Make it possible to preview comments?
I'd really like to be able to preview comments before posting them, to make sure I've got markdown formatting correct.
This would help to resolve the existing problem of needing to delete and re-post comments when mistakes are made (which sends out loads of emails to users, negatively affecting Loomio's reputation).
Users should of course also be able to edit comments, which would also help to resolve this issue, but that is a separate discussion happening over here: https://www.loomio.org/discussions/4440
Make it possible to preview comments before publishing them
proposal by Josef Davies-Coates Closed Tue 16 Jul 2013 11:00AM
With no blocks, no disagreements, and one abstention there is a pretty clear consensus (of those that voted) that the ability to preview comments is a good idea, given the proviso that previewing comments should be optional, not mandatory.
This would help to resolve the existing problem of needing to delete and re-post comments when mistakes are made (which sends out loads of emails to users, negatively affecting Loomio's reputation).
Users should of course also be able to edit comments, which would also help to resolve this issue, but that is a separate discussion happening over here: https://www.loomio.org/discussions/4440
Results
| Results | Option | Votes | % of votes cast | % of eligible voters | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agree | 7 | 88 | 3 |       | |
| Abstain | 1 | 13 | 0 | ||
| Disagree | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Block | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Not voted | 267 | 97 |                |
This would make loomio rock even more and greatly improve new users' first impression of the platform. No brainer.
It needs to be an option rather than being compulsory.
It needs to be an option rather than being compulsory.
If the proposal read to “provide an option to preview comments before publishing them” I would fully support the proposal..... as it reads at the moment it could include a compulsory preview approach (while I don't think the intent of the proposal).
With the same proviso as Neil, that previewing should be an option, but a user should also have the option of posting a comment without preview.
I think an opt-in preview makes sense
Statement field is too short for my reasoning so posted it in the comment.
@neilmorris um the proposal already says "Make it possible" not "Make it compulsory" :P
@josefdaviescoates :-) there are many ways "making it possible to preview comments" could be implemented. One way would be for it to be compulsory - If the proposal read to "provide an option to preview comments before publishing them" it would be a pleasure to fully support the proposal.
Sounds good, and I was mildly nervous about using markup because of this - I'm supposed to be able to program, and if I can't even edit text properly then all you experienced Loomio users might think I'm an idiot!! :-)
Another way to address the issue, which might be helpful generally to correct e.g. typos or minor details which aren't noticed when posting, is to allow a "minor edit" tick-box, which doesn't automatically email all users. We're about to implement this feature on Econsensus.
Maybe this will lead to other subtle issues like useful info not being passed on as quickly - however if people could change the level of detail they receive in emails, e.g. "digest mode" "not minor edits" etc. then this gives another level of granularity to play with. We're also discussing this kind of feature, as people feel overwhelmed by the email torrent sometimes. I'll add this stuff to the features section, just thought it might be relevant here.
I know there's still 4 hours to go until the proposal officially closes, but I'm pretty confident we have unanimous consensus on adding a preview button next to the existing "Post comment" button, so people have the choice of both options.
The sooner this can be implemented, the sooner we can test it and see whether people's desire to 'edit comment' dries up as a result.
I will say yes, just because I actually really want to have my first position to be placed :)
I am a little hesitant though. I do not think it will solve the editing issue (which I know has a long discussion about). I am afraid it might make the simple comment posting look a little more complicated and longer process (even if you do not have to do it compulsory my intuition says a lot of people would). The benefit would be to see the whole comment in a window without a scroll bar (if that is how it will be implemented).
Curious on how it will look and wanting to try it out makes me say my first 'I agree'.
Just looking at github and how it is done there. Tab for write and tab for preview. Definitely makes it not compulsory and does not add a new button that you need to press (even though clicking on a different tab is the same one click, that seems cleaner to me than another button).
@josefdaviescoates regarding your outcome statement, while I agree with the idea, I'm not sure there is "pretty clear consensus". Note that just 8 people stated a position, out of the 71 who could have.
@matthewbartlett you have a point that we are interpreting silence as consent. The only alternative is to make a rule that a consensus can't pass unless everyone (or x% of group members) has taken a position. Has any group experimented with this? My feeling is that it would be bureaucratic and impractical. There are plenty of ways for people to get notified that a proposal has been made, and is about to close, if they do want to take a position or express an opinion, so I think it's reasonable, in the absence of 'no' or 'block' positions, to assume consensus. What do others think?
I think sometimes a certain % would be required (for example, when using loomio for legally incorporated orgs that have specific %s specified in their rules), but in general silence = consent is how most distributed online groups I've been involved with have worked.
@strypey I guess I'm feeling unclear about the relationship between decisions made in the Features subgroup and Loomio's development priorities
Hey @matthewbartlett , not sure if you've seen this already but there's an overview of how the community works here: https://www.loomio.org/discussions/5200
Following the basic principle that decision-making influence is proportional to stakeholding, final calls about allocating development resources are made by the co-op, but always in consideration of ideas/concerns/input expressed in the Community group.
At work and also in my activist group we have agreements like "if at least X people agree, and X days have passed, and no-one has raised any issues, and you feel like it's not a huge issue that ruptures the fabric of our universe, then go for it". Seems to work fine for us.
Previews for proposals and discussions would also be good.
I have no problem with an option for previewing messages before they are posted. I do have a problem if this is made compulsory. If the proposal was amended to make it an option I would support the proposal. At this stage I am against.