Message Wall

Message Wall is a new feature that is replacing User Talk Pages. We'll use this space to keep you updated about feedback received and changes we're working on.

Status
Limited Testing Phase - You can try out the feature on our Community Test wiki and leave feedback on the blog post there.

Updates

 * Timestamps are updated to include real times. We're still tweaking the format, though. (10/6/11)

Issues Identified Post-Release

 * Links to blog comments are malformed on Recent Changes
 * Enhanced view of Recent Changes displays Message Wall links as Article Comments
 * Adding a category to a message adds that particular message to a category, rather than the thread or wall.
 * Users are unable to edit blog comments
 * Some situations are producing "Null" as a message header
 * No content displays on Recent Changes when the namespace dropdown is set to "Message Wall"
 * Achievements settings need to be updated to handle Message Wall messages properly.

Known Issues at Time of Release
Things that aren't quite done yet at the start of the testing phase:
 * You can't follow a whole wall yet; you can only follow specific threads.
 * Wiki Activity shows the thread title, but it doesn't say whose wall the thread is on yet.
 * Recent Changes and Contributions pages aren't as tidy as they should be; these will be cleaned up soon.
 * Emails
 * You only get the URL — not the thread title
 * You get an email for every new message and reply – but we don't give you the actual content yet. (When it’s finished, you’ll get the full message in e-mail.)
 * Workaround: if this is bothering you, you can disable emails from Wall posts on *"Followed pages" in Preferences. It will be better soon, though.
 * A lot of our system messages still say "Talk" instead of "Wall"
 * View Source fails on archived talk page (Note: this is a sitewide bug, not related to Message Wall.)
 * Blocked users can’t post messages -- but right now there isn’t an error message for them. We’ll build a warning message or close the fields.
 * The welcome bot still posts messages on archived user talk pages. We’ll be turning this off for our test wikis for the time being.
 * Anons don't get notifications yet.
 * Monobook users can't delete threads or messages yet. (Workaround in the meantime: add ?useskin=wikia to your URL to access the page temporarily without Monobook)
 * You can't link to a specific reply and have it scroll to the appropriate place.
 * When a page is unfollowed or deleted, it still appears in your notifications dropdown. Deleted messages stay "unread" until you click "Mark all as read". This will work better soon.
 * We plan to auto-suggest links while you’re typing, but this isn’t live yet.
 * Handmade links to the Message Wall appear as red. The link still functions, though.
 * There are no cross-wiki notifications for the Message Wall yet. Be sure to visit your other wikis during this test phase to check for new messages.
 * No thread history. Timestamps don't update to reflect edits either.
 * Managing deleted threads is complicated and messy. We'll make it smoother.

Frequently Asked Questions
'''Q: Will signatures and templates still work? '''

A: Yes, we're working to make sure that as much wikitext as possible will render as it currently does now. Bylines will also built in to each message, so adding a signature will be optional.

Q: Will this feature be optional? A: No, this feature is designed to fully replace the experience of User Talk Pages across Wikia. Currently, our plan is for this to be a site-wide change that will affect all wikis.

'''Q: Will other people be able to see my messages?  A: ''' Yes, all messages are public.

Q: Will the Welcome Bot still work? A:  Yes, our current plan is that the Welcome Bot will work as it currently does: leaving the first message on a wall, signed by the most recently active admin. (Note: if you've customized your welcome message, you may need to re-customize it when this feature goes live.) However, we'll be examining this functionality in the testing phase to see if it's the best configuration. Q: Will this make it harder to keep up with spam? A: We certainly hope not! We care a lot about spam and vandalism control, too, and will be refining our system during the testing phase to make sure it's as manageable as it can be.

We Hear Your Feedback
We'll be collecting and evaluating feedback as we go. Here are some of the concerns and suggestions we've heard from you. (Please note: this is just a summary of feedback, not our official To Do list.)
 * Requests to make it optional.
 * Concerns about it being too similar to existing social networking sites.
 * Concerns about the name.
 * If Talk Pages are permanently archived, links won't stay current and Special:WantedPages will become cluttered.
 * Many users currently have messages at the top of their talk pages, with instructions on how to get support. This may be important with the new system, too.
 * A ban feature for message walls only.
 * A Preview button.
 * Ability to delete any messages, and/or archive any messages. (Lots of use cases for each of these.)
 * Ability to customize automatic signatures.
 * Table of Contents
 * Ability to arrange archives by priority, topic, or recent activity.
 * Ability to import a user's Talk Page archives to the new system.
 * Ability to View Source on a comment (especially for collaborative technical discussions).
 * Allow the total number of conversations on a page to be customizable.
 * Ability to leave messages/handle maintenance w/bots.
 * Pagination based on message numbers (1 = oldest instead of newest)
 * Switch preferred name with username in display
 * Ability to have actual timestamps instead of "X hours ago" timestamps (Done!)
 * Ability to view All Messages on one page
 * Ability to have subthreads (replies to replies)
 * A way for users to add links and formatting without learning wikicode
 * Concerns about notifications being less noticeable
 * Ability to see all conversations you've participated in one place

Quick Links

 * Community Test Release Announcement - (best place to leave feedback right now)
 * Update
 * Pre-Launch Announcement