# Cool stuff in Discourse - Basics, tips, tricks, your favorite features **URL:** \ **Category:** Site Feedback\ **Created:** [March 7, 2021, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-stuff-in-discourse-basics-tips-tricks-your-favorite-features/937378 "2021-03-07T05:50:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 3
**Author:** ![Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heffalump_and_roo/32/7691_2.png) [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2021, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-stuff-in-discourse-basics-tips-tricks-your-favorite-features/937378/3 "2021-03-15T06:57:37Z")
**Some info. on post counts.** If you want to know the post count number of a post, click the time stamp in the top right corner. It will tell you the post count number. You can also find the post count number by looking at the url when you link it. The post count number is the number at the end before your username. > [@Inaccurate post count on threads](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inaccurate-post-count-on-threads/937393/3): > > This isn’t correct; post numbering is absolute (from the top of the topic down), never relative. To learn the post number of any particular reply (replies start at post #2 for what I hope are obvious reasons wink ) click or tap the timestamp on the post at upper right. [[Imgur] ](https://imgur.com/ZyjTqxP) The URL itself will give you a hint about this, e.g. https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topic-title/937393/2 t/topic-title/937393/2 937393/2 The topic ID is 937393 and that … **On starting new topics.** Discourse gives several options to start new topics. One is just to click the + new topic icon at the top right of the board when you’re at the menu screen. Another is to click the arrow next to the person/thread you’re replying to in the editor box. > [@Cool feature for splitting off topics](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-feature-for-splitting-off-topics/933767): > > I was watching an interview with codinghorror about Discourse online. He mentioned a feature that sounded pretty neat that’s not readily obvious. When you reply to a poster, if you hit the arrow next to the icon on the top left, you get a few options. One is to write that person a private message, another is to simply reply as usual and the third is to split the topic into a new thread - reply as linked topic. When you click on that, it automatically starts the message with a link to the cur… Another option to start a new topic is to click the new topic button when you’re looking at the person’s post number by clicking on the time stamp in the top right corner of the post. [For the mods.] **Slow mode and timed closure.** Slow mode stops sequential posting over a certain number in contentious threads. Timed closure allows the mod to close the thread for a specified time and open at another specified time. > [@Why close the Chivalry thread?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-close-the-chivalry-thread/937401/31): > > One thing the mods can maybe play with in this area is “Slow Mode”, designed for contentious topics. When activated, “Slow Mode” limits the number of sequential replies any given poster can make. To activate it, mods can use the wrench action at the topic level: [[Imgur] ](https://imgur.com/0IQi8Ah) Then decide what the time limit is, and the duration of Slow Mode snail → [[Imgur] ](https://imgur.com/3jtPaT8) It’s a tool in the toolkit, and we think it works very we… --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-stuff-in-discourse-basics-tips-tricks-your-favorite-features/937378)._