"Similar Threads" at the bottom of a thread - leading to resurrection of zombies/near-zombies

[WhereYouLeftIt]

I noticed this first on the "I'm On" page, threads appearing in the list that I don't recognise the title of. Click on it, yes I posted on it six months ago, as did every other poster - except for a handful of the most recent posts who are posting as if it's a current thread.

I can but assume these posters, seeing these "Similar Threads" click on them thinking that they are active, when in fact they petered out months ago.

It's quite frustrating.

Could there at least be a limit on how far back these threads will be? Maybe a week or two?

Or a 'date started' displayed with the thread title to alert posters to the fact that this isn't a current thread?

Or maybe just - drop them?

Hi @WhereYouLeftIt - thanks for raising this. There have been several other threads discussing this in the past week or two, the main one being this - What is this 'You might also like' clutter?- which Justine has posted on.

We've made a few changes to this feature by now (changing the wording from 'You might also like' to 'Similar threads' being one of them). Here's what we've said on the thread, but please take a look at our other posts on that thread for more information:

The following changes have now been made and released:

• only threads created within the last 30 days will appear in Trending

• there are two new settings in Talk Settings - one to remove the Similar Threads box and a second to prevent threads more than 30 days old from appearing in Active.

We'll continue to monitor results and usage and improve things as we go along.

www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4596371-mum-on-the-train?page=6

This one resurrected [with a one word useless post] today from August, presumably from the similar threads box. As an fyi.

I agree. It's unnecessary. It's a huge site with plenty of content and most threads have moved on and finished long before 30 days.

They then reappear in Threads I'm On, reactivated usually by a completely pointless haven't RTFT post, rapidly followed by other equally pointless haven't RTFT posts. It's a waste of everyone's time. Just site clutter.

I've now hidden the Similar Threads box via Talk Settings, so thanks for that @JoMumsnet , but I'm guessing that won't stop them reappearing in Threads I'm On.

@ItsRainingCatsAndDogsAgain

I have the "similar threads" thing hidden and I have stopped seeing any zombies in my "active" (excellent - thanks for the tweak MN!), but I can confirm that if you have posted on a thread in the past they will pop up on your "I'm watching/I'm on" if someone makes a new post.

I am constantly surprised by how many people will open a post that has hundreds of replies and not even bother to read any of those replies, or even use "see all" to check if the poster has updated the situation.

Don’t see the harm personally. I was looking at a recent thread about slow cookers and got similar thread suggestions with slow cooker recipes. Didn’t matter that the threads were old, were still useful in that situation.

Thanks @Itwasntevenblackpudding

I know. I think posting before reading all the OP's posts via See All should be a red card offence with a short suspension, and three strikes and you're out! only half joking

Just to say I think this feature is really helpful and useful. I like it!

You could have done what we've always done and Advance Search 'slow cooker' or whatever you need, @Curfewgull1 , and without the new site clutter and zombie threads issue.

We've just had a huge problem with trolls reactivating zombie threads and it now seems that MNHQ have thought, 'oh, ok, what a good idea' or 'if we can't beat 'em, we may as well join 'em'!

You have no control over this if you use the app.

@ItsRainingCatsAndDogsAgain And I could even have done what I always do and just google it! Just saying, for that type of general interest topic the similar items were helpful in that scenario.

More zombies this morning and the recommendations at the bottom of threads I've seen with them make me wonder what possible query a random visitor might have that they would be useful.

@C8H10N4O2

You can opt out of seeing the suggestions in your settings.

You can also click an option which stops zombie threads appearing in your active feed (I think it stops anything started more than three months ago).

That does mean that you won't see if an OP has come back and given an update, but let's be honest that doesn't happen very often, and if you have "watched" the thread then you will see any updates in your "I'm watching" feed.

Yep, another thread turning up in my "I'm On" list, last post dated 31/08/22 until reanimated this morning!

I have opted out of seeing Similar Threads, but unless everyone did so we're going to have these Walking Dead threads lumbering into our path.

For the love of any and all gods, @JoMumsnet - you said "We'll continue to monitor results and usage and improve things as we go along" - you've got an email address for each and every one of us, how about directly asking everyone if they want this experiment to continue?? I've never been this irritated by MN before.

It is a pity that changes are not opt in rather than opt out.

I just clicked on "share" out of curiousity.

The most prominent options are the usual FB/Twitter/Outlook/Gmail but there is also LinkedIn?? I don't use LinkedIn but I can't see anyone wanting to share a MN thread on it. Bearing in mind that a lot of the legal/employment threads can be pretty sensitive, it seems crazy to have an easy option to share posts on there with minimal clicks. (Yes, I do realise that it is possible to do it anyway by just copying and pasting the thread URL anyway - but do people really do that?)

Maybe we could have one-click link to the Daily Mail "journalists" too? Save them having to search for juicy stories!

It was not me I as thinking of really.

If, as was stated in one of the threads on this subject, half the visitors are non members arriving through external searches then they have no context, no experience of the site and will not realise is that unlike most sites threads are not closed after a period of time. If they sign up to comment then I'm not surprised that so many zombies are being resurrected.

To be honest, where I'm still seeing these "suggestions" they are so bad it reads as if there is very little contextual analysis going on to find relevant threads and more of a word match.

That is before you get on to the appropriateness in some cases eg if someone is seeking information on DV or loss, being presented with multiple threads with that in the title rather than eg you may find "topic X" helpful seems poor taste.

@MNHQ I really do detest these "similar threads". Too many people are posting on very old threads as if they were today's. It makes for a frustrating and boring evening. Signing off now, might as well watch TV instead.

FFS. A new record, a thread from 2009! Thirteen YEARS old!

( www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/830209-Is-having-5-cats-in-a-council-house-anti-social )

@MNHQ
Please for the love of humanity get rid of similar threads. I'm sick of clicking on threads that are out of date but resurrected by someone who doesn't read the date.

@JaneJeffer

There is now an option in your settings to hide anything older than 30 days from appearing in your active feed. Really cuts down on the Zombies!

Not on the app @Itwasntevenblackpudding and they still appear in TOI if you've ever posted on them

Ooops - sorry. I don't use the app!