Have a dedicated button to separate the old comment system from the new system

The Oracle
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Jan 24, 2018
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513
Since someone might as well make the suggestion...

Ever since the complaints about the button that used to direct the old comments to the forums are now being used by the new system, and that the old chapter discussion comments are now being buried underneath it. I suggest adding a new button, not unlike the old one, that would serve the purpose of separating the new integrated comments from the old forum comments.

The old button could function the same as before, just rebranded to something different, while the new button would serve for the new integrated comments. For example, forum [Discuss]ions vs casual [Comment]s. (Or use the new button for the old system, whichever is easier for the devs.)

This is effectively a suggestion to rebrand the old chapter comments in the forums reader as DISCUSS(ions), as an example, to differentiate it from the new system that is taking over as the new COMMENT(s).

This would allow users to quickly comment using the new system, while keeping the old system just as easily accessible as it used to for forum discussions, ensuring that both systems could co-exist without so much a fuss.

"Can we have two buttons?": No, it's confusing, and that will lead to a further split of platform vs forums.
Confusing? How?
All this does is give easy access to what still exists as the old forum comments. The sub-forum where these old comments are located is already called Chapter Discussions for that specific reason. Rebranding the old system to something else would clearly tell the user what to expect, light comments about the chapter vs deep discussions about the chapter. Sure, anyone could use either system for whatever purpose with varying degrees of success, but having both options being openly available right in front for everyone to use is better than burying the old function underneath the new one. Users will naturally trickle down to whichever system they want for whichever purpose.

If the idea was having both alive as mentioned by @Bartolumiu
the plan is to keep both the new comments and the forums alive at the same time, with each having its own purpose.
Title and chapter comments on the new system, and general chatting and discussion here in the forums (so yeah, lurkers, you can keep lurking as you've been doing up until now).
Then this should be a no-brainer.

edit:
Hi, I received a developer reply regarding this suggestion, I'll be posting it here:
Have two buttons: one for forums and one for on-site comments on the chapter list items
Unlikely. It'll be confusing. Easy example: "Interesting chapter, let's read the comments... wait, there are two kinds of comments?"
Once again, the reason they give is that it'll be confusing. Citing that their example user would be "confused when they see that there are two kinds of comments now."

How is this a valid reason when:
  • Implementing the [new comments system] while keeping the [old "comments" system](forum discussions) alive already establish the fact that there are indeed two kinds of comments now.
  • They acknowledged that the button shouldn't open the reader if users only want to read the comments. This is the very same function the old button had, but for chapter discussions in the forums instead, the function already existed.
Hi, I'll post here a reply I received from the developers regarding this suggestion:
Do not open the reader if you just want to read the comments
"Valid. We will be exploring ways of doing this."
Hi, I'll be posting here a developer reply regarding this suggestion:
Be explicit about the fact that older comments exist in the forums to prevent confusing it as if you're going to be navigated to the next page of comments.
"Valid. We'll be discussing on the wording side of things and see if we can be explicit with the fact that it is indeed the forums."
  • Having two buttons would quickly let users choose whether to access and use the new system[Comments], or the old system[Forums] with a single click. Something the current setup allows for the new system, but an extra step is needed to be done for the old system. Was the plan to make the forum discussions more obscure than ever, by making it one click further away?

The only other valid reason left that I could think of that doesn't go into tinfoil hat territory that would legitimize their claim, is if, and this is a big IF:
  • They assumed when the users asked for two buttons, it meant they should share the exact same icons.

To which I say, it should've been obvious that the icons should be different, without the need for us users to spell it out for them. Even then, making a new icon if none currently exists, shouldn't be out of the question.

If they still claim the same reason for refusal, or change goalposts, then by that point maybe it's due time to get the tinfoil hats.

edit:
Mind you, a dedicated button to redirect to the forums when inside the reader already exists, it is even explicitly stated that it will lead to the forums.
Renamed "Read N older comments" to a more explicit "Read N older comments in the forums," as with other relevant forum-related buttons.
All this suggestion asks is to give users the same thing before getting inside the reader.
 
