Secrets of the New A2K

Forums: Primer, Help, able2know, a2k, Instructions
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I know, I know, there are a lot of changes. And what should be clear is that the site is going to be changing even more before everything is done. But give it a chance, it will get easier and you may find there are some things you even prefer.

This is going to be a topic for answers. Not for questions, for answers. Not for complaints, not for suggestions. For answers. I want this to be the one-stop shopping site for your answers about the new site. I do not promise perfection on this topic but what I do hope for is that you, me, all of us, will work together to provide answers for each other. Help each other out. You know, like you've been doing for years.

Here's how. I am going to post links to where the answers to a variety of issues can be found on the site. These are answers to inquiries about how to use the features, about the functionality, etc. If there are better, more elegant answers out there, post links to them! You won't hurt my feelings. If there are new issues and new answers, post links to them! This is intended to be a living document.

And it's intended to be what you need. To be, to coin a phrase, a part of your personalized, individualized user experience. Kinda like what we're trying to do here.

So without further ado:

Big Basic Topics, lots of answers here:
New A2K Annoyances: http://able2know.org/topic/120917-1
How to use the new site: http://able2know.org/topic/120897-1
New A2K Bugs: http://able2know.org/topic/120918-1
New A2K Coolnesses: http://able2know.org/topic/120920-1

Getting here and getting set up:
Passwords: http://able2know.org/topic/120897-2#post-3357065
Avatars: http://able2know.org/topic/120899-1
PMs: http://able2know.org/topic/120897-1#post-3356964
Setting the Time Zone: http://able2know.org/topic/120897-5#post-3357342

Site Navigation Basics: http://able2know.org/topic/120897-1#post-3356979
http://able2know.org/topic/120897-1#post-3356980
http://able2know.org/topic/120897-1#post-3356984
http://able2know.org/topic/120897-3#post-3357169
http://able2know.org/topic/120897-4#post-3357195
http://able2know.org/topic/120897-5#post-3357291
http://able2know.org/topic/120897-5#post-3357308

Voting, Tagging and Reputations:
Definitive on Tagging: http://able2know.org/topic/121067-1
Tagging and Voting on Topics: http://able2know.org/topic/120897-2#post-3357025
http://able2know.org/topic/120897-2#post-3357063
http://able2know.org/topic/120897-3#post-3357174
http://able2know.org/topic/120897-6#post-3357591
http://able2know.org/topic/120897-7#post-3357606
http://able2know.org/topic/120897-9#post-3358250
http://able2know.org/topic/120897-9#post-3358256
Voting on Individual Answers: http://able2know.org/topic/120897-5#post-3357271
Reputations: http://able2know.org/topic/120911-1
http://able2know.org/topic/120897-4#post-3357206

New and Interesting Features, and Things to Come:
Graphics (or the lack thereof): http://able2know.org/topic/120897-1#post-3357011
Email Updates: http://able2know.org/topic/120897-2#post-3357024
BB Code and Smilies: http://able2know.org/topic/120897-2#post-3357090
Scroll Bars: http://able2know.org/topic/120897-4#post-3357182
http://able2know.org/topic/120897-6#post-3357485
Unanswered Questions: http://able2know.org/topic/120897-4#post-3357217
Post Thresholds: http://able2know.org/topic/120897-4#post-3357237
Editing: http://able2know.org/topic/120897-4#post-3357245
Ignoring and Unignoring Users: http://able2know.org/topic/120897-5#post-3357354
http://able2know.org/topic/120897-5#post-3357357
Navigating to Profiles: http://able2know.org/topic/120897-5#post-3357354
http://able2know.org/topic/120897-5#post-3357370

Oh and one more thing about tagging. Today I'm going to show you how it can really work for you.

Instead of typing bookmark, go to the left side, where it says "My tags" and tag with this word: primer. And you can add other tags if you like; you won't hurt my feelings if you don't like the word primer but I am attempting to make a point. The idea is, if you tag it that way, and your neighbor does, and others do, that will be a way to find this topic. Just go to your "My tags" and select primer. And you'll get back to this topic.

Tag the topics being quoted with the same word, primer, and then you'll find them all together. All neatly bound, like they were put into a notebook for you.

Pretty cool, huh?

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Type: Discussion • Score: 37 • Views: 22,528 • Replies: 67
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Cool, I was about to post a top ten tips thread but only got this far:

1) Want an avatar? Upload it to http://en.gravatar.com/ and associate it with the email address you use on able2know

2) Want to find threads for later? Tag them. They will show up in your "My Tags" profile page.

3) Annoyed with the way posts collapse? Go to your preferences ( http://able2know.org/account/preferences/ ) and you can make them expand by default.

4) Can't log in? Make sure that you: a) are using your email address, not username b) have cookies enabled c) have a password at least 6 characters long (if yours is shorter, you'll need to reset it).

0 Replies

Some more information on tagging:
http://able2know.org/topic/120943-1 (thanks, Butrflynet!)

Tagging should not be used for personal references. Instead, tag with meaningful terms that describe the topic, e. g. rhododendron if a flower top isn't specifically tagged re the correct flower it's about. See:
http://able2know.org/topic/121067-1

1 Reply

@jespah,

Are My Tags just for me, or does everyone see them?

If they're just for me, then why does adding add'l tags help?

If they're global, then don't we need a unique "read later" (for example) tag for each person?

