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.

Do many people really join those types of long support threads from Active? Maybe they do but it seems a bit odd to me

You know they're there because you see them in active. So you know they exist when you need them. And you know that that side of MN existed (past tense, because I do think there's a real risk it will be lost)

"Yes, from my personal pov, they very much do. They don't know they will be interested until it suddenly becomes personally relevant."

I agree with this. Threads might bob along for weeks with a sprinkling of comments here or there and then there is a flurry (nod to YBBK's great weather threads there 😁) of activity.

People will miss out on long running threads. I suppose it will also lead to similar/duplicate threads being posted.

But the changes to settings aren't going to be widely advertised. I don't know how many people outside of those following this thread will make it so the numbers of people seeing older threads in Active isn't likely to change much.

The bigger change is moving the similar threads bit below the reply box so fewer people will see it and bump zombies and those of us who really actively don't want to see old threads can hide them.

Can't see it will affect genuine long threads, as opposed to randomly revisited zombies that much.

Maybe no one will notice the changes isn't a great defence! If they aren't going to be used, then why have them? Also, we've been told that they will never, ever be in trending. That simply isn't fair to those who put so much work into their online community.

Maybe no one will notice the changes isn't a great defence! If they aren't going to be used, then why have them?
They will get used by people like me who are more irritated by old threads popping up than others are! The people who wouldn't have been drawn in to long threads generally anyway.

So for the fast majority of users Active will be the same and traffic driven to your threads from there, plus from people already invested in them makes it unlikely you'll see much difference I suspect.

MN are choosing to deliberately suppress long running threads, by not allowing them into trending as well as the option of opting out of them in active. That includes threads such as the cancer support thread. It doesn't seem to be in the spirit of the site as once was quoted a lot.

I doubt it's deliberate, OYBBK. More like unintended consequence. It applies to the several excellent and long-running series of threads on UK and USA politics and Ukraine War too.

This is a start, I guess...

I'd like an option to stop old/zombie threads being bumped by idiots and showing up at the top of my "I'm on" list, also.

I'd really like an option to return to the threads I'm on list to show only those I've been active on in the previous few days - as it was prior to the "upgrade".

I agree Bore, I was getting a bit wound up in responding to Dappled. Hopefully mn will put this right when they come back on shift in the morning.

I'm another who would love to have this option back again. I don't want to hide threads that are more than 30 days old. Some long running threads are interesting and develop over time. They're not the same as a zombie thread being bumped because of the new feature, and it's frustrating that MNHQ's only solution is to lump them all together. 😔

Also an update on the edit button would be appreciated. Surely it must be ready by now, even if just for premium members?

The more I think about it the more I'm puzzled about the 30 day rule. There are lots of long running threads, esp those in relationships talking about the lengthy divorce process and requiring a handhold. I tend to read threads via trending, active and "I'm on" and I doubt I'm the only one.

Surely this feature was only valid when we had the troll bumping up zombie threads and the sites own suggestion box? Remove both of those and the 30day rule is no longer needed...or am I not seeing something?

I don’t like the similar threads promotion and I don’t think that the new controls offered will solve all the problems that promoting ‘similar threads’ creates.

@JustineMumsnet @LilyMumsnet @YetAnotherBeckyMumsnet I was hoping that someone from MN would have come back onto the thread and looked at this today.

Another voice of support to OBBYK’s succinctly put point that some threads are long running but very current and new people pick up all the time because they are trending or in active. People don’t know what they don’t know and it seems like such a shame for people to remove them from active without knowing they are even there unwittingly. Please can we not make that change?

Wondering why mnhq aren’t responding re the promoted threads angle to the 30 day thread in active point? Such an easy fix without the unintended consequences. Or change promoted threads to only be those which are 30 days or fewer old if they simply must be there?

Here to add my voice in backing to OYBBK, the change to the long running threads definitely seems out of character of this site. I've been better informed than our local authority and able to protect my family because of it due to OYBBKs long running weather threads, seems like a big shame not to make these threads visible to the maximum numbers of site users so they can do the same.

Also HATE the 'you might like this' or whatever function but do keep trying new things MNHQ we appreciate the effort I promise 🚲

Gosh, another one here really concerned about @OhYouBadBadKitten 's excellent weather threads disappearing if MN HQ decide to hide old threads.

I know you have concerns about zombie threads, but, DH has MS and without her precise up to date warm weather warnings he would have been more ill than he was last summer.

Also, for years I have relied on her hard work keeping us up to date with severe weather and explaining things so beautifully. I live in a remote Yorkshire village and often bbc and met office warnings are not as accurate as her forecasts.

Bear this in mind when making your decisions.

Hello everyone - just to be absolutely clear - we haven’t taken threads older than 30 days out of Active - we’ve enabled individual users to apply this setting to their account.

So far only a very very small number of users have done this. We would definitely want long running support threads to be visible to as many people as possible - so we’ll keep an eye on this number, and the number of views these threads are getting, and if there’s a drop off, we’ll look at this again.

Thank you.

Probably because - like me - they didn’t know about this setting until now?

@YetAnotherBeckyMumsnet youve not addressed the issue of trending. We understand what you've done with active, we are saying that this could become a bad idea. I don't feel that you've listened to our concerns over this.

To add to my previous response, how will you keep an eye on the number of views those threads are getting @YetAnotherBeckyMumsnet ? Will this be added to someone's work load? The numbers would probably drift down slowly at first, until there is less traffic on the threads and then this would accelerate as engagement dropped off and the threads became less visible on active.

Also @YetAnotherBeckyMumsnet what data sets have you established as representing the number of views and number of posts on long-running threads?

What criteria did you use to identify long-running threads?

Hey Mumsnet, Is this the kind of thing that ends up in Classics now? I thought it had to be nominated and out there by @MNHQ.

Fucking hell...

Can you just start a thread in Classics? I had no idea.