What's with the Envelopes flying on my screen?

[FBadmin]

So we've had a few people asking... what's with the envelopes that keep flying over my screen? And how do I make them go away?

Well, the envelopes mean that you have a private message from someone. They will follow your cursor around until you click on them. It's not meant to be annoying, although I guess it can be, but they are part of this new system.

All you need to do to get rid of them is click on one of them and you'll go to your messages page. If you read your messages, the envelopes go away! It's as simple as that.

Sorry for the confusion. We're looking into see if it is possible to disable them altogether, but some people actually like them...

We'll keep you guys updated!

Thanks for your support! :D :D

[solelover72]

its not working.... please get rid of them.... its very annoying

[FBadmin]

did you read your messages? I've tested it a few times on different accounts and different browsers. If you click on the envelope and go to your inbox and read the messages there, the envelopes disappear....

[Head2Foot]

I clicked on an envelope and landed in some technicolor field in which it is just about impossible to read anything. A small, light font disappears into the intense purple background. For a few days this site was designed with a more neutral color scheme that was easier on the eyes and in which text was easier to read. Now it's like a constant battle with complexity. I think I'll go away for a few days and maybe your designer will rate usability as more important than complex visual assault.

[Rich986]

Could we get rid of the floating envelopes? They're kinda juvenile and not very useful.

[stustustugoo]

I kinda thought it was a cool feature, whats wrong with juvenile, sometimes acting or thinking juvenile keeps a person young of heart mind, body, and spirit!
I say keep the feature!

[farnes76]

lots of fun until you click three times on them and get redirected to your mail,then have to reload the page.I say they go.

[TiCkleD aWay]

This thread should've been posted in the General section. Also there's a similar thread there :)

[barefeet07]

I agree that need to go!

[hepkat]

It's not just the flying envelopes, or the dazzling technicolor, or the intense background, etc, it's the whole usability of the site that has taken a dramatic turn for the worse! First rule of business: don't fix what isn't broken. For many years this was a really great site that offered a neat, intuitive interface that was practical and easy on the eyes. You knew at once which threads had new posts because the thread was highlighted in bold. You knew at once which page in each thread had new posts, because new pages were also highlighted in bold. You could browse through pages upon pages of threads, going back several months. There were no flying envelopes sending you into epileptic seizures, just a discrete line at the top right of the page alerting you to any new messages. You came in, you clicked on the bold page number of whatever thread interested you, you gratified yourself, and then you were out. Things could have not have been more perfect!

Why, oh why, did you guys decide to fix what wasn't even broken? Now you spend twice as much time wading through threads, trying to figure out which pages are new (the new pages are no longer in bold). And that's when you're not being constantly molested by flying envelopes darting from every corner of the screen! God help you if you need to view threads not listed on the page, for now you have to go all the way to the bottom, configure "thread display options", click on "show threads", after which any unread thread now shows up as read, so you have no way of knowing if you missed out on any new George Clooney pics. And the grandest gesture of UNusability? The "show threads" settings don't get saved, so every time you revisit the site, it defaults to showing just the new threads of the past 24 hours. Woe be to those who were careless enough to go on a weekend trip! They're condemned to only seeing new threads of the past 24 hours.

Come on guys! You had THE BEST male feet site on the net, I'm really disappointed that you felt the need to mess it up! I'm hard pressed to imagine how any of the new interface's advantages outweigh its many disadvantages.

[FBadmin]

That's all a bit dramatic, don't you think? LOL. First of all, as a member, you don't see all the behind the scenes problems that are associated with running a board like this. Constant attacks from hackers, spam bots, and the like. Ask Boots about it. He can tell you when there were days when there were over 1000 bots that joined in one day and there were forums full of spam. In order to keep up with these miscreants, we have to update technology to keep things running smoothly and safely.

We're still making a lot of changes and this is a work in progress. For instance... soon we'll have several different color schemes that you can choose from so those of you that get sent into "epileptic seizures" from "dazzling technicolors" or "intense backgrounds" can choose something more soothing. If you have some constructive criticism on how to make the site better, which your post does, we're taking all of that into account. We will be making more changes, but it will NOT go back to the old forum. So try and show a little patience during our remodel. :)

In the mean time, might I suggest a decaffeinated blend? I can recommend several that offer the same rich, full taste as whatever it is you're drinking now! :D

Best,

FootBuddies

[hepkat]

Well, that was a good explanation - thanks for a peek behind the scenes! Sometimes a little transparency goes a looong way.

I'm still feeling quite dramatic however...it's the result of one epileptic seizure too many!

