Starting today, at about 6:00 PM Server Time (EST), you will notice a new Voting Preferences section on the My Preferences. Two options exist in this section, both of which address anonymous commenting.
The first option, Hide My Name, works for members only. If you select this option, comments you make on challenge entries during voting will be hidden until voting has ended. Once voting has ended, your name will be visible alongside your comment.
The second option, Hide Commenter's Names, is available to all registered users. Checking this box will hide the names of all comments on your own entry, regardless of the commenter's Hide My Name choice.
When using these options, please be aware of the following:
The commenter's name will be visible to the photographer only if both the commenter and the photographer have not asked for the name to be hidden. If either person asks for the name to be hidden, it will not be shown.
Changing these options affects all comments you have received or made (as appropriate) in any challenge currently in voting. In other words, you cannot choose to hide your name on some comments you make while showing it on others.
Comments are anonymous only during challenge voting. Anonymous comments will show Hidden During Voting in place of the user icon and name during voting. Once voting ends and results are posted, this will be replaced with the normal user icon and name. You are still responsible for the content of your comments, so please be constructive and civil.
We hope you enjoy this new feature, and as always if you have any questions, please post them here.
Good solution. It allows those users who hate getting PM'd during a challenge about their comments to avoid it altogether without having to stop commenting.
This should stop the endless postings on comments during challenges from those who want anonymous commentors and those who want to see who is commenting.
I applaud this sensible solution to the issue and offer well deserved praise to the site management for their continued improvement of the site and thoughtful responses to member concerns.
Well done everyone involved.
Add my voice to the chorus of cheers. But the change brings up a question: ...since the "Hide my name" option exists, is the recipient of a comment now on firm footing in PMing a commenter who has let his/her name be seen? Would seem so to me, and I expect an increase in PMs from comments I leave.
Add my voice to the chorus of cheers. But the change brings up a question: ...since the "Hide my name" option exists, is the recipient of a comment now on firm footing in PMing a commenter who has let his/her name be seen? Would seem so to me, and I expect an increase in PMs from comments I leave.
I would think that if you left your name visable then you should be prepared to recieve pm's from entrants as there is no rule to stop them replying, both you and they can decide with this system.
My congratulations to the SC for comming up with this well thought out solution to a recurring problem.
Add my voice to the chorus of cheers. But the change brings up a question: ...since the "Hide my name" option exists, is the recipient of a comment now on firm footing in PMing a commenter who has let his/her name be seen? Would seem so to me, and I expect an increase in PMs from comments I leave.
That is correct -- though if for some reason a user leaves their name visible but requests no PM's in their profile, please respect that.
I for one do not encourage PM'ing commenters during voting (I believe that is the official site position as well, but I'm not 100% sure of that), but it is not against the rules of the site. That said, if a user complains about receiving PM's during voting our most likely response will be "turn on Hide My Name."
Ok, while I appreciate the sensitivity of the Site Admin to the issue of anonymous commenting, and how that resulted in this new feature, I'm just wondering if that really deserved more attention than something like being able to find which of your portfolio images has been selected as a favorite, or some of the other long-standing enhancements? As a coder and project manager, I am regularly faced with change requests, and many times, they are so simple, requiring so little effort, that they are done gratis. Is that what happened here? Or did the squeaky wheel get the oil? I am sorry for complaining, but there have been many, many other site-improvement suggestions that seem to me either easier to code, or more valuable than this one.
On the other hand, maybe this is a sign of more better things to come...
edit: spelling
As I understand it, and I could be wrong, this was a relatively simple coding change, requiring 2 new fields to track the preferences and a couple relatively simple lines of code on the comment display page.
From talking to Drew, the favorites feature that you (and I) are asking for is a bit more complex... at least if we want the query to produce result reasonably efficiently.
Because of that, the changes to Favorites, while important, will probably take a back seat to the also-important DPC Prints rewrite.
I think this is a great solution to those who object to receiving PM's during voting. It should solve that recurring problem.
But if I remember right, when you comment during voting, you can easily go back and change your comment - and the system does not put the "edited by author" tag on it.
So what's to prevent someone making a totally inappropriate comment, leaving it on for a few days, then changing it to something more benign?
Will the comment receiver really know who made the original "bad" comment?
I think this is a great solution to those who object to receiving PM's during voting. It should solve that recurring problem.
But if I remember right, when you comment during voting, you can easily go back and change your comment - and the system does not put the "edited by author" tag on it.
So what's to prevent someone making a totally inappropriate comment, leaving it on for a few days, then changing it to something more benign?
Will the comment receiver really know who made the original "bad" comment?
MMmmm, maybe it needs a "Report Comment" button with the SC having the ability to see who the comentator is.
Hidden During Voting in place of the user icon and name during voting. Once voting ends and results are posted, this will be replaced with the normal user icon and name. You are still responsible for the content of your comments, so please be constructive and civil.
