Sell your used non-astro items here!

[weixing]

Hi,
There are some limitation on the forum software as it can't specified which sub-forum to be included in the new/recent posts for individual user (I'll see whether I can modified the forum code to include some similar feature), but one can still easily don't see the post they are not interested in.

Whenever i log in, i'll click on the 'New Post' link above, now you tell me how do i filter it off?

i do not think one can avoid sieving through posts that we are not interested to view, through the "Recent Topics" link on the header. what it does is to show everything that has been posted according to a time span. Unless I am missing something out...

Please note that the page will also show which is the sub forum the new posts is in, so you just don't view any posts if it appear in the sub forum you are not interested at all...

Anyway, the posts in SingAstro isn't that much that we'll have 20 or more different topics daily, so everything should basically just shown in one page and anyone should be easily filter out those topics or sub forum that he is not interested in at a glance.

Please note that basically you'll only see multiple pages of new posts only when you didn't visit the site or didn't log in for a very long time.

Have a nice day.

[Meng Lee]

Just a personal point of view, Its quite important that outsiders, newbies, or would-be-newbies should see that this is an astro forum. Selling non-astro stuff is fine, just avoid showing the new posts in pasar malam sub-forum on the "Recent Topics" page as a lot of people click it when they log on Singastro.

Post a poll for members to decide whether to hide the new posts in sub-forum pasar malam?

Just a personal opinion, please don't take any offence.

[hommel]

Just a personal point of view, Its quite important that outsiders, newbies, or would-be-newbies should see that this is an astro forum. Selling non-astro stuff is fine, just avoid showing the new posts in pasar malam sub-forum on the "Recent Topics" page as a lot of people click it when they log on Singastro.

Post a poll for members to decide whether to hide the new posts in sub-forum pasar malam?

Just a personal opinion, please don't take any offence.

Yes thats what i'm trying to say, to see if this forum can filter out new posts
from pasar malam. I am not against selling non astro stuff, in fact i also want
to jump onto the pasar malam bandwagon, i got a hundred items to sell :oops:

[rcj]

share hommel's viewpoint. perhaps in terms of PHP code structure:

1) there is a "Recent Topics" php page that has an SQL command to search for all recent threads according to a definite time period. The SQL command could be altered to include the ID (index) reference to each section (relating to Buy/Sell or Astrophotography, or Events, etc) using an AND statement.

2) Consequently, for each user profile configuration page, you can include the PHP code with check boxes to let the user select which sections to be "conjured" up in the "Recent Topics" page.

Please note the above is what I would expect in the given scenario in terms of code structure or sequence of trigger events. In actual case, it might be different, but the basic pseudo code structure should be similar.

[Airconvent]

Whoa! When the admin first mooted the idea, I was the lone person to express concerns about it but ironically, also the first person to use this new forum. :-)

For every change, there will be resistance because we have all grown so used to the way the forum is formed. This mirrored the situation we had when we first migrated from the yahoogroups to the web-based forum.

Many have raised the same concerns I raised earlier mostly about spamming. Rest assured the admin and mods keep a tight control on these.

In anycase, its way too early to make predictions about how bad spamming will be etc. I suppose to let it run for a few weeks and see what problems crop up...maybe nothing at all. As can be seen, been almost 2 days and the threads have not moved much.

As for suggestions on filtering, I personally do not think its such a big issue to just skip a few non-astro posts. After all, the coffee corner is already doing this. But I guess the admin can look into this as a possible future enhancement. I'll leave it to them to decide. In the meantime,I hope my junk is not causing anyone any sleepless nights...

rich

[rcj]

Hi rich,

think everyone's perception is different. we cannot satisfy everyone. frankly, it's too radical a move, and might be personally motivated, i donno. let's hope the storm will pass. we'll see.

[weixing]

Hi,
Any posts in sub forum "Pasar Malam" will not appear in the Recen Topics and New Posts page as requested by most users.

Have a nice day.

[acc]

... and might be personally motivated, i donno.

Remus you may want to refer to the forum rules http://www.singastro.org/viewtopic.php?t=650

In particular
3. Do not make unsubstantiated or vague negative comments about others - always specify the circumstances that made you feel the way you do. This is fair play in arguments.

[zong]

Weixing, that's a nice feature implemented, although i like pasar malam. just that i'm too busy to compile what i have at home that i wanna sell.. haha.

Main idea why i think a non-astro goods selling sub-forum is good here is, at least over here i know people personally, so i would feel more comfortable buying from the person. If the item bought is spoilt, at least i know i can chase after the guy/gal at our next ob session... lol.

I do not think anyone will sign up in singastro just for the pasar malam forum. As most forums go, their "off-topic" forum is the biggest. However, our coffee-corner doesn't even attract these "outsiders". How would a small pasar malam attract them, when our market base is.. hm. about 30? It makes no sense to these offloaders

[chrisyeo]

Hi Remus,

I assure you that it is not a personally motivated thing. It was just a case of 'hey what do you think', and we think it's ok. Despite you feeling otherwise, the statistics have shown that more and more new members and posters have been joining. Ultimately, this is a space for astronomy enthusiasts, and the members and admin will never let that be destroyed. We feel that loosening up a bit will be a good thing for the forums. We are always trying ways to improve the astro community within our limited means. Of course, we will monitor and review.

Thanks for your suggestions and thanks weixing for making it such that pasar malam posts don't appear in the recent posts.

Rgds,
Chris