usability faq revisions july 2010

[1992casey]

BREWERFAN.NET USABILITY FAQ

Contents

• Why does
  Brewerfan.net have two logins?
• How do I gain access to post in Brewerfan's
  forums?
• How do I
  create a Yuku account?
• How
  do I obtain approval to post?
• What do references to "unconverted" and "converted"
  profiles mean?
• How do I
  access my Yuku account controls?
• How do I view or adjust my Yuku
  profile?
• How do I
  change the way I view the forums?
• What are the RSS icons for throughout the
  site?
• How can I
  receive Brewerfan.net e-mail notifications?
• How can I receive message board e-mail
  notifications?
• What am I
  allowed to post on the message boards?
• How do I format a
  message?
• How do I
  quote other posts?
• What guidelines should I follow when I quote
  other posts?
• How do I
  find an individual message's direct URL?
• How do I post an image?
• How do I avoid funky results when I resize fonts in my
  posts?
• How do I
  post using the Quick Reply box?
• How do I link or unlink a Photobucket
  account?
• How do I
  create and manage photo albums?
• How do I add a signature?
• How do I make my signature conform to site
  guidelines?
• How do I put
  an icon/picture/avatar next to my name?
• How do I send a private message?
  
• How do I send a private message to group of
  members?
• How do I
  know if I've received a private message?
• What's up with the WYSIWYG
  post editor in Safari and Chrome?
• How much does the Fan Forum
  cost?
• What else should I know about Yuku?
  
• Where can I ask
  questions?

Why does Brewerfan.net have
two logins?

The Brewerfan.net portion of this site is hosted on its own
server space under the www.brewerfan.net domain. The forum portion of
this site is hosted by a third-party service (Yuku) under the
brewersfandemonium.yuku.com domain.

The login link at the very top of each
www.brewerfan.net page is for the Brewerfan.net portion of the site. The
Brewerfan login allows you to set preferences for e-mail
notifications.

http://images.yuku.com/image/png/60d253e956cfd5751f51c41fb0efcd48aba311e.png

The Yuku login allows you to post in the forums. Log in
via the text fields at the top left of any Yuku page. You may use either
your forum username or e-mail address.

http://images.yuku.com/image/png/6b715a9dcd5d1f18481e0b943b812820c785e0e.png

How do I gain access to post in Brewerfan's
forums?

To be allowed to post, you need to do two things:

1. Create a Yuku account.
2. Obtain approval from Brewerfan staff to be able to
   post.
   
   

   How do I create a Yuku
   account?

   You may sign up for a Yuku account by hitting the "SIGN UP"
   button at the top of any board page or the "Join now" link on Yuku's home
   page.

   Keep in mind that there are two types of Yuku accounts: global
   and local. Both account types allow members to post on any Yuku forum.
   However, members with local accounts will have the name of the board
   from which they signed up appended to their usernames. Example: if Doug
   Melvin signs up via this board, his full username would be Doug
   Melvin.brewersfandemonium.

   "brewersfandemonium" will only be displayed behind a member's
   username if s/he posts at boards other than this one. To obtain a global
   account, register through Yuku's home page. If you'd like to have more
   flexibility in choosing a username, sign up via any Brewerfan.net Yuku
   page.

   If you're
   logged out and you hit a Reply button in a message, you'll be offered
   the opportunity to create an account using credentials from among twelve
   different services, including Facebook, MySpace, Yahoo, Twitter,
   Google, AOL, Windows Live, Blogger, Linkedin, Flickr, WordPress, and
   OpenID:
   

   http://images.yuku.com/image/png/ea3359039d05cb2754ad12d21a1eddba713973b.png

   Because of privacy and
   security concerns, it's not recommended that you use those
   options. Most importantly, your real name or e-mail address may become
   your Yuku username. If you wish to create an account via that page, it's
   recommend that you hit the "Join Now" link to create a Yuku account in
   the traditional fashion.
   

   
   
   

   How do I obtain approval to
   post?

