Showing New Posts in VAF

[Buggsy2]

Another thread, now closed, reminded me of this idea about showing new posts.

Now when I click on New Posts, all new posts from the last time posts were marked as read appear, in chronological order, most recent at the top. The problem is many of the threads I didn't want to read before appear again, and I have to read all the subjects again, choosing the few I want to read and skipping the many I don't want to read. Every time throughout the day I click New Posts, I have to re-screen the subject lines.

This chore could be simplified a lot with this change in behavior: New Posts would sort the new posts not chronologically, but this way:

1. New threads (new subject lines) at the top;
2. Then new posts in old threads I've read before;
3. Finally new posts in old threads I have not read before at the bottom

This way it's much easier to screen out the threads I didn't want to read before. If you used to read Usenet with a good newsreader you'll know what I mean.

DR? Whatcha think?

[mculver]

Why not just click on "New Posts"?

[flion]

?? I think Mike was saying "TLDR" or something like that.

Anyway, the problem with your approach is two-fold - first, the forum would have to keep way more information about your reading habits. The newsreaders you mention kept this history on your computer; a browser-based forum would have to keep it locally or in a cookie file. Care to guess how secure that would be?

The second problem comes if you read a thread just to get an idea of what it's about. Now it shows up as a thread of interest, even if you decided that you weren't really interested after all. There's no mechanism to tell the New Posts function that you are or are not interested in a particular thread. Also, what if you skipped a thread earlier but change your mind. You're going to end up going through all the subject lines anyway.

An alternative (though not perfect, to my mind) is to subscribe to threads that interest you and use New Posts to browse/skim the rest. I personally don't bother with the subscribe thing but hit New Posts a few times a day (anywhere from 2 times up, depending on how busy I am during the day) and can skim the subjects in a couple of minutes. It's like reading the headlines in a paper (remember those? ), it doesn't take much effort.


[ed. And don't forget to click on 'Quick Links' and select 'Mark Forums Read' when you're done. That is if you visit the forums every few hours or so. I find it helps.... dr]

[Buggsy2]

Originally Posted by mculver

Why not just click on "New Posts"?

That's what I do all the time...but it keeps bringing up new posts in threads I've already decided I don't want to click on.

Originally Posted by flion

Anyway, the problem with your approach is two-fold - first, the forum would have to keep way more information about your reading habits.

The forum keeps information now, I presume in the cookie on my computer. Of course it keeps track of login name. It also keeps track of when I last read, or marked as read (Quick Links-> Mark Forums Read) all posts. So this would be just a little extra information to keep track of.

The second problem comes if you read a thread just to get an idea of what it's about. Now it shows up as a thread of interest, even if you decided that you weren't really interested after all. There's no mechanism to tell the New Posts function that you are or are not interested in a particular thread. Also, what if you skipped a thread earlier but change your mind. You're going to end up going through all the subject lines anyway.

Sure, but even so, by having new threads, and threads you've already indicated as interesting by viewing them up at the top of the New Posts list, it just makes it easier...not perfect. Another small step to VAF perfection

I use Quick Links-> Mark Forums Read now each time I exit VAF...my proposal/suggestion/request would just make it that much easier to read new posts, when clicking on New Posts.