Suggestion related to "New Threads" area to the right of the page

[dragoncat16]

I think the "New Threads" area is extremely useful, and I use that to do most of my navigating on the site. However, there is an issue that someone else brought up recently that when articles autism-related news are posted as new threads, such threads tend to occupy most of the space allocated for all new threads. That means that even as frequently as I visit the site, I miss several new threads because of all the news articles that have also been posted while I have been away. Those threads are then "lost" to me unless they happen to become hot threads or I happen to find them as I delve through the inner categories of the forum (which I don't often do).

It doesn't really work for all of the news articles from the day to be put into a single thread either, as then each article cannot be given the attention and opportunity for comments that it deserves. Many of the news articles are extremely relevant and warrant discussion in their own threads.

What I suggest is for news articles to be given a new category on the site, and their own area underneath the "New Threads" area, like a second box labelled "News" or something like that. That way, we will miss fewer of the new threads, but will still be able to see and discuss all the relevant news articles that people have found.

Also, perhaps there is a way of showing the content of news articles on this site without having the poster copy it over verbatim (which, as someone recently pointed out, does violate copyright law). Maybe a frame that loads the news site or something like that. If that's not possible, then a link will do.

I realise that would take some work to implement, but I think it would improve the forum experience for many members.

 

[tree]

There is an area for News.
Autism Spectrum News, Events and Research

The New Thread area displays new threads in the order they are posted.

Here is information regarding the Fair Use Law and copyrighted material.
"The essence of the fair use doctrine is that a person is not using the work in such a manner that is, or has the potential of, diverting income from the creator."
Education World: Is Fair Use a License to Steal?

Clicking in the various areas of the forum will allow you to
see what has been recently posted in them. New posts
aren't actually *lost* after they leave the New Thread area.

 

[dragoncat16]

There is an area for News.
Autism Spectrum News, Events and Research

The New Thread area displays new threads in the order they are posted.

This is indeed so, but the issue is that several news items are often posted in that area all at once, thus removing possibly as yet unread threads from the "queue."

New posts
aren't actually *lost* after they leave the New Thread area.

I realize that, but since one would need to go into several sub-levels in the forum to find all the new threads, some of them are effectively lost. People like me who rely almost exclusively on the New Threads box will often miss them. Only if they subsequently become "Hot Topics" would many people see them on the upper levels of the forum.

As for the copyright issue, I have no strong feelings one way or the other, but someone else posted about this (as well as other topics pertinent to this thread) a week or so ago (see the fifth post in Aberdeen restaurant under fire as autistic boy, 7, and mum left in tears over treatment). Since the news articles are often reproduced on this site in their entirety, that precludes the need for a reader to load the original site with the ads, etc. The argument could be made that this diverts income from the source website, but if the owners of this site are happy that everything is being done right, I have no particular opinion on this.

I am just suggesting something that might make everyone happy, after having seen the posts in the above referenced thread. Some people (not just me) miss threads because of news items, but the news items are very interesting, pertinent, and worthy of discussion.

 

[tree]

New threads appear in the New Thread area,
as they are posted, in chronological order.

Yes, I am aware of the post in the thread you cite.

Again, new items aren't actually lost.
People with interest can seek them, I would think,
without any real difficulty.

What you seem to be saying is that you regard the posts
on news topics to be utterly different from any other threads
and should be subject to different maintenance.

 

[dragoncat16]

Not utterly different, but just different enough that they deserve their own category, like aspies compared with NTs, perhaps? After the news-related threads are created, they'd be maintained like any other thread, just as they are now. I guess the main thing is just how they are displayed when viewing threads on the forum.

I really wasn't trying to start an argument. I'm just speaking from my own experience trying to find new threads on the site and not wanting to look in each and every forum category in order to find them (or is there another way to find them that I don't know about?). You say it's easy to do, but I personally don't find it that easy, so I'm simply giving feedback as a forum user, and suggesting an alternative that would make it easier for everyone. I will not post anymore about this because I have said all I wanted to say about it.

 

[tree]

There is no argument going on.

So, if threads in the Autism Spectrum News, Events, and Research area
require their own maintenance, by the same reasoning separate
maintenance should be required for each Forum area.

I don't see the merit to having a separate area.
New threads are displayed in the order in which they are posted.

 

[dragoncat16]

OK, I'm posting one last time, just because I don't think you understand what I am suggesting. I am not saying that I am suggesting the formation of a new area with its own maintenance or anything like that. I don't know how you got that impression.

All I am suggesting is that the new threads started in the News, Events, and Research area get their own little box at the right side of the pages, which is separate from the "New Threads" list. It has absolutely nothing to do with maintenance. The way the news articles are displayed was just another suggestion, but I withdraw that one just for clarity.

You have said three times now that new threads are displayed in the order that they are posted, as if I have somehow demonstrated a lack of understanding of that concept. I know that is the case, and I am not disputing it. What I am saying is that I agree with Beguiling Orbit that the new threads are more difficult to find when there are also a bunch of news items that have also been posted within the last few hours, because they all appear in the same list. Separating regular threads from threads relating to news items (or even excluding news items from the "New Threads" list altogether) would alleviate that issue.

Please don't say again that new threads are displayed in the order they are posted. I'm pretty sure that everyone knows that already by now.

 

[tree]

I get the impression that a new area with its own maintenance is the result of
"own little box....separate from the "New Threads" list. " That's how I get
that impression.

I don't see that one new thread differs from another as far as being
eligible to be termed a New Thread and listed in the New Thread area.

Thank you for your input.

 

[Nightingale121]

I'm just speaking from my own experience trying to find new threads on the site and not wanting to look in each and every forum category in order to find them (or is there another way to find them that I don't know about?).

I know that this is not exactly what you were suggesting, but there might be a workaround to get an overview of new/recent threads.
You could go to the pages "New Posts" or "Trending Topics" and look for new threads there. You can navigate there from the top of the forum main page where it says "New Posts" and "Trending Topics".
Obviously, new posts don't equal new threads and so this page also shows new posts in old threads, but the recent new topics are displayed as well.
I'm not sure what defines a topic as "trending" here, but having a look at the first page of trending topics I see many new threads there as well.
Maybe this could help you to get an overview without visiting each subforum.

 

[Nitro]

Ok,look at it this way. If eleven new members all place an intro on the forum,one of them will get bumped because there are only ten spots available.
That doesn't sound very fair,but that's how it works.


According to your thoughts,that isn't fair to the first one who signed up that day,so there should be a different forum area devoted to introductions.
It doesn't solve your original request either,because it is based on a first in first out system.


With that thought in mind,no other prior threads would show up either,much the same as when news items are posted.

If that is the case,all forum areas should have their own dedicated new thread list,which would only serve to add more confusion to the mix.