Including new posts without comments in "Recent Comments"?

May 10, 2005 5:07 PM

Obviously features hardly ever get implemented, but here's an easy one: Including new posts without comments in the 'Recent Comments' sort view. This would resemble the sorting that is done on nearly all forum systems, and I think it would be goddamned nifty.
posted by angry modem to Feature Requests at 5:07 PM (27 comments total)

Here's a feature I'd like to see implemented across the userbase: not leading requests for goddamned nifty new features with a swipe at the guy who builds them.
posted by scarabic at 5:13 PM on May 10, 2005

It was hardly a swipe. People are busy and it's a well known fact that most feature requests for anything are unimplemented.
posted by angry modem at 5:23 PM on May 10, 2005

Obviously features hardly ever get implemented

Where have you been? Tags, "best answer", better search, the return of the sideblog, anonymous AskMe, better archives, and flagging have all been added in the last six months or so. Not to be totally contrary, but when I want to see what has recent comments, I guess I don't want to see posts with no comments, new or old, but I'm more used to this bloggish thing than the types of forums you describe.
posted by jessamyn at 5:28 PM on May 10, 2005

Well, I certainly didn't intend to make this a bickerfest about how often features are implemented, but looking at the number of features requested in Metatalk versus ones implemented is what I meant, and I felt was quite obvious.

I guess I don't want to see posts with no comments, new or old, but I'm more used to this bloggish thing than the types of forums you describe.

Also, a seperate view would be handy, in that case.
posted by angry modem at 5:35 PM on May 10, 2005

I certainly didn't intend to make this a bickerfest about how often features are implemented

Um, then why did you mention it?
posted by felix betachat at 5:44 PM on May 10, 2005

that's it i quit
posted by angry modem at 5:45 PM on May 10, 2005

Poor dead pony. Blindsided. Never saw it coming.
posted by Wolfdog at 5:45 PM on May 10, 2005

Poorly worded, but I actually like this idea. In a way, what he's looking for is "Recent Content", which I agree is a better implementation of the current feature.

Why not see new posts? What's so special about a comment as opposed to a shiny new post?
posted by mkultra at 5:53 PM on May 10, 2005

scarabic is actually a built-in feature known as 'automatic kneejerk buttsnorkel'. it kicks in whenever an unpleasant truth is uttered.
posted by quonsar at 7:13 PM on May 10, 2005

sorry angry modem, but metafilter wants a fight and you're up!
posted by puke & cry at 7:24 PM on May 10, 2005

I think Jessamyn has it over quonsar. There is no unpleasant truth about new features not being implemented. Lots of them have been recently. There are unpleasant truths about infrastructure problems, etc, but not features. Oh the site is featureful. When it's up.

Anyway, sorry for the derail, angrymodem, though you have now contributed to it by defending yourself every other comment. I'm not sure I grasp the gist of your feature suggestion. Why do most people use the "recent comments" view? I would guess: to see where the discussion activity is.

Since there is no activity in 0-comment threads, it doesn't seem they belong. Am I missing the point of your suggestion or the function of the "recent comments" view?
posted by scarabic at 7:56 PM on May 10, 2005

see?
posted by quonsar at 8:21 PM on May 10, 2005

come back, angry!
posted by amberglow at 8:38 PM on May 10, 2005

The point is to view the most recent content, not just discussion.
posted by angry modem at 8:39 PM on May 10, 2005

that's it i quit

no please don't go oh why oh why oh why what a world what kind of god would let this happen come back come back come back shane pick up the gun go on pick it up blam see i had to shoot him he drew a gun on me jack palance is scary but that van dyke parks song about him is good or was that julian cope believe it or not oh with no angry modem my center is gone i have no carrier i can't live this way oh god why come back oh god no why don't go angry modem i'm having your retarded baby come back and look in his eyes his eyes the color of the sea crimson and i held him to my breast all perfume and yes i said yes i will yes only on second thought no but yes but no come back come back baby come back jimmy dean mmmm sausage
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 8:39 PM on May 10, 2005

that's very Gertrude Stein, PST : >
posted by amberglow at 8:42 PM on May 10, 2005

But aren't the most recent posts already displayed in the default view (aka: "date")? What am I not getting? I think one of us set a cookie long ago and has forgotten about it.

quonsar: don't answer that, you scoundrel
amberglow: no it isn't, it's very Molly Bloom
posted by scarabic at 8:46 PM on May 10, 2005

I think you are not getting the idea is that the fresh threads without comments yet are in the same view as the freshest comments. It isn't very hard to grasp.
posted by angry modem at 8:51 PM on May 10, 2005

So, include the timestamp of the post along with the timestamps of the recent comments in the sort, right?

That does sound like a good idea...

(And I never even knew about the sort features until this thread, so thank you for that, too.)
posted by achmorrison at 9:24 PM on May 10, 2005

Um...don't fresh threads show up as new when you view the page on the default "date" setting? Because if they are very far down the date setting, they won't be very new. Whereas new comments can appear on old threads.

So, yes, what scarabic said.
posted by jb at 9:31 PM on May 10, 2005

The idea being "freshest anything?" as in "show me the newest comments and the newest posts?" The newest content of any type? Post or comment? Yeah, there's an idea there.

And it isn't very hard to express clearly.
posted by scarabic at 9:33 PM on May 10, 2005

Basically, he's saying that he views the page in a specific way (new comments first), and he wants this specific view changed to include new posts.
posted by graventy at 9:35 PM on May 10, 2005

Uh, yeah, I think I finally got him. Between the subtle attitude and sentences like "new posts without comments in the 'Recent Comments' sort view" it definitely took a minute.
posted by scarabic at 9:40 PM on May 10, 2005

JB,

A specific example might help. Imagine, if you will:

A) A post at 03:00, with no comments

B) A post at 02:00, with last comment at 02:00

C) A post at 01:00, with last comment at 02:30

D) A post at 00:30, with last comment at 02:45


As it is, if you sort by date, those appear in that order (ABCD).
If you sort by recent comments, it appears in order (DCBA (or perhaps just DCB))
If you sort by recent content, however, it appears in order (ADCB).

Obviously, with only four items, it's no big deal, but with 50 or 60, if you keep your front page sorted by "recent comments", new posts won't show up, and you have to switch back and forth between "Recent Comments" and "Date" in order to see all the new stuff on Mefi. With the proposed addition "Recent Content", you don't have to switch anything, as it will always put, in order, the newest stuff on Mefi.
posted by Bugbread at 3:36 AM on May 11, 2005

Thank you, bugbread.

IMO, the default should be ADCB.

The post is the comment! The worm is the spice!
posted by mkultra at 8:22 AM on May 11, 2005

I agree with angry modem (except about the frequency of features getting implemented)

Whenever I use "Recent Comments" I always find myself switching back to the default view to see if there are any new posts.
posted by vacapinta at 5:17 PM on May 11, 2005

wait, did we stop fighting about how frequently features get implemented? damn.
posted by shmegegge at 5:09 PM on May 12, 2005