Message Wall

Message Wall is a new feature that replaces 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

 * Message Wall will be placed in Labs when it's close to feature complete. (10/26/11)
 * Timestamps are updated to include real times. We're still tweaking the format, though. (10/6/11)
 * We've been improving the appearance of Recent Changes and Deletions, and will continue to work on this. (10/25/11)

Coming Soon

 * Delete Log and Contributions pages aren't as tidy as they should be; these will be cleaned up soon.
 * We're building thread history and wall history pages.
 * Managing deleted threads is complicated and messy. We're make it smoother.
 * Better management tools for your community to remove spam and vandalism.

Issues Fixed

 * You can now follow a whole wall (and receive notifications for all activity that happens) via "Follow" in your toolbar.
 * Handmade links to the Message Wall now appear as blue (or your wiki's version of blue)!
 * Various improvements to Wiki Activity: We now show whose wall the thread is on and have stripped wikitext from the synopses.
 * Recent Changes now displays as intended.
 * Updated timestamps when a message is edited
 * If a thread had HTML or wikitext in the title, it was leaking and affecting Recent Changes and thread pages. Fixed!
 * System messages said "Talk" instead of "Wall"
 * View Source would fail on archived talk page. Not any more!
 * We now display the @wikia emblem for Staff
 * 'Tab return' while editing a messages goes to "Post" button now.
 * Minor visual changes including line spacing.
 * A wikitext greeting area at the top of your wall to welcome or provide instructions.
 * Linking to a specific reply and scrolling to the appropriate place in the conversation.
 * Cross-wiki notifications for both wikis with and without the Wall enabled.
 * Better emails
 * We'll pull in the thread title and the name of the person who sent it - not the URL
 * We'll give you the full text of a message so you can decide to return to the wiki to reply of not without leaving your inbox.
 * Automated welcome messages now post on walls.
 * The ability to easily "view source" of a particular message.

Known Issues

 * Adding a category to a message adds that particular message to a category, rather than the thread or wall.
 * Some situations are producing "Null" as a message header
 * Achievements settings need to be updated to handle Message Wall messages properly.
 * 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.
 * Minor issues regarding the Welcome Bot: its activity is shown in Wiki Activity
 * 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)
 * When a thread 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.

Other Features Planned

 * The ability to customize your Wall's pagination.
 * A preview button and link suggest.

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: Message Wall is scheduled to be in Labs in January. We will make more feature changes based on usage statistics and feedback before determining its next phase.

'''Q: Will other people be able to see my messages?  A: ''' Yes, all messages are public. Q: Will this make it harder to keep up with spam? A: We're building a system that makes it easier for you to remove and report spam than it is to write spam. Watch out, vandals!

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.
 * A ban feature for message walls only.
 * A Preview button.
 * Ability to customize automatic signatures.
 * Table of Contents
 * Ability to import a user's Talk Page archives to the new system.
 * Allow the total number of conversations on a page to be customizable, including all.
 * Switch preferred name with username in display
 * Ability to have subthreads (replies to replies)
 * A way for users to add links and formatting without learning wikicode.
 * 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