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1jasbro
What happened to "favoriting" (starring) Local Events? Did it go away in the last 30 minutes, or have I not been paying attention?
3timspalding
I removed it to see if anyone would squeal. I'm not seeing much squealing. (Nor was it getting much use.) Did you use it? Can we discuss it?
4jasbro
SSQQUUEEAALL!! Yes, I used it, and I miss it.
Granted, there wasn't a lot of functionality to it -- no way to select only my starred events when I wanted to focus on specific events I wanted to attend (at least not that I ever figured out); but it's was (and, to the extent it still shows up on my Home page, still is) a blessing to distinguish between (i) events I posted 'cause somebody may want to know, and (ii) events I posted 'cause I want to know.
Shall I stop listing any events I'm not personally interested in? I seem to be the only one using it for Atlanta, and can't tell whether even one other LT member has ever made an event because I posted it on LT Local. Not listing most of these would certainly make my use of LT Local a LOT easier; but that kinda defeats the purpose of sharing notices with other members locally, doesn't it?
I've also been able to refer maybe two dozen people to LT, for reference to the Local calendar alone. Don't know if any of them have later joined, but at least they find out about it from me.
LT has made a bunch of other changes to Local listings that I miss -- like dropping coding for boldface, italics, and paragraph breaks. You've also (apparently) dropped posting member credits, which may be just as well; it'll make it harder for local event sponsors to identify, "Oh, yeah; jasbro told me he put that on-line!" On the other hand, it's a little embarassing when everything pending has my tag, and nobody else's. (What happened to the chains' -- OK, B&N's -- automatic listings, anyway?)
Those other changes I just shrugged off, assuming that's just the way LT wants or needs it to be; maybe it streamlines processing, eases server loads, or is important for something else." But, right now, of twenty Atlanta events showing on my Home page, I'm focused on making it to four -- that's just 20% of events what I've listed through September 3, and two of those are the first two days only of the three-day Decatur Book Festival! Maybe I can still star them on the Home page (or maybe not?), but I'm also looking and planning three to four months ahead. Right now, I see NO WAY to star an event I want to focus on, or otherwise highlight it among all the others, except (a) where I did so before they went away, or (b) it appears in the next twenty upcoming events (including past events, up to twenty-four hours after they've happened it seems.)
I really do hope that, at a minimum, you'll put stars back on the Local page and venue pages. Please? Also, please let me know if you would discuss it further, and how I can help. Thanks!
Granted, there wasn't a lot of functionality to it -- no way to select only my starred events when I wanted to focus on specific events I wanted to attend (at least not that I ever figured out); but it's was (and, to the extent it still shows up on my Home page, still is) a blessing to distinguish between (i) events I posted 'cause somebody may want to know, and (ii) events I posted 'cause I want to know.
Shall I stop listing any events I'm not personally interested in? I seem to be the only one using it for Atlanta, and can't tell whether even one other LT member has ever made an event because I posted it on LT Local. Not listing most of these would certainly make my use of LT Local a LOT easier; but that kinda defeats the purpose of sharing notices with other members locally, doesn't it?
I've also been able to refer maybe two dozen people to LT, for reference to the Local calendar alone. Don't know if any of them have later joined, but at least they find out about it from me.
LT has made a bunch of other changes to Local listings that I miss -- like dropping coding for boldface, italics, and paragraph breaks. You've also (apparently) dropped posting member credits, which may be just as well; it'll make it harder for local event sponsors to identify, "Oh, yeah; jasbro told me he put that on-line!" On the other hand, it's a little embarassing when everything pending has my tag, and nobody else's. (What happened to the chains' -- OK, B&N's -- automatic listings, anyway?)
Those other changes I just shrugged off, assuming that's just the way LT wants or needs it to be; maybe it streamlines processing, eases server loads, or is important for something else." But, right now, of twenty Atlanta events showing on my Home page, I'm focused on making it to four -- that's just 20% of events what I've listed through September 3, and two of those are the first two days only of the three-day Decatur Book Festival! Maybe I can still star them on the Home page (or maybe not?), but I'm also looking and planning three to four months ahead. Right now, I see NO WAY to star an event I want to focus on, or otherwise highlight it among all the others, except (a) where I did so before they went away, or (b) it appears in the next twenty upcoming events (including past events, up to twenty-four hours after they've happened it seems.)
I really do hope that, at a minimum, you'll put stars back on the Local page and venue pages. Please? Also, please let me know if you would discuss it further, and how I can help. Thanks!
5royalhistorian
That it isn't used much doesn't say anything. It's more that the site structure and lay-out isn't quite userfriendly. Solve the usability problems and a lot of features will be used better.
7timspalding
>5 royalhistorian:
Heh. It's not clear to me that there's a huge usability problem with a star—star it, or don't star it. But, your general point is taken.
Heh. It's not clear to me that there's a huge usability problem with a star—star it, or don't star it. But, your general point is taken.
8jasbro
I've wondered why there's been no option to display starred events only, particularly since I got the idea (somewhere) long ago that was kinda the point of starring LT Local events -- to select the starred ones in particular out of a larger, general list of Local events.
Even so, having something distinctive like a star to scan for on an otherwise full page of largely identical-looking listings is helpful in and of itself, but not so much if we can't set those stars when we first notice an interesting event -- rather than waiting until it shows among the top 20 local events on our home pages, just two weeks out.
(Oops! Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned that was still an option ... .)
Even so, having something distinctive like a star to scan for on an otherwise full page of largely identical-looking listings is helpful in and of itself, but not so much if we can't set those stars when we first notice an interesting event -- rather than waiting until it shows among the top 20 local events on our home pages, just two weeks out.
