Is a WYSIWYG editor a must for your forum?

I like having one a lot. But I know that not all of the forums scripts have one. Do you think it's necessary? Do you think your average visitor/member expect one? Or are most community members comfortable enough with BBcode (or similar)?

 

I believe it is nessasary to have one - some things need to be bolded haha I just love them

 

On today's internet, they are necessary if you want to have people format their posts. Without them, you'll just get a bunch of text. Very few people know BBCode or safe HTML enough to format their posts. Probably less than 1% of the internet population. While that is still about about 15 million people, its a small percentage overall.

 

I guess maybe I need to reword my question. I think I misrepresented my thoughts.

But in the wysiwyg editor, when I highlight a word and click BOLD, is it better for the word I clicked to actually become bold in my editor window, or is it perfectly okay for it to put the b and /b BBCode tags around that word?

Are the average end users okay with seeing BBCode in the editor window, or are they conditioned now by MS Word and other programs to actually see the changes happen before their eyes?

 

It is a better user experience to apply the change immediately.

With BBCode, you will cause user frustration and improperly formatted posts which only leads to more frustration. I would say that is the most frustrating thing about phpBB in my own experience. I know BBCode and still hate the editor on phpBB because I have to take an extra step of previewing my formatting.

 

I agree with Wayne. I think it's better for the user to be able to see the effect of clicking on the bold button rather than seeing the code tags for it. The code tags sometimes confuse users. And sometimes they then try to remove them and don't remove all of it and they make a mess of their post.

 

yea....

i think most forum (at least vb) members are much more comfy seeing what changes they make. When I was new into the world of bbcode that stuff scared the he11 ouuta me...so im sure its the same way for a newish member that doesnt know bbcode..

I love that WYSIWYG editor on my vb...i must admit even I cant do without it!!

 

I'd say it's a must, it's certainly a major improvement over having to memorise and use BB code, and I'd say even most of the people who consider themselves forum experts probably find it easier and quicker; not to mention how you can copy formatting from other programs.

 

The few times I've accidentally set things to use the standard editor, I got a lot of questions and complaints about not being able to do things like make a link. The members are generally better off with that WYSIWYG editor.

 

For a forum no, and I do not like them. When a forum uses a wysiwyg editor, I switch it to extra formatting controls.

In my wordpress blog, yes, I use the editor. But for a forum no - the wysiwyg editor is more trouble then its worth.

 

What is making the difference in the two for you?

 

In wordpress, I can switch to the html tab and disable the wysiwyg editor. Make the changes that I want, then switch back to the visual tab.

In forums, its just one or the other, not both at the same time.

It really unnerves me that when I copy text from a website, and paste it into a wysiwyg editor, the formatting is also brought over. Then I have to remove the formatting.

Same thing with an image, and that is a real pain. When I insert an image into a forum post that uses the wysiwyg editor, you see the actual image. When I want to type a line below the image, sometimes it wont let me.

I can think of lots of reasons not to use a wygiwyg editor. The main one being - its a pain to work with and lots of trouble.

 

Hmmm you're using vBulletin which also has a switch from WYIWYG to Standard Editing built into the editor.
This button here: .

Also has a button to remove all formatting when you copy and paste... .

 

All the time (several years) that I have been a member of vbulletin forums, and I did not know that.

 

LOL Kevin, we all learn something new every day.

I agree with Wayne on this one. While I personally am comfortable with BB Code formatting (but prefer WYSIWYG), many people wouldn't be. I know for sure that the members of my community would be totally lost and confused, and the posts would be jumbled with a mix of text and improperly formatted half BB Codes; it would be a wreck.

 

Yes I do believe an WYSIWYG editor is important. Not everyone knows how BB codes work and many gets confused when they see their text formatted with it.

 

Interesting that MyBB doesn't provide a wysiwyg editor... I wish they did.

 

No, I don't think this is necessary on a forum. It is a nice addition, yes, but it shouldn't be a 'must'.

As for MyBB not having one, they actually focus on the functionality and forum aspect. Though, if I am not wrong I read something about having it for 2.0, I might be wrong, since I just took a quick glance at the thread.

 

Is it necessary? No. If you have one though, it is more important that it works than anything else.

I wouldn't recommend using the vB wysisyg editor, because it's been known to throw fits when mods even come close to touching it.

 

wow...Thanks Wayne. I was going to say the same thing as Kevin. Now I need to find something to post so I can play with my new found button