If you have a hidden profile it is more difficult to follow your arguments

[Max_S]

Continuing the discussion from Why do Dopers start contests regarding grave matters?:

@puzzlegal

You’ve said this a couple of times. You are wrong. Discourse has a robust search system. You can search for @Acsenray in this thread

I said it is hard, not impossible.

The interface may be different for you because you are a moderator, but this is my experience.

Doing a search is about ten times as difficult as a filter. You only see a preview of each post. You have to click on each one to see the full text, at which point the search results are hidden. To jump to the next post you must first click the search icon again to show the results. That might involve moving the mouse across the screen if you were expanding replies or otherwise navigating around the topic for context. There’s probably a hotkey to search but my hand is on the mouse, and it will have to be on the mouse again to click the next search result.

The search results are in a scrollable list, but because the list is closed after you look at each post, you have to scroll from the top every time. Which means you have to memorize the post numbers so you don’t lose your place in the topic. (ETA: Also you can only scroll the search results by having your mouse within the search results, otherwise you just scroll the topic. I guess you could drag the scrollbar but… forget that.)

It is easier to actually scroll through the entire 200 post topic, quote all 50 of Acsenray’s posts, and then fullscreen the edit window so I can browse the preview pane on the right. That’s how bad the search in topic function sucks. Now, if you’re searching for a phrase or something search in topic rocks. But just using it to filter all the posts by one member? Sucks.

With a normal poster whose profile isn’t hidden - and to my knowledge back on vBulletin nobody’s entire profile was hidden - you simply click their name, then the little filter icon. Then the entire topic is pruned so it only shows his or her posts.

I don’t understand why hiding your profiles removes the inline filter function from other users. That seems like a design flaw.

Similarily, if you aren’t signed in to Discourse you don’t even have the filter function. This just makes it more difficult for lurkers to read the conversation and provides a disinscentive to participate. It makes no sense.

~Max

[chela]

A hard no.

The way I see it having that option for a private profile is a security measure. A decision for personal reasons not deception or nefarious skullduggery or to be an irritant to other members by keeping one’s. presence low key.

Mmmv

[chela]

You already perhaps know me as far as you can throw me. lol.

I don’t get the question.

[chela]

No. It doesn’t make it harder. How so?

All of my sdmb posts are public.

Do a clumsy search or drop a dm if a question

That’s all

Public private why is that so hard to accept in a profile view?

[chela]

There’s this handy feature I use for suspected trolls and drooling morons that occupy the boards, it’s called Ignore. See it will silence and hide those irritating posters but if I want to see what they post I have to click on hidden reply. It’s like making them go private.

If I want to find any threads a private user is posting I use name @ first : in.

Seems the majority wants an open profile as a tool for troll busting? How’s that working out?

[chela]

I’m getting mixed messages here.

Some say we can’t get to know you as a poster aka RU legit if your profile is private

Some say private profile = troll trock sock

Others say I can’t make sense of a long topic if I can’t easily bring up one’s posts.

Mods say we can easily hunt trolls with or without your profile.

Private long time member says they want their presence here on the board to be low key. Aka I’d prefer not make my brilliant
contributions easily readable especially by those whom I have on ignore. My mileage sometimes varies on this. I say deal with it.

Put the newbies on probation and disallow private profiles for a period of time.

[chela]

@puzzlegal

I don’t think we want to support people who want to post but want to make it hard to read their work.

So maybe you’re saying you’d rather not respond to flags from a member with a private profile or respond to a request to fix a typo in a title? What support are you alluding to?

I’ll ask it again how hard is it to read my posts as I’m posting in real time? Are you speaking as a mod or a poster. I’m seem to think you guys can un private a profile if not go for the plugin what’s it to view it and I believe you can even get into PM’s.

Go ask some other respected posters who I know also have private profiles for their input. NTL I’m done defending my personal preferences with you.

[chela]

It’s a two-fer. You want to hide your online presence you also get a hidden profile. It’s one option that hides both features. Find it in the interface section of your profile.

Whatever reasons members have to want to hide their online presence is their business not mine. MYOB.

[chela]

It’s a work around much like giraffe boards

[chela]

@Max_S

Also, what’s up with chela’s name being changed in quoteboxes?

I noticed that too! I just put that in the name space in the last week or two. So odd that my optional name roseannaroseannadanna would show up in quote instead of chela. I did a search of it and it’s in many places.

[chela]

Scroll up to post 110 from @puzzlegal

[chela]