Okay this is great! I downloaded it this morning, and it's really working wonderfully.
We all know Edweirdo, a very clever and useful hubber who created the HubDefender tool for us all which detects hub-theft and assists in dealing with it. Edweirdo has also written many helpful tutorial hubs on other internet marketing and HubPages topics, and he's basically a mine of knowledge.
Well, he's created something new for us which many people have asked for here on HubPages over the last few months. A HubPages forum filter.
Here's how it works. On the Forums main page where all the latest activity is listed, with Edweirdo's add-on you get to check off which subforums you wish to see updated on the main forums page. In the left sidebar where all the forums subcategories are shown Edweirdo's tool places small boxes next to each category. This check off option remains there constantly, but very unobtrusively, so that you can change your preferences at any time.
If you uncheck a particular subforum -- such as the religion and/or politics forums -- this doesn't mean you can't go there, it just means that the constant barrage of inflammatory religious threads and very petty politics threads won't be forever offending your senses everytime you enter the forums.
However, should you be in the mood to discuss whether or not gays are hellbound or Nancy Pelosi is actually human at all, you can at any time click on the forum subcategory in the sidebar to go there.
The way it is without Edweirdo's tool, there is simply no way at all to avoid these lunatic thread titles, unless you wanted to save each subforum under your own favorites or bookmarks and check each forum you do like out one at a time. That of course would be a huge hassle.
With Edweirdo's new tool, you can safely go to the forums mainpage and only see what you want to see. Get updates about news in the industry, exchange ideas with people in the HubPages knowledge exchange, and see what's up with your hubber friends in the Hangout or Sandpit without having to wade through christian fundie/islamic propaganda threads and the daily mine of misinformation posted in the politics section.
Of course, free speech is a great thing, and those forums COULD no doubt be great places. But generally speaking they aren't anymore, and nobody wants it in your face 24/7 when all we're trying to do is connect with fellow hubbers and stay informed.
So please don't anyone think I'm suggesting those subforums are bad. I'm just saying we shouldn't be forced to view their daily spew while on our way to better things.
If you too would like to have options in which thread titles are brought to you on the forums mainpage, check out Edweirdo's tool.
I'm sorry to report it only works for Firefox, however, Firefox has lots of other great tools to offer as well, so it's definitely worth adding the firefox browser, which is of course completely free.
Edweirdo's tool is free as well, if your cash-strapped, but we can all afford the $1.59 suggested contribution. I rounded mine up to $5.00 and find it well worth encouraging someone who provides so efficiently exactly what people are looking for.
Let me add I have no affiliation or relationship with Edweirdo, and in fact have hardly exchanged two words with him. I think I commented on one of his hubs months and months ago, and that's about it.
I'm just taking the time to let people know about this new tool because I know it's been requested by many hubbers. Well, thanks to Edweirdo, it's here now, and it seems to work great! And I really appreciate the way he saw something people wanted and needed and set about making it happen.
It is the Forum Filter for HubPages Firefox Add-On and you can get it through that link.
Yes. I "rounded up" also and would hope that anyone using this would at least contribute something.
Right now, I'm running Chrome, but I have Firefox open with one tab for the Forum with Edweirdo's filter installed. I checked off the half dozen categories I care about and the rest are now gone. It is SOOOO much more pleasant than all the junk I had to look through before.
It is Pcu! So much more pleasant for me.
I used to get irritated just looking at all the hateful and misleading thread titles under the pol and often the rel forums as well. Now they're all just gone. None of those strident voices sounding in my head when I don't want them!
I MUCH prefer keeping up to date on such topics elsewhere. This is not where I come for news or religious/irreligious companionship and discussion.
I just want to be able to enjoy some interaction with other hubbers and keep up to date on changes in this pursuit and keep learning from those internet marketers so much more advanced than I. With all the massive loads of 'OTHER' stuff going on here, that was difficult for me.
It's also like a whole different set of hubbers, I notice. Since using Edweirdo's filter, I haven't even seen not one of the people who normally would get on my nerves.
All very pleasant! I love it! Hope he does up a Chrome version for all the Chrome users soon.
Nelle rounded up first, and when I heard that it seemed definitely worth it to me. I like people who deliver.
I'm going to try it. I'm tired of seeing the craziness in the political forum. I would rather read comments from NYT articles or my local newspaper on these issues, at least people aren't ranting and trolling through every thread.
