Request: Decrease amount of posts shown in topics

[IntheKnowHouston]

I'd like to suggest either editor or moderators consider decreasing the amount of posts shown in topics. It takes a while for an entire page to load. 

Large images contribute to the decreased speed of page loads. Another contributing factor, I think, is the number of posts shown on each page. Combine a long page that is full of posts with tons of images, and the result is long loading times.

Sometime between 2022 and 2023, Editor adjusted the settings to increase the number of posts shown on each page. In doing so, the loading time has been noticeably impacted. Several members have mentioned  this in various topics. 

Maybe the goal in increasing the number of posts per page was to create less pages for a single topic. I don't know. However, it would be nice if the posts per page were decreased. If considered, I think it would make for an even better experience on the forum.

[Ross]

I disagree. The number of posts per page is fine. I haven't noticed any real issues with pages loading. Loading pictures from external sites takes time, but the text loads and can be read while the pictures are loading.

 

[hbg.50]

Try checking your internet speed.  https://www.google.com/search?q=speed+test&rlz=1C9BKJA_enUS878US878&oq=speed&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqDQgAEAAYgwEYsQMYgAQyDQgAEAAYgwEYsQMYgAQyDAgBEEUYORixAxiABDIGCAIQBRhAMhAIAxAuGMcBGLEDGNEDGIAEMg4IBBC5ARixAxiABBjvBDIKCAUQABixAxiABDIKCAYQABixAxiABDINCAcQLhjUAhixAxiABDINCAgQLhjUAhixAxiABDINCAkQLhjUAhixAxiABNIBCDM5NzJqMGo3qAIAsAIA&hl=en-US&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8

You probably need to upgrade.  I only have that problem where my internet connection is slow.

[IntheKnowHouston]

5 hours ago, Ross said:

I disagree. The number of posts per page is fine. I haven't noticed any real issues with pages loading. Loading pictures from external sites takes time, but the text loads and can be read while the pictures are loading.

 

Of course you'd disagree. That's to be expected. What else is new.

Still, there are other members who have made the same request throughout various topics in passing in the last year or so. Several have commented on the change in the number of posts per page which makes the entire page load slowly. It's even more so when there's a long page filled with numerous images be it large or small in size.

Edited February 7 by IntheKnowHouston

[IntheKnowHouston]

3 hours ago, steve1363 said:

Try checking your internet speed.  https://www.google.com/search?q=speed+test&rlz=1C9BKJA_enUS878US878&oq=speed&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqDQgAEAAYgwEYsQMYgAQyDQgAEAAYgwEYsQMYgAQyDAgBEEUYORixAxiABDIGCAIQBRhAMhAIAxAuGMcBGLEDGNEDGIAEMg4IBBC5ARixAxiABBjvBDIKCAUQABixAxiABDIKCAYQABixAxiABDINCAcQLhjUAhixAxiABDINCAgQLhjUAhixAxiABDINCAkQLhjUAhixAxiABNIBCDM5NzJqMGo3qAIAsAIA&hl=en-US&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8

You probably need to upgrade.  I only have that problem where my internet connection is slow.

My internet connection is fine. I don't have a problem with pages loading slow on any other site except this one. I encounter this issue no matter if I'm logged in from my home computer or if I'm logged out browsing on my phone and another computer elsewhere. Even on other forums I frequent, the loading isn't slow because there aren't a load of posts set up for each page like this forum switch to in the last year or so.

Edited February 7 by IntheKnowHouston

[asubrt]

I have noticed pages load significantly faster since I went ad-free with HAIF+ (I really just wanted to support the site, but this has been a massive benefit), so it’s possible the ads may be a part of the slow load times. 

[IntheKnowHouston]

10 minutes ago, asubrt said:

I have noticed pages load significantly faster since I went ad-free with HAIF+ (I really just wanted to support the site, but this has been a massive benefit), so it’s possible the ads may be a part of the slow load times. 

Thanks for your input. Ads could be the issue. Then again, ads were in place when there were less posts per page and pages loaded fast. The slow loading and lag happened when the editor increased the amount of posts per page to a significant number.

[Houston19514]

I agree, it can be slow loading, especially when using a mobile device.  I too would like to see fewer posts per page.

[Ross]

4 hours ago, IntheKnowHouston said:

Of course you'd disagree. That's to be expected. What else is new.

