Tom,
Is there any way to allow viewers to choose to view posts sorted by most recent reply, instead of the time they were started? I've noticed redundant posts, which happens I think because anything older than a few days gets lost on page 2 or beyond and never viewed again (unless discovered by a search). Sometimes I'd like to make a response to an older thread, but it's not worth the effort because if it's not on page 1 it'll probably never be seen.

I tried that early on. This board gets far too much traffic for it to work. A topic would keep coming up for days on end with dozens and dozens of replies, while new topics and questions were buried with no reponses in a matter of a couple hours. Then you'd finally get rid of well thrashed topic, somebody would reply with something like "I agree" and it would come back to the top to bump out all the newer and fresher topics. There are pros and cons to both viewing methods, but I'm going to keep things as they are now. This format seems to work best. Thanks.

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I see that on other forums almost daily. Someone will reply with "bump" or "ttt" (to the top) as their entire message because they want the original post to stay current. Sometimes such a post can have 7 - 8 replies, all saying nothing but "ttt" or "bump", with no content except the original content. Thanks, Tom K. Ralph

If at first you don't succeed, go fishing, then try, try again.

In general, to help follow Message Threads, it may help if you visit RBO ~ every 12 hours, if convenient. It seems like the first 2 hours of a Post's life really sets the tone for the level of interest and the quality of the responses. Usually, within 24 hours, a Post just sort of dies a natural death, because just about every useful aspect of the subject has been addressed.

To help follow Threads to which you have not Posted or Repleid, try using the tab-feature "MARK ALL MESSAGES READ", found at the bottom of the MESSAGE LIST Page. The next time you LOG-ON, the Message List should display the word NEW in bright red letters next to those Posts that have had new Replies made since your last log-on. At least, that is the way I think it works. You may need to be a REGISTERED AND LOGGED-IN User in order to have this Feature operational, I think. Nowadays, I always just operate from the LOGGED-IN mode, so I forget what it's like to visit from the logged-OUT status. The RBO Forum Features seem to be fewer when NOT logged-in.

The "SWITCH TO TREE VIEW" for the Message List will tell you the name of the Replier before you open the Thread. Within a short while, if you pay attention, you can get a sense of a particular Author's style, and how you would weigh their input, for your own purposes.

Practical solutions to pending rod-building questions is the mainstay of RBO: "How do I do it? What's the best to use for that? Where can I get it?" In & out. Done. Next ! ... If you want more, walk upstream and you'll find the source. P.S - I must add that the breadth and depth of specific knowledge of the fellows and resources here at RBO can truly be astounding, and is well worth the effort of discovery.

And one of the more useful features, EDIT POST, is definitely not available to you unless you are LOGGED-IN. ... Also, when making a REPLY, you can select the "SEND REPLIES TO THIS THREAD TO ME VIA E-MAIL", and that really simplifies things, IMO. ... 'Hope that helps, -Cliff Hall, Gainesville, FL-USA+++



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/20/2005 01:16PM by Cliff Hall.

If there is a thread that you want to keep track of just click on "Follow This Thread" and this will put it in your "MY Control Center", then all you have to do when you return to the site is open your " MY Control Center" and click on "Followed Threads" and there it will be.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/20/2005 04:40PM by Bob Crook.

Bob - Hey, thanks for that very useful advice. There it was right in front of my face, all this time, and I never noticed. Oh, is THAT what that's for. That's what it says, doesn't it: FOLLOW THIS THREAD. (Hello, ... -Duhh-!!!) Thanks for the head's up. Look at that - learn something new every day about RBO. Much obliged, Bob. Sincerely, -Cliff Hall+++