The fact that they couldn’t even retain my previously read status making all posts look like I hadn’t seen them shows they don’t care about users. They dumped all PC users to make it more convenient for mobile (which I don’t think it is) shows a lack of focus groups. How hard would it be under the more option to have a Read New in Thread icon (you get the text on mouseover) and a Read Next Thread icon? There is plenty of room for two more icons, and that would add functionality the old boards lacked.
As for rewards, that’s so last century and so unFoolish. The ratio of smart to stupid people here is about the highest I’ve ever seen, and I’ve learned so much from so many of you that I am eternally grateful. Unless the rewards are meaningful and clearly explained, they aren’t going to motivate high intelligence people. For example, I buy an annual boost when I play Heroes of the Storm. It gains me nothing, but it sends Blizzard $20 for continuing to provide a free game. I pay for upscale membership on several websites (Board Game Arena comes to mind) which give me more information about whether a game REALLY benefits the skilled player (I look at the average dice rolling option and no longer like Stone Age nearly as much).
TMF is trying to attract a larger slice of the bell shaped curve. That will decrease their signal to noise ratio, but increase their pool of eyeballs and ad revenue. Instead, why don’t they add a Board User option where we pay $20-$50 a year and get access to some features such as, say, a New In Thread and Next Thread button. What features? Maybe make some of Fool’s own boards only accessible, maybe posts written by Fool Analysts. Those are all of the top of my head.
Even Facebook, after their most recent major UI change, retained an option to keep the old (non-mobile) interface. Couldn’t the smart people at TMF have learned from FB’s mistakes? Yes, we have many young users, and some of our older users have died off or just stopped posting. I don’t mind a recruiting effort. But at any given time, people here have enough spare money to do some investing, which skews the target audience for TMF older, better educated, and no more student loans. With those things tend to come weaker eyes, worse hand eye coordination, don’t trust the innate insecurity of cell phones, prefer larger ergonomic keyboards and antivirus capabilities of PCs.
Game design 101: know your target audience. That’s a first lecture concept (I’ve taught the course). Fool forgot or didn’t think about its target audience.
Next week I’ll tell everybody how to fix the world. That will take several months just to lay out the plans and get banned for politics on this board.