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Staff
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Jan 7, 2023
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Its implementation is poor, it's overly limited, and there's no reason for it when an existing system that people use already fulfills every possible use case.
Kind reminder we're still working in the commenting experience for the new system, it's not perfect yet but we're still hands-on on making it the best possible.
So... how do you reckon users fit something like this bad boy in the new system's current iteration? Would spammage of 'thx for chapter lol' could count towards meaningful usage of the new system as a place for discussions?
We won't prevent users from making short comment if that's what they want, I can't comment on how we will value these comments at this moment since the new system is still not available for everyone.
 
Dex-chan lover
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[…] some users still stubbornly call the new comments system as paywalled services.
Since free users can’t comment unless a supporter created a legacy forum thread beforehand, comments are in fact paywalled at the moment (unless the thread already exists, of course).

Maybe a note should be added to the flyout explaining the situation, and promised solution?
 
Contributor
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I feel like there's an angle to this that we're all, both users and the devs, missing that is not being properly conveyed that's causing this rift of us User's "We want two buttons." vs the Dev's "No, two buttons is confusing."

And so I made another thread to see if that is truly the case.
My money's on NamiComi wanting to show ads in the new-style comment section.

edit: lol, I just noticed that the mods locked the "Non-Intrusive Ads… for a Short While" post a couple of hours ago.
 
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Dex-chan lover
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as long as users keep on using them
Well guess we lost. I for one welcome the newest comment section that occupies only 1/4 of the screen. (Called it at the end of the first page too :lol: )
 
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Dex-chan lover
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At one side, users that just want to [thx for the chapter-and-go] or shitpost wouldn't need to visit the forums for that purpose. On the other side, users that like to read and write walls-of-texts wouldn't bog down the comments with their walls-o-text while reply-quoting one user after another... hopefully.
I like having both in one place, I prefer the forums just to be a mix of things so I don't get drowned by one thing I suppose.
Ngl
This year has been just shit update after shit update, and the staff has been awful at communication and more than anything seem to want to make the community go away
I agree I don't like the enshittification , when did mangadex go wrong man , I'll be honest did anyone ask for this change either? Implementing changes for user benefits that the users dislike is ... Stupid ngl. It's a waste of time and resources and you will just lose that way.
 
Dex-chan lover
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You weren't even using the forums.
This is getting a bit silly. I’m using them right now.

Yes, I don’t really post long comments, but I do enjoy reading them, and I would be sad if long comments would be a hassle to make or even impossible.

Anyway, I said what I wanted to say. I’m happy that people are willing out to help work around the issues we’re seeing, but I still think it was a mistake to release this new feature in its half-baked state: “Non-paying users can’t create forum threads” should be reason for a rollback/revert. And if that’s not easy to do, then features should be tested before going live.

Mistakes happen, I know that. Maybe I’m being too harsh, and this will be fixed very soon, along with becoming a lesson on how not to develop and roll out a feature next time. Fingers crossed.
 
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Kind reminder we're still working in the commenting experience for the new system, it's not perfect yet but we're still hands-on on making it the best possible.

We won't prevent users from making short comment if that's what they want, I can't comment on how we will value these comments at this moment since the new system is still not available for everyone.
Okay fine, that doesn't excuse the fact it doesn't need to exist.

You've just reiterated an extant system that already works and is already in use for no reason. Serious questions, what kind of work and effort went into recreating the purpose of forums, userbase communication and discussion, except in a worse way? How much effort was spent on this that could have gone to other tasks? What was the purpose of trying to create a site-locked Twitter feed attached to every chapter on Mangadex?

Who actually asked for this?
 
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Likewise, if one is used more than the other, then the most used one will prevail. More explicitly said if forums are sunset for chapter discussions, it will be because they'll no longer be used substantially much to justify having two places of discussion.
Classic move of wanting to get rid of am old feature by hamstringing it so much that users use the inferior new option because it becomes too much of a pain to use the old one and then pretend the users like the new feature better. That's the real reason why they won't add a button that directly links to the forums and why the forum link is at the bottom of the new comment section rather than the top. They want to put up hurdles to reduce forum use as much as possible so they can justify deleting it later.
Sure, I get that you can't develop new features easily for this forum software. But so what? It's a forum, do you really need new features?
 

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