2 votes

Idea: Expanding media on the main page

I think having a button to expand media on the main page. I've seen it on Reddit, and think it could be useful instead of clicking on the link to view the entire post. It gives you a way to skim things. The only downside I can think of is it might limit engagement since you won't see the comments.

10 comments

  1. [4]
    Whom
    Link
    This has come up in the past. The reasoning for not having it is that it encourages low-effort content that only requires a quick glance. Gifs, image macros / memes, etc. are all well and good,...

    This has come up in the past. The reasoning for not having it is that it encourages low-effort content that only requires a quick glance. Gifs, image macros / memes, etc. are all well and good, but this site doesn't intend to be an efficient content delivery system like Reddit is.

    11 votes
    1. [2]
      Crespyl
      Link Parent
      I tend to agree. The one valuable embed/expander I would carry over from Reddit is an RES feature for inlining the first paragraph of a linked Wikipedia article, which is useful for context, but...

      I tend to agree. The one valuable embed/expander I would carry over from Reddit is an RES feature for inlining the first paragraph of a linked Wikipedia article, which is useful for context, but probably isn't worth the trouble to implement in ~ yet.

      3 votes
      1. Grapevine
        Link Parent
        I've actually been thinking about this, most third-party Reddit apps do similar. I can quickly read the first paragraph to see if I'm interested in a topic before I dive into it, something that...

        I've actually been thinking about this, most third-party Reddit apps do similar. I can quickly read the first paragraph to see if I'm interested in a topic before I dive into it, something that for me works better than guessing off of the title.

    2. nom_de_plume16
      Link Parent
      True, and that's why I don't really mind not having it as an option. I suppose this is a fair reason for not including it

      True, and that's why I don't really mind not having it as an option. I suppose this is a fair reason for not including it

  2. [5]
    Deimos
    Link
    What media? There aren't any image posts to expand.

    What media? There aren't any image posts to expand.

    1. nom_de_plume16
      Link Parent
      There's videos, and I'm sure images will come up at some point. That being said, there are valid reasons for not including it

      There's videos, and I'm sure images will come up at some point. That being said, there are valid reasons for not including it

      2 votes
    2. [2]
      Tetracyclic
      Link Parent
      Personally I find being able to expand images inline in comments and text posts to be a significant user experience improvement. Some of the best comments I've read on certain other sites have...

      Personally I find being able to expand images inline in comments and text posts to be a significant user experience improvement. Some of the best comments I've read on certain other sites have been peppered with source images and graphics and being able to view those inline makes for a much better experience (especially with ADHD, where switching to a new tab to view an image results in a good chance of me losing track of the original post and instead researching the badge worn by someone in the background of the photograph for the next three hours).

      Similarly, being able to watch video posts without navigating away from Tildes would be a minor, but appreciated, qualify of life improvement.

      I somewhat see the point about not wanting to encourage low-effort image posts, but as I discussed with @ZaphodBeebblebrox yesterday, I think opting to have a worse user experience for quality posts isn't a particularly good way to handle low quality posts and I'm not convinced it would have a significant impact compared to other means of tackling it (such as moderation, reputation and site culture).

      2 votes
      1. AReluctantTilder
        Link Parent
        I agree taht those would be a great improvement to the site

        I agree taht those would be a great improvement to the site

    3. crius
      Link Parent
      Well, I can see writing a good text topic and adding images to break the wall of text. If we could expand those it wouldn't be bad.

      Well, I can see writing a good text topic and adding images to break the wall of text.

      If we could expand those it wouldn't be bad.

      1 vote
  3. Tetracyclic
    Link
    I had a discussion with @ZaphodBeebblebrox about this yesterday that you might find interesting.

    I had a discussion with @ZaphodBeebblebrox about this yesterday that you might find interesting.