Still, there are other members who have made the same request throughout various topics in passing in the last year or so. Several have commented on the change in the number of posts per page which makes the entire page load slowly. It's even more so when there's a long page filled with numerous images be it large or small in size.

If you want the site to load faster, don't put in as many links to pictures you've saved on imgur. We also don't need multiple levels of zoom on the same image. Or multiple Google street view angles. That's what makes pages load slowly. Use links and give us the choice of looking at the pictures, rather than forcing us to look at them. Or put a thumbnail picture with a link to a larger picture.

[hbg.50]

19 minutes ago, Ross said:

If you want the site to load faster, don't put in as many links to pictures you've saved on imgur. We also don't need multiple levels of zoom on the same image. Or multiple Google street view angles. That's what makes pages load slowly. Use links and give us the choice of looking at the pictures, rather than forcing us to look at them. Or put a thumbnail picture with a link to a larger picture.

I tend to agree with this.  I know this is an unpopular opinion…while I appreciate the pictures, in my opinion we don’t need brick by brick construction updates…major changes would suffice.  We have a lot of pretty days in Houston!

[IntheKnowHouston]

  

14 hours ago, Ross said:

If you want the site to load faster, don't put in as many links to pictures you've saved on imgur. We also don't need multiple levels of zoom on the same image. Or multiple Google street view angles. That's what makes pages load slowly. Use links and give us the choice of looking at the pictures, rather than forcing us to look at them. Or put a thumbnail picture with a link to a larger picture.

@Ross @danielsonr my inclusion of Google Maps, Google Earth Views, and Street View images have zero to do with slow loading times. I mostly add those to the topics I create which load fine. Why? For starters, my topics aren't filled with 40+ posts per each page, therefore the page loads faster. And the few that are more than one page, there aren't a ton of photos posted throughout. 

Again, following Editor increasing posts per page to 40+ a year or so ago, the pages load slowly. This isn't something only affecting me. Others have mentioned this too in various topics. The load time is also slow on subforums where there are 50 topics to a page. That too was changed in the last year or so. Unlike the topics, the subforums don't have photos. Still, even the subforums load slower than they use to. Editor increasing the number or topics shown to 50 affected the loading speed.

I frequent other forums that use the same software this forum uses. Many of those forums are image heavy (users post a lot of hot-linked and Imgur-hosted images on nearly every single page). And many of those forums, using the same software as this one, have much more traffic and members. However, the load time for those forums are much faster.

It's possible there could be other factors as to why those forums load faster than this one. However, from my observation, those forums usually have their forums set to show about 20 posts per page in a topic. Also, the number of topics shown in subforums are about the same. And those forums have more ads than this one. Still, they load much faster than this one that's set to 50 topics and posts per page.

On a different note, it's fine that you two don't care for what I choose to add to my posts. Guess what? I don't care for either of your posts or the posts you give likes to. So what? But there are other members and visitors who find the inclusion of maps, Google Earth images, Street View images, and parcel outlines helpful. That's what matters.

It's great that you know Houston so well that a single map (or maybe no map) is useful to you. But not everyone who visits this site is from Houston. Or if they do live in the city or nearby, it's possible there are neighborhoods that are unfamiliar to them. I'm a lifelong Houstonian. There are many parts of this city, suburbs included, I'm unfamiliar with. Seeing a zoomed in map view, while helpful, doesn't always give me an idea where a property or building is. But other views help. At the end of the day, that's one of the main driving forces of this site: helping others. That help comes by sharing information, offering insight, answering questions, or posting visuals (be it maps, real estate listings, buildings, or construction updates).

And I find it interesting that you, @Ross, have this weird issue with only me posting images hosted on Imgur. This is your second time mentioning this in a month.

It's also interesting that nowhere - in what I assume was your snide diss towards me - did you mention anyone's use of Imgur, especially your fanboy Highrise Tower. Even more interesting is you didn't make it a point to call out Hindesky or Cityliving. Unlike Hindesky, I don't constantly repost the same Imgur-hosted images of renderings and maps (which have different views or zoom levels) posted over and over again from the city's planning commission agenda. Yet, somehow my one-time inclusion of similar maps in each topic I create seems to grinds your gears. If my inclusion of different views of Google Maps and other maps irk you so much as it appears to do, then surely, Hindesky's constant posting of the same maps and renderings over and over again in the same topic must bother you? I suspect it doesn't for one reason: you don't like me. Your comments (and likes you give to others what a comment is made about me) make clear you some kind of problem with me for whatever reason.

