Minor nuisances....

[kyrielle]

I'm really not pleased with that new LJ toolbar. Largely because it allows people to "enforce" it on their journal. I find it annoying and useless and a waste of space on my small laptop monitor, but when I go to read what's behind the cut-tag, there it is. It's clutter, like an ad-bar, not useful, to me.

So I'm curious, since some of my friends are doing this. I understand why people would want to turn the bar on for themselves as they browse the site - it's useful to them. But why is it an option, and why have some of the people I read chosen to use that option, to force the rest of us to see the aggravating thing? What is the goal? Because I really don't understand what the benefit is to you, to have that bar up there for others.

Comments

[susandennis]

Ok, I'll bite. I love the thing. My friends are in groups and I like to read them in groups and this is perfect. What's I have to admit that I did not realize it was spilling over to things like this - your comment page in your journal.

There's an option that I just unchecked. Do you still see it when you see my journal? I rarely use LJ cut so that's probably not going to help you there but then maybe that's another problem... I should use LJ cut!

[kyrielle]

Thank you! That does it. I understand why some people might like the toolbar - even if I don't like it. I just don't understandw hy anyone would check that particular option. The one to always see it themselves, I get.

When you click on an LJ cut, or a read/post comments link, you move into the user's journal - and if they have that box set, you get that toolbar (and also on their journal page, and firends page).

Thank you again. :)

[susandennis]

cool! I think I checked it originally because - well, I have no idea! I'm so glad you mentioned it.

[mandydax.livejournal.com]

:P I didn't even pay attention, I just clicked them to see it, and then I liked it so I didn't think anything of it. Sorry...

[kyrielle]

*wry grin* Apparently, they need to make the options more obvious. I am glad I said something, though - it doesn't seem like people meant to set it for others, so much as turn it on for themselves. And no worries, it happens. It's not like I'd stop reading someone who had it on and left it that way or anything, I was just seeing a rash of the thing crop up and it's like...why does that option even exist? :P

[pheon.livejournal.com]

Could I ask what you folks are talking about? What new LJ toolbar?

[kyrielle]

It is a little beastie technically called (I see, checking the post I originally saw it in), the Navigation Strip (last entry in the post). Image here or in the post. You can go to the 'edit your information' page (and since when is a navbar 'info'? oh wait - several of the things on that page aren't anyway --) to turn it on. One of the options is to put it at the top of any page you're viewing in LJ. The second option is to force it to appear for anyone who reads your journal. :P

[pheon.livejournal.com]

Oh. I saw the posting about this, but ignored it. I just now turned it on --- I did not check the box that said "Always display the navigation strip to anyone who views my journal or community." :-)

I may or may not keep it. But I can see its usefulness for someone like susandennis who has a huge collection of LJ friends. :-)

[tibicina.livejournal.com]

It's also the 'basic journal options' page, which is why this is on there along with things like whether or not you want comments emailed to you and such.

And... I like it, but I looking at the 'make everyone else see it' option and didn't do that. At least I don't think I did. I'm not entirely sure why one would either.

[tibicina.livejournal.com]

*eyes her last comment* Umm... ok, should not make comments when not really awake. Especially not when I change the way I was phrasing things half-way through a sentence and then don't go back and change the beginning of the sentence. Blech. Sorry.

[kyrielle]

Yeah, I realize they use it for that. But that's not what it's called and it still confuses me after all this time - it has to be even worse for newbies to try to find those things. Putting the two together just seems to make very little sense to me. I'm sure it'll stay there and I'll have to cope, I just find it illogical.

And no, you don't have the bar on yours for anyone else. I can see why someone might like the bar - I don't, but I can see why some would. I just can't yet figure out why anyone would want to force it on all visitors to their journal.... I'm trying to figure out what they gain by doing that. *wry*