MovieChat Forums > General Discussion > Moviechat Improvements (Listed in Order ...

Moviechat Improvements (Listed in Order of Importance)

posted 8 years ago by FilmFan1983 (128)
96 replies | jump to latest

I am not the most technically inclined, so forgive the imprecise language in some cases, but in my opinion here are the most important improvements we still need.

1) Private Messaging
2) More Formatting Options (with clickable shortcuts)
Options should include quote,hyperlink, bold, italics, and selection of emoticons and emojis
3) Ability to change to different views (nested to flat for example)
4) More Complete Archive (A torrent exists with all movie boards and supposedly tv as well, although as of now I'm still unable to extract tv shows but according to the notepad file they are there). This would also take care of the problem in old boards where only the first 9 replies in a thread are carried over. (DONE! although still hoping against hope that more of the celebrity boards have been archived)
5) Ability to read old messages with programming language still intact (in old threads on here, quotes appear as simple text for example making the content harder to read). (DONE!)
6) Ability to jump to latest post in thread, or jump to individual post from profile page (DONE!)
7) Avatars
8) Ignore Button (DONE!)

Additional Improvements that would improve on IMDb's functionality

1) Ability to search posts
2) Ability to embed photos and videos (perhaps just photos and only up to a certain size?)
3) Ability to crosspost on multiple forums that are topical
4) Ability to like (or dislike) posts
5) Ability to track post views
6) Ability to unshare posting history
7) Ability to subscribe to threads or boards (in order to track discussion even if you don't post)
8) Subforums for Genre boards (or sticky threads)

Moviechat Members: Look forward to hearing your thoughts and opinions.

[–] April-151-CT (10210) 8 years ago

I really want a like/dislike button. There are so many times when reading posts on IMDb that I wanted to be able to like or dislike a comment!! But for now, I think Jim's done a pretty awesome job at how fast he has implemented the most important needed features so far.

[–] Morpheus (4) 8 years ago

Agreed. so here is a *LIKE*

[–] April-151-CT (10210) 8 years ago

Back atcha 😉

[–] khu7 (6) 8 years ago

yes, i want to be able to register my approval without adding a useless post for people to waste their time having to read. cos there are good posts that i want to give a thumbs up to

[–] April-151-CT (10210) 8 years ago

My browser's keyboard doesn't have thumbs up button. But I do have a high five lol. 🙋 😊

[–] Information-Police (4889) 8 years ago

Yes, my FB habits have me reaching for a non-existent "like" button on many occasions!

[–] April-151-CT (10210) 8 years ago

And it's more than just Facebook. It's YouTube, and pretty much everywhere else on the internet where comments are posted. 😃

[–] Stratego (30494) 8 years ago

I disagree. Such a button only contributes to an unpleasant atmosphere. People will dislike a legitimate opinion just because they don't agree with it or like shallow comments like "Best movie ever!". This is a discussion board, so discussion should be encouraged. If you like or dislike a post, just reply to it with your own words.

[–] LeiaOfLothlorien (1980) 8 years ago

I think a like button would be cool, but a dislike button could be abused way too easily.

Also agree with avatars, skip to most recent post, and sticky threads.

[–] FilmFan1983 (128) 8 years ago

I agree. I'm a little conflicted with the dislike button because it does help curb spammy or nonsensical posts, but it can be abused. I like what Amazon does for their boards, where if a certain number of members select "unhelpful" it hides the message but doesn't delete it. A like button, however, would definitely be welcome.

[–] LeiaOfLothlorien (1980) 8 years ago

That sounds like a more reasonable compromise, but still...

[–] Stratego (30494) 8 years ago

In that case a negative but well argued opinion will basically disappear from public view because of some upset fanboys. I don't think that's fair.

[–] April-151-CT (10210) 8 years ago

On Amazon it does indeed "hide" an "unhelpful" comment, but also lets you click on it to read it if you choose to. So nothing will disappear unless you want it to. All unhelpful hidden comments are easily clickable to read them.

[–] Stratego (30494) 8 years ago

A lot of people can't be bothered to read hidden posts, especially if they can't even be bothered to reply to a post when they like/ dislike it. It's also unfair for an intelligent and interesting post to be hidden just because some fans might consider it too negative.

