New posts box like new comments box? June 4, 2011 9:33 AM   Subscribe

Pony suggestion: "new posts" indicator on the main pages like the "new comments" indicator in-thread.

Just a suggestion, but I love the "new comments" box that we now have showing up in threads, and a similar feature for the main pages letting us know about new posts that had been added since we arrived would be cool (although it would have to appear at the top of the page and not the bottom). (Yes, of course I can click the "refresh button, but that's not as cool!)
posted by biscotti to Feature Requests at 9:33 AM (15 comments total) 2 users marked this as a favorite

Are you using a Greasemonkey script? We don't do this on the site.
posted by pb (staff) at 9:34 AM on June 4, 2011


I think people have asked for this, and it's been talked about, but it's really not something that's feasible, I don't think.
posted by koeselitz at 9:43 AM on June 4, 2011


Are you using a Greasemonkey script? We don't do this on the site.

What?
posted by andoatnp at 9:45 AM on June 4, 2011


F5 is way cooler than the Refresh button.
posted by box at 9:47 AM on June 4, 2011


pb has been doing a lot of time-travelling to implement features before people ask for them, so he's got his timelines mixed up again.
posted by Salvor Hardin at 9:48 AM on June 4, 2011 [3 favorites]


biscotti: "What about adding real-time updates to the front page?"

pb: "The wha...?"

biscotti: "Real-time updates."

pb: "I've never said anything about real-time updates..."

biscotti: o_0

pb: "Now, it seems the site will be taken down for maintenance within three days. Incidentally, this will kill all the real-time updates."
posted by Rhaomi at 10:14 AM on June 4, 2011


Wow, we're all stoned on acid here and that is so crazeeeeeeeeee..........
posted by y2karl at 10:25 AM on June 4, 2011


pb's time-traveling antics aside, I'm not sure how valuable this feature would be. It wouldn't help reduce site traffic as the front page is small, and wouldn't be that valuable for keeping up as new posts are made infrequently.

I'm sure pb is just testing a massive number of snappy rejoinders on us at the current-ish moment and will get back to us with the perfect one shortly
posted by Blasdelb at 10:32 AM on June 4, 2011


I usually avoid the "new comments" thing because it doesn't refresh the favorite counts on existing posts. Can that be fixed?
posted by DU at 10:40 AM on June 4, 2011


I'm guessing pb just misread something, but the time-travel theory is compelling as well.

In any case, we're not looking at doing this. I know we've discussed it in Metatalk at some point previously but I'm having a hell of a time finding the thread, but the short version is that the front page is so much more low-volume and the nature of new posts so different in character that we feel like the feature would make a lot less sense there and be a bit more disruptive as well.

Reloading the front page occasionally is a really solid standing solution for finding out if there's been a new post in the last hour, and an RSS based solution or following the twitter feeds for the various subsites is probably your best bet for a more real-time "push" approach to finding out about new posts.

I usually avoid the "new comments" thing because it doesn't refresh the favorite counts on existing posts. Can that be fixed?

We don't have any plans to, no; it'd add weight to what is intended to be a super lightweight stopgap on having to reload the whole thread just to find out there are new comments to read; if you need updated info on the state of comments already loaded, it's time to reach for that F5 button and take the bandwidth/load-time hit.
posted by cortex (staff) at 11:43 AM on June 4, 2011


Got it, thanks cortex.
posted by biscotti at 12:21 PM on June 4, 2011


I'd been saving these two links for the next pony request.
posted by idiopath at 2:12 PM on June 4, 2011


New fencePost Ponies
posted by Favorites Pony at 3:30 PM on June 4, 2011


I just got back from 2006, and boy are my reading comprehension skills off. Sorry about the confusion, I misread the request. And what cortex said.
posted by pb (staff) at 5:38 PM on June 4, 2011 [4 favorites]


It's almost getting to the point where we need this for the front page of MeTa.
posted by Sys Rq at 12:54 AM on June 5, 2011


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