Threads in 'Trending' for several days - why?

[blacksax]

I was wondering if anyone, or indeed @MNHQ could answer this one. Some threads seem to go into the top handful of trending threads and then remain there for a considerable time, days even, although the number of people posting on them has dwindled considerably.

The reason I'm asking is because I started a trivial thread on Friday about finding some chocolate hidden in a cupboard. I thought it would maybe get a few replies (if any) and that would be that. I'm completely baffled as to why the thread has been in Trending ever since.

Why in the world is my little thread still there after two whole days?

I've seen other random threads stay in trending for ages too, for no apparent reason. Is there some sort of weird algorithm that picks these things up and decides?

Oh. Seems like no-one else is curious, just me then.

I think you’ve answered your own question there

Has she? I don’t understand.

I’ve noticed it too. I’m curious and I want an answer.

Stamps foot.

If I was to take a guess, maybe even though people aren’t posting, they could still be interacting. For example a lot of people in AIBU will vote but not post. Some people like / react to comments but not post. Probably even reading a thread means it’s ‘active’ so the more interactions it has, it ‘trends’

I was so curious I looked at the thread. A vague exciting thread title with a question in it. Nearly 300 replies, over 30 of which are from you. That’s why it’s trending.

I've been curious about my 'Active' and 'Trending' too lately: not much change and some threads just sitting there for days. Time was when the feedback seemed to refresh and show new content all the time. I can't believe that there really are so few users who post new threads?

Morning @blacksax.

The answer is a bit more complex than number of posts. Trending is based on overall interest and engagement rather than how many people are actively posting at that exact moment. A thread can attract a lot of attention early on and that can keep it appearing in Trending even once things quieten down.

It isn’t something moderators manually select, and it isn’t a reflection of a thread’s importance or anything like that; just how much interest it’s generated over a period of time.

So your chocolate thread hasn’t broken the site - it’s just one of those slightly unpredictable Mumsnet things!

Hope that answers your question!

Yes, but it was in trending for more than two days. There weren't all that many posts on the second day, and the majority of my posts were replies to people asking me a question. If it hadn't been in trending they wouldn't have even noticed the thread. It had dropped out of 'active'.
I wasn't posting spurious comments on it to keep it going. No way should there have been enough traffic on it to warrant being still in trending after all that time.

Which is why I've asked this question.

Thanks @HebeMumsnet

I've often wondered how come some threads stay in trending for ages, and now I know. 🙂