[SOLVED] Forum Search Improvement - Page 2

archtoad6 · 05-13-2009, 08:18 AM

I don't.

dragonslayer48dx · 05-13-2009, 07:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by archtoad6

I don't.

Keeping it short and sweet, Rick? lol

Honestly though, while "newest post first" may benefit a small handful that's following a thread, the multitude that may also be able to contribute a wealth of knowledge would need to scroll to the bottom (or jump to the last page) to even read the OP's question. Not very efficient for a help forum, IMHO.

Cheers

dibi58 · 05-14-2009, 02:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dragonslayer48dx

Keeping it short and sweet, Rick? lol

Honestly though, while "newest post first" may benefit a small handful that's following a thread, the multitude that may also be able to contribute a wealth of knowledge would need to scroll to the bottom (or jump to the last page) to even read the OP's question. Not very efficient for a help forum, IMHO.

Cheers

You may be right, it may be more convenient for moderators and contributers.

I thank you again for your prior answer, that helped me to set the forum with the new articles first, the way I use it now.

best regards

dragonslayer48dx · 05-14-2009, 04:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dibi58

You may be right, it may be more convenient for moderators and contributers.

I thank you again for your prior answer, that helped me to set the forum with the new articles first, the way I use it now.

best regards

No problem. Glad I could help.

FWIW- Jeremy can see how forum features are used, and updates LQ periodically to make it more convenient. So, if the majority is switching display modes, then that most likely would become the forum default.

Cheers

james100 · 05-15-2009, 08:42 AM

I just have to say that I love this site. I ask a question about something; other people read that thread and then ask questions of their own, and the next thing I know I am getting an email telling me that I have answers to a question that I hadn't even thought about yet.

So a big thanks to dragonslayer48dx and anyone else who has provided responses to questions. I have also set my mode to show the latest articles first now, and I think I prefer it this way.

Also, thanks to dibi56 for asking a question that i would like to think I might have eventually got around to - but who can tell..

schneidz · 05-15-2009, 09:27 AM

+ 1 oldest post first

archtoad6 · 05-16-2009, 05:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dragonslayer48dx

Quote:

Originally Posted by archtoad6

I don't.

Keeping it short and sweet, Rick? lol

Yup.

Now for a wordier why . . .

Quote:

Originally Posted by dragonslayer48dx

Honestly though, while "newest post first" may benefit a small handful that's following a thread, the multitude that may also be able to contribute a wealth of knowledge would need to scroll to the bottom (or jump to the last page) to even read the OP's question. Not very efficient for a help forum, IMHO.

Cheers

A. "newest post first" only benefits those who have already read the full body of the thread & are now following it. The only reason this is even needed is there isn't always a "1st Unread Post" link at the top of a thread; & while the subscribed thread e-mails link to the most recent post, the subscribed forum e-mails do not.

B. Everyone who might contribute needs to be encouraged to read the entire corpus of the thread before posting. "newest post first" as a default or optional personal default encourages laziness & unresponsive or repetitive posts. We have enough of those w/o facilitating more of them.

C. (new -- MNRHO) "newest post first" as a personal thread option, i.e. set thread by thread, perhaps for subscribed threads only, would help w/ A) w/o the dangers in B). There are definitely threads for which I would welcome & use it.

james100 · 05-16-2009, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by archtoad6

A. "newest post first" only benefits those who have already read the full body of the thread & are now following it. The only reason this is even needed is there isn't always a "1st Unread Post" link at the top of a thread; & while the subscribed thread e-mails link to the most recent post, the subscribed forum e-mails do not.

B. Everyone who might contribute needs to be encouraged to read the entire corpus of the thread before posting. "newest post first" as a default or optional personal default encourages laziness & unresponsive or repetitive posts. We have enough of those w/o facilitating more of them.

C. (new -- MNRHO) "newest post first" as a personal thread option, i.e. set thread by thread, perhaps for subscribed threads only, would help w/ A) w/o the dangers in B). There are definitely threads for which I would welcome & use it.

As a newbie there is very little that I can contribute towards the solution of most of the problems that I read about on this forum. I wish that was not the case, but in reality I read the questions that are asked, watch in amazement as experienced members discuss possible solutions and (usually) arrive at a satisfactory outcome. It makes me realise how much I still have to learn.

So, with regards to the current question of oldest/newest first, it actually makes more sense for me to have the newest responses at the top of the threads that I am following the progress of. I agree with archtoad6 that forum readers should "read the entire corpus of the thread". This appears to me to be a sensible approach whether you are assisting with the query or, like myself, simply following its progress to learn more. However, in my case, once I have read the complete thread, it is easier to peruse the forum and keep up to date with what is happening with ongoing threads if those threads appear with the newest responses at the top of the page.

In this regard I think that archtoad6's suggestion C makes a lot of sense.When you first enter a thread it would have the oldest post at the top to encourage readers to read the entire thread, but you would then have the option to switch that thread that so the newest posts are at the top when you return to the same thread at a later stage. I expect that the programming might be more complex, but I am not a programmer so I could be wrong.

schneidz · 05-17-2009, 03:04 PM

there is a 'go to last post link'

james100 · 05-17-2009, 09:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by schneidz

there is a 'go to last post link'

There certainly is, and I expect that it is sufficient for most users. However, for me it is more convenient to be able to open a thread and have the latest post at the top. From my point of view this is just a question of convenience, although I accept that some members might consider it to be laziness.

As I indicated in an earlier post (15 May), I had not even thought about this issue until it was raised by dibi56. At that stage I was not even aware that there was a "go to last post link". I was more than willing to start reading from the first post and work my way down to the latest, and I still would be if there was no other format available for reading them. I believe that the quality of the responses, and the content of the discussions is much more important that the order of the presentation. So this is not a "die in the ditch" issue for me. However, if the forum has a format that allows me to choose to see the newest posts at the top of the page, then that will be the format that I will use.

At least for now. Who knows, with time and experience it is possible that I may come to decision that the standard format is much better, in which case I can easily switch back.

Choice rules.

archtoad6 · 05-17-2009, 10:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by schneidz

there is a 'go to last post link'

No, not always -- in fact almost never -- not on my MEPIS 7 system running KDE & Konqueror 3.5.8.

If you'll forgive a little humor,
<humor> What is this 'go to last post link' of which you speak? A mythical construct? </humor>
Seriously, I have seen it in the past, but so rarely I no longer expect it or look for it. Also, it's not the same as reverse order.

Even if it were there all the time for everybody, I still think it would be nice to have my subscribed threads displayable in reverse order. It might not even that much of a burden on a server which seems to already be tracking which ones I have seen.

While we're on the subject, 2 more ideas to improve threads:

A count of the replies at the top of each thread.
Mark OP's subsequent posts in some way as being by the OP.

dragonslayer48dx · 05-18-2009, 04:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by archtoad6

I still think it would be nice to have my subscribed threads displayable in reverse order. It might not even that much of a burden on a server which seems to already be tracking which ones I have seen.

While we're on the subject, 2 more ideas to improve threads:

A count of the replies at the top of each thread.
Mark OP's subsequent posts in some way as being by the OP.

I'll second the motion for all three ideas. The last would be exceptionally useful, as my mind is slipping these days. With longer threads, I spend a lot of time jumping back to the beginning just to see who is the OP! A little flag by their user name would suffice.