   Submit a membership
   
   
   application. Please note that the application form asks
   applicants to
   provide a comprehensive and reflective message. Brewerfan strives for
   intelligent, quality posting. The application message is where
   prospective members can demonstrate that they can contribute in this
   way.
   

   In
   addition to the link in the paragraph above, the membership application
   is
   available to logged in Yuku members when hitting the Reply button in any
   message on the
   board.
   

   
   
   

   What do
   references to "unconverted" and "converted" profiles
   mean?

   Yuku is currently in the process of phasing in member profiles
   based on the Facebook Open Platform. These profiles are currently in
   beta, and their features aren't complete. Brewerfan doesn't recommend
   converting at this time.
   

   In the navigation bar at the top of board and profile
   pages, members with unconverted profiles will see a gift box icon along
   with a "Just for you!" link:
   

   http://images.yuku.com/image/png/c5d25239afc1c5cd11b1ca1ff437d5edffd4f3e.png

   
   

   This link converts profiles
   to the new format. The
   conversion process is irreversible. Just say
   no!
   

   Eventually, all profiles
   will be converted to the new format. Members who've created profiles
   after May 12, 2010, will have converted profiles by default. Because of
   this, information pertaining to the Facebook Open Platform profiles is
   being phased into this FAQ.
   

   
   
   
   

   How do I
   access my Yuku account
   controls?

   While logged in, your Yuku account controls can be accessed
   via the navigation bar that appears at the top of any Yuku page. Hit the
   Account link or the "Navigation" button on any Yuku page that has the
   old navigation bar. Hit the wrench icon on any Yuku page that has the
   new navigation bar.

   Navigation button: http://images.yuku.com/image/png/af715f92c658171e52d7004d92889961623885f.png Wrench icon:
   http://images.yuku.com/image/png/5a5357da91bec1375652191e10c5c6bfd87276c.png

   
   
   

   How do I view or adjust my Yuku
   profile?

   Clicking on your username anywhere it might appear on the
   forums will take you to your profile. Within your profile, you'll see
   "Edit" links in various places. They take you to pages where you can
   change specific parts of your profile.

   You may change the layout of your profile by
   using the "Edit Layout" link in the member controls. You may change your
   profile's skin by following the "Edit Skins" link.

   
   
   

   How do I change the way I view the
   forums?

   Brewerfan's Yuku forum font sizes are set render according to
   your browser's default. If you feel the forum fonts are too large or too
   small, adjust the font size in your browser's preferences (options)
   panel.

   The width
   of the forums is set to use 95% of your browser window. Simply widen or
   narrow your window if you feel more comfortable reading posts at a
   different width.

   
   
   

   What are the RSS icons for throughout the
   site?

   Brewerfan.net and Yuku offer the ability to use Really Simple
   Syndication (RSS) formatted information to integrate with your feed
   reader of choice. RSS offers the ability to collect news information
   from various sites and aggregate it into one central location for you to
   read. Google Reader is one of the more popular examples of a feed
   reader.

   Brewerfan.net feeds are available for News, Features, and the
   Daily Brew. They're denoted by this icon: http://images.yuku.com/image/png/03315093c65e1c1d459d363aed5d8884ea7afbe.png

   Message board feeds are available at the
   community, forum, and individual thread level. They're denoted by this
   icon: http://static.yuku.com/common/bypass/icons/feeds/rss/16x16/rss_orange.gif

   
   
   

   How can I receive Brewerfan.net e-mail
   notifications?

   Brewerfan.net offers e-mail notifications of Site Updates,
   News, Features, Daily Brews, Power 50s, and Team Transactions (Brewers
   and all farm clubs.) To subscribe or adjust your
   notifications:

   1. From any page in the brewerfan.net portion of the site,
      follow the Login link in the top navigation bar.

      http://images.yuku.com/image/png/60d253e956cfd5751f51c41fb0efcd48aba311e.png

   2. Log in with your username or create a
      new account.
   3. One
      you've logged in, the navigation area at top of page will contain
      "Logout" and "Profile" links in place of "Login". Click on Profile.
      

      http://images.yuku.com/image/png/72c35dc69c42cc7f5f0517b51bbb2b75384103c.png

      
      
   4. You'll be given
      choices to change your password or change your notifications. Follow
      notifications link and check the boxes that interest you. Click the
      Submit button.
      
