Forums → Support Forum → "Fuzzy time" option?
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With the current suggestions of being able to change your timezone and have times on AG displayed accordingly (link to that thread), I'm gonna throw an idea out here - fuzzy time.
Integrate an option to have the time displayed as a relative figure.
For instance, instead of it being the fixed time format (like Posted Oct 4, '08 at 4:07pm), it would relate to when it was posted compared to when you view it.
Options can be such as 'Just now', 'A few minutes ago', 'Ten minutes ago', 'Fifteen minutes ago', 'Half an hour ago', 'One hour ago', 'Two hours ago', 'One day ago', 'Two days ago', 'One month ago', and so on and on and on - the gaps between each fuzzy definition of time becoming larger and larger, because it becomes more and more irrelevant when it was posted.
Another site I'm on has this integrated, and I find it really useful - I'm one of those people who doesn't constantly now what date or time it is, and the 'fuzzy date' format allows me to ignore the calculations and just react to how long ago the post I'm reading was made.
I hope I explained the idea properly, and I would like to hear your opinions. It's probably not something that will be implemented soon either way, but would others find it as useful as I do?
- 68 Replies
Seconds that.
It would solve the problem with the weird time zone, people get to know what they want, and the site will get more - international, as the there is no real time zone, but just a time - fuzz.
If I may add, this is already in the 'last post' out in the main forums... It's just in the individual threads and on profiles/games that it is the more strict date displaying.
Also, a nice and quick option to change between the two formats would be preferable.
Right, I think I've made my point now...
Only cons I can see, is that it would take time and coding to implement. That's not a lot of con.
But if people get to change to the format we are using now, they will start demanding the -/+ time difference again in a short while.
On the other hand, people would demand an "actual time" button as soon as the fuzzy time has taken its seat in the forums. Users are hard to handle.
True that... But it is still a better way to find out when a post was made compared to when you are viewing it.
Changing the time to the other format would then show precisely when something was posted according to AG's official time.
On the other hand, people would demand an "actual time" button as soon as the fuzzy time has taken its seat in the forums. Users are hard to handle.
Fuzzy time works excellently when it changes to fixed time by clicking on any fuzzy time displayed. Would probably take a fair bit of coding, but it would solve the problem. If you need the specific, just click, there it is - refresh the page, and it is in fuzzy again. If you have fuzzy time activated, of course.
I personally don't think it's that necessary to be able to customize the timezone... I'll og with what Klaushouse said in the other thread about the time.
A little off topic for a second:
I like the way some of the users say "I would like that and that on this site because Kongreate (whatever) has it"
Why is it this cannot be simple? Like the codes not working?
Keep it simple, keep it fuzzy.
</offtopic>
It would solve a great deal of problems. Let us get it to work.
@offtopicness:
I have no idea whether Kongregate has this feature or not, I just think it's a really good and useful idea.
And I don't know how the coding works, but even things that seem simple to the users can be a lot of coding on a site where the creators code it all from scratch - though I don't think it would be too complicated to drop the idea because of it.
This is a great idea, I like it a lot! I think we should get the time zone issue worked out first though, so that we could get it to be accurate.
Oh, but that's the beauty of fuzzy time, Carlie. It's always "accurate" (as accurate as fuzziness can be), considering it relates to how long ago a post was made - it relates to no timezone in particular.
But yes, getting that whole timezone discussion solved would be nice...
Oh, but that's the beauty of fuzzy time, Carlie. It's always "accurate" (as accurate as fuzziness can be), considering it relates to how long ago a post was made - it relates to no timezone in particular.
But yes, getting that whole timezone discussion solved would be nice...
True, depending on how it was set up. I was thinking it would take the time from your computer, and then the time would be off from the actual site time. But I guess if it is all calibrated to AG time, it would still work alright.
True, depending on how it was set up. I was thinking it would take the time from your computer, and then the time would be off from the actual site time. But I guess if it is all calibrated to AG time, it would still work alright.
Yeah, I'm thinking more along the lines of doing it the same way the 'last post' function displays. But anyway, whether it depended on ones computer or the official site time, wouldn't really change the fuzzy time. Would it?
Well it could be added on top of the post record I think,but I get the feeling that someone would blame it for lagging up the system with its constant updates and such,but I doubt that would be an issue.
Well it could be added on top of the post record I think,but I get the feeling that someone would blame it for lagging up the system with its constant updates and such,but I doubt that would be an issue.
I don't think that would be an issue. The forums right now already have to pull the time information. It would just be pulling a code for the time instead. It is just switching one thing out for another. But then again, I don't really know a whole lot about site design. But I don't think it would slow anything down. That is always a plus!
The reason why the other idea was lagging like a horse with a broken leg, is because it was on everyone's profile, including the 80,000 unused profiles. Since this would be on the forums alone, I doubt that it will lag, if not a smidgeon.
Since this would be on the forums alone, I doubt that it will lag, if not a smidgeon.
Actually it would be just as handy in the comments on profiles. But as Carlie said:
The forums right now already have to pull the time information. It would just be pulling a code for the time instead. It is just switching one thing out for another.It's the same with the comments.
err... But you forgot that part about if anything fancy is on everyone's profiles, it lags like slime! It's best for it to be nailed on the forums. Besides, the forums are the important parts of AG.
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