weaselman
weaselman
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Joined: Jul 11, 2010
October 22nd, 2010 at 5:07:05 AM permalink
I think, I have noticed it happening before, but could not put my finger on it. But this time, I got proof:

For example, this this topic
https://wizardofvegas.com/forum/gambling/betting-systems/3147-how-do-you-find-the-probability-of-something-like-this/
can be accessed by the direct link, and has the last post from yesterday, but does not show up at all under "Betting Systems" (not on the first page at least).

Or take this one:
https://wizardofvegas.com/forum/gambling/betting-systems/2794-craps-strategy-investment-opportunity/
It is still listed on the front page as the last post in the "Betting Systems". But if you got inside the subforum, it is not listed.


Or this one:
https://wizardofvegas.com/forum/gambling/blackjack/3167-house-edge-and-basic-strategy-for-the-following-rules/
Supposed to show up in the Blackjack subforum. It does not.

This one:
https://wizardofvegas.com/forum/questions-and-answers/math/3152-non-negotiable-chips/
is gone from "Math"


This one:
https://wizardofvegas.com/forum/off-topic/off-topic/3156-a-small-matter-of-time/
not showing up in "Off-topic/off-topic"

etc. ...


Edit: And now this thread isn't showing up in Help either :)
"When two people always agree one of them is unnecessary"
Doc
Doc
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Joined: Feb 27, 2010
October 22nd, 2010 at 6:06:03 AM permalink
I only looked for a couple of the "missing" threads (first and last ones), but I found them right away, very close to the top of the list.

I have one guess at the possible problem for you: when you look at the sub-forum, do the thread titles appear in bold face? That means you haven't read them since the last post was made, and the ones you have read completely are sorted at the end of the list in non-bold type face, to make it easier to find un-read threads. It was part of the new features introduced a week or two ago.

For most of us, the easiest way to implement the new feature is to mark everything as read, start anew, and then just read what shows up with the title in bold face type. Try this thread for more info: https://wizardofvegas.com/forum/info/announcements/3063-forum-update
weaselman
weaselman
  • Threads: 20
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Joined: Jul 11, 2010
October 22nd, 2010 at 6:30:38 AM permalink
Quote: Doc



I have one guess at the possible problem for you: when you look at the sub-forum, do the thread titles appear in bold face? That means you haven't read them since the last post was made, and the ones you have read completely are sorted at the end of the list in non-bold type face, to make it easier to find un-read threads. It was part of the new features introduced a week or two ago.



Ah, that must be it.
I must say, this is very clever and original.
I have been using and admining different forums engines (and even writing parts of phpbb) for more than a decade, and never saw a ui concept like this :)
Can't it be configured to do something more conventional by any chance? Like show unread threads in bold font, but still in chronological order?
"When two people always agree one of them is unnecessary"
Doc
Doc
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October 22nd, 2010 at 6:56:13 AM permalink
Yes, it probably could be, but many of us find it more useful this way. If I have been away from the forum for a while, I return to find page 1 full of bold-face titles, meaning I haven't read the latest posts. I can choose any thread, read the latest posts, and (once I refresh the page) that thread drops down the list below the others that I have not yet read. I can select/read any of the bold titles, and the top of the list continues to be threads I am not yet up-to-date on. I think this is better than having an un-read post get lost somewhere down on page 3 while I think I have read everything.
weaselman
weaselman
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Joined: Jul 11, 2010
October 22nd, 2010 at 8:02:22 AM permalink
Quote: Doc

Yes, it probably could be, but many of us find it more useful this way. If I have been away from the forum for a while, I return to find page 1 full of bold-face titles, meaning I haven't read the latest posts. I can choose any thread, read the latest posts, and (once I refresh the page) that thread drops down the list below the others that I have not yet read. I can select/read any of the bold titles, and the top of the list continues to be threads I am not yet up-to-date on.
I think this is better than having an un-read post get lost somewhere down on page 3 while I think I have read everything.


The way this is usually achieved in other engines is by having an "unread topics" link on top of the subforum view.
I find the conventional approach better, because it gives the user more control of what he sees, because the view is more stable - I am used to expect seeing the same content when I visit the same page with a static url most of the time (with the exception of the new content being added every now and then), perhaps, because I have spent a lot of time doing SEO work, where it is an axiom, and also, because it seems to me that it makes more clear to the user what to expect, because his view is always sorted chronologically.

I guess, what I am saying is that I personally prefer filtering and ordering to be treated as two distinct concepts rather than being clumped into one.
"When two people always agree one of them is unnecessary"
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