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'Mega-threads' are out of control. What can the TB do to fix it?
The point of FT is to be able to easily find information on frequency programs and get questions answered.
This core function is becoming difficult to the point of impossible due to the proliferation of mega-threads that have become as general as 'complaints about flight attendant service.' Come freaking on, I am supposed to dig through 15 50-post pages of such a thread to find out if there are one or two FAs on a certain aircraft type in FC? And that's just one example. Look around, the mega-threads are out of control.
Further, when questions are placed in mega-threads they often go unanswered. I'm not going to click on a 20 page thread to look at a general topic, even though I may have a specific answer to a specific question posed in a mega-thread rather than a stand-alone thread, where I would have clicked and provided input.
Some subjects certainly do call for mega-threads. But not NEARLY so many as exist in the major frequency program forums now.
Can the TB consider amending the TOS to limit the over-use of mega-threads?
They really are destroying the user experience on FT.
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Could you provide us with some examples?
There are some very good "mega-threads" where an index or indices have been created at or near the top of the forum, such as this one in the American Airlines forum:
There are similar threads in other forums, though not all "mega-threads" have an index. Are you suggestion a recommendation that all threads over length X have an index added? Or something else?
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You cannot uphold American ideology with un-American actions. It's time for Change.
Isn't there a mega-thread somewhere that this can be buried in? Say about 4728 posts down.
The last time I raised this issue, I was told that it was at the discretion of moderators and that discussion of moderator actions was verboten. Expect to see this discussion shut down pretty quickly as well - unless of course the TB members who are also moderators want to discuss it, in which case they can because they are doing so as moderators rather than TB members.
Hmm, perhaps there is something about two class of members after all?
All of these threads cover a WIDE range of topics under very general titles.
They make finding a specific piece of information intolerable.
Would an index help? Or splitting into smaller threads?
For example, in the Channel 9 thread, are all Channel 9 threads merged into this one or are there some Channel 9 threads that remain on their own and only "chatter" appears in this thread? What other information is lost/difficult to find as a result of the large thread size of this particular example?
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You cannot uphold American ideology with un-American actions. It's time for Change.
What other information is lost/difficult to find as a result of the large thread size of this particular example?
One of the biggest problems with mega-threads in a technical one. When threads are merged into a mega-thread, a ghost post is left to show that a thread has been merged. However, clicking on that post, takes you to the first page of the mega-thread, not to the merged post itself. So even if you are interested in the original post, you have to go search for it within the mega-thread.
Mega-threads also making searching difficult and less efficient, as original posts usually have more specific titles, that are then lost when they are merged.
Also mega-threads that span many months often have out-dated or incorrect information as programs change and evolve.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DeaconFlyer
One of the biggest problems with mega-threads in a technical one. When threads are merged into a mega-thread, a ghost post is left to show that a thread has been merged. However, clicking on that post, takes you to the first page of the mega-thread, not to the merged post itself. So even if you are interested in the original post, you have to go search for it within the mega-thread.
I can see where that would be frustrating. Perhaps a note to Suggestions/Technical Issues might get the IBB/FT development team interested in correcting that?
Quote:
Originally Posted by DeaconFlyer
Mega-threads also making searching difficult and less efficient, as original posts usually have more specific titles, that are then lost when they are merged.
Also mega-threads that span many months often have out-dated or incorrect information as programs change and evolve.
Those are good points, but an index/indices + thread maintenance could address such concerns, no?
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You cannot uphold American ideology with un-American actions. It's time for Change.
Those are good points, but an index/indices + thread maintenance could address such concerns, no?
I would oppose either as this would just increase the moderation of user content. I am fine with moderators editing posts to conform with the TOS, but not to change or correct content.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Spiff
Would an index help? Or splitting into smaller threads?
On some of these threads that cover multiple years, they really need to be split off into an entirely new thread. Does anyone really care who cleared UA upgrades in 2007? One of their master threads on upgrades starts with that year.
I'd much rather see a new thread at the start of each new year. If someone wants to go back and see who cleared upgrades back in 2007, does that really need to be on the front page of an airline forum? Would make more sense to have separate threads, which would not be as unwieldly, for 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and a new one in two weeks for 2011.
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Sorry but is the alternate to mega threads dozens of scattered threads on the same topic? Is that preferable to one mega thread? Not to me but that's MHO and quite obviously YMMV.