[–] April-151-CT (10210) 8 years ago

No one said they had to be hidden on here. I'm just stating that ON AMAZON, unpopular comments don't get deleted. People that have genuine interest in the subject will click on the "show all hidden comments" link. People that can't be bothered to read hidden comments are just not interested in them. And again, some people simply don't spend enough time on the internet to be able to reply. It's not a big deal.

[–] Stratego (30494) 8 years ago

FilmFan1983 actually mentioned liking the system on Amazon and that's what I responded to.

You don't know what someone might be interested in. It's not fair if an interesting comment is hidden from everybody, just because it's too negative for some people. People might also not click on a hidden message becaus they assume it's a troll post or they just don't notice it.

You know, it's also not a big deal to read a comment and agree/disagree with it without replying or expressing it any other way.

[–] arvin g borkar (2854) 8 years ago

" I like what Amazon does"

I lost you there. People on this website, well most anyway, hate Amazon and what they did to IMDb.

[–] Mahrez99 (236) 8 years ago

Agree Stratego. Even if at times a "like"-button would be nice, it could actually discourage many good discussions. Nobody want to disagree with some post with 20 "likes", and others will attack that disagreeing post easier when they know they have the support of the majority. Let's try to have something different than FB here!

[–] FilmFan1983 (128) 8 years ago

I'm beginning to agree that such a feature wouldn't be necessary at the moment. We should give this site time to grow and see what happens. However, I still think such an option would be better than leaving it up to a few moderators. Perhaps there is a way to hide the amount of dislikes until there is a sufficient amount (whatever that number may be) to flag a post.

[–] April-151-CT (10210) 8 years ago

Like/dislike buttons are not solely on Facebook. They are on nearly every site that has an option for comments/messages.

[–] neverstandinalone (641) 8 years ago

Agree Mahrez99. This isn't Facebook, or YouTube. I think..see, I was about to voice my opinion, but if there are like/dislike buttons I'm more prone to not comment. Would others be discouraged as well, I wonder. I'm not always of the mind for an intelligent or long comment. Trolls would use the dislike button more often than not, I'd think.

bwbphile also has a sweet comment of which I agree: " Lets discuss movies and tv with out insulting others."

[–] bwbphile (471) 8 years ago

Good point Stratego about button. Lets discuss movies and tv with out insulting others.

[–] April-151-CT (10210) 8 years ago

It's ok to dislike a legitimate comment. It's only a big deal if one chooses to make it a big deal. And it doesn't have to be the kind of like (or dislike, or any other reaction button) that's on Facebook where it lists the people's names of who clicked on which reaction button. It can be like YouTube and most other sites where it doesn't say who liked or disliked a post. And it also doesn't have to be the kind of "uptick" or "downtick" kind of vote. Just a simple like or dislike to acknowledge that you agree or disagree without having to comment if one chooses not to comment. People make such big deals out of nothing on the internet (and in life too) these days.

[–] Stratego (30494) 8 years ago

I think making it anonymous is even worse. Chances are people will abuse the button even more. This is a discussion board, not Youtube or Yahoo which are more about short, witty comments. Posts here are usually much more nuanced. I don't even understand the point of knowing how much anonymous people like or dislike a comment. And if you really want to express how you feel about a post, then just reply to that post. I did it all the time on IMDb by simply saying "I agree" or "I don't agree". It also gives the OP the possibility to ask for an elaboration. It's only fair.

[–] April-151-CT (10210) 8 years ago

Because some people spend more time on the internet than others. Some only have time to hit a like for acknowledgement. Some don't have time to comment on every comment they agree or disagree with. Some people have a lot of time on their hands and spend lots of time on the internet.

And as far as I know, Facebook is the only site I personally have come across that list the names of the reactees. All other places I've personally seen that have comments all have like and dislike without listing people. And again, it's only a big thing if you make it a big thing. People that don't spend too much time on the internet most likely won't find it a big deal.

[–] Stratego (30494) 8 years ago

You have time to read a whole discussion, but you don't have the time to simply reply "I agree/don't agree"? Or how about just agreeing with it in silence and moving on? I did that plenty of times on IMDb.

