What is this ‘You might also like’ clutter?

[PalatineHill]

Hi MNHQ. Please just take it out. Or let me opt out of it? It looks a mess.

If here’s something that I might also like to read, I’ll find it by using the search function.
These suggestions are just encouraging the posting of the same points on multiple similar threads, and that will discourage healthy normal thread death.

It’s really distracting to look at visually, I really liked the uncluttered ‘clean’ MN format compared to other forums.

I was very concerned by the parent looking for help at the end of her rope today being faced with a list on her thread that went:
Am I a bad parent?
Am I terrible?
Am I a bad mum?
That isn't annoying, that's really bad. It's against everything I thought MN was actually for. Not In The Spirit to put it mildly.

God yes.

Suggestions don't even make sense. This is on the True Blood thread, which has nothing to do with blood tests, and yet...

Yes I didn’t mean that in a literal sense 😆

But that's literally what you said.

I may have already posted on this thread, can't remember, but Mumsnet, please reinstate the Go To Top feature and get rid of this pointless and harmful new 'feature'. It was so refreshing to be somewhere where algorithms weren't trying to show 'more of the same', albeit in a very clumsy way. This can be very damaging to some posters depending on topic, and the fact that it's leading to recurring zombie threads, some on very sensitive threads, is a massive pain too.

"Back to top" is on the desktop site.

How's this for irony? 😅
It's made my week.

www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4602942-zombie-threads?reply=121687172

I have been reading a thread about the evictions on IACGMOOH and many people’s discomfort about the two black women being the first two evictions.

In the the ‘Similar threads’ box is a link to a Housekeeping thread about washing a black and white tracksuit, and getting the white bits whiter.

This is the state of the algorithm.

But it's shit, designed for people who aren't members, doesn't work properly, bumps old threads, has increased zombie threads, rendering active and trending a bit pointless, it suggests irrelevant threads and has been insensitive by suggesting inappropriate and offensive threads....

That's why people are complaining.

aLOLgorithm.

another aLOLgorithm bingo.... A thread about probate, suggesting codicils...

And Mum friends LOL.

Because the thread title is "calling Mumblechum" 😂

Agreed. There have been plenty of changes on MN over the years that I don't like. The voting feature on AIBU being one of them. But I can see they're useful for other users, and I have the option to turn it off.

This new feature isn't even helping those MNHQ claim it was put in place to help. New users aren't going to stick around because of a few suggested threads that have nothing in common with the original post, or are outdated and irrelevant.

Indeed it might even send them away because why would you "trust" a site that recommends a thread about "baked beans are gross" because you asked/looked up "what's the difference between net pay and gross pay"

You may minimise the importance of internet/system user experience (for which there's a science behind it), but MNHQ would do well to take it a lot more seriously than they have done.

Reputation is hard won and easily lost and their brand image is being constantly eroded by this gaff.

The fact they resolutely dig their heels in and stubbornly refuse to listen to actual end users willing to take time out of their day to give unremunerated feedback on how negatively this feature is playing out on the site and how it can negatively affect their core members, shows how out of touch they have become.

I think what it’s doing for me is really making me realise that after ten years I am probably done with Mumsnet as a frequent thing. Seeing all the identical threads on such mundane stuff has been a real wake up call for the fact that MN is a habit that I’m getting less and less out of.

I’m sure I’ll still stick my head in on special occasions but I think I’ve said most of the things I need to say and, more important, read most of the things I want to. Similar threads has helped me see this.

That is so true @CorporateBull. I’ve been on here for about 15 years. Seeing all the repetitive threads does make you realise how much time you waste reading the same stuff over and over. I have thought that before but this really brings it home. I have a few regular threads I’m on and I think I’ll just stick to them now and avoid Active.

MORE RESURRECTED THREADS THIS MORNING

Many MN posters over many years have started their threads based on the practice at the time. Even if we didn't post in "Chat" or "30 days only" our threads would go out of date and die down after a while and they were not very likely to be resurrected - and if people do resurrect an old post they are usually told to start a new thread of their own. People can quietly dig about but publicly re-exposing old threads isn't the usual MN practice.

So MN could reasonably run the recommender over new posts from now on, now we all know it exists, and maybe with options to remove our own posts or threads we started from it. It's unethical to deliberately dredge up old posts and highlight them again without first asking the originators if they would prefer their old posts to be removed or hidden or excluded from this new process. There's a question of consent here not just what's officially within the terms of service but also what posters thought we were agreeing to when we posted over all these years.

More bewilderingly dissimilar ‘similar’ threads this morning if you you are on The Royal Family board (which is fairly niche, let’s face it) reading about the Kerry Kennedy statement about the Sussexes winning her award.

You will be directed to ‘Jack Monroe off Twitter’, and a thread in FWR about Lia Thomas the male swimmer who says he’s a girl/woman now.

What’s the connection? Is it simply, ooooh controversy?

It does make you think about the purpose and value of MN now, as pp have said.

yes, they could change the algorithm to say exclude any thread that is <60 days than the OP for example.

If the new feature is to help random people who find MN though a Google search then there's no need for it to be in place for those users who are logged in, as it doesn't improve their experience.

@YetAnotherBeckyMumsnet But that also means they don't know it's there and how their posts are being recycled.

There's a big consent issue here. The recommender may not technically violate the original T&Cs but MN also has customs and people who posted under the old set of customs may not feel they have agreed to have their posts resurrected.

Ah come on @MNHQ this is getting very old literally

This one on mediums - I mean, wtf?!

I posted on a thread about Christmas and I opened another thread with a Christmas theme. Both threads were last posted on back in 2021 and NEITHER of these threads had any indicator that they are ZOMBIE threads if they were to be bumped up in 2022.

MN is self sabotaging their own site.

This is the second thread (I didn't post on this one) but if you open it and scroll down to the "Add your message here" box, you will not see any reference to it being a zombie:
www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4672910-to-think-future-christmases-are-going-to-be-a-nightmare

I love how people think I don’t understand the issue 🤣 Of course I do, it’s irritating. But it’s a few additional links on the bottom of every page which might be insensitive / intrusive to a small percentage of people, but realistically have no impact on most people.

We see this pretty regularly - do you remember the uproar of font changes / colour changes / AS changes / replatforming etc etc. Users say they don’t like it, MNHQ thank us for our feedback and make a few small amends or do nothing then life goes on.

if MNHQ choose not to listen to users then it’s their own brand they’re harming and we can all find somewhere else to go. But realistically we will gripe about this for a bit then find something else to gripe about and forget about this