MGOBLOG 3.0 sticky for bugs

Submitted by Seth on

We are using this thread to collect all the (fixable) feedback for the new site in one spot, and if you're seeing it on the main page it means I've updated the OP content.

If you've noticed any bugs in the site post them here and if you have constructive criticism we very much appreciate it. The developers are also going to be in this thread. Even if we can't always respond, you're being heard.

UPDATE 8/23/2018:

We met at HUEL HQ today and worked through a lot of things.

THINGS THAT GOT FIXED

1. You are now able to edit your account info (and your avatar) by clicking on your account name while logged in. Eventually your history and more (see below) will be tabbed from a single user page but this was the quick fix for now.

2. The points issue is still the top priority that they're working on. We're one step further and testing a possible fix in a test environment right now.

3. Next week or so we'll have the ability to vote on Diaries and Board posts (the OPs) themselves. Could have launched today but we wanted to move it from where they were appearing but it works on the dev environment.

THINGS WE ARE FIXING

Please note that while this is a priority tree it's not necessarily the order things will get fixed. We have multiple developers who have their different skills and as each comes free from a project they grab the next highest one they can handle.

1. Points problems

The issue seems to be in the module we wrote for counting points:

Voting module.PNG

Now that they've narrowed it down we have high hopes of getting to the root of the situation.

Lastly IF YOUR POINTS WERE RESET TO ZERO please post in here and let us know 1) A little bit about your points history, 2) When you lost them (was it during the transition), and anything else that can help us track down whatever behavior is creating this. We can't fix this because we don't know why or to what class it's happening to.

(new) 2. User permission issues.

So right now at 100 points you should be able to vote and post new threads, and at 500 points you should be able to post diaries and edit wikis.

THIS IS NOT WORKING because of an issue with the core module. We are trying a fix that might make everything work right away.

It's a permissions issue. What's supposed to happen is once you hit a points threshold you are automatically bumped up to the next user level. It's not doing the bumping because of the "Actions" module, which comes with Drupal. Now that we've identified where the problem is we're working on a patch.

2. Embedding youtubes and tweets automatically by posting a link

So because of site security we have to use Oembeds. There is a module for Drupal 8 for this but it's a paid service, which with our volume is cost-prohibitive (like they want tens of thousands of dollars per month so screw those guys).

So we're going to develop something. We would prefer to have a system that automatically turns a link you post into an image or youtube or twitter embed. That's a better long-term solution and putting something in place in the meantime would cost us time and resources we'd rather put toward more permanent changes. It's a high priority so we just ask for patience now to be paid off with a better final product than the old site had.

For now you can still post these with regular html tags and most sites will give you the source code if you can't remember how to write <img> tags in html language. We had the option to change the post-a-picture box in the comment editor with the ability to post a link instead of upload an image to our site, but we didn't want to lose that ability to post to our site since it's a feature we really wanted for the new site.

3. Side rail becoming unglued. 

I've seen it and several users have as well but we haven't had a developer get into it yet because it doesn't happen too often.

4. "Continue Reading" links on front page will jump to the break tag, not the top of the article.

Another thing on the list for a dev to get to.

5. Comments bubble should link to comments

Right now it goes to the top of the article in article view.

6. Voting shows totals not aggregate

We have to rewrite the module ourselves.

7. (new) Latest post timestamp behavior

Haven't looked into it yet but it's a known issue that the latest post says there's something from a few minutes ago and there isn't. It may be bots causing this behavior.

8. (new) Clicking on a comment in a readers' post history should take you to that post.

Moderators need this.

9. (new) Some content is breaking containers

Design issue. When designer gets back from maternity leave we'll get an estimate.

10. (new) We are developing a "User Page" that will be tabbed thusly:

  • Change your user info (name, email, avatar, password)
  • See your recent post history
  • See replies to your posts
  • Your points history

Most excited about the second-to-last one, which is one of many new properties we plan to add that the old site missed.

Things Over the Horizon

1. Showing New comments in a thread as "New"

We got an estimate of big money to rent a specialist in order to build out this module. This is the next big project after we get the points figured out. Personally I wanted to address it sooner but more people complained about points so that got moved ahead. Be mad at the people who complained about points because it's all their fault.

2. Changing Scroll Behavior

We had a specialist look at this and what's happening is a problem with the order things are loaded. When you post a new comment the page DOES take you to your just-posted comment, but then it loads other comments and that pushes your screen down. If you use the up or down arrows it should take you right back to your comment. This is a problem buried deep and got another big expensive estimate to fix. So we have to wait.

