Question How is everyone liking the [div] tag?

[Tefka]

I've mixed feelings on it. On one hand, some of the templates flowing around the community are grandiose and I love it, and I think it really gives a new outlet for people to shine and feel special.

On the other, like with everything, it seems we've caved to this addiction and now people are using it in almost every single post. I get it, but to my eye and in my opinion, it can be disruptive to the continuity of reading the thread.

But that's just one guy's experience. How's yours?

 

[Darth Metus]

This is a feature I've wanted since 2014 and I'm stoked that it's here.

As is the case with most graphics-related "innovations" on the board, we're in the tinkering phase where more is more. This is temporary. Last year around this time, we had flashy avatars as far as the eye could see, gif signatures, etc. But, over time, this will level off as usual.

I've written on boards where this tag is enabled and most every post has a personal touch. Once leveled off, it's not too gaudy. There will always be that one guy who wants to emulate a banned pokemon episode, but the rest will generally chill in time.

10/10, loving it, pls keep.

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

I love it for opening posts, but it really annoys the eye when you get to actually reading threads, especially when you have a volume of posts/text to read. In too many cases it feels like it's being used to give the illusion of a post being longer than it needs to be. Don't want it disabled per se, but I'd love to see less of it in actual replies.

 

[Ryv]

If there was a function that allowed me to turn it off, that be ideal. Post one, yeah, looks cool. Posts 2-99? There are only so many times you can see Darth Revan, or a faction symbol, or the same gif before its just flashier background, taking attention from the relevant content.

 

[Jsc]

1000% Awesome

But plz ban from Invasions plz

 

[Anse Baenshaol]

I like it because the width of the board makes the paragraphs like a mile wide, so its actually easier on my eyes to see things more condensed. I mean, could fix it with like forum layouts that cut the width of the board by a third, but then that plays hell on peoples post styles lol. I hope that if my styles are playing hell with people they let me know? I try to be considerate of others!

 

[Redd]

Honestly, I think that it's just an adjustment for some people. As someone who has come from a forum where post templates are standard practice, it's actually fun to see the new stuff that people come up with. Sure, some of them could be a little less, especially when it comes to gifs in backgrounds of post templates, but it's a learning curve and all of that flashiness will, as Guy said, settle down. As for width, some people have their post templates set to a certain width to make it mobile friendly. For instance, 650 seems to be the width that makes it mobile friendly. Depending on your code of course.

 

[Visanj T'shkali]

Personally speaking, I like them. It looks cleaner and as someone mentioned, it allows a personal touch to the post. Staring at blocks of drab greyscale or else unnecessarily colorful text or flashy moving avatars, gify signatures, or what have you can be annoying for some also, but generally those no complaints. It's new, and once people move beyond 'new' and become more accustomed to it, it won't be such an issue. I for one encourage the creativity and personalization, and in time, I doubt any of us will truly have a problem.

 

[Lord Moloch]

Personally? I don't like them. I never have. But I also don't care if they're here, I'll just never use them. Sometimes they do make a mess, and sometimes they are pretty cool. But I feel like it's also as mentioned, just conforming to what I've seen like....80% of other sites do, and it's just....feel's almost egoistical when you see someone post with one...and their avatar is in the design. Like...dude...stop, I know its you, your image is right next to it. I don't think I have seen it on here yet....but I know....it will happen soon....and I will cringe.

 

[Tathra Khaeus]

I like them. Well, I can't speak for super flashy ones but I only use a really basic red background, essentially. So, I like it.

Personally haven't ran into too many massively flashy ones, thankfully. But other than that I think as long as its kept tame, I'm fine with them.

 

[Ingrid L'lerim]

I like them too. Well I also like the special ones but for the readabilit, and because you might be bothering someone because you’re too “pretty” or too much, therefore, I only use a plain simple basic templates.

 

[Ellie Mors]

People are going to over use them like we over used soundcloud integration way back when, eventually the charm of being able to customize your posts with div stuff will go away as it becomes normal and people will slowly stop using it (except the super dedicated few). It's way too much work/effort for me to do it for every post anyways, and I'm sure that'll set in for most people soon enough,

 

[Ingrid L'lerim]

Ellie Mors

I have one document saved per thread and I also write the posts in it, so I only have to write the template once in each place, lazy and convenient solution.

 

[Maou]

Great for opening posts and profiles. TERRIBLE for continued posting use.

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

I've really enjoyed seeing people's creative come out in them, but I think I agree with this:

If there was a function that allowed me to turn it off, that be ideal. Post one, yeah, looks cool. Posts 2-99? There are only so many times you can see Darth Revan, or a faction symbol, or the same gif before its just flashier background, taking attention from the relevant content.

After reading three hundred posts of an Invasion, each with different colored backgrounds and texts, it can become a little tedious on the eyes. This is a personal issue I guess though, as I was one of the ones that found flashy gifs to be a little disorientating/distracting. I think this is why I'm all for the choice of turning them on and off, though I'm not sure that's possible.

Perhaps if we kept them to Character Biographies. Might give Bio's that something special without distracting or taking away form individual posts.

 

[Tefka]

I don't see any reason why they couldn't stay, but I'd advise people to follow some smarter practices, ie:

1. Police your own. If someone's posting is distracting, tell them. They may not know.
2. Talk about these things openly, and with calm.
3. Engage with your faction leaders in the case that they affect Invasions or such.

If Staff fixes it, it'll be with the hammer, so as always nobody'll win. Have discussions like these, you don't need me to start them.

 

[Niamh Raste]

I like it and after using it for both posts and for faction announcements I find that I think I prefer it just for thread openers and for faction announcements. Don't think I'll use them for regular posts much. Not that I begrudge people that do, as they are pretty.

 

[Amur]

I love what I have for my profiles and think that's a great little visual tool, I have to say in my testing that less is definitely more if you want something that looks good and is readable, I think my profile is definitely pushing it for what's still readable for example.

I'll mirror a bunch of people when saying that I don't like it for posts beyond openers. For Doms and Invasions I find it much better to just to use some simple formatting and a page divider images for conveying information, especially given how wonky Divs can get on mobile (My profile is a good example of this). Honestly over the top div code in a normal post will actually make me more inclined to skip a post as I find it to just be disruptive window dressing when I just want to read the real content and meat of the post which is the author's writing.

I think in time people will adjust and get to learn what works and what doesn't, for now we'll have a bunch of pretty (or gaudy depending on your tastes) experimentation.

 

[Allyson Locke]

Its a cool function, but I'd like to be able to turn it off especially the more eye numbing ones that people have used. It ruins the post and makes it really hard to read. To be completely honest, they're great if designed well for character sheets and intro posts - not for complete threads like invasions or dominions.

 

[Valeria de la Vallée]

Having written on several boards, some of which where they were a requirement, in the past with the div tag, I enjoy it. It adds the ability for a nice little personal touch. And while I seem to be in the minority here they, they being the well designed ones and not the exceedingly bright from a 90s rave ones, make posts far easier to read especially since it seems typical to use a black background on them. This black background allows font colors to contrast more as opposed to the default grey background with grey font on top of it or a bright font on top of the grey background for that matter. For me that helps in reading longer threads like Dominions and Invasions.

I think the distracting ones that are out there are just a side effect from new experimentation and something that will likely go away over time.