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'Real' private messaging system

24

Comments

  • yesahasureokyesahasureok
    edited December 2006
    we or better my circle of ppl, we are pm whores so lets make 30 cent now :p

    btw ...a pre-merry christmas 2 you as well
  • russliptonrusslipton
    My hunch is that whispering's shortcomings could be solved with some sort of UI tweak but without moving/changing them per se. For instance, instead of a whisper text-entry box, force a button click so the whisper is clearly intentional; then, offer a quick confirmation before the whisper is saved.

    I see them as a simple 'aside' in the context of a discussion (topic); apples-and-oranges to PM. I'm not sure what most forums gain by dedicated PM since instant messaging is so easy to do as a dedicated task on the desktop.
  • PolPol
    edited December 2006
    Maybe there could be a sort of hybrid system that integrates with the existing whisper system. (This could easily be an extension.) There would be a PM-type interface -- maybe accessed from an added tab, with some notifications and stats in the panel -- with an inbox and outbox, but actually it would just be an alternate interface to whispers, so there wouldn't be any unnecessary functionality overlap. The inbox page, for example, would list all whispers to you, the outbox would show whispers you sent (and whether the recipient of each has read it yet). Also on the inbox page, maybe, there would be a form labeled "new whisper to user", where you'd fill in a username and click a button; it would simply take you to a New Discussion page with that username already filled in. Good idea? No? Any thoughts?
  • WandererWanderer
    That would work Pol, sounds like most of the functionality is already there, just waiting for an interface?
  • PolPol
    Exactly. Vanilla already has a private messaging system; the backend and database has everything such a system needs, in the form of whispers. It just lacks an interface people are used to. Adding one is a simple job for an extension. This is something I might like to code at some point. But again, that's not a promise. :)
  • MySchizoBuddyMySchizoBuddy
    yup its a good idea to make vanilla just like any other forum out there. get rid of its unique capabilities and make it just like punbb or any other forum out there.
  • PolPol
    Though better is necessarily different, different is not necessarily better.

    This wouldn't be getting rid of anything. It would just be adding an additional interface for private messaging, for those who prefer that type of setting. Ultimately, it comes down to personal preference; I expect a lot of users would prefer being able to see all their whispers in an inbox/outbox-type interface. I would.
  • yesahasureokyesahasureok
    edited December 2006
    @ schizo

    i see just profits in a modular and scalable system,


    and honestly, there is a minimum "must have" for a forum , especially if you like to run a forum for nongeeks and for a broader mass, othervise vanilla turns into a " i run my forum for my 20 geek friends" - forum.

    i lost a lot of members because vanilla was for them a tad to (very) much out of the box and it makes no sense to tell them the story about the philosophy of a few.

    i think the ergonomical aspect should be allways a big topic and also one of the main aims of a forum.



    (now 30 cents so far in this topic :p )
  • TexTex
    edited December 2006
    In my opinion the strenght of the Whispers compared to PMs is, that they show up cronically an grouped uner one topic. Sometimes I get lost with PMs when having to much.

    Why not just adding an overview concerning Whispers, just as the discussions? As we got it when clicking 'whispered discussions'. This could be integrated into the profile.

    Did I already mention, that I think the Whispers are superior to PMs?
  • JazzmanJazzman
    Ok, give me 5 minutes for this extension :P
  • StashStash ✭
    edited December 2006
    /me looks at his watch

    That was 51 minutes ago Jazzman, we're all waiting :P
  • circuitcircuit
    edited December 2006
    ideally i would like this extension to give admin the option of hiding the 'whisper to' box in a thread as well. (in fact maybe i could do that with CSS). i also think it would be good to get an email every time you get a whisper. with the 'notify' extension, you only get one when you have subscribed, i.e. after the first one has been sent. so you may not know you have any unread whispers. i totally agree with fery on this topic. if you want an application to have mass appeal, you have to introduce new ideas gently. i can't expect anyone to understand what a whisper is without me explaining it. i've been explaining BBcode for the last 18 months. do you know what i mean? whispers can still be whispers, you can just have the option of how you display them depending on how savvy your users are. pol's ideas for an extension sound great, if i had a bit more brains i would learn how to write it myself.
  • JazzmanJazzman
    edited December 2006
    Ok, so far I've finished the Inbox:



    The extension is just a view which will use the Whisper-system to send and receive Private Messages. You'll have to activate Whispers in order it to work. I'll be working on the rest of the extension tomorrow as I don't have anymore time today :)
  • circuitcircuit
    wow, that looks superb! thanks so much jazzman!!
  • StashStash ✭
    Excellent work Jazzman, that looks superb :)
  • circuitcircuit
    edited December 2006
    Off topic: but can anyone suggest how to create a link from a Wordpress page to a Vanilla 'start whisper' page?
    I tried this, but Vanilla doesn't pick up the variable. I'm not that experienced in PHP.

    <a href="http://www.site.net/forum/post.php?WhisperUsername=<?php echo $curauth->user_login; ?>">
  • PolPol
    edited December 2006
    Awesome work, Jazzman! You rock! That's exactly how I was imagining it. :)
  • yesahasureokyesahasureok
    i think _start a new discussion_ is still confusing for a user , i bet a neebie gonna search for hours for a "write pm" button,

    also words like _discussion_ or _whisper_ r a bit confusing, because you would ask yourself two times "what the heck does that mean"? and why is a field above the forum-textfield with the same name?

    other than that , nice work so far jazzman
  • circuitcircuit
    i am really looking forward to uploading this extension. i think i will hide the 'whisper your comments to' input box when i have uploaded it, as people are still confused by it. incorporating whispers into a PM system is such a great idea, jazzman do you have a donation box? i should really pop a few pennies in it.
  • MySchizoBuddyMySchizoBuddy
    did anyone notice how screenshots from Windows soo crappy. those fonts are so bad looking. jazzman u should enable cleartype in windows
This discussion has been closed.