Side Column From Forum Home Page Appearing On Nearly All Pages Of Forum

[CaroLiza_fan]

Ever since about 18:25 GMT last night, the side column from the forum Home Page has also been appearing at the side of nearly all the pages on the forum.

The only exceptions are the "category" pages, i.e.:

1. The Lutz Corner
2. Figure Skating Fan Fests
3. 2026 ISU Figure Skating Championships
4. 2025-26 National Figure Skating events
5. 2025-26 Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating
6. Le Café

Although it is annoying that it has narrowed the size of the part of the page where we see posts, the main issue for me is that, for the past couple of days, there are photos at the top of the column that show spoilers. And whilst I had started avoiding the forum front page so as not to see them, now I can't not see them because they are practically everywhere.

I had to leave watching the Men's FS last night at the start of the final group, and came onto the forum there now to read the Men's FS thread in time with watching the archived coverage. But I can't read in time, because at the side of every page is a photo showing a spoiler.

So, I would like to ask two questions.

Firstly, would it be possible to go back to not having the side column appear on all the pages?

Secondly, and more importantly, could you please stop having spoiler photos at the top of the side column?

On a different note, can I just take this opportunity to say that I really like the way this year's Olympics forum has been done. Very well organised!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[TallyT]

Oh I thought that was just because of the Olympics!

I agree it is better without.

 

[gsk8]

We are deploying some changes and will be testing different avenues as we try to utilize all the resources we have to make the board more easily navigated. There are other "in-house" reasons for this as well.

My advice is if you do not want spoilers, it's best to stay off the forum during a competition.

 

[NanaPat]

@CaroLiza_fan

I am not seeing the side column; in fact, I never see the side column on any page. As an experiment, I made my font smaller, and as if by magic, it appeared.

So, if you are seeing it and want it to go away, make your font larger! That may have unintended side-effects, but will at least make the spoilers go away!

I sympathize with your plight, as I also watch replays while also reading the appropriate competition thread. It's kind of like watching in real time, except you don't have to keep refreshing the forum page!

 

[TallyT]

@CaroLiza_fan

I am not seeing the side column; in fact, I never see the side column on any page. As an experiment, I made my font smaller, and as if by magic, it appeared.

So, if you are seeing it and want it to go away, make your font larger! That may have unintended side-effects, but will at least make the spoilers go away!

I sympathize with your plight, as I also watch replays while also reading the appropriate competition thread. It's kind of like watching in real time, except you don't have to keep refreshing the forum page!

Where do we do that?

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

@CaroLiza_fan

I am not seeing the side column; in fact, I never see the side column on any page. As an experiment, I made my font smaller, and as if by magic, it appeared.

So, if you are seeing it and want it to go away, make your font larger! That may have unintended side-effects, but will at least make the spoilers go away!

Thank you for the tip.

Where do we do that?

Hold the Control button while using the scroller wheel on your mouse.

However, I found that you had to go up to 190% to get the side column to disappear when you have the browser's side panel open, and up to 220% when you have the browser's side panel closed. By which stage, the writing is far too big!

I sympathize with your plight, as I also watch replays while also reading the appropriate competition thread. It's kind of like watching in real time, except you don't have to keep refreshing the forum page!

Hey, it's good to know I am not the only person that watches back like that!

The more I think about it, I can see the benefits to having the side column on all pages.

Like, there are times during a competition that I want to check something on the ISU statistics pages, or I want to check what other events are on. It used to be that I had to go back to the forum home page, and then find the appropriate box. Whereas now, they are there on the page I am already on. I just have to scroll to the box.

So, having the side column on all pages could turn out to be a good thing. Just so long as it does not contain spoilers.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[TallyT]

Thank you for the tip.



Hold the Control button while using the scroller wheel on your mouse.

However, I found that you had to go up to 190% to get the side column to disappear when you have the browser's side panel open, and up to 220% when you have the browser's side panel closed. By which stage, the writing is far too big!



Hey, it's good to know I am not the only person that watches back like that!

The more I think about it, I can see the benefits to having the side column on all pages.

Like, there are times during a competition that I want to check something on the ISU statistics pages, or I want to check what other events are on. It used to be that I had to go back to the forum home page, and then find the appropriate box. Whereas now, they are there on the page I am already on. I just have to scroll to the box.

