New features - Nuevas funciones

[Tomisimo]

I've been wanting to write a FAQ and let everyone know about all the new features on the forums since I upgraded it, but I haven't had time. So I thought I'd just start this thread and if any of you have questions or would like to share what you've learned about using the new features, please do.

He querido escribir un mensaje para que todos conozcan las nuevas características aquí en los foros, ya que los actualicé. Pero por falta de tiempo no lo he hecho. Así que voy a empezar este tema y espero que algunos de ustedes puedan poner abajo sus preguntas, dudas o quizá quieran escribir un post para ayudarles a los demás a entender cómo funcionan las cosas nuevas.

Algunas de las cosas nuevas/Some of the new features:

• Groups/Grupos - Create your own, or join another one. Once you're a member then you can share pictures and post messages to the group. Should these be called clubs?
• User Profile Pages/Páginas de Perfil para los Usuarios - Tienen nuevas funciones p. ej. puedes dejar comentarios para otro en su página de perfil.
• Etiquetas para los Temas /Thread tags - You can tag threads (from the bottom of the thread [click on 'edit tags']), and then use the tag cloud to find threads of interest.
• Álbumes de Fotos/Picture Albums - Subir imágenes y compártelas con otros. Checa mis álbumes.

Y hay mucho más.....

Now, ask your questions, or tell everyone how to use these cool new features!

[Iris]

I'm sure it's a stupid question, but there goes: how do I answer a comment in my User Page?

[Iris]

Sorry. Found out on my own. I had not looked well...

[Rusty]

I having some difficulty understanding the Profile Comments. This is probably due to the fact that I'm used to using online chat lines where you can see line after line of contiguous conversation between the people who are chatting with each other.

It looks like I have to go to your profile page in order to leave a comment for you. When you respond to the comment, I get a notification. If I click on the notification (and choose to look at Profile Comment response) I'm taken to my profile page and I can see your response. I can't be sure of the sequence past that point, but I've noticed that not all of my previous comments are shown. I can find more of the comments I've made by clicking around and visiting your profile, but they are not all grouped together. You have some of my comments in your profile; I have some of yours in mine.

For example:
Right now, if I go to my profile, I see 7 comments. That isn't the total number of comments I've made or seen. Some comments are missing. When I click the 'View Public Conversation' link, I see 10 comments, but I still don't see all of the comments I personally remember making/receiving. After clicking the aforementioned link, the title at the top of the page is 'Public Profile Conversation Between Tomisimo and Rusty.' If you can get to it, have a look at my question posted 4-22-2008 11:20 PM. You answered this question at 11:32, but I can't see the response. I have to go to your profile to see the response. Is this by design?
Another missing comment in the 'conversation between you and me' list is the response I gave to your question posted 4-24-2008 12:32 AM. This 'missing' response (made at 1:07 AM) shows up on my profile page instead (it is one of the 7 comments I mentioned in the first statement of this paragraph). I can't find this response anywhere on your profile. It doesn't show up on your profile page (nor does your 12:32 AM comment), nor do I see it when I click the 'View Public Conversation' link. My response only appears on my profile.

The same kind of thing is happening on your profile page. Have a look at the very first comment I made (4-22-2008 10:02 PM). You responded at 10:28, but you can't see your response on the profile page. You have to click the 'View Public Conversation' link before you can see it. While you're there, note that I sent you a message at 11:20. You responded to that question, but it doesn't show up on the page you're viewing. Go back to your profile page. You'll see the 11:20 question AND your 11:32 response to that question. Why can you see my 10:28 question, but not my response, and my 11:20 question AND my response. Is this incongruency by design?

Have a look at Alfonso's response on your profile page. The only way to see what question you asked him is to click the 'View Public Conversation' link. This is probably by design, because you have to go to Alfonso's profile to ask the question in the first place. In the same vein, you left me a comment about my customized profile design. You can't see this comment on your profile page. When I respond to it, you'll see only my response. In order to see the question you asked, you have to click the 'View Public Conversation' link. This all seems to be by design, but the incongruencies listed above have me wondering.

[Tomisimo]

Yes Rusty, I have to agree the system wasn't as well-thought out as it could have been.

Profile Comments
Here's how I understand it. Profile Comments are not threads. They are simply a linear list of comments people can leave on each user's profile. You could think of it as a guestbook, where visitors come, and they sign their name. Some of the confusion arose because for example, you asked a question on my profile, but I went to your profile and left a comment answering it.

Let's see how the notifications work. For example, I go to your profile page and ask you a question: Hi Rusty, what inspired you to choose your user name? Now, since that's a comment on your profile, you get a notification of that. Now answer me, right there on your profile, and it gets added to your profile comments (your guestbook). Now, your answer will not show up on my profile, only on yours. Also, I will not get a notification of it, since it's not on my profile.

When you visit someone else's profile page, there is the link 'View public profile conversation with Fulano'. When you click this link, what it does is show you, in chronological order, all the profile comments you left on their page, and all the comments they left on your page, if that makes any sense. A comment that you left on your own page, even if it was in answer to one of their comments, won't show up in the conversation, since it was not directed at any specific user, since you posted it on your own profile page.

I hope that makes a little bit of sense.

[Rusty]

Thanks for the explanation, David. I'll keep the guestbook anology in mind.