The Sims 4 Gallery Exchange - organization & feedback thread.

[The_gh0stm4n]

First topic message reminder :

Hello all,

I decided to make this new thread as a continuation of the other discussion here. In this thread, we can discuss about the details involving the prospective "TS4 Gallery Exchange" on the forum here, which is going to be managed by user @kitty10136.    So far I haven't really put that much thought into it, but we can figure out the details along the way.  


@kitty10136 - and all others - for now there is this: would you prefer...

1) a single thread, where in the opening post all links to gallery requests are posted, and people simply post their requests in that thread. Or...

2) a special subforum just for that Gallery exchange where people need to create one (1) topic, in which they can request their stuff. For this, I had in mind a similar format like with Games4theworld's Wishlist-section.

[☠ ~ Aɳɳ ~ ☠]

It seems to me that it would work best if whoever's going to upload the file (currently "just" kitty, but perhaps more people in the future) can reply with an estimate. Along the lines of:

"Hello,

Thank you for your request!

I will need a couple of days, please check back in [x amount of] days, or "follow" this topic to receive a notification in your e-mail when there is a new reply to your thread.

We appreciate your patience"

In the sticky, we will post a screenshot of how to follow one's topic.

[Guest]

I have no knowledge of the technical structure of this forum but (if possible) consider the following:

1. Add a new board Sims-4 Gallery requests.
2. Every new request is in a seperate topic on that board.
3. Last request comes on top
4. Answered requests are marked [Solved] wihout changing date of entry (editing by moderator) and a link to the download from Mega is published in that specific topic leaving the original order intact.

Request
Request
Request
Request
Request
Request [solved]
Request [solved]
Request [solved]
Request [solved]


This method will show howmany unsolved requests are posted before yours and will give some indication of how long it will take before it's your turn to expect an answer.
When a topic is marked [solved] the moderator can enter the date/time of the upload together with the link.

Possible problem with forum rules: No outside links to illegal sites, in this case the Mega cloud.

[The_gh0stm4n]

I have no knowledge of the technical structure of this forum but (if possible) consider the following:

1. Add a new board Sims-4 Gallery requests.
2. Every new request is in a seperate topic on that board.
3. Last request comes on top
4. Answered requests are marked [Solved] wihout changing date of entry (editing by moderator) and a link to the download from Mega is published in that specific topic without changing original time/date of entry.

Request
Request
Request
Request
Request
Request [solved]
Request [solved]
Request [solved]
Request [solved]


This method will show howmany unsolved requests are posted before yours and will give some indication of how long it will take before it's your turn to get an answer.
When a topic is marked [solved] the moderator can enter the date/time of the upload together with the link.

Possible problem with forum rules: No outside links to illegal sites, in this case the Mega cloud.

Actually I'm not planning on marking anything in that subsection as "solved", because people can (and probably will) get back at some point to their thread to post another wish. The downside is, people have no indication indeed about how long it takes to get a reply. But an exact ETA isn't something regular around here anyhow.

If we marked topics as "solved", people would create new threads for every single item. The result will be chaos. Sure it looks cooler for users, but then: not many people actually get to moderate that section. So I guess in that respect it's my call.

Also, we spoke about the issue with the links: whoever gets to manage the actual requests will be considered as a (preliminary) team member, and thus given the trust to post these links, with URL shorteners.

[Guest]

Can't Kitty be given some powers in that board so it doesn't all boil down to you ?

If we marked topics as "solved", people would create new threads for every single item. The result will be chaos. Sure it looks cooler for users, but then: not many people actually get to moderate that section. So I guess in that respect it's my call.

Do you think that posting 15 requests or more in one single thread makes things clearer than one request per thread ?

With regards to forumrules I meant Forumotion as they seem to object.

[The_gh0stm4n]

Can't Kitty be given some powers in that board so it doesn't all boil down to you ?

With regards to forumrules I meant Forumotion as they seem to object.

These details are something that would need to be discussed with the Administration-team, since I myself cannot grant any actual permissions on the Forum.

About Forumotion, we have discussed the possibility of uploading those items on the G4TW-server at some point. For now, it should suffice to post MEGA-links and then shorten them with some URL-shortener like bit.ly, goo.gl, etc. Is it still a gamble? Of course it is. But then, if the host objected to it at some point, there will be a warning in advance (at least there is, normally). And then we will adjust ourselves accordingly.


//EDIT

Do you think that posting 15 requests or more in one single thread makes things clearer than one request per thread ?

For a start, it's easier to moderate. And in the end, people should really focus on the "second sticky" with the list of all requested items, rather than sifting through threads and posts.

