Shall we try 'infinite scrolling'?

TheMix

Hey everyone,

We're thinking of adding two new features to the discussion boards and we'd like to know what you all think. One of them is called 'infinite scrolling'.

At the moment, threads are displayed page-by-page. With 'infinite scrolling', new threads will load automatically once you reach the end of the list - a bit like how social media feeds work. You would still get the option to jump 'pages' down the list if you wanted to search far back.

Given this is a significant change  to how things currently work, we don't want to try it out without asking you guys first. Vote on the poll and let us know what you think.

Any questions, ask us below. We're also thinking of trying 'grouped conversations' - to find out more about that, head here.

Cheers,

Mike

Azziman

Also, should be noted that the footer text (The Mix summary, cookies/contact info/terms of use links, and Language selection) will probably be moved elsewhere, otherwise you'll never be able to reach it!

This site isn't too graphic-heavy, so infinite scrolling shouldn't cause any crashes either, just as a heads up.

Good point @Aidan - I'd assume that it'd be fixed, like the major social media networks, to infinite scrolling only, but the mods can provide clarity on that.

TheMix

Aidan said:

Infinite scrolling would help navigating for sure,  but maybe (especially new) people might scroll far enough down in time and respond to dead threads.

If it's implemented, would it be optional or would only infinite scrolling be available? 

An interesting point, @Aidan. Something we'll take into consideration for sure.

It would be the blanket setting for everyone. It's worth noting that, as you scoll down, it would tell you what 'page' you're on in a box next to the scroll bar. You'd get the option to enter a number in there to skip forward or back to whatever page you want, so in some ways you get a bit of both.

Mike

Former Member

I think that's a cool idea

Former Member

It sounds like it would make it easier to see older posts, but I use pages so that I know when a post is too old to be commented on. I think that infinite scrolling would mean that a lot of resolved posts would keep coming back to the top of the boards.

TheMix

Thanks for all the feedback, everyone, and for voting on the poll. It looks like the opinion on this one is pretty split. There are also some issues with the styling that we've just discovered, so we've decided not to try this one out just yet.

We're hoping to keep having these conversations with you guys to fully explore our customisation options. Watch this space.

Thanks everyone,
Mike & the team