      

      How can I receive message
      board e-mail notifications?

      Like the RSS feeds, message board e-mail
      notifications are available at the community, forum, and individual
      thread level. To be informed of new posts, click on this icon: http://static.yuku.com/common/bypass/icons/feeds/email/16x16/email_orange.gif

      E-mail notifications can be set in
      your member controls to come individually or in 'Daily Digest' form. To
      manage your subscriptions, follow these links: Settings » Notifications
      » Options. On the subscription page, you may also opt to receive
      e-mails notifying you of private messages, friend requests, and new
      image comments. By following the Subscriptions link from that page, you
      can remove individual subscriptions.

      
      
      
      

      What am I
      allowed to post on the message boards?

      Reading Brewerfan.net's
      
      
      
      
      Fan Forum Etiquette is required before posting on the message
      boards. Also, several forums have FAQs with additional
      guidelines.

      
      
      

      How do I format a
      message?

      ChrisW has provided a tutorial for using Yuku's WYSIWYG post
      editor. If you know HTML, you may directly paste or edit code
      by clicking on the "html-view" button: http://images.yuku.com/image/png/728354749611c7c3597e1fcd17661df24b61297.png

      Note that HTML entered or pasted
      in the WYSIWYG view won't render: it'll display the actual code. For
      those who prefer this route, BBCode can be entered directly into the
      post editor. Yuku provides a list of supported
      BBCodes.

      
      
      

      How do I quote other
      posts?

      1. Hit the Quote link in the post you'd like to
         quote.
      2. In the now
         segmented portion containing the quote, delete whichever lines that
         aren't going to direct your response to.

         -or-

         Before hitting the Quote link, have your shortened quote
         copied and ready to paste over the material in the quotation
         box.

      3. Type
         your response below the quote window.
      4. Preview your response (if you'd like).
         
      5. Hit Post.
         

         If you prefer to quote messages
         another way, that's fine. Simply offset your quotation with italics or
         bold so it stands out from the rest of the message.

         
         
         

         What guidelines should I follow when I quote
         other posts?

         • Quoting
           multi-paragraph blocks is not reader friendly. Neither is quoting a
           string of a multiple nested replies.
         • Editing quotes is simple and easy, so please try and make an
           attempt to better illustrate your point. Try to limit your quote to the
           specific line that you want to quote. If you choose the part of the
           message that best leads into your topic sentence, you're likely to make
           sense. Quoting entire paragraphs is redundant and cumbersome for a
           reader and may muddle the point you are trying to make.
           
         • If, within your message, you feel you
           need to refer to more than one part of a post, quote small sections,
           then respond underneath each one.
         • There
           is generally no need to nest quotes deeper than two
           replies.
         • There is no
           need to quote a picture or any other media file. A simple reference will
           do just fine. We've all seen the picture (or whatever) and we all know
           what you're talking about. There is no need to quote it eight more times
           on the same page. Again, it's not reader friendly.
         • Remember that Yuku places a number on
           each reply. This can be used in addition to the quote feature. The two
           work hand in hand quite well. Also, each reply has its own URL available
           if you'd like to create a link.
         • Please remember that the quote is actually part of your
           message. Choosing what to quote and how to present it should require the
           same thought and care as composing the message itself.
           
         
         
         

         How do I find an individual message's direct
         URL?

         1. Hit the http:// link at at the top right corner of any
            reply.

            http://images.yuku.com/image/png/275354a0906dc325583216fe1ccc4feb3bc2ce9.png

         2. A box with two links will pop up:

            http://images.yuku.com/image/png/4f025069a2c7d5641ae1a14153b4bedb9356c67.png

         3. Choose "Single post view" to show only a single reply in a
            window. Choose "Link to reply in the thread" to link to the reply and
            offer easy access to messages above and below it.
         4. Choose the URL you'd like and create a
            link.
            