Also not all megathreads are created equal for example I use the UA paid upgrade thread a bit to gauge what paid upgrades will cost on certain routes so how hard is it to go to that thread and search within that thread using an airport code? If TB is regulating some mega threads and not others? Who decides which to change and which ones not to?
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Indeed - the UA forum has become a desert of megathreads. Although UA is the airline I fly the most, I find myself checking out other fora most of the time. In the UA forum, a lot of informative or interesting posts either get buried immediately or never get posted because many members don't even bother anymore. What will happen when this forum is merged with the CO forum doesn't even bear contemplating.
Wow - there are over 600 [merged] threads in the UA forum.
The Delta forum, only slightly smaller than the UA forum, has around 75 merged/consolidated threads.
That is quite telling. At least it is some quantitative data to help explain the sense I was getting that UA forum is becoming quite useless with all the merging going on.
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Does the Talk Board have any authority over this topic (megathreads)?
Recall that Talk Board issued a news article posting policy a number of years back, and when I pointed out that it wasn't being followed a year ago, was told the moderators have discretion to do whatever they want.
If you were to come up with some sort of policy on megathreads, would the moderators also have the discretion as to whether they follow that policy, too?
For those Talk Board members with access to the moderators forum, does the topic of megathreads ever come up over there?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tom911
For those Talk Board members with access to the moderators forum, does the topic of megathreads ever come up over there?
Not that I've seen.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DeaconFlyer
One of the biggest problems with mega-threads in a technical one. When threads are merged into a mega-thread, a ghost post is left to show that a thread has been merged. However, clicking on that post, takes you to the first page of the mega-thread, not to the merged post itself. So even if you are interested in the original post, you have to go search for it within the mega-thread.
This was recently [re]confirmed by Internet Brands as something not currently possible with the forum software. I am unsure if a future version will include this capability.
FWIW, I have mixed feelings about so-called "mega-threads." I can definitely see the point that it becomes harder to find and search for information buried in an extremely long thread, and it's unfair to expect someone new to the forum to read a 150-page (or even 25-page) thread to find an answer. They're definitely a bit overwhelming.
On the other hand, there are several benefits to keeping related discussion together:
It causes less turnover in the individual forum thread listings. That is, rather than 20 new threads being created in a couple of hours and pushing 20 older threads onto page 2, the same five or so threads just keep getting updated, making other threads stay visible on the front page of an active forum easier. (One reason I stopped going into the UA forum a couple of years ago is because it was just a constantly-churning mess of new threads popping up, which is--to me--more overwhelming than being able to ignore a relatively fewer number of megathreads on subjects that don't interest me.)
For those inclined to spend a lot of time reading and researching a given issue, it makes it easier to see related discussion and follow trains of thought in one cohesive place rather than having to find--and potentially miss--a new thread.
It actually makes it easier, in my experience, for those following a given issue to chime in and provide their expertise or viewpoints. Many people rely heavily on the "New Subscribed Threads" feature of MyFlyerTalk. If someone finds a thread interesting or has replied to it and someone posts a question in it, it'll show up there, making it more likely that someone will see it and post a response. A new thread can slip under the cracks much more easily. (An example for me is the "Consolidated ANC Meet-Up Thread. If someone posts they're coming to ANC in CommunityBuzz, I might miss it, but if they post in that thread, I'll respond within a couple of hours and we'll probably make a DO out of it.)
They are appropriate places to post small updates that really aren't quite deserving of their own dedicated thread but that are useful tidbits, especially when conjoined with other, related small useful tidbits. Two of the threads mentioned above--the "Consolidated 'UA Aircraft Sightings in Unexpected Locations'" thread and "The Consolidated 'Interesting Things Heard on Channel 9' Thread"--are perfect examples. Would we really want to see a new thread for every instance of a pilot asking for a game score over the radio or sighting of a UA 777 in ANC?
Now, all that said, I don't deal much with the other kinds of merged/consolidated mega-threads, and certainly none of the ones that I deal with in the Alaska Airlines forum are anywhere near the length of the ones posted above in the United forum, so my perspective shouldn't be taken as gospel. On the contrary, if it appears the vast majority of FlyerTalk members are displeased at current practices, it's the duty of TalkBoard to represent the membership to the administration of the forums.
