Has the Related topics system changed? {Yes}

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1

For the past week or so, the suggestions at the bottom of a thread have been more in line with the current thread I’m reading, irrespective of how long ago that thread was last posted in.

For example, my suggestions at the end of the 2024 Death Pool thread are for death pools stretching back the last few years instead of other threads I’ve participated in in that forum.

Likewise, if I click on the “Donald Trump and the lead up to the 2024 election” thread in P & E, rather than show current threads that I’ve participated in, or current threads that might tangentially be related, the options are Trump threads dating back to 2016.

Did the tagging system change, or is this something that I did by accident and don’t know how to undo?

2

That is not the tagging system but the Related and Suggested system.

It did change recently in one of the updates, even more so for mobile where you can choose between Related or Suggest. Never mind, this disappeared again.

I’m going to fix the title.

ETA: Found the Suggested vs. Related feature.
If you have any new or unread thread these buttons appear above where it says: There is 1 new topic remaining, or browse other topics in Site Feedback

It seems like the 2 buttons should always be there, so maybe this is a Work in Progress (WIP) improvement.

3

I don’t follow.

4

Which part?

5

Is there any way to undo that? I’d like to see other threads I’ve participated in, not ones going back to 2020 with no activity in the last few years.

6

Any of it, really. If you need specifics, I am unable to parse this:

And then for this:

I do not see that or know where to look for it. And then finally:

I do not understand what the “it” is that should always be there.

7

I’m not seeing any changes. I still see the same suggestions at the bottom of a thread that direct me toward my subscribed threads that have unread posts. But I do see a tab at the top of the list of threads:

Suggested | Related

If I click Related I see what you describe, but for me it defaults to Suggested, which is what you are asking for it to be.

I’m on mobile. My SDMB activity is almost exclusively on mobile.

8

Got it, I fixed my post.
I really shouldn’t post such things in a hurry. That was miserable.

But at the bottom of the thread, below the Tracking button, is where you would see Related Topics. If you have any unread or new topics, it now shows the Suggested and Related buttons.

9

Here’s what I see on mobile:

I wouldn’t so much call those buttons as tabs. Also, I did finally find that “There is 1 new topic remaining, or browse other topics in Site Feedback” text after the list of threads at the bottom, but I’ve never seen any buttons down there.

10

I can’t see Suggested anymore. It only says Related Topics.

11

May be specific to a theme, browser, or platform, since I see both on Straight Dope Dark theme on Firefox mobile on an Android phone.

12

It’s back. I think. But now there’s only two links when before there were five listed. Clearly somebody is fudging around with it.

13

The “Related” tab is AI generated* via the Discourse AI plugin: Discourse AI - Related topics - Site Management - Discourse Meta

The “Suggested” tab, on the other hand, is a separate Discourse feature. But it only shows unread threads (for any given user).

If you read all the suggested ones, only the Related ones remain. Otherwise, you might see both side-by-side.

(Don’t ask me how that makes sense, lol, or why we need both, or how their recommendations are different…)

*Side note: Apparently that’s just what the “sparkle” icon has come to mean? See How the sparkles emoji took over AI - Fast Company Middle East | The future of tech, business and innovation. and Rise of the AI Sparkle Icon. I guess “killer robot with red glowing eye” fell out of vogue…

14

I’ve actually quite enjoyed the opportunity to get in the way-back machine and peruse threads from ten or twenty years ago. It’s interesting to see how the board has evolved over time (generally much for the better IMO).