            

            How do I post an image?

            
            

            See ChrisW's Adding
            images to posts tutorial for adding images from Yuku albums,
            your Photobucket account, or from URLs.

            The image you use must be available on the
            Internet (not just your own computer). In other words, it must have a
            web address. If there's a graphic on your computer that you'd like to
            share, Yuku, Photobucket, and ImageShack
            all offer free online image hosting.

            As Chris mentions, images stored in your
            Photobucket and Yuku accounts may be added directly from Yuku's post
            editor. See the section below (How do I link or unlink a Photobucket
            account?) for instructions for linking your Photobucket
            account.

            When
            posting an image, keep its file size in mind. While it isn't a hard cap,
            100 K is probably a good threshold for deciding to put an image behind a
            link rather than posting it inline. Consider that there may be more
            than one image posted on a page and that even 100 K makes a difference
            to dial-up users.

            If you're going to be posting several images in the same
            message, definitely use links instead. Of course, there are occasional
            message board threads whose main purpose is to "feature" images. In
            those cases, post away.

            Finally, please keep in the site rules regarding images in
            mind:

            Please keep
            images tasteful. If an image is not suitable for work or family viewing,
            post the link with a warning instead of the image
            itself.

            If your image is large, post a link instead of the
            image itself, or reduce the size before you post it, so that readers
            don't have to scroll sideways to see it or other posts on the
            page.

How do I avoid funky
results when I resize fonts in my posts?

Simply put, this feature needs
improvement, so you probably won't completely avoid unexpected results.
Brewerfan has made Yuku aware if its concerns about this.

The most practical advice is
to use the font resize feature sparingly. It works best if you type
your post in the default font first, then go back and selectively resize
the fonts you'd like to have larger or smaller. (Actually, you can type
a character or two ahead, then go back and resize. The issue is that
returning to the default font size is very difficult.)

How do I post using the Quick Reply
box?

Type away, then click on the "QUICK REPLY" button. Plain text,
HTML, and supported
BBCodes can be mixed and matched. If you begin a message in
the Quick Reply box, then decide you want to continue your work in the
WYSIWYG post editor, check the "Preview" box, then click on "QUICK
REPLY".

How do I link or unlink a
Photobucket account?

In the post editor, click on the Photobucket icon: http://images.yuku.com/image/png/7d33517895acce205b2813f3104f0631928142f.png

If you haven't yet linked to a Photobucket account, a message
with instructions on how to proceed will pop up:

http://images.yuku.com/image/png/85535e489f22c26957001ae91f4a0732d9d1566.png

To unlink your Photobucket
account, go to Settings » Photobucket in your member controls. If you
haven't yet linked a Photobucket account, you may also link one on this
page.

How do I create and manage photo
albums?

See ChrisWs albums
tutorial.

How do I add a
signature?

Yuku allows members to have five signatures. To create a
signature or change signature preferences in an unconverted
profile:

1. Click on the
   Navigation button at upper right of corner of any
   Yuku page.
2. Click on
   the Edit Signature link on the left-hand side of
   the controls that appear. On the page that loads, you may:
   [li]Edit or delete current signatures by
   hitting buttons in the Action column.
   • Choose a Default signature by hitting the appropriate radio
     button in the Default column.
   • Add a
     signature by hitting the add signature » button underneath the signature
     list.
   [/li]
3. Click the "SAVE" button when you're done.
   

   To create a
   signature or change signature preferences in a converted profile, see
   ChrisW's signature
   tutorial.
   

   
   
   

   How do I make my signature
   conform to site
   guidelines?

   Please note Brewerfan's signature rules:

   
   

   Ideally, signatures
   should not be longer than your posts, nor should they distract from the
   content of your post. A good rule of thumb is that if your signature is
   longer than 3 lines (including paragraph breaks), it may be
   distracting.

   It also is easier to tell where your post ends and
   your signature begins if your signature is written in italics or
   bold.

   Please do not include images in your signature; and
   note that site language rules also apply to signatures. Feel free to
   advertise your personal site or blog in your signature, but try to keep
   it tasteful.