[Guest]

These details are something that would need to be discussed with the Administration-team, since I myself cannot grant any actual permissions on the Forum

If Kitty could become a moderator in that board only she would bear full responiabilty for that board and streamline her own efforts of downloading and publishing together with marking threads as "solved".
It was her wish to undertake the job, so give her a good chance to fulfill it.
But as you stated that is apparently up to the admin-team. Sorry to hear that you do not have these powers especially as it is YOU that answers most of the questions.


In my view 1 request per thread is the best solution as everybody can see how their requests are progressing.
If people will also use the search function it might even result in less duplicate requests.
Requests from the Gallery should always bear the name used in the Gallery. (copy/paste)

[☠ ~ Aɳɳ ~ ☠]

Ok this is how I see it:


Each request gets its own topic.
The topic title is the name of the item.
This will make it easier for users to use the search function for gallery items, without having to sort through different topics with unclear titles. (Even though there will be a sticky with uploaded items, it will simply look fancy, and OCD-proof this way). 
Upon starting a thread in the subsection, a user gets to see the posting rules, which will state exactly how an item is requested, similar to the way a user is prompted with the "posting guidelines" when they open a topic in any of the subsections here. Further details about those "posting guidelines" will be worked out behind the scenes.


Kitty (or any other future person helping in that section) will reply to the topic, notifying the TO that their topic has been seen, and giving an estimate for any news.
This can be good news (a downloadlink) or bad news (incompatibility).
After good news, the topic is closed (possibly [SOLVED]). 
The "bad news" thread remains open for such a time that a cracked gameversion is compatible with said item.


In a nutshell ...

[The_gh0stm4n]

These details are something that would need to be discussed with the Administration-team, since I myself cannot grant any actual permissions on the Forum

If Kitty could become a moderator in that board only she would bear full responiabilty for that board and streamline her own efforts of downloading and publishing together with marking threads as "solved".
It was her wish to undertake the job, so give her a good chance to fulfill it.
But as you stated that is apparently up to the admin-team. Sorry to hear that you do not have these powers especially as it is YOU that answers most of the questions.


In my view 1 request per thread is the best solution as everybody can see how their requests are progressing.
If people will also use the search function it might even result in less duplicate requests.
Requests from the Gallery should always bear the name used in the Gallery. (copy/paste)

Ok this is how I see it:


Each request gets its own topic.
The topic title is the name of the item.
This will make it easier for users to use the search function for gallery items, without having to sort through different topics with unclear titles. (Even though there will be a sticky with uploaded items, it will simply look fancy, and OCD-proof this way). 
Upon starting a thread in the subsection, a user gets to see the posting rules, which will state exactly how an item is requested, similar to the way a user is prompted with the "posting guidelines" when they open a topic in any of the subsections here. Further details about those "posting guidelines" will be worked out behind the scenes.


Kitty (or any other future person helping in that section) will reply to the topic, notifying the TO that their topic has been seen, and giving an estimate for any news.
This can be good news (a downloadlink) or bad news (incompatibility).
After good news, the topic is closed (possibly [SOLVED]). 
The "bad news" thread remains open for such a time that a cracked gameversion is compatible with said item.


In a nutshell ...

Alright, so one topic for every single request....and if people decide they want to request multiple things at once, they will be told to open another thread then? Even if the topic title itself was unclear, the people could post the names of their requests in the opening post, and those item names can be found through the search function too. Duplicate messages will happen either way. The section is going to look like a mess with topics for every little item, and will be more difficult to moderate over time (yes, it most likely will) but...alright. If that's what the people want, then we'll deal with that.

I would insist, however, to put a little passage at the beginning of the rules, which state that this 'service' is understood to be temporary and can be terminated at any time.

And @Tarac, it takes ages to build up even a half-decent moderator, which is (all possible practical benefits notwithstanding) why I personally am reluctant about the general idea of "sectional forum moderators". Whoever eventually gets to manage the section here will still have to be very similar to me. The time that it takes me/us to explain something involves much more effort and difficulties, if I did the thing(s) myself straight away. But then again, it will need to be discussed internally.

[Guest]

And @Tarac, it takes ages to build up even a half-decent moderator,

I tend to disagree with you.
It takes 1`private message to the new mod and believe me, I have a lot of experience with new mods on my forum.
No doubt you have a "secret" board where admins and mods can discuss matters.
So with a little help from the team-members a new moderator can do a decent job in a matter of hours.

 Whoever eventually gets to manage the section here will still have to be very similar to me. The time that it takes me/us to explain something involves much more effort and difficulties, if I did the thing(s) myself straight away. But then again, it will need to be discussed internally.

