Weekly Monday Discussion #4 - User Presence

Announcements
#1

UPDATE: POLL HAS CLOSED AND USER PRESENCE HAS BEEN DISABLED GLOBALLY.


A few months ago we enabled user presence, which allows you to see who’s replying to the thread you have open.
We were recently made aware of an exploit where people can see who’s typing in threads where presence is disabled, which can be abused to angleshoot in forum games. I’ve determined that there’s no easy way to fix this bug without causing even more problems, so we have to make a decision: enable user presence everywhere, or disable it permanently?

The moderation team believes that enabling user presence could lead to angleshooting, but we acknowledge that it’s a feature that makes many people happy, and we don’t want to make a decision without the community’s input.

The following poll is anonymous to everyone except Chloe:

User Presence - (“User is typing…”)
  • Enable in every thread
  • Disable in every thread

0 voters


Information on the bug:

1 Like
#2

It’s probably better to disable it (see: LyLo in games with no announced LyLo or vote locking)

But I want cookie thread presence back

1 Like
#3

I liked seeing people typing posts, it’s the same sensation as pulling a pack from an addicting gacha game - are they going to reply to me? Are they going to say something fun? Or something boring? Will they make me feel happy? You never know. Sometimes yes sometimes no. It scratches my brain in all the right spots just like gambling. So I’m voting to enable it.

3 Likes
#4

FAM4 with user presence sounds like a really enjoyable and not unenjoyable experience!

6 Likes
#5

User presence just sounds Unpleasant in games, and the ability to see it in threads was nice, but not Worth to me.

3 Likes
#6

i love to be called out as lurking because i haven’t decided what to say in a post yet! it would be a very fun experience that would totally not just ruin the game for several players!

4 Likes
#7

Just compose your posts in your card

#8

I am voting in favor of user presence on all threads specifically for the purpose of angleshooting

11 Likes
#9

why stop at “is typing”
let everyone know who is simply lurking
expose those creeps (me)

1 Like
#10

I know I should definitely vote to disable it everywhere because it’s objectively the better idea but I miss being able to see who’s in the thread with me at the same time, also unironically motivated me to actually finish what I was writing considering the added pressure of people watching me type lmao

3 Likes
#11

Turn on “last seen”.

1 Like
#12

why do i feel like turning on presence is gonna win but the mods are gonna make an executive decision to keep it off anyway

2 Likes
#13

lets compromise and have it off weekdays and have it on on weekends

1 Like
#14

Me too

#15

Probably

#16

FAM with user presence unironically sounds cool tho

#17

As much. As it was fun. To see other. People talk. I have. No issues. With. The status quo.

(Brain. Not full power. At the moment.)

4 Likes
#18

We will listen to the masses

If we weren’t gunna we would’ve just done it without a discussion :joy_cat:

2 Likes
#19

I think moderators should see presence and nobody else.

1 Like
#20

Ftr I’m still trying to find solutions and I’m going to reach out to some people who understand modifying Discourse a bit better than orange and i do

:crossed_fingers:

1 Like