Ten specific suggestions for making the Communal Stall Wall more user friendly
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1. If I am logged in to the Message Board, I wish CSW were
aware of that fact, rather than requiring me to log in
separately.
2. When I visit CSW, I wish it would clearly indicate one
or the other of the following:
· A persistent display of my cruisername, reminding me
that I AM logged in, and under which name.
· Persistent text indicating that I am not logged in.
3. I wish that as soon as I logged in to the Stalls, I would
be transported to the only area I ever visit (in my case,
Los Angeles); or, alternatively, to the last place I had
visited (such as "Advanced Search"); or, alternatively,
I wish it provided options that looked like this:
( ) Always start CSW at CSW home (current behavior)
( ) Always start CSW in
( ) Always start CSW in
( ) Remember where I last browsed and restart CSW there.
This would spare me the need to navigate through
CSW Home -> USA -> Los Angeles
each and every time I visit.
4. I wish that each distinct location in CSW had its own
unique URL, so that I could bookmark it for myself
and/or provide a link that a contact could teleport
to, rather than having to re-navigate the interface
each and every time.
By "distinct location" I mean any and each of:
· geographical cruising area, broad or narrow
· page that prompts for remembered search criteria
· remembered query that results in a list-of-ads
· each specific ad
5. I wish that I could scroll through a list of ads that
included ad text (not just title). Currently, when
browsing ads, I have to open an ad, return from it,
open another ad, return from it, etc.
6. I wish that I could close CSW (and CFS) without having
the window closure spawn a new window containing an
XXX-rated pop-under ad. The delayed-reaction opening
of a new window means I have no "panic button" for
browsing at work, or at home when family is around.
7. Especially if I am forced to see a list of ad titles
without content, I wish that I see the author of each
ad.
8. Especially if I am forced to see a list of ad titles
without content, I wish that I sort the list ...
· ... by cruisername
· ... by title
· ... by "IsPhotoAttached" flag
9. I really really wish I could search ads intelligently.
For example, I'd like to search ads in a specific
area that contain a specific word. Currently, if
I'm browsing Los Angeles ads and type in search string
"beach", I get a list of all communities whose names
have the word "Beach" and a bunch of ad titles --
from across the entire U.S. -- which all presumably
contain "beach" somewhere in the (undisplayed) ad text.
· I'd like to search ads by zipcode.
Even better, by zipcode range: { 91100 - 91199 }.
Best of all, by zipcode ranges: { 911*, 912*, 91325 }
In Los Angeles, an alphabetized list of community
names is a wretched way of categorizing places.
For example, the same address could be considered
as being located in any of the following:
- Valley Village
- NoHo
- North Hollywood
- the Valley
- San Fernando Valley
- SFV
- N.L.A.
And, incidentally, none of these appears on the current
list of "specific locations" -- apparently there are no
cruisers amongst the millions of people living south of
Santa Clarita and west of Burbank. (However, please do
NOT extend the list to contain five dozen possibilities
in a particular region.)
But if the alphabetized-list-of-communities is the best
solution for places in general, then maybe give some
thought to dividing regions intelligently, so that each
region is covered by the set of "specific locations"
and the size or population of each specific location
is large enough so that the list isn't too daunting.
So how about those zip code ranges, anyway? :-)
· I'd like to search ads by partial cruisername, rather
than having to match exactly. For example, if all a
guy can remember of my username is "sfv19xx" I'd like
him to be able to find me in one try, not twenty.
· I wish I could set my search behavior permanently to
Advanced Search, rather than having to reselect it
each and every time I search.
· I'd like to have a difficult-to-select option that
allow me to search ads that have expired.
10. I wish that ad authors could optionally fill out a
profile and/or write up a blurb with freetext and/or
supply a persistent photo, and that this info would
be displayed to the ad-looker when he clicks on the
ad-author's cruisername.
Generally, my preferred cruising behavior is to scan a lot
of text quickly, and then drill down more on an item that
looks like it might be interesting. I prefer for photos
to be displayed only if I ask, not whenever I open the ad.
I would welcome the addition of preset categories (group
play, nonrecip BJs, etc.), because it shortens the search
and reduces the back-and-forth of "so, what do you like?"
But please don't add them if doing so forced everyone into
a canned set of pigeonholes.
__________________
41, 6'2", 215, good-looking.
Can I unload at your place?
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