New Author Profiles BETA Feedback Request

[AwkwardlySet]

I see that the new style is the default so it's not really beta anymore.

They would probably call this the open beta, but any beta should be optional, so yeah, it doesn't deserve to be called that. This is the default it seems.

The funny part is that I've been right when I alluded that they never wanted our feedback at all. They just wanted us to report the glitches and the instances of new stuff not working as intended. There were so many great suggestions from authors but none of them have been implemented, not even those that would have taken literally fifteen minutes of coding, such as displaying the wordcount - which is practically just showing a number that is already there, or such as adding a few more options for sorting stories, which is basically creating a clickable link and copypasting the sorting algorithm from the already existing link and changing the sorting parameter.

Typical, eh? Also, I told you so @lustychimera

 

[RejectReality]

I have two series that are marked complete, but don't show as such on my public profile.

Which ones?

 

[pink_silk_glove]

There were so many great suggestions from authors but none of them have been implemented, not even those that would have taken literally fifteen minutes of coding, such as displaying the wordcount - which is practically just showing a number that is already there, or such as adding a few more options for sorting stories, which is basically creating a clickable link and copypasting the sorting algorithm from the already existing link and changing the sorting parameter.

Yup, still no word count, no tags and no option for how many entries per page. All easy coding stuff.

 

[NoTalentHack]

I’m still getting the old layouts when I look.

 

[MelissaBaby]

Which ones?

Mary and Alvin and My Fall and Rise

 

[RejectReality]

Mary and Alvin and My Fall and Rise

I'm seeing the complete marker on my end.

 

[MelissaBaby]

I'm seeing the complete marker on my end.
View attachment 2340728

Weird. Maybe it’s a browser issue. Thank you for checking it.

 

[Writer61]

Okay. The option is there, but the author has to use it. I don't think many are doing so.

I think that so far, the designation is only visible in the series portal.

View attachment 2340713

Where it looks like this.

View attachment 2340714

My apologies. I thought you were refering to my own stories + I picked some poor examples when looking at the new layout.

 

[NightPorter]

It will be a good change in the long run. Lit is finally leaving the 90's internet ascetic. There's bound to be growing pains in the process, there always are. Refinement comes with time.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

It will be a good change in the long run. Lit is finally leaving the 90's internet ascetic. There's bound to be growing pains in the process, there always are. Refinement comes with time.

Oh come on, we all know that lit never refines anything ever. This up date is purely esthetic (which I have nothing against) but the functionality has actually gone down. So no it doesn't feel like a good change to me and these do not feel like growing pains, just pains.

 

[MillieDynamite]

Deep sigh, don't focus on the negative. Keep happy thoughts, and go to your happy place.

 

[RejectReality]

Oh come on, we all know that lit never refines anything ever. This up date is purely esthetic (which I have nothing against) but the functionality has actually gone down. So no it doesn't feel like a good change to me and these do not feel like growing pains, just pains.

The current page has no means to sort an author's listing at all. While only date and alphabetical are available, it's one more option than we currently have. The new version also has the ability to collapse a series, allowing you to view more complete stories in a smaller space, which is currently unavailable. That's added functionality.

It's also not entirely cosmetic, but rather adds ease-of-use for mobile devices.

What you're calling functionality isn't even part of Lit. It's using browser functions as a workaround for a page that doesn't actually have any built-in features. The complaint is that those workarounds no longer produce the same results when applied to the new design.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

It's also not entirely cosmetic, but rather adds ease-of-use for mobile devices.

What you're calling functionality isn't even part of Lit. It's using browser functions as a workaround for a page that doesn't actually have any built-in features. The complaint is that those workarounds no longer produce the same results when applied to the new design.

Big deal, two sort functions. There's STILL no word counts, STILL no tag lists, and now we have a long list of users complaining that searching long lists SUCKS hard now. On top of that there seem to be a few links and buttons that appear for some but not others. Functionality has gone DOWN. So what's the point of this? Just a cosmetic overhaul and a sideways step at that. It's not worth it.

 

[ElectricBlue]

The current page has no means to sort an author's listing at all. While only date and alphabetical are available, it's one more option than we currently have. The new version also has the ability to collapse a series, allowing you to view more complete stories in a smaller space, which is currently unavailable. That's added functionality.

Must be browser specific functionality to make those toggles work though. My lists don't show sort options at all, it's newest to oldest, nothing else, and the Series don't collapse. It's lots of scrolling, which I can get used to. I miss the ability to get an instant visual overview of a writer's body of work.

It's cosmetic, but I don't see much value added. It's catering for people who do everything on their phones. That's a big meh from me. @Manu please don't forget traditional computers, laptops, non-phone devices.

 

[RejectReality]

Mobile: default samsung browser, chrome, firefox: all indicators/functions available and working.
Ipad: safari: all indicators/functions available and working.
PC: chrome, edge, firefox, opera: all indicators/functions available and working.

