Recent Topics to be more refined

[Neikos 968]

I don't believe that the Welcoming Plaza is meant to be a place where extensive discussion should take place and thus shouldn't have the same weight as another more legitimate thread and so shouldn't be in the 'recent topics' as it... well isn't a topic of discussion.

 

I think the same thing applies to the Cloudsdale Colosseum ( Unless that is already the case, altough iirc it is there )

 

And if it could exclude locked threads that would also be great.

 

 

Why do I ask for a discussion of that feature?

I think it's a major point of discovery for potential like 'I want to interact with the community now' so having 3/5 threads there not being relevant kind of cuts short it's usefulness.

[duidamasterXD 9,627]

I don't really have an opinion regarding Cloudsdale threads, but for me it helps to see Welcoming topics in that section. I haven't always been as active in the Welcoming Plaza as I would have preferred, and seeing threads featured in this way often is a healthy reminder to stop in and greet new members. Perhaps others might be doing the same? Even if it isn't much of a discussion generally, I do think that these threads should be given weight, as a warm welcome can mean the difference between someone who stays for a week and someone who becomes a long term contributor. 

Edited March 1, 2013 by DashForever

[NavelColt 22,880]

I don't really have an opinion regarding Cloudsdale threads, but for me it helps to see Welcoming topics in that section. I haven't always been as active in the Welcoming Plaza as I would have preferred, and seeing threads featured in this way often is a healthy reminder to stop in and greet new members. Perhaps others might be doing the same? Even if it isn't much of a discussion generally, I do think that these threads should be given weight, as a warm welcome can mean the difference between someone who stays for a week and someone who becomes a long term contributor. 

 

Welcoming Members is a -big- deal, when it comes to new member statistics; I can't count how many times I've said that the more greetings any given person gets, statistically, they're more likely to become regulars than if they get no to minimal replies. I really don't see the point at all in removing the Welcoming Plaza from the Recently Posted Topics list, it would simply be going against what the staff attempt to do in utilizing the increased use of the WP section.

 

As for Cloudsdale...I'm not as hard against it, but I still don't generally believe we need to be opting out sections just on the thesis that 'they're not "discussions". No, they're not, but they're still a vastly popular part of the forum, and I can already hear the outcries against the idea that people can no longer find new chillax topics from the Forum Lounge popping up in the Recently Posted Topics box.

 

If the issue is length, and Welcoming Plaza and Cloudsdale topics 'taking up space of legit discussions', then let's simply increase the Recently Posted Topic box to be higher than five topics, or have a button on the box or something that allows you to go see even more recently posted topics instantly. Don't think restriction, think creative implementation :3

 

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As far as locked topics not showing up on the box goes, that's actually fairly interesting. I'd like to hear one of the Tech Admins give input on that, because that I do believe is something worth looking into, or at the very least, talking about a bit and throwing opinions around.

[Key Gear 6,663]

Well, I actually like both Cloudsdale and Welcome Plaza topics appearing in the recent topics box. I really should post more in both places… Or, rather, post more in general. 

 

With that said, one of the things that I've been chewing on is a much more powerful recent topics block that is configurable and pulls from the "hot topics" feature as well. It could be a remarkably nice thing to select the areas that you are interested in and, on the front page, see the newest topics and the topics that are currently the most active. With this idea, the block would actually be in the footer of the site, and it would be similar to the "enhanced site footers" that you see on sites like deviantArt. 

 

The idea behind an enhanced site footer is to do more with the bottom of the page than just a legal notification and the usual links. Instead, it's made into a full-blown part of the site experience, bringing user specific content directly to the folks that want to see it. Rather than tweaking what we have now, it may be more worthwhile to look into developing this new enhancement as a replacement or supplement for the current system.

[Jokuc 8,173]

I acually like that I can see new topics in places such as Welcoming Plaza and Cloudsdale Colosseum since I like to welcome new members but easily forgets about it. It's as DashForever says, the feature that makes it possible to do this works as a little reminder and it informs me whenever new ponies post in those sections.

 

I would like an option to remove whichever new topics that are posted in a certain section from the "Recent Topics" list. For example, I never visit Commissions or any section in the Roleplay World. Therefore it would be great with an option to remove topics which comes from those sections off my "Recent Topics" so I can see a few more new topics from other sections I visit more.

 

Now this isn't something that needs to be done. I barely even care about it. Though if you are going to change the system of recent topics, you have my opinions.

Edited March 3, 2013 by Jokuc

[Zygen 6,066]

I'm actually totally fine with seeing both of them in the recently discussed box. I mean welcoming members is important, and sometimes maybe theres a new forum game that I feel like playing because idk maybe I'm bored .

 

So I'm fine with it, I mean I normally just look at the recently discussed and the topics I've recently posted in, along with checking into the actual forums and subforums to see stuff I missed.

 

Maybe at best I'd be ok with an option to toggle it, but I'm fine with it and don't find it necessary to totally remove really.