Should MNHQ Keep the 'Similar Threads' feature?

[PiggyInTheLidl]

IMO this 'You might also like' feature revives Zombie threads, causes Active Convos to be cluttered up with threads that are no longer relevant (The wedding was 6 months ago, hopefully she found a frock!) and generally makes MN feel like a dentists waiting room full of out of date magazines.

YANBU - The feature should go
YABU - It enhances my use of MN no end, how did we ever manage without it?

There is now the option to hide similar threads and to not show anything older than 30 days in active.

Given that the threads I’m on can now be resurrected by an algorithm (relevant or not)forever more though, going forward I will probably now stick to 30 days only or the odd telly addicts where my posts don’t matter.

Yes, I think the ‘opt out’ features are ok, but:
Dont take account of the fact that new users arriving from Google will take ages to find them so will still blithely resurrect zombies…

Which leads to…

Notifications that old threads you are on will come in, which is a danger, as identified by a Pp, for those in abusive relationships.

This x 💯

Yes, I think the ‘opt out’ features are ok, but:
Dont take account of the fact that new users arriving from Google will take ages to find them so will still blithely resurrect zombies…

Would be better if it was an opt in feature.

That is more like it errol

It would be a very accurate representation of how wanted it really was by the 33,000 users wouldn’t it?

I think it would be an excellent gauge of how useful folk find it and how wanted it really is.

All new loginners could be given the option when registering.

Well, some good steps on the readers' side.

But there is still no "opt out" (or opt in) for contributors who didn't know that their long forgotten posts would be pushed at other readers months or even years after the fact.

And also a good way to manage "the right to be forgotten" for contributors from now on. Mitigation might be to offer a "30 days" option on all new posts or a "30 days after it all goes quiet" option on all new threads. Or a "keep out of the recommender" option, which could be ticked when you start a thread or post a message, or maybe retroactively if the person who started the thread or made the post has second thoughts?

Just quoting this again so it doesn’t get missed by @MNHQ @JustineMumsnet

I understand the perspectives, and points.
But using the search option you can already find a users posts and in the search results actually select which ones they started.

Yes but you have to know the users name.

Many poster change name very often to avoid being tracked by their partner / ex.