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Forum Business How Useful Is Our Forum's "Topic"?

Problems, Questions, Suggestions

Steve Freides

Staff
Senior Certified Instructor Emeritus
Elite Certified Instructor
One is required to select a "topic" when you create a new thread here at the moment, however it's possible for me to make this optional, or to get rid of it altogether.

How useful do you find our forum's "topic"? You can use it to filter what you're looking at but I'm wondering how many people actually do? Do you find it useful to see the "topic" before you click on a thread to view it?

I could make a poll but I thought we'd just talk it over instead. At the risk of stating the obvious, making it optional would be the next logical step should we decide to do that.

Thanks in advance for your replies.

-S-
 
I can't say I pay much attention to what the "topic" is when I click on a thread, I just go off the title. I do see the topic, it just doesn't influence me. I've never sorted by topic.

I would be happy to see it become optional. Then I could "tag" a thread I started if it clearly fit a category, but I also didn't have to figure out where it fell if it didn't really fit well somewhere. And for those that find it more useful they still have that option for sorting/searching.
 
I don't use it. I do find it a bit of a hinderance because I often have a gazillion tabs open on my browser, and to read the latest posts I open a bunch at one time, and I can't ever see what a thread is by what is shown because the beginning of the topic is all that's visible:

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I haven't paid much attention to the topics ever since we got the "mega feed" (all the topics in one feed).
 
I like the topic because I look for posts on deadlift in particular and KBs generally but there are a wide variety of posts (which is good) but I don't have much time to go through the list if I have not been on the site for a week or two. Making it optional would be good. I could look for barbell specific first and then go back to the mixed thread to see if there is anything on breathing, programming or whatever that might interest me. There was also the over 50 topic, which gets lost in the general thread.
 
First I thought it is great to have this feature to follow my interest areas but then never used it.
 
First I thought it is great to have this feature to follow my interest areas but then never used it.
I thought the earlier structure, with separate forums, worked well enough but the current structure seems to be working out as well or better. The title/subject line seems to clarify things well enough and I think topic is, for the most part, superfluous. That said, the thing I don't know, and can't really know, is whether those who don't participate but only read our forum, which is a larger group than those who do participate, make use of Topics or not.

We'll try it as optional for a while and see how it goes. My thought is the same as yours - seemed like a good idea but turns out not to be needed.

We also have the option of Tags, which almost no one uses, either - another optional feature here and also on our blog/articles.

-S-
 
I don't use it at all, just keep reading the topics i'm interested in without paying attention where should be located or tagged.
 
I thought the earlier structure, with separate forums, worked well enough but the current structure seems to be working out as well or better. The title/subject line seems to clarify things well enough and I think topic is, for the most part, superfluous. That said, the thing I don't know, and can't really know, is whether those who don't participate but only read our forum, which is a larger group than those who do participate, make use of Topics or not.

We'll try it as optional for a while and see how it goes. My thought is the same as yours - seemed like a good idea but turns out not to be needed.

We also have the option of Tags, which almost no one uses, either - another optional feature here and also on our blog/articles.

-S-
Just personal feedback to be helpful. One example (me) does not mean anything however when I was not a member and just reading, I was not using either. Just saying. I don’t know why?
 
Just personal feedback to be helpful. One example (me) does not mean anything however when I was not a member and just reading, I was not using either. Just saying. I don’t know why?
I haven’t ever used the topics either. Before or after participating
 
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I think it should either be always on or completely off to be honest.

If I want to just look at KB posts for example, I’d filter by kettlebell, but then I’d have to have a look through all posts anyways to see if there’s any untagged I missed and then next time onwards I would likely not use the filter again.

Same for any other filters too.

Personally I don’t think there’s so many topics that splitting them up is required though. Or if there was then a simpler “Training” or “Off topic” and maybe a couple other topics would suffice.
 
it's useful to me for research purposes.

I do use it to search for barbell-specific threads and get a condensed view of the threads.

I think that, it may be useful to posterity to be able to subdivide the content in that fashion.
 
I recall a bit of backlash against it when it was introduced I think?
I give it minimal attention.
I have it the same way.
When introduced i hate it. But after some time it works fine, but dont use much.
 
I have a split up feeling about it. On one hand, it helps when I need to find a certain post that I would see (mostly in Barbell subcategory). Also it helps when answering/replying question. For example if someone has a question about minimalist program, I would reply with SnS/ROP if is in Kettlebell, PTTP if is in Barbell, etc...On the other hand, sometime I feel that it limit the discussion
 
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