Recently viewed posts January 2, 2008 4:38 PM Subscribe
feature request: I'd like to be able to see recently my viewed posts
Many times I'll go back and look through posts I've left open because I want to see the responses. Often times these are not things I would mark as favorite, and most times I won't look at them months from now. I just look through a few questions, then days later wonder how it turned out. It'd be handy to be able to click something that let me see all of the posts I've recently viewed. Whatcha think?
Many times I'll go back and look through posts I've left open because I want to see the responses. Often times these are not things I would mark as favorite, and most times I won't look at them months from now. I just look through a few questions, then days later wonder how it turned out. It'd be handy to be able to click something that let me see all of the posts I've recently viewed. Whatcha think?
I think it could be nice to have "add to recent activity" as an option in threads.
posted by sveskemus at 4:49 PM on January 2, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by sveskemus at 4:49 PM on January 2, 2008 [1 favorite]
This is what I use the comment RSS feeds for.
posted by roll truck roll at 4:51 PM on January 2, 2008
posted by roll truck roll at 4:51 PM on January 2, 2008
hmm, special-k, i see your point, and I'll have to try that and see how it works out. My first instinct would be that might work if it's just a few threads, and not several in mefi, several in ask.mefi, etc. I'm not sure.
roll truck roll - comment rss feeds show you all comments don't they? what if three weeks have gone by? I don't want to have to watch all the comments that pass through, I already spend enough time here watching all the posts that get, well, posted.
thanks for your thoughts
posted by striker at 4:59 PM on January 2, 2008
roll truck roll - comment rss feeds show you all comments don't they? what if three weeks have gone by? I don't want to have to watch all the comments that pass through, I already spend enough time here watching all the posts that get, well, posted.
thanks for your thoughts
posted by striker at 4:59 PM on January 2, 2008
You can always favorite something temporarily. It won't go on your permanent record. People do it all the time.
posted by Ufez Jones at 5:01 PM on January 2, 2008
posted by Ufez Jones at 5:01 PM on January 2, 2008
I think it could be nice to have "add to recent activity" as an option in threads.
This is an idea I had recently too, and it kind of makes sense as a counterpoint to the 'Remove from recent activity' link we got recently. There have been threads that I've wanted to watch, but that I had nothing I really wanted to say in. Just being able to add them to my Recent Activity would allow me to monitor them as long as I wanted (and anonymously), then un-watchlist them later.
At the end of the day, I guess using 'favorites' is probably a reasonable compromise without crufting up the UI any further...
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 5:14 PM on January 2, 2008
This is an idea I had recently too, and it kind of makes sense as a counterpoint to the 'Remove from recent activity' link we got recently. There have been threads that I've wanted to watch, but that I had nothing I really wanted to say in. Just being able to add them to my Recent Activity would allow me to monitor them as long as I wanted (and anonymously), then un-watchlist them later.
At the end of the day, I guess using 'favorites' is probably a reasonable compromise without crufting up the UI any further...
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 5:14 PM on January 2, 2008
This is why I make it a point to say something in every frikken thread I read...did you think it was because I had something useful to contribute?
posted by Deathalicious at 6:58 PM on January 2, 2008
posted by Deathalicious at 6:58 PM on January 2, 2008
Deathalicious, I don't think you need to worry about anyone laboring under that particular misapprehension.
posted by dersins at 7:26 PM on January 2, 2008
posted by dersins at 7:26 PM on January 2, 2008
I think it could be nice to have "add to recent activity" as an option in threads.
I've thought about asking for this too. I think it would be useful.
posted by PercussivePaul at 10:38 PM on January 2, 2008
I've thought about asking for this too. I think it would be useful.
posted by PercussivePaul at 10:38 PM on January 2, 2008
I'm a big fan of that idea too, actually. We talked about it when we were getting the "remove from activity" link built into the RA page; the main thing was that adding the remove link was a less complicated endeavor than adding a "add" link would be -- for one thing, it'd have an impact (however minor) on the thread-view UI of the site, instead of just the RA view (which is its own little power-user world).
I'd like to think we'll figure out something like that. I know Matt and pb were at least discussing doing something like this with favorites, based on some previous discussion, and that might be the compromise that'll actually stick.
posted by cortex (staff) at 7:20 AM on January 3, 2008
I'd like to think we'll figure out something like that. I know Matt and pb were at least discussing doing something like this with favorites, based on some previous discussion, and that might be the compromise that'll actually stick.
posted by cortex (staff) at 7:20 AM on January 3, 2008
Do you have to have an "add" feature? I'm thinking most people actually view a small enough number of the threads that if you just had a recent history of those posts actually opened and looked at, you'd be able to easily find something to look back at, without having to do anything. Plus, it might be a month later, and you're thinking "I just saw someone ask that question, where was that" and you could go look at recently viewed and it would be there, even though you didn't specifically mark it.
posted by striker at 8:07 AM on January 3, 2008
posted by striker at 8:07 AM on January 3, 2008
If specifically adding those things you want to come back to to a view somehow seems like overkill, I'd venture that you're actually looking at fewer threads than most readers who'd be looking for a feature like this.
This may or may not seem like a weird suggestion, but have you considered using your actual browser history for this? Pull it up and filter to *metafilter* results and have a quick browse? As a method for seeing every thread you've viewed on the site, that's actually a pretty solid bog-standard method, as much as browster history surfing might seem passe these days.
posted by cortex (staff) at 8:21 AM on January 3, 2008
This may or may not seem like a weird suggestion, but have you considered using your actual browser history for this? Pull it up and filter to *metafilter* results and have a quick browse? As a method for seeing every thread you've viewed on the site, that's actually a pretty solid bog-standard method, as much as browster history surfing might seem passe these days.
posted by cortex (staff) at 8:21 AM on January 3, 2008
that makes sense. just offering inputs...
all about the weird suggestions. I'm often on a different computer, so I can't often do that. Perhaps some aspects of what I originally thought aren't so much globally applicable to everyone.
posted by striker at 9:04 AM on January 3, 2008
all about the weird suggestions. I'm often on a different computer, so I can't often do that. Perhaps some aspects of what I originally thought aren't so much globally applicable to everyone.
posted by striker at 9:04 AM on January 3, 2008
Yeah, I can dig it. And I have the disadvantage of being probably one of the heaviest users of the site—partly for administrative reasons, clearly, but also as a heavy reader in general—so for all the skepticism that I often bring to feature requests, it's useful to see how other people practically use the site, too.
posted by cortex (staff) at 10:33 AM on January 3, 2008
posted by cortex (staff) at 10:33 AM on January 3, 2008
I would use this, mainly for AskMe. I don't comment in every question, and use my favorites sparingly. So it would be nice to scan through questions I was interested in learning about to see if an answer came up later.
Favorites would work for this, of course, but its just not how I use them currently.
posted by shinynewnick at 1:12 PM on January 3, 2008
Favorites would work for this, of course, but its just not how I use them currently.
posted by shinynewnick at 1:12 PM on January 3, 2008
I think it could be nice to have "add to recent activity" as an option in threads.
Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease
posted by MetaMonkey at 3:32 AM on January 4, 2008
Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease
posted by MetaMonkey at 3:32 AM on January 4, 2008
You are not logged in, either login or create an account to post comments
Also since you are only interested in tracking a few threads, there is no way they will clutter your favorites.
posted by special-k at 4:45 PM on January 2, 2008