[solelover72]

sorry, was having a hard time reading the stuff u posted due to the envelopes blocking everything.....just make it a simple site and stop fixing stuff that is not broken!!! and ur response about the complaints is really immature. Tell me you are not the one in charge or this site... please. You brought colors, coffee, seizures, technicolors and intense backgrounds in to it.... You are not sounding very professional right now. I doubt you could figure out a remote control Barbie doll at this point.... just saying. now THATS dramatic

[FBadmin]

I figured out how to work the BAN button though :-)

[BootsMcGraw]

You need to get rid of the floating envelopes, please. Now. That is so 1997.

There are times I don't WANT to read my private messages, and the same goes for probably everyone else in the membership. It makes it impossible to read a post when words get blocked by the "dancing baloney" that's now here. There is no value added by this; and it appears to be causing this site a loss of goodwill.

Also, please revert the color scheme back to where it was --- a more neutral set of colors. I, like seven to nine percent of the membership, have some form of colorblindness. This mish-mash of primary colors hurts my head. And some color combinations are impossible for me and my colorblind brethren to distinguish.

Please remember the universally accepted acronym for any design idea: KISS. Keep it simply simple.

[FBadmin]

You mean these colors?

[FBadmin]

OK, finally found the setting for the flying envelopes. You can now turn OFF the flying envelopes by clicking on SETTINGS up at the very top of the page to access the User Control Panel. Look for

DBTech - vBSuper PM's
And click right underneath that where it says PM NOTIFICATION SETTINGS. There you can disable the notifications.

Now can we all just get a long?

Thanks for your support!

[hepkat]

I figured out how to work the BAN button though :-)

Well, that's a bit capricious, wasn't it? I used to moderate a very large internet forum and the one thing we moderators had to learn was how to take blunt, sometimes chastising criticism without punishing members for speaking out. It was sometimes difficult but it made the site more open and appreciated in the end.

Please don't ban me...just contributing my two cents.

[FBadmin]

I won't ban you, hepkat. And his ban is not permanent. LOL. I can take criticism, of course... I'm very used to it. I do not tolerate rudeness, very well, though. I have a very sarcastic side, which was how I answered your original post. I always give someone the benefit of the doubt, but if you actually read this thread, you'll see that solelover didn't actually read anything. He made a comment about the flying envelopes. I responded politely. He responded again. And in the end, with another response, he chose to go on that I should not be working on this board and to leave it alone. If it was left alone, it wouldn't exist anymore, which was what I took the time to explain to you, in my sarcastic manner, which you read and then thought about it and it made sense and you replied. Solelover was just looking to bitch and complain, and at a time when I am working night and day trying to improve and figure out this new system to make it the best it can be for you members... Well... you get my point.

In the end, this is a completely free site, it always has been, and it always will be. You know if you went somewhere every day for a free lunch where they served Turkey on White Bread, but then the Chef changed to Wheat bread because it's healthier, it's not very appropriate to then yell at the chef and tell him that his sandwiches suck.

Solelovers ban ends in 4 more days. He'll survive.

'Nuff Said

[FBadmin]

You can turn them off in your user control panel.

Just go to http://www.footbuddies.com/usercp.php and change the PM NOTIFICATION SETTINGS from yes to no. :)

[LaughingAsians]

LOL!!! yeah no kidding! Keyword: HAD

This site looks like a damn cartoon!



It's not just the flying envelopes, or the dazzling technicolor, or the intense background, etc, it's the whole usability of the site that has taken a dramatic turn for the worse! First rule of business: don't fix what isn't broken. For many years this was a really great site that offered a neat, intuitive interface that was practical and easy on the eyes. You knew at once which threads had new posts because the thread was highlighted in bold. You knew at once which page in each thread had new posts, because new pages were also highlighted in bold. You could browse through pages upon pages of threads, going back several months. There were no flying envelopes sending you into epileptic seizures, just a discrete line at the top right of the page alerting you to any new messages. You came in, you clicked on the bold page number of whatever thread interested you, you gratified yourself, and then you were out. Things could have not have been more perfect!

Why, oh why, did you guys decide to fix what wasn't even broken? Now you spend twice as much time wading through threads, trying to figure out which pages are new (the new pages are no longer in bold). And that's when you're not being constantly molested by flying envelopes darting from every corner of the screen! God help you if you need to view threads not listed on the page, for now you have to go all the way to the bottom, configure "thread display options", click on "show threads", after which any unread thread now shows up as read, so you have no way of knowing if you missed out on any new George Clooney pics. And the grandest gesture of UNusability? The "show threads" settings don't get saved, so every time you revisit the site, it defaults to showing just the new threads of the past 24 hours. Woe be to those who were careless enough to go on a weekend trip! They're condemned to only seeing new threads of the past 24 hours.

Come on guys! You had THE BEST male feet site on the net, I'm really disappointed that you felt the need to mess it up! I'm hard pressed to imagine how any of the new interface's advantages outweigh its many disadvantages.