Edited February 8 by IntheKnowHouston

[IntheKnowHouston]

14 hours ago, steve1363 said:

I tend to agree with this.  I know this is an unpopular opinion…while I appreciate the pictures, in my opinion we don’t need brick by brick construction updates…major changes would suffice.  We have a lot of pretty days in Houston!

One of the reasons people frequent this site is for the construction update photos. The posts are popular. I think that is evident by the number of likes those kind of posts receive. A lot of people like knowing and seeing what's going up (or being renovated) in their city. Just look at Instagram and Tik Tok. Accounts like Walking Houston receive lots of engagement when posting local construction updates.

And besides, this forum is all about buildings: from their conception, design stage, construction stage, and completion. Including visuals of these stages are helpful. if not vital.

Maybe back in this forum's infancy images weren't a big deal. But nowadays, it is.

Back in the 2000's not everyone had a cell phone with a camera. There weren't a lot of people buying drones. And social media wasn't what it is now. But this forum offered a space where people could post updates without photos. It was helpful. But times change.

Visuals, be it photos or videos, are driving forces for today's online communities and social media. On a forum like this one, photos are extremely useful and needed. It helps many of us get an idea of an area. It helps many of us see a different perspective of a building we may not have seen before. It also helps to see a building's progress from start to finish.

Still, on other forums that are image-heavy, the page loading time is not slow as it is on this forum. I think it helps that a lot of those forums don't have their boards set to 40 to 50+ posts a page.

Edited February 8 by IntheKnowHouston

[IntheKnowHouston]

18 hours ago, Houston19514 said:

I agree, it can be slow loading, especially when using a mobile device.  I too would like to see fewer posts per page.

Thanks for chiming in. If I'm recalling accurately, you are one of the members who have spoken out about the pages loading slow too. You have also mentioned of the increase of posts shown on each page may be a factor. 

As I noted previously, others have made this same observation in various topics over the last year. Also, I've seen others complain about this outside of this forum. In other online communities, including Facebook groups, there are similar complaints. Some of those complaints also extend to the search, which is a topic for another day. 

[hbg.50]

1 hour ago, IntheKnowHouston said:

One of the reasons people frequent this site is for the construction update photos. The posts are popular. I think that is evident by the number of likes those kind of posts receive. A lot of people like knowing and seeing what's going up (or being renovated) in their city. Just look at Instagram and Tik Tok. Accounts like Walking Houston receive lots of engagement when posting local construction updates.

And besides, this forum is all about buildings: from their conception, design stage, construction stage, and completion. Including visuals of these stages are helpful. if not vital.

Maybe back in this forum's infancy images weren't a big deal. But nowadays, it is.

Back in the 2000's not everyone had a cell phone with a camera. There weren't a lot of people buying drones. And social media wasn't what it is now. But this forum offered a space where people could post updates without photos. It was helpful. But times change.

Visuals, be it photos or videos, are driving forces for today's online communities and social media. On a forum like this one, photos are extremely useful and needed. It helps many of us get an idea of an area. It helps many of us see a different perspective of a building we may not have seen before. It also helps to see a building's progress from start to finish.

Still, on other forums that are image-heavy, the page loading time is not slow as it is on this forum. I think it helps that a lot of those forums don't have their boards set to 40 to 50+ posts a page.

Ok I was only offering a potential solution to your problem.  Clearly you have an agenda to reduce the number of posts per page.  Why didn’t you just send a private note to Editor and make some reasoned arguments rather than trying to draw sympathy from the entire board?  Slow-loading is clearly NOT an issue for most since only 3 people have responded to your thread.  And please don’t make this personal.  This is just an Internet forum.

[editor]

On 2/7/2024 at 9:23 AM, steve1363 said:

Try checking your internet speed.  https://www.google.com/search?q=speed+test&rlz=1C9BKJA_enUS878US878&oq=speed&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqDQgAEAAYgwEYsQMYgAQyDQgAEAAYgwEYsQMYgAQyDAgBEEUYORixAxiABDIGCAIQBRhAMhAIAxAuGMcBGLEDGNEDGIAEMg4IBBC5ARixAxiABBjvBDIKCAUQABixAxiABDIKCAYQABixAxiABDINCAcQLhjUAhixAxiABDINCAgQLhjUAhixAxiABDINCAkQLhjUAhixAxiABNIBCDM5NzJqMGo3qAIAsAIA&hl=en-US&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8

You probably need to upgrade.  I only have that problem where my internet connection is slow.

