easier access to the forums at no cost or real effort to TDM is a bad thing.

I want your brain... to make his heart... beat faster.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You can hit the circle or star to go to unread posts, in the mobile version, if not the last post. Which would be the same as what would show up via RSS, which isn't just for news obviously, but is a format, that can deliver any type of content. Do ads and user spying to profit some other companies matter? Yes, of course!

"The measure of a man's character is what he would do if he knew he never would be found out."

- Baron Thomas Babington Macauley

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think you're being paranoid about Tapatalk.

 

It's an app that provides a service. If I get that for free I don't mind ads.

 

And it doesn't spy on users.

 

I think someone else with a smartphone need to try it. Access TTLG with it and see how it works.

Edited by Subjective Effect

I want your brain... to make his heart... beat faster.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow, really?

 

And it doesn't spy on users.

 

*sigh, this is what, the third time you've claimed something completely untrue? Read their FAQ, I listed the web tracking companies above that they say they use. They both have websites, and one has a Wikipedia page.

 

But how do you think they get paid if they don't track what you do? How do you believe they provide their analytics to their advertisers? Why don't you believe them when they tell you they track what links you access, and what websites you go to from a forum?

 

Your spurious claims make it seem you're working on commission to get them more customers! ;-)

"The measure of a man's character is what he would do if he knew he never would be found out."

- Baron Thomas Babington Macauley

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's not "spying", that's just analytics.

 

Do you think that the TDM forums software doesn't track all sorts of stuff? Or your browser?

 

I'm suggesting something that is useful for the users of this site.

 

I agree with STiFU too - the forum has twitter, fb, g+ and more buttons at the bottom. The main site should too, though they should be Dark Modified.

I want your brain... to make his heart... beat faster.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's not "spying", that's just analytics.

 

LOL, apparently you work for the US's NSA? ;-) Semantics. Taking information without knowledge of the subject is a main definition of spying. Analytics is taking the resulting information gained from spying and other sources, and gleaning further information from it, it derives from "analyze", but there's nothing to analyze without gaining data first. I know psychologically it might not feel great to realize you paid for a produce whose primary purpose is to spy on you for marketing purposes, and change words in webpages into links to sell you stuff based upon your reading subjects, but isn't it better to choose that knowingly, rather than subjecting yourself to it blindly?

 

Do you think that the TDM forums software doesn't track all sorts of stuff? Or your browser?

 

Facebook has a web beacon here due to the Like button. Google Analytics is not in use here. G+ button is. There are no other web beacons in evidence here (per Ghostery). Obviously cookies are used to keep you logged in, record where you are in threads, mark those you have read and what is new since last visit. The latter category offers a usability benefit, but you may freely turn them off, delete them and view them.

 

You may enable or disable Firefox's reporting, and it's open source, so it's possible for people to verify. I don't use Chrome directly, although I wouldn't suggest Chrome spies, since they outright tell you they take your information for their own purposes. (Chromium is used in an MMO game I have installed.) Internet Explorer is known to report info to Microsoft, and many don't use it for that reason. Any browser like Opera Mini (note, not Opera itself, but Opera Mini) which passes info through a server before delivering it to you may have access to that info (as they tell you).

 

I'm suggesting something that is useful for the users of this site.

 

Yup. :-) And as I said before, it wouldn't impact most of us one way or another (aside from the pop-up they deliver non-users to encourage them to buy). However truthful info helps those who might want it, or not want it, or are not familiar with it, so they aren't shocked to discover things aren't as they were presented down the road if implemented, since it impacts their reputation/image.

"The measure of a man's character is what he would do if he knew he never would be found out."

- Baron Thomas Babington Macauley

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Since the website is retouched anyway, I'd like to suggest once again to add one of those facebook likey-like-buttons to the front page. TDM has way too few likes on facebook.

 

I'm all for that...how does one do it?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm okay with most of the ideas, like I said earlier, but I'd like to hear opinions from other people. There's no point in rearranging things unless there are at least a handful of people who think it's worthwhile.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I actually didn't read the other ideas as I don't really care what's going on there. I am sure the current page is fine, but there is always room to improve. So just go ahead if you want, but I'd say don't waste too much valuable time on it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


  • Recent Status Updates

    • Petike the Taffer

      I've finally managed to log in to The Dark Mod Wiki. I'm back in the saddle and before the holidays start in full, I'll be adding a few new FM articles and doing other updates. Written in Stone is already done.
      · 1 reply
    • nbohr1more

      TDM 15th Anniversary Contest is now active! Please declare your participation: https://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?/topic/22413-the-dark-mod-15th-anniversary-contest-entry-thread/
       
      · 0 replies
    • JackFarmer

      @TheUnbeholden
      You cannot receive PMs. Could you please be so kind and check your mailbox if it is full (or maybe you switched off the function)?
      · 1 reply
    • OrbWeaver

      I like the new frob highlight but it would nice if it was less "flickery" while moving over objects (especially barred metal doors).
      · 4 replies
    • nbohr1more

      Please vote in the 15th Anniversary Contest Theme Poll
       
      · 0 replies
×
×
  • Create New...