# "Blurbs" under stickies in ATMB **URL:** \ **Category:** Site Feedback\ **Created:** [March 10, 2021, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blurbs-under-stickies-in-atmb/937591 "2021-03-10T07:08:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2021, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blurbs-under-stickies-in-atmb/937591/1 "2021-03-10T07:08:25Z")
Would it be possible, after a reasonable period of time, to remove the text explaining what’s in the stickies in ATMB? A: They take up a huge amount of screen space. 1: It’s tempting, but not wise, to unpin them . . . as I’ve learned. B: New posters should be encouraged to actually read the rules, not just a synopsis of them. C: I’m hoping the new ~~rule(s)~~ guidelines on transgender issues will be rolled into a/the singular rules thread . . . and I’d also like a pony. Hey, my first, and almost certainly only, thread! ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2021, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blurbs-under-stickies-in-atmb/937591/2 "2021-03-10T15:03:29Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > Would it be possible, after a reasonable period of time, to remove the text explaining what’s in the stickies in ATMB? I’m not sure what text you mean. At least in the theme I use, all I see is the thread title and below it the forum name. Could you copy and past the text you are talking about? > [@](#): > > C: I’m hoping the new ~~rule(s)~~ guidelines on transgender issues will be rolled into a/the singular rules thread . . . and I’d also like a pony. I assume they will, though I don’t know when. ---
**Author:** ![DemonTree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/demontree/32/8646_2.png) [@DemonTree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DemonTree)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2021, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blurbs-under-stickies-in-atmb/937591/3 "2021-03-10T21:39:11Z")
They only appear in mobile view. You probably already know, but if you open the hamburger menu at the top right there’s an option to switch to mobile view. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2021, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blurbs-under-stickies-in-atmb/937591/4 "2021-03-10T22:01:45Z")
Thanks. I wasn’t aware of that. It appears that what the OP is seeing is not a “blurb” but the first few lines of the OP. It should be obvious that it’s not going to be possible to remove this. I doubt there is any way to hide it either. ---
**Author:** ![DemonTree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/demontree/32/8646_2.png) [@DemonTree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DemonTree)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2021, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blurbs-under-stickies-in-atmb/937591/5 "2021-03-10T22:06:43Z")
Then the only thing that would help would be pruning and/or combining them into fewer threads. They do take up an excessive amount of space, especially on mobile. ---
**Author:** ![codinghorror](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/codinghorror/32/4242_2.png) [@codinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/codinghorror)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2021, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blurbs-under-stickies-in-atmb/937591/6 "2021-03-10T23:22:27Z")
I urge the moderators here to take a hard look at the current pinned topics, as there are wayyy too many of them: The relevant search directive is `in:pinned` – like so: [https://boards.straightdope.com/search?q=in%3Apinned](https://boards.straightdope.com/search?q=in%3Apinned) Pinned topics in a category, in this case “The BBQ Pit”: [https://boards.straightdope.com/search?q=in%3Apinned%20%23the-bbq-pit%20](https://boards.straightdope.com/search?q=in%3Apinned%20%23the-bbq-pit%20) > 📣 In Discourse by default when you read to the bottom of a pinned topic, that topic _automatically_ becomes unpinned (for you). Logic being, you read it, you’re good, you don’t need to see that very same text _you already read_ every single time you visit that category for the rest of time. That option has been disabled here for… reasons. So you’ll need to visit these topics, scroll to the bottom, then manually use the button at the bottom of the topic to change them from Pinned to Unpinned (for you). [![Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/TQWeavX.png "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/TQWeavX) At least it’s an option! In older forum software, users are forced to look at that pinned topic forever, which I personally view as a kind of cruel and unusual punishment. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2021, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blurbs-under-stickies-in-atmb/937591/7 "2021-03-11T10:24:34Z")
Given the replies, it appears that this might be a ‘’‘feature’‘’ of the _Straight Dope Light_ theme for pinned threads. (And I’m betting there nothing that the mods can do about it anyway.) > [@codinghorror](#): > > {…} In older forum software, users are forced to look at that pinned topic forever, which I personally view as a kind of cruel and unusual punishment. Given you feel that way maybe you could explain why the software (at least in the theme I’m using) forces you to look at the first three-plus sentences unless you unpin the thread? I can certainly imagine some board that wants to have their rules thread always visible to all users, I can see some board forcing you to see the first three sentences until you actually scroll through the thread and pretend you’ve read the rules, but this… ---
**Author:** ![codinghorror](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/codinghorror/32/4242_2.png) [@codinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/codinghorror)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2021, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blurbs-under-stickies-in-atmb/937591/8 "2021-03-11T19:41:07Z")
Well, in _this_ software - you have the option to manually unpin a pinned topic (for you) - by default, when you read a pinned topic to completion, it automatically unpins (for you). That’s not enabled here, but see the previous point. The spirit of the thing is “it’s annoying to see the same text repeated on my screen every day” which I heartily agree with. Scroll to the bottom of the topic and press the “Unpin” button as illustrated in the screenshot above 👆 ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2021, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blurbs-under-stickies-in-atmb/937591/9 "2021-03-14T16:16:11Z")