"It's only a big thing, if you make it a big thing"

Well, if it's that meaningless, then why even have it? But that's not even my point. This is a discussion board, healthy discussion should be encouraged. We should not give trolls and fanboys the opportunity to act immature and perhaps gang up on someone. Opinions are so much more nuanced on a site like this, I actually think such a button is disrespectful to the thought and time a poster put I their post. I also find it a rather superficial concept, people should be encouraged to think beyond just liking/disliking something.

[–] April-151-CT (10210) 8 years ago

You have time to read a whole discussion, but you don't have the time to simply reply "I agree/don't agree"?

Yes, exactly. Again, some people don't live on the internet as much as others do and don't have time to type a reply to every comment on a thread. And then, some people have all the time in the world to do that.

Or how about just agreeing with it in silence and moving on?

Aaaand, that would be what the like/dislike button will be for. 😉

Also... so trolls and fanboys don't gang up on people if there are no like/dislike button? Ok...

So in closing to my end of this conversation, if you don't choose to use the like/dislike buttons when they appear, then simply don't.

[–] Stratego (30494) 8 years ago

A like/dislike button will give trolls and fanboys the opportunity to display their immature behavior anonymously or without repurcussions. I don't think we should encourage that.

Like I said, it's no big deal to just agree or disagree with a comment without necessarily expressing it. If you don't have the time to post a short reply, I wonder if you really have the time to judge the substance of a post.

I think such a button is just a very superficial and vapid way of "communication".

[–] neverstandinalone (641) 8 years ago

Stratego, you said it all right there!!! I PUBLICLY & UNABASHEDLY AGREE. 😉

[–] scottylans (4) 8 years ago

Please DO NOT ADD THIS. I don't want weighting / ranking or any of that silly stuff. I just want discussion. People with dissenting opinions should not be squelched or made to look dumb with little thumbs representing their opinion.

"Fight" with words, not with silly clicks. DON'T do it. Please

P.S this site is excellent work, thank you.

[–] Sentient Meat (1509) 8 years ago

I can see people not wanting a dislike button, but a like button is a good way of telling someone "well done" when you don't have the time to engage in a full blown conversation with them. Personally, I don't have a problem with either button but I'm sure Facebook did hours of market research proving that a dislike button would discourage use by thin skinned users. Clearly, a like button is tried and true success however, as most sites use them.

[–] Cornelia123 (784) 8 years ago

I agree, we shouldn't have a 'like' and 'dislike' button. We're here to discuss, not to click on like and dislike buttons, as if this was youtube or something.

[–] scottylans (4) 8 years ago

To be honest, the layout of the site and the comment system, already seems very very good to me. It honestly covers 99% of what I wanted. ESPECIALLY the nice, simple, old school looking layout. None of this big huge, ugly, white, boxless, colourless, shadeless "flat" material design looking nastyness.

I checked out "The Movie DB" and it's just awful looking. (but I still run IMDB in classic mode)

[–] jmcd2007 (424) 8 years ago

Well said! Consider this a *like* as well.

[–] April-151-CT (10210) 8 years ago

😊💜

[–] Morpheus (4) 8 years ago

If Jim is responsive to our suggestions than the cool thing is that this can become a community where we all can have a small sense of ownership.

I like your list so far...

[–] wheelin176 (2050) 8 years ago

Things can be made clickable,I just don't know how

[–] DreamersxDisease (817) 8 years ago

Agreed, I've made comments about how this site could really become something potentially better than IMDb because it's practically being crowd sourced by the fans and posters themselves.

As for those suggestions/my own the ones I'd want the most are private messaging, better searching capabilities, favorites list, making clickable links easier since not all folks can get the coding down, and uh...I suppose that's it for the most urgent stuff I'd like to see. Many other options and recommendation are nice, but I can do without them for a bit if need be and all that.

Keeping these ideas going and open are good though so we can get ourselves heard and to make it easier for jim to see them.

[–] wheelin176 (2050) 8 years ago

No I mean that's been done.

[–] DreamersxDisease (817) 8 years ago

What are you referring to? The clickable thing? Oh, it was made easier already? I did not know, my bad! But that's good to know.