That's dismissive, and borders on victim blaming.

We have more people posting more pictures than ever, so requesting increased pagination is reasonable.  Sometimes there are 50 or 60 images on a page, and even with lazy loading enabled, it's going to be a problem for people.

According to the U.S. Census, there are over 750,000 people in the Houston area who do not have broadband access.  Not at home, not at school, and not on their phone.  I'm not all that interested in telling three-quarters of a million people to pound sand.  

[editor]

I've reduced the number of posts per page from 50 to 30.  Try it out for a bit and let me know if that works better.

[Ross]

13 hours ago, IntheKnowHouston said:

  

@Ross @danielsonr my inclusion of Google Maps, Google Earth Views, and Street View images have zero to do with slow loading times. I mostly add those to the topics I create which load fine. Why? For starters, my topics aren't filled with 40+ posts per each page, therefore the page loads faster. And the few that are more than one page, there aren't a ton of photos posted throughout. 

Again, following Editor increasing posts per page to 40+ a year or so ago, the pages load slowly. This isn't something only affecting me. Others have mentioned this too in various topics. The load time is also slow on subforums where there are 50 topics to a page. That too was changed in the last year or so. Unlike the topics, the subforums don't have photos. Still, even the subforums load slower than they use to. Editor increasing the number or topics shown to 50 affected the loading speed.

I frequent other forums that use the same software this forum uses. Many of those forums are image heavy (users post a lot of hot-linked and Imgur-hosted images on nearly every single page). And many of those forums, using the same software as this one, have much more traffic and members. However, the load time for those forums are much faster.

It's possible there could be other factors as to why those forums load faster than this one. However, from my observation, those forums usually have their forums set to show about 20 posts per page in a topic. Also, the number of topics shown in subforums are about the same. And those forums have more ads than this one. Still, they load much faster than this one that's set to 50 topics and posts per page.

On a different note, it's fine that you two don't care for what I choose to add to my posts. Guess what? I don't care for either of your posts or the posts you give likes to. So what? But there are other members and visitors who find the inclusion of maps, Google Earth images, Street View images, and parcel outlines helpful. That's what matters.

It's great that you know Houston so well that a single map (or maybe no map) is useful to you. But not everyone who visits this site is from Houston. Or if they do live in the city or nearby, it's possible there are neighborhoods that are unfamiliar to them. I'm a lifelong Houstonian. There are many parts of this city, suburbs included, I'm unfamiliar with. Seeing a zoomed in map view, while helpful, doesn't always give me an idea where a property or building is. But other views help. At the end of the day, that's one of the main driving forces of this site: helping others. That help comes by sharing information, offering insight, answering questions, or posting visuals (be it maps, real estate listings, buildings, or construction updates).

And I find it interesting that you, @Ross, have this weird issue with only me posting images hosted on Imgur. This is your second time mentioning this in a month.

It's also interesting that nowhere - in what I assume was your snide diss towards me - did you mention anyone's use of Imgur, especially your fanboy Highrise Tower. Even more interesting is you didn't make it a point to call out Hindesky or Cityliving. Unlike Hindesky, I don't constantly repost the same Imgur-hosted images of renderings and maps (which have different views or zoom levels) posted over and over again from the city's planning commission agenda. Yet, somehow my one-time inclusion of similar maps in each topic I create seems to grinds your gears. If my inclusion of different views of Google Maps and other maps irk you so much as it appears to do, then surely, Hindesky's constant posting of the same maps and renderings over and over again in the same topic must bother you? I suspect it doesn't for one reason: you don't like me. Your comments (and likes you give to others what a comment is made about me) make clear you some kind of problem with me for whatever reason.

Loading images from external sites like imgur is always going to be slower. That's the nature of the beast. You wanted input, I gave input.

I don't mind a single map with a link so others can choose the level of detail they want to see, if any. Posting multiple versions of the same map at different zoom levels wastes my time, my bandwidth, and is annoying. Same thing with pictures. Post a thumbnail with a link. That would be far kinder to folks whose mobile plans do not include unlimited data. I don't do forums on my phone, and have gigabit fiber at home, so speed isn't an issue for me.