I know Edweirdo has the HubDefender site and noticed this on his profile page yesterday. I had never known about it before. Great idea to make a thread. I'm sure others will be interested.
It was your mention of having noticed it in the other thread that let me know of it, Rebekah!
So thanks much to you and Edweirdo, and I'm just passing on the word.
I've only been in the forums lately because I was too sick/tired to focus on working. I've been trying to avoid it all for months now, only popping into the knowledge exchange forum from time to time.
Now when I go back to work next week, it's nice to know I don't have to feel a need to isolate myself in order to get anything accomplished.
And it's SOOOOOO NICE to not see all those dumb petty political threads!
The add-on is simple and unobtrusive. I like that too.
NICE!! How easy and now I don't see anything from politics or religion! You choose the forums you want. I like it.
thanks edweirdo!
I agree, I uploaded it last night and the whole forum exerience is so much better. No sexual inuendo, no politics, no relgion, nothing that I don't want to see. It's so much quieter and focused, and enjoyable.
I rounded up to $5.00 as well, worth every penny.
I just can't stand Firefox any longer. I switched to Chrome some time back and I will NOT return to that FF bloat, so unfortunately, i cannot use this.
HP should let us filter stuff out!!!!
But for some reason, this has never been a priority for them. They've been asked repeatedly and have really ignored the entire discussion about religion, politics, and sex. I think it's fantastic that a Hubber has done this.
Actually, we did have it on our list of things to do, but as you can imagine, it's a very long list. I think it's truly fabulous that Edweirdo took this into his own hands.
Offer him a job Maddie - he would be a great asset to the team
Well, don't take it off the list. I don't want this stuff in my iPad either.
It would save us a lot of yapping if y'all published a list of probable improvements and kept it up to date as things changed.
That's sweet Shazwellyn, but I think the hubbers that use his plug-in should just pay Edweirdo the $1.58 he requested. And we'll keep him on our team. Power to the Hubbers!
I love, love, love this!
I hope that the HP team and Edweirdo at least have a discussion about linking to the add-on so that people will be able to find out about it well after this thread sinks into the oblivion.
WOW!
I'm kind of overwhelmed by all of this
I have been quietly plugging away at this add-on for a few weeks, mostly in an effort to learn how to create a Firefox add-on as a hobby/side-project.
I was planning on writing a hub about it, so I put a link on my profile last night in preparation. Within an hour or two rebekahELLE found it and posted it here, and then the ball was off and rolling! Nelle and Pandora's Box soon came on board, and I was pleasantly surprised to see a few generous donations in my email inbox
Thanks so much to everyone who has tried it and liked it!
@ PCUnix - I plan on looking into Chrome add-ons to see if it would be feasible to create a version for that browser! But don't expect one for IE - I cannot in good conscience endorse anyone's use of that horrible bit of software
If you do one for Chrome, Ed, I will happily pay for that - I have a slow internet connection, so FF is unusable
I agree about IE
I looked into Chrome extensions. They don't seem difficult. I imagine the meat of your code wouldn't change much.
Edweirdo, I knew nothing about it until I checked your profile page looking for one of your hubs. You posted about something last night, and it piqued my interest. Then I saw it sitting there so bright and blue on your profile and wondered if anyone else knew about it, or if I had simply missed it.
It is just what so many of us have been waiting for. I was happy to make a donation. Thanks.
I will definitely be getting this, my prayers have been answerd so to speak
Have you checked out IE9 yet? while the previous IE OS versions were undoubtedly attrocious, I downloaded the IE9 beta till I had to remove it for testing websites and it actually works pretty well!
Looks great! Just wish I had the option to "not have" the topic sticky threads if I do not want them. I understand the Hub Team announcements are important, but if I do not participate in the other things, I would prefer a quicker view to threads of interest to me instead of having to scroll down the page.
This is great news thanks, I appreciate your hard work and consideration.
Thanks so much again, Edweirdo - I am off to try it out right away. If you do one for Chrome, that would be great too, as I use both browsers.
Thank you, thank you. I was going to swear off the forums. Now I'll give it another try.
Geeeeezzzzz I never felt so "left in"!! I always run Chrome so I don't get the add on.. Pcunix if you do decide to do it for Chrome I wouldn't mind a copy or Edweido or HP
Have fun luckdogs I won't be returning to FireFox anytime soon grrrrrr
Ohh…great Edweirdo…Do ya think we could get you to filter out some of them damn TV auto insurance commercials also?
