Added "Similar Threads" features ...Feedback appreciated

ECO · 02-18-2012, 07:55 AM

Hey all...as you may have noticed, as the site grows we are seeing more duplicate posts due to people not searching as much as they should.

I just added two features which should help with this:

1. When posting a new thread, after entering the title, the site will present a box of similar threads and encourage the user to read those first before posting.

2. When viewing a thread, it will now automatically display a "Similar threads" box at the top of the thread. This will aid finding similar topics while just doing research.

Thanks to all that have given feedback on this issue in the past, please don't hesitate to let me know (PM or email admin@) if something is not working correctly or you see room for improvement.

krobison · 02-22-2012, 08:32 AM

It's a great idea, but could you have it go below instead of above the thread I am reading?

flxlex · 02-22-2012, 10:39 PM

Sometimes, the 'similar threads' listed are relevant, sometimes they are very off. For example, trying to start a new thread with the title 'nanopore' does not list the latest threads that appeared during AGBT. 'Genome in a day' results in a few 'Gday' threads from the introductions forum. But '454 flx+' yielded very relevant threads again...

ECO · 02-23-2012, 09:01 PM

@krob, I intentionally moved it to the top...the default position is at the bottom of the thread. In vBulletin circles (ha!) the consensus is that it increases exposure of old threads. If enough folk agree I can definitely move it back to the bottom.

@flx, I know, one limitation is the "degree of similarity" and disallowed keywords (obviously we don't want similarity determined on "base" or "sequence"). I'm still messing with settings. The more feedback the better.

Thanks guys.

GenoMax · 02-27-2012, 05:06 AM

Does the "similar threads" feature only looking at the keywords or is it considering the title and/or content of posts?

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02-18-2012, 07:55 AM	#1
ECO --Site Admin-- Location: SF Bay Area, CA, USA Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 1,358	Added "Similar Threads" features ...Feedback appreciated Hey all...as you may have noticed, as the site grows we are seeing more duplicate posts due to people not searching as much as they should. I just added two features which should help with this: 1. When posting a new thread, after entering the title, the site will present a box of similar threads and encourage the user to read those first before posting. 2. When viewing a thread, it will now automatically display a "Similar threads" box at the top of the thread. This will aid finding similar topics while just doing research. Thanks to all that have given feedback on this issue in the past, please don't hesitate to let me know (PM or email admin@) if something is not working correctly or you see room for improvement.

02-22-2012, 08:32 AM	#2
krobison Senior Member Location: Boston area Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 747	It's a great idea, but could you have it go below instead of above the thread I am reading?

02-22-2012, 10:39 PM	#3
flxlex Moderator Location: Oslo, Norway Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 415	Sometimes, the 'similar threads' listed are relevant, sometimes they are very off. For example, trying to start a new thread with the title 'nanopore' does not list the latest threads that appeared during AGBT. 'Genome in a day' results in a few 'Gday' threads from the introductions forum. But '454 flx+' yielded very relevant threads again...

02-23-2012, 09:01 PM	#4
ECO --Site Admin-- Location: SF Bay Area, CA, USA Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 1,358	@krob, I intentionally moved it to the top...the default position is at the bottom of the thread. In vBulletin circles (ha!) the consensus is that it increases exposure of old threads. If enough folk agree I can definitely move it back to the bottom. @flx, I know, one limitation is the "degree of similarity" and disallowed keywords (obviously we don't want similarity determined on "base" or "sequence"). I'm still messing with settings. The more feedback the better. Thanks guys.

02-27-2012, 05:06 AM	#5
GenoMax Senior Member Location: East Coast USA Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 7,091	Does the "similar threads" feature only looking at the keywords or is it considering the title and/or content of posts?