No, it is quite different
1. No technical knowledge required.
2. No game experience required
3. No need for explanations
4. No efforts on difficulties

Just downright: Download - test - if good - upload
Don't make an elephant out of a mouse

[The_gh0stm4n]

Don't make an elephant out of a mouse

You can rest assured that when it comes to actual insight about daily affairs on here, my experiences are almost unsurpassed. So yes, when I say something I (usually) mean it.

And we obviously have different ideologies of what 'moderating' involves, and it's OK. Partly it will depend on the type of forum, the preferences of the Administrator(s), demographics involved, etc. There isn't much else to say about it. So it's cool I guess.


/offtopic

[Guest]

It seems to me that it would work best if whoever's going to upload the file (currently "just" kitty, but perhaps more people in the future) can reply with an estimate. Along the lines of:

"Hello,

Thank you for your request!

I will need a couple of days, please check back in [x amount of] days, or "follow" this topic to receive a notification in your e-mail when there is a new reply to your thread.

We appreciate your patience"

In the sticky, we will post a screenshot of how to follow one's topic.

I like this idea. Thanks.

I have no knowledge of the technical structure of this forum but (if possible) consider the following:

1. Add a new board Sims-4 Gallery requests.
2. Every new request is in a seperate topic on that board.
3. Last request comes on top
4. Answered requests are marked [Solved] wihout changing date of entry (editing by moderator) and a link to the download from Mega is published in that specific topic leaving the original order intact.

Request
Request
Request
Request
Request
Request [solved]
Request [solved]
Request [solved]
Request [solved]


This method will show howmany unsolved requests are posted before yours and will give some indication of how long it will take before it's your turn to expect an answer.
When a topic is marked [solved] the moderator can enter the date/time of the upload together with the link.

Possible problem with forum rules: No outside links to illegal sites, in this case the Mega cloud.

This would make thing easier in terms of both knowing how many more requests I have and letting others know how long it would take. Coupled with the above suggestion of posting a reply with the estimated time span, this could work.

@The_gh0stm4n 48 hours seems reasonable, and if it will take longer I'll let the requester know.

EDIT:

I'm not sure if I like the idea of one post per request. I've tried searching for stuff in the forum and it's tedious at best. Maybe if it were subdivided into 'Lots', 'Households' etc, searching for something would be easier. Then, maybe, the OP can go back to their post and add another item. I can 'watch' the topic and get a notification for new posts. 

IDK, that part of it is still confusing. On one hand, putting the name of the request as the topic would make it easier to find but tagging it [SOLVED] may cause some issues. On the other hand, leaving it open and naming the topic something else would have its issues. The merits and demerits of each and the fine details would have to be worked out behind the scenes.

[Admin]

But as you stated that is apparently up to the admin-team. Sorry to hear that you do not have these powers especially as it is YOU that answers most of the questions.

As for the unappreciated undertone here: before making these kind of assumptions, you should know that two Forums are not the same, even if it might look like that from the outside.
The reason that he does not have these powers is merely caused by technical restrictions and has nothing personal to it.

[The_gh0stm4n]

I'm not sure if I like the idea of one post per request. I've tried searching for stuff in the forum and it's tedious at best. Maybe if it were subdivided into 'Lots', 'Households' etc, searching for something would be easier. Then, maybe, the OP can go back to their post and add another item. I can 'watch' the topic and get a notification for new posts. 

IDK, that part of it is still confusing. On one hand, putting the name of the request as the topic would make it easier to find but tagging it [SOLVED] may cause some issues. On the other hand, leaving it open and naming the topic something else would have its issues. The merits and demerits of each and the fine details would have to be worked out behind the scenes.

The thing is, you will have to know what you are looking for, and use the correct(ish) search terms, like I did in my example here:




You can't see the hidden subforum yet, I believe, because only mods and Admins can. But typing "Bella" worked fine for me (and yes, we prepared a tiny little surprise in that section too  ).

[Guest]

As for the unappreciated undertone here: before making these kind of assumptions, you should know that two Forums are not the same, even if it might look like that from the outside.
The reason that he does not have these powers is merely caused by technical restrictions and has nothing personal to it.

Glad to hear that as I have a deep respect for The_Gh0stm4n

[Guest]

Question...if the person only has one thread with their name on it, how would u know when it's been updated with new stuff?

The idea was to create a second sticky/announcement, apart from the rules-thread. And in this sticky, there is going to be a list, with links and pictures to all the requested items. When people create their threads and post wishes, they are re-directed to the (updated) sticky.

At that point, the question is a bit related to the one Tarac posted before. Depending on how things go, the list can be updated sooner - or later than 48 hours. Or any other timeframe we may come up with. As with other important threads on the forum, we can put the latest date of modification in the actual topic title of the sticky. And then again at the beginning of the actual thread, maybe even in bold red letters.

