Users are encouraged to post to categories they have no write access to

Contribute Feature

AI-generated summary

Users are discussing a UX issue where categories with read-only access still display a “new topic” button and encourage posting, even though users can’t post in those categories. tobiaseigen reports this will cause confusion on a new forum and notes that clicking the button only lets users post elsewhere. codinghorror questions why such categories are exposed at all, while riking points out similar behavior in Meta’s own Releases and Howto categories, suggesting normal users shouldn’t be able to create topics there either. sam references a similar issue on BBS, noting that hiding the button might be a better alternative, though few seem to complain. The core problem is misleading UI: inviting action where none is permitted, which may frustrate users and obscure permissions.

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This is a UX bug, methinks, that will cause some confusion on a new forum I am launching next week. See screenshot below - this is for a category where “everyone” is only allowed to see and not post or reply.

There is a “new topic” button and even encouragement at the bottom to post with “there are no more test topics. why not create a topic.”

If you click any of these you can create a topic but only elsewhere, not in this particular category.

Screen Shot 2014-12-05 at 10.23.06 AM.png1025×323 14.6 KB

Edit: I just realized it’s worse than that. If you try to create a topic in a category you are not allowed to post in, the only category option is “uncategorized” and you can’t contribute to any of the other categories you ARE allowed to post in. This will be a sad, confusing first experience for a newbie to the forum.

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2

Ok so why expose that category to them at all? This feels like an “it hurts when I do this” problem.. so don’t do that?

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Uh, the Releases and Howto categories here on meta? Normal people should see them (“exposed”), but they shouldn’t be creating topics…

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bbs has this problem to a degree boing - Boing Boing BBS , but it seems like not many are complaining about it.

the alternative is to hide the button there that causes a different problem (why can I not create topics?)

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