(updated) 3. Apps

The process has begun. We might have a couple of light ones first then more developed ones later. FYI the problem with the old apps is they were not built to play nice with the site. If they worked great on your phone that was because they were downloading the whole site before you went to read it, and that was placing a huge drain on our resources and causing the site crashes. We will have apps and I hope to have a timeline in a few weeks. The latest is there's a drupal module we're going to try. Maybe it'll work the first time with no kinks.

(updated) 4. Saving User Preferences

We want comment settings to stick permanently for each user. Right now it resets when you post a comment. This is a BIG fix so it comes after we get other things done.

 

Also they're working on a bunch of functions we need internally, like the process for creating breaks, windows live writer issues, and lightbox for UFRs.

Jim Halpert

June 14th, 2018 at 6:33 PM ^

Seth, thanks for letting us know what’s being worked on. It helps knowing that you’re aware of certain issues and what your priorities are. Much appreciated 

KO Stradivarius

June 14th, 2018 at 7:34 PM ^

Every now and then on mobile using Safari, the body of text in a post within a thread will be about twice as wide as 99% of the other posts. It spills over into a “grayed out” area to the right, past a vertical line that looks like a page break. 

I have to scroll over to the right to read the entire body of text .

Seth

June 14th, 2018 at 8:02 PM ^

There's no avatar with your account. Perhaps it was making me wistful having to stare at NoCal mountains where I want to be hiking instead of on a computer taking and jotting down complaints about a website.

Link the photo you want and I'll put it back in. Only thing I can guess is did you change it recently?

Mineral King

June 14th, 2018 at 9:38 PM ^

Thank you for replying. I appreciate it. 

My avatar has not been changed, when the new site launched it was just gone.

Actually it is not of the mountains where Mineral King is found... it was actually of Tom Brady. I tried to link, but I'm on phone and it wont work I don't think to where it's clickable. If you google "The Brady 6" and click images it was the one (2nd image that shows up) where it's zoomed up on his eyes with the eye black in the Michigan helmet. There is an espn bottom line ticker in the pic so I zoomed up to only focus on Brady. I loved the pic and was hoping it would bring good luck so if you can get it back that would be awesome. 

If you can't and I need to wait for that feature to be added like the old site, that's ok just LMK. 

Thanks again! 

DelhiWolverine

June 15th, 2018 at 11:09 AM ^

Seth wrote this as a response to another thread with the same type of issue:

The points system is a module written by a guy who doesn't put much work into it (on the old site we used a different and better one but that's discontinued). So we're paying to have a new module written but it wasn't going to be ready with the site. For the time being points are counted but they don't appear right away.

Looks like they are working on it and will eventually get it sorted out. I'm in the same boat, FWIW

befuggled

June 15th, 2018 at 9:43 PM ^

Should be be able to post comments to the latest Unverified Voracity? I thought this would be a transient issue, but several hours later there's still no comment box.

https://mgoblog.com/content/unverified-voracity-can-never-be-good-pick-tom-brady

Unless this is a new editorial direction I missed.

kje22kje

June 16th, 2018 at 8:58 AM ^

Not sure if but or suggestion but...

On main page if you click the comments bubble it goes to a new page but not to comments.  Should take you to comments.

Also I know there is a "gotomgoboard" link at the bottom of the section but when scrolling down it is almost intuitive to click the white words MESSAGE BOARD to get there not scroll through those 6 or wjatever.  Should have the title of the section be a hyperlink.

rposly

June 16th, 2018 at 12:47 PM ^

Do you no longer get points for posting comments?  I've posted several comments this week, but my points have stayed static at 195.  

kje22kje

June 16th, 2018 at 5:33 PM ^

Also when I want to see new posts android/chrome I scroll to comments and then sort newest first.  Little wheel spins but nothing happens.  Same first comment sitting there looking at me.  You have to click READ MORE as a second step and then it takes you to new.  

 

kje22kje

June 17th, 2018 at 12:59 AM ^

Go to board.

Choose post to read.

Read post, then comments, then move to second page of comments.

Want to go back and revisit comment from first page so hit back button android chrome.

One click of back button from page 2 comments pits me back on the board.  Not page one comments.

Shop Smart Sho…

June 17th, 2018 at 9:36 AM ^

A bug and a design critique.

The search function isn't working. I know someone else commented on that in this thread, but I haven't seen a recognition or explanation for it in here, so it's probably worth pointing out again.

Why does the banner need a background? It's busy and looks like a template from a wordpress blog. It also adds to the sense of misalignment when you're scrolled all the way to the top. There are just so many different vertical lines, and having the banner on a background just adds to that.

Seth

June 19th, 2018 at 10:31 AM ^

The search function is run by Google, and their bots are crawling our site as we speak, but they're going slowly because we limit that, otherwise it slows down the site. Could take weeks before we have a functional search function.