By the way that wasn't directed at you, in my message, I think a lot of people wouldn't like to have to type that all out for a link, I don't particularly care for it myself. I thought it'd be a good thing to make more accessible. So, I apologize if it came off that way.

[–] wheelin176 (2050) 8 years ago

Name of webpage here

Yes to make it clickable.

[–] DreamersxDisease (817) 8 years ago

Thanks for informing me, I appreciate it!

[–] April-151-CT (10210) 8 years ago

That webpage is not available lol 😉😉😉😉

[–] wheelin176 (2050) 8 years ago

[deleted]

[–] April-151-CT (10210) 8 years ago

Morpheus very true, and so far he's been VERY responsive to us. It's like we are Jim's "helpers". Or "elves" lol.

[–] earl237 (1106) 8 years ago

My favorite feature from IMDB was top-rated episodes for tv series, hope they have that on this site soon.

[–] MinaVladimir (4081) 8 years ago

[deleted]

[–] FilmFan1983 (128) 8 years ago

Great suggestion regarding the avatar. I'll add that feature to my original post.

[–] Mahrez99 (236) 8 years ago

Like many of the things on your list, but not so sure I would like to have embedded videos and photos, and avatars should be of the simple kind (no gifs). These things will make loading time much longer and create stress for server with more people joining and longer threads.

Personally I prefer pages clean and nice too. On some other forums it's such a mess with pictures and animations everywhere, often the same ones multiple times down the threads, as they are avatars and sigs of posters posting many times in same thread.

What I think is of most importance at this point: Number 1, 2 and 6 in your first list, and 7 and partly 8 (sticky threads would be nice) in second list.

[–] StyxNyx (862) 8 years ago

Totally agree! Too many pics and gifs are too heavy for smaller devices, such as phones and tablets, which will also use up more RAM and CPU as well, making loading times too slow. Also makes pages too busy and messy...imo. I prefer light and simple. 😊 We need shorter pages too...for sure!

[–] FilmFan1983 (128) 8 years ago

Revised that part about embedded pictures and videos on my list. Perhaps limiting the pictures to a certain size would be an effective solution. For videos, I thought they wouldn't affect these servers since they will be hosted on external sites, and I know it's possible to block incoming links on most browsers. In any case, it's not too important to me since we can simply link to Youtube or some other video hosting service. I am definitely not a fan of using any multimedia for signatures. Speaking of which, we don't have signatures either. I never used them personally, but I know a lot of people who posted on the IMDb forums did.

I personally like how everything is on one page (I remember how frustrating it was having to click on multiple pages when IMD's servers were intermittent or slow), but maybe we should have an option for displaying posts on multiple pages for those who are used to IMDb.

[–] vandyvch (77) 8 years ago

An Ignore function is absolutely vital to the site, I think. It's by far the best first line of defense we could have - enables people to feel comfortable posting here while at the same time not overloading the report system.

I like a lot of your other ideas, but at best many of them are aesthetics.

[–] Apis (1624) 8 years ago

I agree with no gifs for avatars... they are too distracting.

I'd like to be able to choose between IMDb style emoticons and emojis.

There are too many boards in General Section. Maybe they were needed for 250 million people but they are not needed now. Some of them could be joined together. It's a looong scroll to the bottom of the General Boards.

IMDb section of General Boards is not necessary anymore.

[–] FilmFan1983 (128) 8 years ago

I did enjoy the emoticons and emojis. I'll revise #2 to include them.

[–] Catbookss (13664) 8 years ago

I'm with you on #s 1 and 2, and the ability to jump to the most recent posts in a thread, as well as an ignore button, but the rest doesn't much matter to me, except for the ability to search posts (which IMDb never had and was annoying).

I care about the ability to quote other posts, as well as making URLs clickable in an easy way, and formatting (italics, bold, etc).

Don't care all that much about avatars, or a like/dislike button, or the rest. Avatars would be nice so we can more easily recognize one another and reform our former community … so perhaps I do care about that, ha ha. But not a like/dislike button or the rest of what you mentioned in your Additional Improvements section.

[–] BenCaesar (612) 8 years ago

Anything else ?