2 Replies

@DrewDad,

(Pssst, DrewDad! Jespah said this is a thread for answers, not questions!)

Tags are global. Users can see each other's tags.

Whether we need private tags on top of this is a design decision, which I imagine to be outside the scope of this thread. The "annoyances" thread might be a better place to address this.

1 Reply

@Thomas,

Is it a thread for scolding?

1 Reply

@DrewDad,

Everyone can see your "my tags" page. We may make the ability to privately tag in the future (would make more sense when the social bookmarking feature for urls is made).

0 Replies

@DrewDad,

Here's some more on tagging.
http://able2know.org/topic/120958-1

Essentially, like a lot of other things with the site, it needs some time and usage to develop. 200 tags are nice, but 20,000 are a lot more meaningful. Then topics really start to pop for people.

And yes, you can see my tags, and I can see yours.

Tagging is best explained here: http://able2know.org/topic/121067-1

A means of bookmarking could be something that's been available all along, which is to simply make the discussion url a favorite in Internet Explorer or Foxfyre or whatever browswer you're using.

Of course you're free to use the site as you think best, which is our philosophy driving this change in the software.

I'm sure you'll find new and interesting ways to use the software, and I hope you'll post your finds here or elsewhere. Thanks for asking.

1 Reply

@jespah,

Drew Dad wrote-

Quote:

Is it a thread for scolding?

But you said no questions jespah. Some people must not read your posts.

1 Reply

@spendius,

What does it mean that my posts have the thumbs up sign green and others have them grey. What does the number between the two mean?

1 Reply

@spendius,

A green thumb-up or a red thumb-down means you've voted. (And you automatically vote your own posts/threads up, which is why the count starts at "1.")

Grey means you haven't voted yet.

The number between is the vote count for that post/thread.

Edit: You won't usually see the red thumb-down. Voting down collapses the post/thread, and you have to expand it back out before you will see the thumbs and vote count.

1 Reply

@DrewDad,

How fascinating! My English teachers would have gasped in incredulity at that DD.

When did I vote? I don't remember voting. I never vote.

Could it have been when I clicked on the hand just to see what would happen. If it was that I apologise. What did I vote for? I hope I didn't upset anybody.

Why is your thumb not green if you automatically voted for your own post.

Does it make any difference that I opted for the "no collapsing" thingy. I don't rate collapsing unless it's Virginia Freshwater collapsing in a fit of giggles in the hay.

2 Replies

@spendius,

I've a question on aka Miller's latest creation, Arendt: how many allegedly distinct posters had to vote before "Arendt" reached her current "rating"?

Quote:

# Reputation: 105.56
# Posts: 18

And whatever happened to that much-vaunted "spam filter", going beyond IPs, in the new site software?

1 Reply

@High Seas,

I have no idea how many distinct posters it takes to move any ratings, but that number is only going to keep rising as more and more people vote and, as a result, individual ups or downs are part of a sea of ups or downs.

Butrflynet's workarounds and ideas:
http://able2know.org/topic/121047-1

More about voting:
http://able2know.org/topic/121045-1#post-3360884
http://able2know.org/topic/120955-1#post-3360782

Subscribing to topics:
http://able2know.org/topic/121045-5#post-3361105

1 Reply

@jespah,

Tks, Jespah, but you seem to have missed the point insofar as the specific polynomial poster was concerned - no matter, thanks anyway.

1 Reply

@High Seas,

The reputation is Miller's, based on voting on her topics and posts. No idea what the actual algorithm is but the numbers are clearly going to be a moving target as the number of posters, votes and ratings increases. Views and votes are not equivalent, of course.

Otherwise I am probably not understanding your question. Perhaps you could reword it.

1 Reply

Clustered replies:
http://able2know.org/topic/121048-1#post-3361156

0 Replies

@spendius,

Quote:

Why is your thumb not green if you automatically voted for your own post.

You only get to see your votes. I see my votes. Everyone sees the vote total.

0 Replies

@jespah,

You're right that it's part of the akaMiller names compendium, Jespah, but the actual "reputation rating" I quoted was listed under yet another of her names, "Arendt". It's of no importance other than my interest in what Craven thought was some new efficient filters against polynomial posters. Thanks.

1 Reply

Several users in Sozobe's "annoyances" thread have complained that there is no thread-by-thread view of "my posts", a feature that used to exist on the old A2K. I'd like to report a workaround that works well for me. The procedure is as follows:

1) go to your "my posts" page. It contains every thread you've ever posted to.
2) on this page, working from your most recent posts, copy your username into "my tags", on the top left of your browser window. Work back as far back in time as it takes you to find still-active threads.
3) When you're done, click the "My Tags" link, on the top right of your browser window, which contains a list of your tags. On this list, select your user name, and sort by "most recent posts".

Voila, here's your thread-by-thread list of "your posts".

Two practical notes:

a) Because all tags are public at the moment, other users can theoretically screw up your thread-by-thread "my posts" list by tagging threads you haven't participated in with your username. I don't expect this to be a problem in practice, because your username should make for a tag that mainly interests you.

b) To fully duplicate the old A2K functionality, you would have to tag all the threads way back to the date when you joined the site. But fully duplicating the functionality may be more effort than it's worth. For example, I got 90% of the mileage by working back just one week. I may work a few more weeks back, but there will soon come a point where the extra benefit isn't worth the extra benefit anymore.

2 Replies

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