How do I put an
icon/picture/avatar next to my name?

To set avatars in unconverted
profiles:

1. Load your profile.
   You can get there quickly by clicking on your username at the top of any
   forum page or in any of your posts.
2. Click the edit button in the 'mini-profile': that's
   where you see your username, gender, location, etc.
3. You'll be taken to the "Edit
   Miniprofile" page. Click on the actual avatar (or avatar placeholder) in
   the "Change Avatar" area. You'll be taken to a page showing any avatars
   you might have uploaded. If your preferred avatar isn't there, an
   interface to upload your avatar from your hard drive is
   provided.
4. Choose your
   preferred avatar by clicking on it. You'll be brought back to the "Edit
   Miniprofile" page.
5. While you're on the Edit page, if you'd like, you may make
   other profile adjustments. When you're done, make sure you hit the save
   button at the bottom

   To set avatars in converted
   profiles, please see ChrisW's avatar
   tutorial.
   

   The maximum displayable size of your photo when used
   on our forum is 100x100. Try to select a photo that's roughly that size,
   as the larger your photo is, the longer it will take people to download
   it.

   
   
   

   How do I send a private
   message?

   There are several ways members can send private
   messages:

   • Click on the
     Inbox link in the Yuku navigation bar,
     then click the Compose New Message button. Type the
     username of the member you with to contact in the
     To field.
   • Click on
     the Navigation button, then click on the
     Write Message link on the left-hand side of the
     controls that appear. Type the username of the member you wish to
     contact in the To field.
   • Click on a member's name from wherever
     it might appear on the forum. In his/her profile, click on the
     Message button. The To field
     will be filled in for you.
   • Left or
     right-click on Message Me in the
     Interact menu in the member information next to any
     of his/her posts. The To field will be filled in
     for you.
   
   
   

   How do I send a private message
   to group of members?

   See ChrisW's tutorial: Private messaging:
   groups.

   
   
   

   How do I know if I've received a
   private message?

   If you have no new messages, your
   navigation button remains gray:

   http://images.yuku.com/image/png/af715f92c658171e52d7004d92889961623885f.png

   If you have new messages, the
   button turns bright pale blue:

   http://images.yuku.com/image/png/ea115194cd5a131577a2f14f8929854ef97623f.png

   As an
   option, you may wish to receive e-mail notifications for private
   messages. This preference can be toggled in your member controls by
   following the Settings » Notifications » Options links.

   
   
   

   What's up with the WYSIWYG post editor in Safari and
   Chrome?

   In Webkit-based browsers, only some of Yuku's WYSIWYG editor
   tools are available. The result is that some of the buttons, including
   those for adding images, are missing. Among the affected browsers are
   Safari and Google Chrome for Mac and Windows.

   Dealing with
   post editor issues in Safari and Chrome offers
   workarounds.

   
   
   

   How much does the Fan Forum cost?

   
   

   Brewerfan's Yuku costs are
   based on ad-free page views. Between April 28 and May 3, 2009, $710 was
   collected from 29 members. As of May 3, 2009, we had 3,365,631 page
   views at our disposal.

   As of May 21, 2010, we had about 500,000 ad-free views left. Between May 21, 2010 and June 27, 2010, $824 was collected
   from 38 members. As of July 4, 2010, we had 5,210,324 ad-free views on
   hand.

   
   
   

   What else should I know about Yuku?

   
   

   Yuku is pronounced "You
   coo." It comes from the aboriginal word for "tree."

   
   
   

   Where can I ask questions?

   
   

   Feel free to ask questions
   about usability issues in the Brewerfan.net
   Issues & Events forum. If you can't find an existing
   thread on your question, feel free to start a new one. Some existing
   threads:

   • Avatar
     Help
   • Signature
     Help
   • Quoting a
     message
   • Adding a link to
     a message
   • Embedding a
     video
   • Creating
     "pretty charts" ("code" bbcode or "pre" HTML tag)
     
   • New login page
     -- handle with care; there's a security issue
     
   • Dealing with
     post editor issues in Safari and Chrome