That's three different devices and six different browsers. I'd test it on my samsung tablet, but it isn't charged right now. I'm not seeing any browser issues with anything the average person would use.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

Well I guess that I'm not an average person since both my firefox AND chrome are both missing the 'show more' clicky in the bio section and both have all series expanded and the option for collapsing them does nothing.

 

[RejectReality]

Well I guess that I'm not an average person since both my firefox AND chrome are both missing the 'show more' clicky in the bio section and both have all series expanded and the option for collapsing them does nothing.

Do you have ad-blockers or other third party extensions that modify the default output installed and active? The most likely culprit is a third-party piece of software interfering with the proper rendering of the page by your browser. Try excluding Lit from them and see if the drop-down appears.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

Do you have ad-blockers or other third party extensions that modify the default output installed and active? The most likely culprit is a third-party piece of software interfering with the proper rendering of the page by your browser. Try excluding Lit from them and see if the drop-down appears.

I've never downloaded anything third party and I have no adblocker that I am aware of (I certainly still get all the ad banners on lit). Even if I did, a menu drop down that got blocked by a blocker would be some pretty shoddy code.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Mobile: default samsung browser, chrome, firefox: all indicators/functions available and working.
Ipad: safari: all indicators/functions available and working.
PC: chrome, edge, firefox, opera: all indicators/functions available and working.

That's three different devices and six different browsers. I'd test it on my samsung tablet, but it isn't charged right now. I'm not seeing any browser issues with anything the average person would use.

This is what bugs me - I have a perfectly functioning device that's worked fine for ten years, then all of a sudden fucking Amazon no longer support the device (a Kindle Fire), and every Lit upgrade loses backwards functionality/compatibility.

"When can I buy the latest version of (this perfectly functional device), Amazon guy?"

"Oh, we don't sell it in Australia yet?"

"Why not?"

"It's not available anywhere yet. We can't get the chips."

I expect software upgrades to WORK, without me having to reconfigure shit. I'm not the IT guy, that's their fucking job! Jesus wept!

 

[RejectReality]

This is what bugs me - I have a perfectly functioning device that's worked fine for ten years, then all of a sudden fucking Amazon no longer support the device (a Kindle Fire), and every Lit upgrade loses backwards functionality/compatibility.

"When can I buy the latest version of (this perfectly functional device), Amazon guy?"

"Oh, we don't sell it in Australia yet?"

"Why not?"

"It's not available anywhere yet. We can't get the chips."

I expect software upgrades to WORK, without me having to reconfigure shit. I'm not the IT guy, that's their fucking job! Jesus wept!

So the problem is that Lit isn't making sure their code works on a decade old, discontinued device that the manufacturer no longer supports? You don't think that's a little much to ask?

 

[RejectReality]

I've never downloaded anything third party and I have no adblocker that I am aware of (I certainly still get all the ad banners on lit). Even if I did, a menu drop down that got blocked by a blocker would be some pretty shoddy code.

If you're exclusively using Firefox/Chrome, then try in whatever pre-installed browser you have, which you likely only used to download Firefox and Chrome, and haven't tweaked any settings on. Boot up Edge/Safari/whatever and see if the functionality is there.

Almost every one of these reports of issues smacks of user "error" to me. ( "error" being in quotes because there can be perfectly legitimate and sensible reasons for doing something that still breaks things it's not meant to. )

 

[pink_silk_glove]

If you're exclusively using Firefox/Chrome, then try in whatever pre-installed browser you have, which you likely only used to download Firefox and Chrome, and haven't tweaked any settings on. Boot up Edge/Safari/whatever and see if the functionality is there.

Almost every one of these reports of issues smacks of user "error" to me. ( "error" being in quotes because there can be perfectly legitimate and sensible reasons for doing something that still breaks things it's not meant to. )

Firefox is what came with my system.

The profile page is a simple html that displays text pulled from a database (or at least that's all that it should be). There is no excuse for it not to work on the simplest platforms.

 

[mildlyaroused]

Mine works fine on Chrome and I have all ads blocked.

 

[ElectricBlue]

So the problem is that Lit isn't making sure their code works on a decade old, discontinued device that the manufacturer no longer supports? You don't think that's a little much to ask?

Backwards compatibility - you've not heard of that concept? A decade should not be "old" for computers. My beef is more with Amazon, for obsoleting a product they don't have a replacement for yet. A product which, for everything else it does, is functional.

Fundamentally, though, I do have a problem with forced obsolescence in something that's not very old.

This is why I still buy vinyl records. Now that Millennials have discovered that ear buds give them crap sound, there's been a revival in decent audio at sensible prices. Also ridiculous prices, but never mind that.

 

[RejectReality]

I'm just going to let those posts speak for themselves and go on my merry way.