Expand "Newest Posts" block?

[vigilant104]

The "Newest Posts" block on the main screen can hold the 5 most recent threads. This has been okay, but as the amount of activity on this board grows it is likely that some posts will only exist in that block for a brief time before getting pushed off by newer additions to other threads. With the sub-categories being fairly small, users will want a reliable way of seeing all the new posts. The "Newest Posts" block has been a handy way for users, who might visit once per day or less, to avoid missing something new that may be of interest to them, but as configured it might not be up to the task as posting activity increases.

- Should the block be expanded to hold more threads?
- Should users instead get used to using the "View New Posts" or "View Unread Posts" tabs to produce a view with a much longer list of new posts that they may not have seen? If so, it may be best to make these buttons more prominent and delete the "Newest Posts" block entirely (since it won't be complete and won't be much use unless a visitor is vising the board every few hours. If they depend on the "newest Posts" block as it is now, they'll miss a lot.)

[Sonex1517]

Mark

There is also a "View Unread Posts" link if this is not something Chris can modify. I use it to make sure a I don't miss out on any fun. :-)

Robbie

[Rynoth]

The "Newest Posts" block on the main screen can hold the 5 most recent threads.

I would love to have this expanded, as I log onto this forum to check for new messages several times a day. My primary means of navigating new posts is this "newest posts" block. If i find that more than 5 new posts are posted, I revert to "view unread posts" to see what I've missed. Having a way, even if it's a link to another page, to see the timeline of recent posts would be a great tool.

EDIT: (btw, edit is a nice tool that I missed on the Yahoo forums) I think that somehow having an accessible page that shows an unlimited list of recent posts (in other words, a single navigation page that ignored topics and just shows latest posts anywhere on the site) would be a nice, helpful addition to the site that will also help integrate those used to the Yahoo format.

[chris]

I like the "view active topics" link.

The link is just to the right in the image Robbie Posted above.


Look at the bottom of the page. You can choose to display active posts from the last day, week, etc.

[vigilant104]

I like the "view active topics" link.

The link is just to the right in the image Robbie Posted above. Look at the bottom of the page. You can choose to display posts from the last day, week, etc.

Thanks. If I bookmark (in my browser) the page that shows up when I hit the "view active topics" tab, will I then automatically go directly to a refreshed view of that page? (Subsequent edit: Yep, it works just like that!) That, (or "view unread messages") will be the most convenient way for me to keep up and not miss anything I care about. Some people will like entering the specific sub-groups instead.

Sorry--another question: Is there a legend or cheat-sheet for the icons beside the messages? What is the difference between red and blue, what does the star mean, what about the moving text, etc. I can guess, or maybe it says it somewhere and I'm not bright enough to find it. It wouldn't take up much room on a margin . . . (I'll find the key as soon as I post this.)