What can be done to clean up Roll Calls

[CC Help Jenn]

19 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

@CC Help Jenn  Hi Jenn, just reporting that the "Start New Topic" button is still alive and well and contributing to needless clutter on some of the Roll Calls, making it harder for folks to find their actual Roll Call.  Just today, 7 of the 25 threads on the first screen of the Roll Call forum for one of the HAL ships were not Roll Calls, but "new topics" clearly intended for the posters' Roll Calls.

 

So, e.g., some poor person started a thread in the home page of the ship's Roll Call forum and asked, "Anyone here have extra room on any shore excursions for two?"  (I've reported these threads as you requested above, but also have replied to these folks to explain to them how to post in their own Roll Calls, so hopefully they'll get answers to their questions.) 

 

Thanks for all the help on the "Start New Topic" button.

 

 

 

Yes I know 😞  I will nudge the developer.  I did put in a request to have that removed

[Turtles06]

7 minutes ago, CC Help Jenn said:

 

Yes I know 😞  I will nudge the developer.  I did put in a request to have that removed

 

Thanks Jenn!

[CC Help Jenn]

If you haven’t noticed.  You should find the start new topic button is now removed from the roll call threads!! 

 

One step down. We are actively trying to correct the roll call tool as well.  There have been some issues arising.  I’ll keep you posted. 

[Shmoo here]

9 minutes ago, CC Help Jenn said:

If you haven’t noticed.  You should find the start new topic button is now removed from the roll call threads!! 

 

One step down. We are actively trying to correct the roll call tool as well.  There have been some issues arising.  I’ll keep you posted. 

Just wondering - is one of the issues being addressed the various forms the date can be written in?

 

Just my personal opinion, I don't know why we need a Find Your Roll Call link.  

[Globaliser]

14 minutes ago, CC Help Jenn said:

We are actively trying to correct the roll call tool as well.

 

Thanks for the update, CC Help Jenn.

 

I can't help thinking, though, that the roll call tool will continue to cause problems unless and until it becomes impossible to start a roll call with a non-compliant thread title. If roll calls can be started yet fail to show up on the roll call tool, then we will inevitably continue to get complaints about missing roll call threads from CCers who cannot be bothered to scan down three or four pages of thread listings (usually enough to find all the roll call threads for future cruises on most ships), and duplicate roll call threads that have been started for similar reasons.

 

3 minutes ago, Shmoo here said:

Just my personal opinion, I don't know why we need a Find Your Roll Call link. 

 

Sadly, precisely because there are CCers who cannot be bothered to scan down three or four pages of thread listings. It only takes about one minute.

[Turtles06]

1 hour ago, CC Help Jenn said:

If you haven’t noticed.  You should find the start new topic button is now removed from the roll call threads!! 

 

Great news, Jenn!  Thanks so much for getting it done, it will really help!

[Organized Chaos]

4 hours ago, Globaliser said:

 

Thanks for the update, CC Help Jenn.

 

I can't help thinking, though, that the roll call tool will continue to cause problems unless and until it becomes impossible to start a roll call with a non-compliant thread title. If roll calls can be started yet fail to show up on the roll call tool, then we will inevitably continue to get complaints about missing roll call threads from CCers who cannot be bothered to scan down three or four pages of thread listings (usually enough to find all the roll call threads for future cruises on most ships), and duplicate roll call threads that have been started for similar reasons.

 

 

Sadly, precisely because there are CCers who cannot be bothered to scan down three or four pages of thread listings. It only takes about one minute.

 

Nothing wrong with having a method of quickly and conveniently finding a single Roll Call. It's a lot like the Search feature to find a particular thread topic. If the tool is one of the features of the new forum software, it makes sense that CC would want to take advantage of it.

[Essiesmom]

The tool was a feature of the old software, too, and didn't work well then either.  Maybe if when you click on Start new topic, a template would come up, a fill in the black sort of thing.  It would require the proper format, and also prevent the non-roll call threads...EM

[Organized Chaos]

1 hour ago, Essiesmom said:

The tool was a feature of the old software, too, and didn't work well then either.  Maybe if when you click on Start new topic, a template would come up, a fill in the black sort of thing.  It would require the proper format, and also prevent the non-roll call threads...EM

 

I couldn’t remember if it was part of the old format or not. That’s why I made sure to say “if” the tool is new. Whatever the case, I hope they can fix it.

 

I'm not sure if it’s even possible with this forum software, but along the lines of what you mentioned, all they would really need is a drop-down menu when entering the date of the cruise. That way the date format is always the same. IF that’s even what’s causing the problems. 

 

Or do the whole title that way. The Roll Call tool itself only consists of 3 drop-down menus (cruise line, ship, & month/year). If it was possible, instead of a user-created Roll Call title, just use the same drop-down menu and those 3 options to make the title. But this forum software probably isn’t that customizable.

 

 

[CC Help Jenn]

Right now we are working on fixing the products we have 🙂  We may do something different in the future for roll calls but right now we just want what we have to work well.

 

The tool is not required to use, so if it is not something a member would like to use they can ignore it.  There are many members who do use the tool, as shown by the 100s of emails we receive a week asking for updates on a fix.  Hopefully a fix will make those members find their roll calls easier.  Those who do not wish to use the tool can continue to look or search the forums over for their threads. 

 

I am currently testing some fixes put to the tool - stay tuned 🙂  Fingers crossed everything is in working order 🤞

[Globaliser]

16 hours ago, CC Help Jenn said:

The tool is not required to use, so if it is not something a member would like to use they can ignore it.  There are many members who do use the tool, as shown by the 100s of emails we receive a week asking for updates on a fix.  Hopefully a fix will make those members find their roll calls easier.  Those who do not wish to use the tool can continue to look or search the forums over for their threads.

 

That is of course true, so far as it goes. If the tool is completely effective and reliable, and there are no duplicate roll call threads, then it's great. But once either of those conditions starts to be eroded, there are problems.

[gnome12]

2 hours ago, Globaliser said:

 

That is of course true, so far as it goes. If the tool is completely effective and reliable, and there are no duplicate roll call threads, then it's great. But once either of those conditions starts to be eroded, there are problems.

But, as you noted in another thread, the only way to get to the first unread post is to NOT use the roll call finder, even if it works.

[Globaliser]

30 minutes ago, gnome12 said:

But, as you noted in another thread, the only way to get to the first unread post is to NOT use the roll call finder, even if it works.

 

Indeed - I said that the tool would then be great, not that it would then be perfect! 😄