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Activity Feed update: interface clean-up

We're still adding to the Activity Feed. The most recent batch of changes involved the beta release of RSS feeds into the mix.

Today, we've completed something we've been working on for a while: some clean-up of the interface. Just to be clear: This release doesn't feature any new functionality. For the most part, this update will go unnoticed by Network Creators, but it's an improvement that we wanted to let you know about if you are a fan of the nitty-gritty details.

Consistency!
The main change is all activity items will now follow the same order:

- Message (what happened).
- Content. Title.
- Timestamp.
- Comments/Likes.

Previously, different content sources/items were using non-consistent ordering with some of these details. This should make reading the feed easier for everyone, old-hand and newbie alike.

Active voice
Some of the old language (in English, at least) used the passive voice. As any 10th-grade English teacher will tell you, active voice beats passive voice in a grammar smackdown any day of the week. Previously, where you may have seen "Photo posted by Alex" you will now see "Alex posted a photo". Admittedly, this is a small change (but a huge win for 10th grade English teachers). If you're speaking a different language than English, you'll be happy to know that these details have already been translated and included with this release.

Sourcing
We've made sure that all outside content is sourced correctly and consistently. So, you'll always see "via Twitter" or "via Facebook" when the content comes from another source. (You'll see icons in the Activity Feed; text everywhere else). RSS is a little different, since those sources vary widely. So, those are not called out as text.

A few barely noticeable changes:
- We've removed quotation sprites (images). They're now text-based.
- Message text ("JDawg posted a photo") is new standard text size. In some cases it was previously smaller.
- Titles are to the right/below content items. They used to be above those items.
- Made locations consistent for timestamps.

The long and short of these changes is that content items will now look a lot cleaner and be a lot more consistent. Most people won't notice these changes, but we're confident it will be easier for people to read when they are scanning these feeds.

 

Custom coders….
If you have made any changes to your Activity Feed using CSS to hide or alter the size or location of any of these items, this change could bring that to light. If you see something in your Activity Feed that you think may be related to this change, we strongly encourage you to remove your custom code and take a second look. It could be that some CSS you may have added or altered will either no longer be wanted or needed.

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  • when can we expect to see these changes

    • These changes have been up and running for a couple of weeks now. If you aren't seeing them it could be because of CSS you've added.

  • When the activity feed is sourced from a facebook page, it is giving an error when the mouse pointer is placed on the source page name.

    Please see the screen shot below,

    3204461?profile=original

    In the above case, my source page name is "Umamaheshwar". What should I do?

    Secondly, isn't there a direct way of sharing from my facebook account on to my ning network? I had to work around by creating a facebook page on my name as you can see above.

    Thanks.

     

     

     

    • The 'Could not retrieve id' error will appear for hovercards if you haven't followed the correct format in the Facebook Page box on the Social Feeds page.

      Enter your public Facebook Page ID, for example "Ning" or "pages/Music-Festivals/1303249"

      Head to your page on Facebook and use the exact URL provided there, and not just the name of the id number. If you need any help please post a link to your Facebook page here and I'll take a look.

      • Thanks all of you for prompt response.

        Alex, I have used the exact URL of my facebook page which is https://www.facebook.com/pages/Umamaheshwar/338964526155871

        In fact the above error is displayed only when I hover on the link. But if I click on the link, it is taking me to the facebook page.

        • I'm seeing the same thing you are, Umamaheshwar. I can't see anything obvious that is incorrect. Please create a ticket via the "Support" link on your Dashboard and we'll take a closer look.

          Thanks!

        • post a screenshot of your settings in the social feed thing? i got a hunch but im not sure

          it could even be something so simple as a missing trailing slash

    • they changed the verification try going into the social feeds remove the url and reaplace it se if thst helps? just a guess

      thres 2 ways to share

      1 you use a share widhpged[t to sghare on yoyr personasl page  the fb like does that too

      then you have the integrated which shoulkd share i][=on a facebook page that is dedicated to your su[pite..not your personal page

      if you check the fb under satus update that should share the update on your pages fb not your personal as an example

  • Awesome changes! Thankyou!

  • I would love to see the day when the Latest Activity  can be on it own page :) Great update 

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