Why not make a post preview thread and then sticky it like the search thread. The thread could even be put in forum games so that you don't get AP for posting in it.
All the user would have to do is copy and past there post into the post as a reply in the post preview thread to see how it will come out before posting it were they actually intend to put it. And no extra programming would be required to implement it. Just a thread that's stickied.
It would be really helpful in instances when you have to post long walkthroughs and need to see if were to add double spaces and or bold/italic and how things will line up.
or maybe even a post that uses the 'brilliant' words
yeah cool
These kind of posts are deleted (if I'm correct) because they don't contribute to the discussion at hand and have no other meaning than people who want to let everyone in the forums know that they too exist in this world...
All I can say with this is more or less the same as your conclusion in this... If you care about what your writings look like and don't know how to fix a certain problem... you ask other users how to fix it and use the knowledge gained!
For myself I can use the example of the 'word-link' problem I faced a while ago. I wanted to use this, didn't know how to, so... I asked other users and got the answer! It's so easy...
_________________________________________________________________________________ This post was sponsored by Red Marker Crayons. A spell checker's 'life-line'. =D
...A thread where people could check whether or not their coding is correct, before they post it in the thread they were thinking of(.)
Thank you Cenere. This the idea I've been trying to convey but was having a ton of trouble explaining in a clear concise matter.
Had to delete s bunch of posts just now because someone apparently refused to learn how to make a proper link (even after it was shown how to), and that would not have been fixed with neither spell checker, grammar checker, preview button, nothing. Not even an edit button, since the users did not manage to make a proper link to the site they wanted. Which leads to me going "If you are concerned about how your posts are, you most likely also know how to fix it."
I totally agree. Even if there was a post preview thread, users, like that mentioned above, would probably never find or use the post preview thread in the first place.
Unfortunately, I can make a list of things that would be problematic with the post preview thread.
1.) Users who don't care to learn how to make posts with links/pictures correctly probably wouldn't bother finding or using the post preview thread.
2.) In order for the post preview thread to be fully realized you'd have to be able to double post and triple post etc. to check how the post looks and then to check how it looks after making correction. But this would be spam.
3.) The post preview thread would have to be a thread where AP and points are not gained from posting. I don't know how difficult it is to make a thread like that. (Does a whole new forum section need to be made?)
4.) Posting a preview of your topic in the post preview thread and then posting it again elsewhere could possible clutter up search results from the forum search.
5.) The Post Preview Thread would only really be useful for users who are posting large topics like strategy guides or posts with pictures, where spacing, coding, and getting the picture size right are important factors. The thread would basically be pointless for small posts.
The reasons I did suggest a post preview thread in the first place are that I made a large strategy guide and wanted to see how it looked and if it was easy to read before posting. Also I posted my first picture. It was too long and I felt bad because anyone viewing that page had to scroll past my stupid picture. I found it strange that there was no place in the forums that you could post something there first to see how it looked before posting it where you actually wanted to. Hence the Post Preview Thread idea.
But it actually does seem like a good idea, though the posts should be deleted after use, if located in an ap-giving section.
True. I think I once suggested a thread called 'test Tube' or maybe I just thought it... It was almost exactly like this, except for practicing BBcode.
Where you check if a post is alright and then submitting it?
What happens if you are a newbie to BBcode? Tell me, how would you check that?
Had to delete s bunch of posts just now because someone apparently refused to learn how to make a proper link (even after it was shown how to), and that would not have been fixed with neither spell checker, grammar checker, preview button, nothing.
I hope it wasn't me...
1.) Users who don't care to learn how to make posts with links/pictures correctly probably wouldn't bother finding or using the post preview thread.
That's there problem. it is useful for those who want it.
2.) In order for the post preview thread to be fully realized you'd have to be able to double post and triple post etc. to check how the post looks and then to check how it looks after making correction. But this would be spam.
It could be considered the only place where you can slightly spam on AG (And if you put in the Forum games section, it won't make any AP).
3.) The post preview thread would have to be a thread where AP and points are not gained from posting. I don't know how difficult it is to make a thread like that. (Does a whole new forum section need to be made?)
Put it in the Forum games. And have a link to it in SS and the Newcomers Forum.
4.) Posting a preview of your topic in the post preview thread and then posting it again elsewhere could possible clutter up search results from the forum search.
The Forum search IS cluttered up anyway, with 1,000,000 posts in 500,000 threads. And almost all of them turn up on the search results. As if 1000 extra posts will clutter it up more.
5.) The Post Preview Thread would only really be useful for users who are posting large topics like strategy guides or posts with pictures, where spacing, coding, and getting the picture size right are important factors. The thread would basically be pointless for small posts.
I think it would also be a 'layground' for newbies to learn BBcode. And the point of the preview thread is to prevent you from posting a really long thread post that is utterly useless.
I feel good after criticizing every point you have there. Then again, as you posted, the point of a preview thread can be argued.