I had initially unpinned those threads. Then i couldn’t find them. My memory is imperfect. I wanted to know what the rules actually said… As you may imagine, I was frustrated when i went hunting for them, and yes, when i finally found them I re-pinned them for me. I would discourage anyone from unpinning the rules, honestly. Because those are topics you want to be able to find. I agree that what i actually want is to just see a single line with the name of the rules topic, and no more. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2021, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blurbs-under-stickies-in-atmb/937591/10 "2021-03-14T16:18:05Z")
Maybe a compromise would be to hard-pin them in ATMB, so they don’t clutter all the other categories? Can topics be hard-pinned, to force users to see that they are there? ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2021, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blurbs-under-stickies-in-atmb/937591/11 "2021-03-15T03:36:04Z")
We could copy/link to the rules in the Terms of Service or FAQ. ~Max ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2021, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blurbs-under-stickies-in-atmb/937591/12 "2021-03-15T04:02:44Z")
That’s a really good idea. And i don’t think it would be hard to execute. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2021, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blurbs-under-stickies-in-atmb/937591/13 "2021-03-15T04:17:54Z")
In the past, we have consolidates pinned threads by making a single pinned thread which linked to the others. That was an okay solution. But, given how much of this is cruft that has built up over years, I think it would be better and actually figure out if all of it is necessary, and cut it down. Then put all the text in a single thread, with the first post being a table of contents with links to individual posts (like how @GreysonCarlisle set up his [guide to everything Discourse](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-all-here-now-what-basic-tutorial/911081)). I do think you need one rule thread per forum, seeing as different forums have different rules. However, many of those forums could just show the differences and link back to the main rule thread for the rest. (And forums like P&E which share rules with GD can link to the rules there, and only cover what makes P&E different.) On a side note: I also think that thread I linked above should be pinned separately in ATMB. I haven’t found a thread in all of Discourse that covers everything it does. Not even the threads I’ve found @codinghorror’s Discourse Meta have such an extensive guide to how the markup works here. ---
**Author:** ![codinghorror](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/codinghorror/32/4242_2.png) [@codinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/codinghorror)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2021, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blurbs-under-stickies-in-atmb/937591/14 "2021-03-15T23:49:32Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I would discourage anyone from unpinning the rules, honestly. Because those are topics you want to be able to find. If you’re looking for pinned topics after you unpinned them, search for `in:pinned` – within a category, like so: `in:pinned #site-feedback` Also, for the mods, if you made REALLY important change to a pinned topic and want to force it back on to everyone’s pinned list to make _sure_ everyone saw it… - un-pin the topic - re-pin the topic this will force it back into everyone’s pinned list. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2021, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blurbs-under-stickies-in-atmb/937591/15 "2021-03-16T00:02:44Z")
Yeah, but, why isn’t _just seeing a single line with the name of the rules topic, pinned, and no more_ an option? ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2021, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blurbs-under-stickies-in-atmb/937591/16 "2021-03-16T03:31:00Z")
> [@codinghorror](#): > > If you’re looking for pinned topics after you unpinned them, search for `in:pinned` – within a category, like so: > > `in:pinned #site-feedback` I think it’s unlikely that a random poster, wondering what the rules in a forum are, would guess that that particular string would be helpful in finding it. They might have some luck searching for something more obvious, like “rules”. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2021, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blurbs-under-stickies-in-atmb/937591/17 "2021-03-16T03:31:58Z")
> [@Max\_S](#): > > We could copy/link to the rules in the Terms of Service or FAQ. > > ~Max But this might be enough to make them findable by a random poster. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2021, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blurbs-under-stickies-in-atmb/937591/18 "2021-03-16T06:18:59Z")
Possible workaround: making post #1 empty and putting content in post #2 ~Max ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2021, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blurbs-under-stickies-in-atmb/937591/19 "2021-03-16T06:22:12Z")
Is it possible for a site theme to hide preview text elements for pinned topics? ~Max ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2021, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blurbs-under-stickies-in-atmb/937591/20 "2021-03-16T15:09:47Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > But, given how much of this is cruft that has built up over years, I think it would be better and actually figure out if all of it is necessary, and cut it down. Then put all the text in a single thread, Actually, **Bone** did this consolidation for ATMB back in 2018. Three of the pinned topics are the result of issues caused by the change to Discourse. This is only a problem in a few forms, mainly ATMB and MPSIMS. Most forums have two stickies, one about the forum itself, and one on the rules. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blurbs-under-stickies-in-atmb/937591.md?page=2)