"Active Topics" Box needs tweak

[Pogo]

I get most of my thread entry points from the "Active Topics" column to the right which lists all new threads as they come in.

It seems to have a capacity of eight threads. Regardless of content or quality, the most recent eight. That doesn't seem to be sufficient. Noticed just now "there's an interesting title, I'll go there next". It was on top, meaning the most recently created. Yet in the time it took to post a single post it was pushed off the list by all the subsequent new threads. Gone. There are that many threads coming in.

Sometimes you can find a cached page by browsering back a page. That gave me a different list but still not there. Didn't go back far enough. Topics are being launched faster than a reader can react to them. And this is even without Longknife's Daily Dump where he takes over the list.

I propose either the Active Topics list be lengthened so as to give topics a longer dwell time and thus a chance to grab some readers, OR initiate a system where a new topic can be voted as worthwhile or not, since there are a sizeable number of topics that are just crap or get deleted (but remain on the list). Or even both.

Wouldn't we rather have ten good topics with 20 readers each than 100 topics with one each because there wasn't time to catch them?

TIA

 

[Pogo]

Watching to see how long this topic survives the list.... with any luck I caught it after the rush?

Another thing the site might consider ---- put a time limit on how many threads a single poster can create at once. Say, ten minute minimum between thread creations, in the same way it puts a time limit on subsequent posts. This might help to discourage posters flooding the board with new threads so that they dominate the list (Longknife is not the only one who does this).

It's antidemocratic for one poster to take over the board, and if they're putting a new topic up literally every minute, then they're obviously not invested in most (or any) of them, and are just trying to get their name up on the internets.

 

[shockedcanadian]

A longer list of Active Topics would be a boon I believe. The delay in updating is tough to deal with too, as it often results in duplicate postings on the same breaking news.

Oh well, small inconveniences.

 

[Pogo]

So of course I had to put this topic up AFTER the rush I just described and it's hanging on in the list

Oh well it's the exception that proves the rule (exists).

--- Here might be another way the site could handle it:

.... Regardless who puts a topic up when, a new topic only hits the list every, say, three minutes. Maybe there could be a queue, so that any given topic would get (in this case) a minimum of 24 minutes' exposure. During times of flooding the next one in the queue would just have to wait for its turn.

The site could have Orson Wells in a gif going "we will post no new thread before its time".....

 

[Pogo]

Watching to see how long this topic survives the list.... with any luck I caught it after the rush

Whelp -- last reading I saw before this topic dropped off the list was 27 minutes. That's not bad but I submit, it's far longer than topics get during floods. Which of course cannot be predicted.

 

[OldLady]

put a time limit on how many threads a single poster can create at once. Say, ten minute minimum between thread creations, in the same way it puts a time limit on subsequent posts.
That sounds do-able, except I'd say make the minimum 30 minutes. We are supposed to be here for discussion, not an InfoWars subscription.

 

[flacaltenn]

There IS an alternative. And that is browse the "Active Topics" tab at the top of every page. It's DIFFERENT than the other "active topics". The box to right is NEW threads actually. The Active Topics tab shows you "where the action is". (or at least the newest posts)

Depends on whether you're looking for NEW or exciting. I choice I have to make every time I go to Baskin Robbins.

 

[Pogo]

There IS an alternative. And that is browse the "Active Topics" tab at the top of every page. It's DIFFERENT than the other "active topics". The box to right is NEW threads actually. The Active Topics tab shows you "where the action is". (or at least the newest posts)

Depends on whether you're looking for NEW or exciting. I choice I have to make every time I go to Baskin Robbins.

I've never seen that tab before, thanks. But no that's a different thing. That's showing the latest topics to be posted in, essentially the same thing "New Posts" does -- whereas the column I describe on the right shows the latest new threads posted. Which is what I'm after ---- "what's new". Because the older stuff either is boring or has run its course. I'm not really interested in what the new posts are in threads I'm not following.

At the very least (your) "Active Topics" and (my) "Active Topics" should have different names -- perhaps mine should be called "New Threads". It's a very useful feature, if it could be given room to breathe.

 

[saveliberty]

There IS an alternative. And that is browse the "Active Topics" tab at the top of every page. It's DIFFERENT than the other "active topics". The box to right is NEW threads actually. The Active Topics tab shows you "where the action is". (or at least the newest posts)

Depends on whether you're looking for NEW or exciting. I choice I have to make every time I go to Baskin Robbins.

A few people just follow me around....