Googling "MGoBlog xxxx" in regular Google pulls up what they found on the old site.

Bando Calrissian

June 18th, 2018 at 11:36 PM ^

Reason to redesign the right-side interface to increase the number of linked MGoThreads: When Magnus starts a pile of threads about scholarship offers, that's all your going to see for a while. 

TIMMMAAY

June 19th, 2018 at 9:55 AM ^

That goddamned man-ass ad. Please make it go away. I have clicked the "report this ad" at least a dozen times now, with multiple selections as to why I don't want to have a man-ass on my screen. Yet there it is, every damn time. Stop it. 

maize-blue

June 19th, 2018 at 10:57 AM ^

I see it a lot too. And also other men's underwear ads. I'm pretty sure it's not based on search history as I see it mostly on my work desktop which has no funky searches.

My theory is that is some sort of default ad when Google can't pull much from your search history and it can only find that you are male.

The "Report this ad" does nothing, if anything it only brings the same ads back more frequent. It's only there to make us feel better.

At least the Mail Order Bride ads have slowed down.

copacetic

June 19th, 2018 at 12:38 PM ^

It's not based on search history in the sense that you searched for "men's underwear," but rather targeted at whatever demographic they think you are (male, 25-35 or whatever age range, likes sports, wears underwear, etc.), and whether that demographic would be interested in that ad.  

So while most people here probably haven't searched for mail order brides, apparently the mgoblog demographic is similar to those who might be interested. 

Check out some of your ad settings here, should be able to customize it some or make it so you get more random stuff: https://adssettings.google.com/

maize-blue

June 19th, 2018 at 1:29 PM ^

The demographic for the site makes sense. 

I would guess folks that are most seeing these types of ads are like me and not signed into any particular account (*because of being on a work desktop, in my case).

This would explain why I don't see these ads on my tablet. I am signed in to my Google account there and the ads are more targeted at me specifically and are going through different Google settings.

mGrowOld

June 19th, 2018 at 1:55 PM ^

I get man ass too and I'm at work so even if I wanted to look at man ass I couldnt (and I dont.....NTTAWWT) but there he is in all his tighty-whitey man ass glory.   True that my opportunities to date Asian, Russian, Arab, what-have-you girls has ground to a halt but the presence of ass man sort of negates that win.

UM Fan from Sydney

June 19th, 2018 at 10:59 AM ^

Thread voting needs to make its triumphant return. It gives the mods more of an idea whether or not a thread should be deleted and also gives us the chance to make OPs feel bad about making such atrocious threads.

chatster

June 19th, 2018 at 11:35 AM ^

Today I feel like Mike LaFontaine, owner and founder of High Class Management, asking “Hey, wha’ happened?”

I don’t check this site as often as I did before what feels like the Glitch Switch.  The main reason why I’ve been checking the site recently is to see whether any of the bugs have been exterminated.

Neither the All Ancient-History Team (1879-1968) nor watching the basketball team’s NCAA Tournament Final Four semi-final game against Loyola-Chicago one frame at a time are of special interest to me now.  Yet those are two of three stories that are highlighted at the top of the page. The third, Brian’s recruiting story about Myles “Spider” Sims, is dated June 12 at 4:54 in the afternoon.

Since June 14, I’d been waiting for an updated moderator “sticky” post that lists the priority for fixing problems, reasons for the problems, and anticipated time for the problems to be fixed. Thanks to Seth, it came this morning at 10:42.

It might be nice to get a daily update on priorities being given to fixing the following problems:

Ability to edit posts.  Identifying new comments in a thread.  Ability to embed videos.  Easier way to insert images and gifs.  Removing the large photos at the top of the home page that highlight stale stories.  Reducing the excessive white space.  Getting a working search function.  Ability to easily return to a post in a thread without having to scroll through the entire thread, or what Seth calls “erratic thread jumps”.  Ability to edit your account information. Ability to easily see another poster’s profile.  Functioning points totals.  Determining totals for upvotes and downvotes of posts, instead of seeing only the net voting results.  Voting for original posts in a thread.  Having a list of all users’ point totals. Adding lists of links to (a) Michigan-related websites and (b) website for other schools in the Big Ten.  Adding an underlining button in the comments box.  Improving the spell-check feature in the comments box. Putting the comments box at the end of a thread, instead of at the beginning

Sadly for me, despite my hope that the change to MGoBlog 3.0 would be an improvement over MGoBlog 2.0, MGoBlog 3.0  has become the change I can’t believe in.  It used to be the first Michigan-related website I’d check. Now, it’s almost the last.  I hope that MGoBlog 4.0 will be a change that will make MGoBlog great again.