Correct me if I am wrong @Honey Empress, but I think she is asking, and I am also wondering, how YOU, the request fillers, will know when new requests have been posted, if each user only has one thread titled with their username, and you order them alphabetically rather than by most recent reply? I know it says on the right that a reply has been made and when, but I feel like it could get confusing figuring out if that's a reply you already saw or what. Does that make sense? I am not especially savvy regarding how this forum works so I may be missing something obvious here so if I am, please let me know. 

I agree that there should be a new forum with 2 sticky notes, one with rules and one with a list of everything already uploaded. I assume you already plan to do this but to be sure, the list should be organized into categories so that all Lots are in the same list, etc. 

I really think the best way to make requests would be a new thread for each request. The subject should be "Request: *Name of Object/Sim* by *Creator*" - then in the thread more info, maybe the link to the online gallery, whatever. Then the request filler can reply to the thread with the uploaded link, add the link to the master list, and add "Answered" or "Filled" or "Solved" to the end of the subject after the request has been filled. I think that would makr everything cleaner and be more efficient than anything else.

Again, I am not well versed in how the technical aspects of the forum work so there may be issues with this that I don't see, but if I'm not missing anything too huge, I think this could work really well.

And if the issue is that of people posting 10 threads at a time with different requests, maybe make a limit of how many different unsolved threads one user may have at a time? 1, 2, or 3 max would make sense to me. Then if you see a user has 4 or more unsolved requests sitting on the forum, you can send them a message or reply telling them their most recent request(s) will be deleted because they surpassed their request limit and must wait for their other requests to be filled first. This would cut down on the amount of posts made at a time by the same user at least.

[The_gh0stm4n]

Correct me if I am wrong @Honey Empress, but I think she is asking, and I am also wondering, how YOU, the request fillers, will know when new requests have been posted, if each user only has one thread titled with their username, and you order them alphabetically rather than by most recent reply? (...)

Even if we did it that way, the solution would be simple: we check new replies every day. I know it's oldschool, but it almost always worked for us. And in the event people really get overlooked, they are free to contact a Moderator via private messaging, to get back to their unanswered thread (see forum rule #1 here). And threads with the most recent reply always show up at the top of every subsection on the forum here, by default.

But no, we are now doing it this way: every request gets its own thread. The name of the item will be in the topic title, which we will ask users to do themselves (it probably would be too tedious in the long run to reply to every single vague topic title, so we are probably not going to reply to posts with these vague titles).

After such a wish has been posted we'll get back and post a download link to it. Both in a reply, and also in the actual opening post. Pictures and any other available information will also be posted in these user-made request threads.

In addition, there will be a Sticky with the names of each fulfilled request. That list is sorted alphabetically, and upon clicking on an item name, users are redirected to the thread in which the request was granted. 

As of right now, we do not distinguish between Lots, sims or whatever, so everything is on "one pile". Depending on the 'demand', we may make further adjustments in the future too.

Does that answer your question?

[Guest]

Question...if the person only has one thread with their name on it, how would u know when it's been updated with new stuff?

Correct me if I am wrong @Honey Empress, but I think she is asking, and I am also wondering, how YOU, the request fillers, will know when new requests have been posted...

Even if we did it that way, the solution would be simple: we check new replies every day...

Or...I can simply 'watch' the topic and get a notification whenever there is a new post.

[☠ ~ Aɳɳ ~ ☠]

There are a couple of options, actually. 


- The yellow "box" if a topic has new replies (since last visit).
- The "view unanswered posts" function.
- The "Today's active topics" function.
- The option inside the subsection to view unanswered posts, or posts since last visit.
- The option to follow the entire subsection, so you will be notified when there is a new reply/topic in the subsection.

[Guest]

There are a couple of options, actually. 


- The yellow "box" if a topic has new replies (since last visit).
- The "view unanswered posts" function.
- The "Today's active topics" function.
- The option inside the subsection to view unanswered posts, or posts since last visit.
- The option to follow the entire subsection, so you will be notified when there is a new reply/topic in the subsection.

Thank you.

[The_gh0stm4n]

I moved the topic from the TS4 chit-chat to the TS4 Gallery here.   If you want to post about minor issues, like broken links, feel free to continue here. For more major ideas or suggestions, please use the Suggestion Box. If you like to say 'thanks', you can either do so in the individual topics (where the requests are posted) or use the 'Thank you'-posts subsection.

Or...I can simply 'watch' the topic and get a notification whenever there is a new post.

I never got comfortable with this e-mail notification system, and it's going to be especially troublesome if the section you are watching is super-active. Not (necessarily) the case here, but I experienced that in the past with other stuff. I myself tend to rely on the yellow logos after the log-in.

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