Watch. By 10:00 p.m. tonight there will be eighteen threads about whether or not one deity or another will send people to Hell if they block out other people's religious spoutings. (or else how "The Devil" is at work on the HubPages forums. )
You're evil!
See even when I try to be helpful people will still think I'm evil.
What was that I kept getting accused of in the religious forum by members of a certain denomination?.. Oh shoot...
.... Ah yes! "working with the adversary!"
Well, geez, I guess now I've really done it!
Perhaps the religious folks will be happy that they can now block the Gender & Relationship topic?
Now everyone can be happy
Thanks Edweirdo, it sounds like a great plugin. I'll check it out when support for Firefox 4 is provided. I still hope HubPages comes up with a way to solve this problem because developing and maintaining plugins for all major browsers is not ideal.
I do have a feeling that some folks in certain forums will be very upset when they find out that their captive audience is no longer held hostage to their topic headlines. It always felt that much of it was for show and manipulation - which is why I resented it so much. I predict that they will try to reinfect places like the Hubbers Hangout.
We can always start banning people for not posting in the appropriate forums...
I think the Hubbers Hangout is already too scattered and full of nonsense, and I used the extension to block it too.
I'm only looking at about a half dozen forums and it's a blessed relief.
Hate to be stupid but I installed it, but don't see it. How do I use it?
@Edweirdo - I love, love, love this addon, but it's doing something slightly weird for me every now and then. I used the Check All and then unchecked the couple of obvious forums.
Every now and then, a whole bunch of other forums somehow uncheck themselves and I have to go through the whole process again. Any ideas what's doing that?
I'm not sure Irohner, if this is what you refer to, but I think what happens is that only what would normally appear on page 1 shows up. So after removing all the threads in the topics I wanted to avoid, page 1 is a bit short, and you have to click through to page 2, page 3 etcetera.
But maybe that's not what you mean.
I just know that whenever I quit my browser session and come back in (as that appears to be what's triggering it), about half of the checkboxes for the add-on are unchecked. Maybe that's because there are no open threads on those? IDK...but the boxes are definitely unchecked. And waaaaay more than the ones I had unchecked to begin with.
Irohner -
I don't think I can post a URL here (self-promotional?), so if you go the download page for the add-on, there is a link on the right-hand sidebar under "Need help with this add-on?"
If you head there you can send me an email and we can work out what is going on!
Done.
And just to keep this in front of people, every hubber should have this add-on!
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/270587/
I haven't gotten your email - try sending it again? It's dinner time here, so I'll be back to check later this evening...
Any chance there'll be a chrome version available at some stage?
How about a HP version but a Chrome version would be nice too.
I am working on a Chrome version and hope to have it ready soon!
I'm too skint to hand out money right now, but if you have a particular site you want a link to (hubdefender maybe?) I will write up an article on one of my sites and send it your way.
For those who've asked for a Chrome version of this add-on, it's now available!
There's a link on my profile, or in the hub that RebekaELLE gave above...
Thanks again to everyone who has used this add-on and said such kind things about it
Yup, I made a brief foray back in the political forum and regretted it. No more. Love you Ed
The Arizona rep thread? Me too. Quite ugly. What can you say about people? Nothing I guess. I won't bring it here at any rate.
Oh yeah that's different Irohner. I just checked mine and they're all still as they should be. I don't know, weird.
But then I always save my tab on the forums, and a few others, so, maybe that's what keeps mine saved? I dunno.
I have spent the last few hours without seeing any scowling faces, flag draped eagles or towering crosses. Nobody has warned me of divine punishment or implied that I am an idiot for my political beliefs.
I think should return to https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/270587/ and donate again
isn't it wonderful? my unchecked boxes will forever remain unchecked.
I have spent more time on the forums in the past two days than I did in the past month, because it is so much more pleasant. Thank you again Edweirdo. First Hubdefender now this, can't wait to see your next idea. Thank you again.
Actually it feels like the forums did when I first joined up.
I am using firefox and today the addon is not working for me. I get the original forum page.
Michael - Was it working previously? If you're having problems there is a link on the add-on download page where you can send me an email if you still have a problem...
