Is there a way to add staff color directly from the compose box, maybe in the settings menu, as opposed to after a reply is posted and then through the tools menu?
That’s my biggest pet peeve about the workflow.
AI-generated summary
Users are discussing the ability to mark posts with staff color directly in the compose menu, rather than after posting. debryc requests this feature, explaining that they use staff color to distinguish meta conversations from regular user posts during testing of a new forum. sam notes the feature is infrequently used and may not justify adding it to the compose menu. bts suggests using whisper mode, but debryc clarifies that meta posts need to be public, making whisper mode unsuitable. supermathie confirms that whisper mode is an option, while JammyDodger references a similar past request. gassim agrees, stating that staff should be able to apply staff color before posting announcements. The discussion concludes that while the feature is useful, it’s not a high priority as the need will likely decrease once the forum goes public.
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Not at the moment.
I worry that the action is just so rare that the usability of making this list any longer would be outweighed by the benefit of the feature.
How often are you using staff colors in posts?
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All the time right now, but we have a specific use case that will sort itself out over time so you’re right, we’ll probably not need it as often moving forward.
The use case: we’re testing Discourse as a potential platform for our new online forum. We’re using it as “users” of the platform. Sometimes we need to have a meta conversation, though, and so we use the staff color to differentiate between when we’re posting as users and when we’re posting as staff commenting on the behavior of a user.
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Do the meta conversations need to be public? If not I think replying with “whispers” could work well for this, basically exactly what it’s intended for!
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Hahahahahaha!
Yes, I’m familiar with Whisper Mode.
We do need the meta posts to be public so everyone (including non-staff) can engage in it during this testing/prototyping period, which is why we use Staff Color.
Here’s a screenshot of the conversations we’re having.
We’ll probably stop needing to do this so much when our forum goes public, so this is not the highest priority.
Oh! @sam, in case this topic does come up again, I was actually thinking the Staff Color option can come into the gear menu.
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Also suggested in this topic:
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Thanks! Yes, I still believe it’s useful. Currently, when we post an announcement by staff, we have to post and then choose to add the staff color but this should be an option for staff before they post!
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