 

[IntheKnowHouston]

On 2/8/2024 at 10:32 AM, steve1363 said:

Clearly you have an agenda to reduce the number of posts per page.  Why didn’t you just send a private note to Editor and make some reasoned arguments rather than trying to draw sympathy from the entire board?  Slow-loading is clearly NOT an issue for most since only 3 people have responded to your thread.  And please don’t make this personal.  This is just an Internet forum.

You're right. I could have sent Editor a direct message about this. So could everyone else who has commented about an issue they've had/have with the site in this subforum.

But as this subforum states, which, I suppose you overlooked based off your comment to me, this subform is "for discussions of the web site and suggestions for improvements." In that regards, my request is within the scope of what this subforum is about: suggestions for improvements on this forum. It's no different than all the other suggestions or issues other members have posted in this very subforum.

If you have a problem with me posting about an issue other members have also commented about in the last year or so in other posts, then it seems strange to say I have an agenda. It's as if what I'm requesting or the fact that I'm making a suggestion others have also mentioned is somehow wrong. Or that is against the forum rules to do so.

Based on your post history, you don't seem to have a problem with other members who have also made public posts or comments in this very subforum (HAIF on HAIF) or in other parts of this message board. I'm referring to other members who have publicly requested changes based off ongoing problems they've encountered while using this forum. None of your posts are directed to other members who have done the same. So, yes, I'm going to take your response personally.

Edited February 9 by IntheKnowHouston

[IntheKnowHouston]

14 hours ago, Ross said:

Loading images from external sites like imgur is always going to be slower. That's the nature of the beast. You wanted input, I gave input.

I don't mind a single map with a link so others can choose the level of detail they want to see, if any. Posting multiple versions of the same map at different zoom levels wastes my time, my bandwidth, and is annoying. Same thing with pictures. Post a thumbnail with a link. That would be far kinder to folks whose mobile plans do not include unlimited data. I don't do forums on my phone, and have gigabit fiber at home, so speed isn't an issue for me.

 

Whatever you say, Ross...

[IntheKnowHouston]

On 2/8/2024 at 11:53 AM, editor said:

I've reduced the number of posts per page from 50 to 30.  Try it out for a bit and let me know if that works better.

Thanks, Editor. The site does load faster now when I click on a topic. I've tested this on my home computer, a relative's laptop (which I encountered the same slow loading prior on their internet connection), my and other's cell phone, and with and without a VPN. The load time is noticeably faster with the implemented change.

Thank you.

[hbg.50]

1 hour ago, IntheKnowHouston said:

But as this subforum states, which, I suppose you overlooked based off your comment to me, this subform is "for discussions of the web site and suggestions for improvements."

My apologies.  I really did not intend for my comments to be taken personally.  Also, I don’t use HAIF by browsing Subforums.  I either select “all activity” or “unread content.”  Then I choose to read what catches my attention, so I actually had no idea I was in a particular subforum with discrete rules.  In any case I’m glad your issue was addressed.  I don’t notice any changes on my end.

Edited February 9 by steve1363

[IntheKnowHouston]

On 2/9/2024 at 2:44 PM, steve1363 said:

My apologies.  I really did not intend for my comments to be taken personally.  Also, I don’t use HAIF by browsing Subforums.  I either select “all activity” or “unread content.”  Then I choose to read what catches my attention, so I actually had no idea I was in a particular subforum with discrete rules.  In any case I’m glad your issue was addressed.  I don’t notice any changes on my end.

Thank you, @steve1363. It felt like I was being unfairly targeted for making a suggestion in a forum designated for suggestions.

Anyway, life is too short to sweat the small stuff. I'm sorry for my response to your post. I hope we can move on from this.

[kennyc05]

On 2/9/2024 at 2:44 PM, steve1363 said:

My apologies.  I really did not intend for my comments to be taken personally.  Also, I don’t use HAIF by browsing Subforums.  I either select “all activity” or “unread content.”  Then I choose to read what catches my attention, so I actually had no idea I was in a particular subforum with discrete rules.  In any case I’m glad your issue was addressed.  I don’t notice any changes on my end.

 

2 hours ago, IntheKnowHouston said:

Thank you, @steve1363. It felt like I was being unfairly targeted for making a suggestion in a forum designated for suggestions.

Anyway, life is too short to sweat the small stuff. I'm sorry for my response to your post. I hope we can move on from this.

 

 

This is beautiful