Edweirdo -- I figured out what the problem is. My puter crashed a few weeks ago and I'm working on my old (and I do mean old) standby. Occasionally Firefox starts acting a bit funky and I have to use Task Manager to close it. When I reopen, all the forums on the left from HubChallenges (I think that's it) on down is unchecked. If I exit FF properly, it seems to be fine. Everything above HubChallenges remains checked. So basically, the add-on needs Firefox to close properly -- at least with me.
Yes it was working great yesterday. I checked my add-on list in firefox and it is listed as enabled. I even diabled and then re-enabled and nothing happens.
I disabled the add-on and went to the link and Re-Downloaded and it is working for now at least. Hopefully it will stay working now.
Thanks for developing this Edweirdo.
This thing is amazing, I have to admit I do have an argumentative side, and often get drawn in to relatively pointless religious debates. Glad to have this filter in place!
hubbers, Edweirdo's hub about the forum filter is published. I was just looking for one of his helpful hubs again and saw it, so I thought I would let you know.
I love the filter, it's such a time saver for me and has made the forums much more peaceful. here's the hub, http://hubpages.com/hub/Edweirdos-Forum … fox-Chrome
Just downloaded this and contributed - works a treat - thanks very much.
Dude, that's awesome! It is such a relief to be able to block all the stupid forum games, and I've gritted my teeth and blocked politics and religion too. I do love a good debate, but they're one of my biggest time wasters and I'll be so much more productive if I have to go actively looking for one instead of getting tempted with possibilities every time I pop over to the forums.
Wow - this is so amazing! No more P & R forums YEEEHAAAA!!!!!! All for $1.59 - so worth every penny!
I almost sent you a thank-you email, Edweirdo! I absolutely LOVE the filter.
Thank you.
edweirdo, we love you. thank you again! like Jane previously said, no more P & R! it's a wonderful thing..
Yes, and I hope people are donating. Edweirdo deserves it and is not asking much.
I donated twice and gave more than he asked because it is worth more than that to me. I hope others have done and will do the same. If everybody using this gave him just $5 or $10, he'd be nicely compensated and might have incentive to do other useful tools.
I agree that this is a fantastic product. Any hubber who is frustrated with dealing some of the forums here should install it. It's super easy and works very well. I had almost stopped participating in the forums and now it's a pleasure to stop by each day.
And as Pcunix said, send Edweirdo a donation. I also upped mine to $5 and it's a deal.
Another big thank you to Edweirdo. Oh and check out his interview with Simone on the HP blog and learn about Hubdefender. Another fantastic Edweirdo product.
Thanks for keeping this thread alive
The Forum Filter now has more than 100 downloads (Hooray!), but strangely, the donations seem to have petered out the last couple of weeks
You single-handedly made this world a slightly kinder, gentler place.
Well, those freeloaders better ante up. Are you still asking for just $1.58? I honestly would've expected more than 100 downloads. But I'm sure your fanclub will keep mentioning this and the donation.
I really believe that whenever you use someone's plug-in, it's good financial karma to send $5.00. It doesn't seem like much, but I'm amazed at the warm-hearted thank yous that I get. It's my version of tithing.
it's so simple to donate and it's so worth over the dollar something that you request. anyone downloading should donate for the time and effort it took for you to make this for us here at HP. I was more than happy to give 5.00.
I see that your followers were 777, but are now 776. I shall fix that.
I also thought that more than 100 people would be using the filter - I think that number is so low because the people who are most likely to use it don't visit the forums anymore, and so don't even know that it exists
I just took a look at the donations, and it looks like less than 10% of those who've downloaded the add-on have given anything (although almost all of them have given more than the $1.59 suggested amount!)
wow, I'm sorry to hear that. only 10% have donated? they couldn't donate $1.58? The only thing I can think is they are either freeloaders or don't have a paypal account, which means if they want something which asks for a donation, they shouldn't use it or make a paypal account.
You're probably right about people who may use it don't know about it because they don't enter the forums. I'll give it some tweets. I know there are a number of hubbers on Twitter.
I guess.. just know that those of us that use it, love it!!
This is the best invention ever, theres some titles that i see in forums that just ruin my day and i rather not see them!
I just want to say thanks again, Edweirdo! I love this forum filter. No more ridiculous thread titles facing me when I browse the forums!
by Tina 14 years ago
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