(Oops! Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned that was still an option ... .)
13jasbro
Are we going to recover our (limited) ability to note LT Local events of personal significance with "stars" as they arise? Or should we just stop trying, and maybe start looking for other places to keep track of them? I'm still hoping for the former. @timspalding? @jbd1?
15betsyclem
I just recently found the star function in the Local section. I've been using the local postings to add a "local events" section in the newsletter that I started doing for my library patrons. I just posted a local event at our public library, then saw that I had a message to respond to this forum. I would love to see the local section of LT enhanced. I liked the star function and like jasbro, would like to see it be sortable so that my stars could be filtered to the top of the list. I think that the ability to repost to Facebook and Twitter might also be helpful.
16jasbro
Thanks for your input, @betsyclem. Still hoping we'll get starring back on the LT Local page. Thanks.
17timspalding
Sorry. I'll come back soon. There's a big local thing happening soon that will force me back into the code.
18jasbro
Thanks for the update, Tim. By "big local thing," I assume you mean we'll be VERY, VERY PLEASED, once again. And here I was just hoping for minimal return to status quo -- shoulda known better.
19jasbro
@timspalding: Maybe I shoulda requested return to the status ante. I'm still missing stars on the LT Local page.
I added a BUNCH of LT Local events for Atlanta over the weekend; we're extremely fortunate in that regard. But we don't have any way to star something more than a week out, which makes longer-term planning (buying, pulling, budgeting, scheduling, etc.) considerably less effective.
I've squealed; I've discussed; I've raised a hue & cry; and (granted, only 2) other LT Members have joined in my request. It does seem, however, that if somebody is using -- or would use -- a feature (LT Local, with stars) to this extent, it wouldn't be lightly taken away. (If so, maybe I should also ask, "What's disappearing next?") Whatever others think (or don't think) of this one feature, it's a quick, easy, practical option that I used regularly while we had it, would use again as soon as I could, and am quite frustrated to have lost.
On the other hand, I don't want to trouble you / LT unnecessarily; it's either gonna happen or it's not. I guess I'll just keep looking forward to the "big local thing happening soon that will force {you} back into the code."
Thanks for any consideration you can give.
I added a BUNCH of LT Local events for Atlanta over the weekend; we're extremely fortunate in that regard. But we don't have any way to star something more than a week out, which makes longer-term planning (buying, pulling, budgeting, scheduling, etc.) considerably less effective.
I've squealed; I've discussed; I've raised a hue & cry; and (granted, only 2) other LT Members have joined in my request. It does seem, however, that if somebody is using -- or would use -- a feature (LT Local, with stars) to this extent, it wouldn't be lightly taken away. (If so, maybe I should also ask, "What's disappearing next?") Whatever others think (or don't think) of this one feature, it's a quick, easy, practical option that I used regularly while we had it, would use again as soon as I could, and am quite frustrated to have lost.
On the other hand, I don't want to trouble you / LT unnecessarily; it's either gonna happen or it's not. I guess I'll just keep looking forward to the "big local thing happening soon that will force {you} back into the code."
Thanks for any consideration you can give.
21timspalding
Coming back today.
23jasbro
Yep. I must have blinked. Still, I'd welcome -- and use! -- stars on the LT Local Page. Please advise.
28jasbro
OK, perfect example: DeKalb County Public Library - Dunwoody Library: Carmen Deedy (December 12 at 7:00pm).
Carmen is a friend of my wife's, and we've been looking forward to seeing her at this event since I first learned of it and posted it to LT. BUT, I couldn't star it when I created it; I can't star it on the LT Local page, and it hasn't (yet) come up for me to star it on my Home page (although December 13 is showing up there).
I thought that's what "starring" LT Local events was all about-- keeping up with the ones you want to be reminded of.
HOW CAN WE USE LT LOCAL TO KEEP UP WITH EVENTS IF WE CAN'T STAR ANY?
Carmen is a friend of my wife's, and we've been looking forward to seeing her at this event since I first learned of it and posted it to LT. BUT, I couldn't star it when I created it; I can't star it on the LT Local page, and it hasn't (yet) come up for me to star it on my Home page (although December 13 is showing up there).
I thought that's what "starring" LT Local events was all about-- keeping up with the ones you want to be reminded of.
HOW CAN WE USE LT LOCAL TO KEEP UP WITH EVENTS IF WE CAN'T STAR ANY?
29jasbro
@timspalding: Still no change. Did I misunderstand you at http://www.librarything.com/topic/122213#2989408 ?
31jasbro
Wow! I sure didn't see -- or expect -- this one! Then again, "Coming back today" (post 21) took over 13 months ... and, with reduced functionality in the meantime, LT Local was frustrating, ineffective, and I frankly stopped depending on it. (Grouse, complain ... .)
It sure will be nice if the "new Local" has even part of the old functionality; right now, it's more useless than ever -- lots of "storytimes," corporate/big box marketing, non-substantive/indecipherable "conversations," and "untitled events." (Maybe a few festivals thrown in, for good measure). Whatever happened to Authors simply reading and signing books, anyway?
It sure will be nice if the "new Local" has even part of the old functionality; right now, it's more useless than ever -- lots of "storytimes," corporate/big box marketing, non-substantive/indecipherable "conversations," and "untitled events." (Maybe a few festivals thrown in, for good measure). Whatever happened to Authors simply reading and signing books, anyway?
32jbd1
Well, you can certainly filter the events so you don't see things you don't want to see (http://www.librarything.com/topic/144832) - feature introduced back in November.
34timspalding
There's a second layer of filtering—the "most" vs. "all" on local events. Basically, the "all" includes Nook-based events at B&Ns, and a few other very low-value ones. "Most" excludes them.
