The new Forums need to be more time efficient:
At the very least show the original post detail in the list. I also don’t see the original poster’s name.
Everyone is familiar with Facebook, so the feed should be similar to that.
Hi Sir Brian, I think that the biggest difference here are the Topics. In FB you’ll have a “post” with no context and the related discussion. In that case, seeing the OP makes sense because it provides the context.
However, in a topical discussion, the Topic is the primary focus and it’s usually of little importance who made the first post. Makes sense?
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@Sir_Brian_M I also see the downsides to forums.
It’s a slower process overall at the moment.
And it’s not as visually ‘engaging’ for some of us as well.
Equally it does get us away from FB.
What I’m finding is it’s not that easy to work out what I want to see so far. In FB it’s annoyingly easier (and faster) to navigate/find.
But it is what it is. This is just how forums work.
To the org post point - I like to know what the orig post is as well, for ‘mentions’ and original context. But I don’t think that’s an option. Forum s/w just doesn’t do that (or at least the ones I’ve seen)
I’m all for getting away from FB. I suppose if the topic heading was relevant we wouldn’t need to read the OP detail unless it was something we cared to follow or comment on.
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Yup. Nail on head. Topic header doesn’t always do it
I think that if the OP is of value, it will be pinned so always in sight to keep things relevant and in context.
The dynamics of any forum are of a topic + discussion, as opposed to random post + discussion.
I’m not saying this is better or worse, it is what it is (sans the non-stop ads and endless content pollution. oh wait, it is better 
).
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Good point. I hate ads.
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Yup agree with the whole reasons for getting off FB (there are loads). So I’m up for forums. They’re just different.
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You can see the original poster by looking at the “heads” to the right of the title in the list of topics. First one is the poster, rest are commenters. I reckon forums can be more time efficient for the reader but people need to use descriptive titles for their posts. As for changing it, well it’s third party forum software so kind of stuck with what you get (and/or in the 90’s 
). Personally I was fine with Facebook. People will state their opinions as though they are fact wherever they’re allowed to write (hmm, like I just did, ho hum)
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CONFIRMED Stuck in the 90’s…
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Just in case @Sir_Brian_M, here is a nice new user guide for Discourse… there’s a lot there, but it is helpful in getting a bit more comfortable.
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As somewhat of an “old timer” on the interwebs, I welcome the return to a forum approach, especially for something as niche as The Sufferfest. Once accustomed to the interface, it actually becomes more time efficient in that one has the ability to go directly to the content of most interest to them, sans ads. Additionally, there are fewer rabbit holes down which one can get lost.
One feature of the SUF forum I particularly like is the date/timeline at right. It helps with staying abreast of the most recent, most relevant information. Good job, Minions!
One additional feature for the forum that would be nice, though, would be the ability to access it through the SUF app on mobile devices to allow greater access to all things SUF on the go.
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You can use the discourse app on your smartphone and link the forums, in case you want an alternative for the browser version.
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Discourse (the software this forum runs on) allows you to pin the forum as an app on the device. These are called Progressive Web Apps.
To learn how to do it, you can find the details for Android below:
https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/9658361?co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid&hl=en&oco=0
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Alas: iOS
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I’m running discourse on iOS.
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Search for Discourse Hub in your app store of choice. There’s a version for Android and iOS.
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Found it this go-round.
Thanks for the replies.
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Just in case someone else is looking for help with Discourse Hub…
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