So, having the side column on all pages could turn out to be a good thing. Just so long as it does not contain spoilers.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[surimi]

I am very displeased to read the side column is here to stay. I wish an alternative solution was found. It's distracting and has me scroll and squint more due to less text fitting in, it contains unwanted spoilers (one cannot even update one's fan fests during competitions to avoid spoilers, do I understand that correctly?).
But what's even more unpleasant about it is that it has made editing one's threads harder. Maybe whoever edits the huge threads with skater program names doesn't mind, or maybe they have premium membership here and don't see the side column as a result. But for me as a regular user, editing info into a fanfest or the retirements OP has just become more time consuming/clunky/hard to navigate, with the side bar taking up so much space and having me scroll through much less organized text than before, to find the lines I need to edit. Very annoying.

@CaroLiza, where does one edit the font size on the touchpad? I cannot see that option if I click the right part of the touchpad. And no, fanfests and national threads are not exempt from this eyesore. It's omnipresent I get that running GS costs money, and unlike scroogey users like me, this side column generates profit somehow. But I still wish there was a less obstructive way found.

 

[lileychristie]

I am a premium member and the side column is now there for me inside the threads as well

I agree with the spoiler issue, people live on many different timezones and we can't always watch live, yet we like going to the competition thread from the first page while catching up to see what others thought and said of the performances. Makes it feel less lonely when catching up. I bookmarked the "New Posts" page then go into the competition threads from there, and I used to not see any spoilers that way.

And spoiler issue aside, my other feedback is that it made the Smilies button hidden under the "more options..." 3 dots button in the reply box (since the reply box is now narrower due to the extra column). It made adding smilies one extra click which is a bit annoying especially when trying to post quickly during fast-moving live competition threads.

I hope there will be an option to hide this column inside the threads, at least for premium member

 

[NanaPat]

@lileychristie

You can change the font using the keyboard. Ctrl + makes it bigger and Ctrl - makes it smaller.

 

[gsk8]

Change is hard. For everyone. No one likes it.

We appreciate everyone's understanding and support.

 

[surimi]

So there's no other way, like really really... smilies now poorly accessible, long OP editing now more difficult - too bad, so sad, sidebar is here to stay...? Okay. I'll be sticking around my four threads from now on, to keep my exposure as brief as possible. What a pity, but it is what it is. GS cannot do without the side column, and I cannot do with it.

 

[gsk8]

This change should only affect people on desktop and laptops. I've tested both and am not having any issues.

I would be interested in knowing the size of your monitors of those having issues?

 

[Jeanie19]

This change should only affect people on desktop.

I would be interested in knowing the size of your monitors of those having issues?

I am on my 10" kindle.

 

[Jeanie19]

This change should only affect people on desktop.

I would be interested in knowing the size of your monitors of those having issues?

Doesn't affect my Samsung phone.

 

[gsk8]

Thanks @Jeanie19 any issues on kindle?

 

[Jeanie19]

Thanks @Jeanie19 any issues on kindle?

Just the edit button isn't always there. And of course the side panel is now there. So you may see some funny autocorrect that I can't fix.

 

[NanaPat]

Just the edit button isn't always there. And of course the side panel is now there. So you may see some funny autocorrect that I can't fix.

Sometimes when things disappear, you can find them by changing the font size (usually making it smaller). Use the keyboard shortcut (Ctrl + and Ctrl -) to do it quickly and easily.

I am on a Chromebook (smallest one with a full-size keyboard), so relatively small screen, and I use a largish font. My screen is an ungodly mess until I close the ads, and I always have to click on dots to get more options (to access smilies, for example), but this latest change hasn't affected me. Welcome to my world!

 

[Minz]

This change should only affect people on desktop and laptops. I've tested both and am not having any issues.

I would be interested in knowing the size of your monitors of those having issues?

I was using a 27 inch monitor yesterday to do play-by-plays. The issue was that it wouldn't take the full width of the screen, so the text box area was very small while there was a ton of empty space on the screen. Zooming in just made everything bigger, but it didn't actually change the size of anything if that makes sense.

 

[gsk8]

Ok we have removed the sidebar from the Thread View