# Poll: The thread hint. Useful or annoying. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 28, 2004, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-the-thread-hint-useful-or-annoying/236929 "2004-03-28T17:09:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-the-thread-hint-useful-or-annoying/236929/41 "2004-03-29T21:46:52Z")
> [@Servo](#): > > I like it. But it annoys me that the activation area is the whole subject cell. I wish it was smaller, like maybe just the envelope icon. I love it with the quoted material being my only complaint. I find myselft having to move the mouse pointer the the extreme left of my screen to prevent this. It’d be nice if it only popped up on hovering over the thread title. Other than that, it’s great. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-the-thread-hint-useful-or-annoying/236929/42 "2004-03-29T22:08:04Z")
Another vote for “love it.” I think the duration as it is now is just about right. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-the-thread-hint-useful-or-annoying/236929/43 "2004-03-29T22:19:26Z")
I love it, for all the reasons given – but esp. to prevent those “oh phooey, I read this already” clicks. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_Wright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Steve\_Wright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_Wright)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-the-thread-hint-useful-or-annoying/236929/44 "2004-03-29T22:22:19Z")
I find it helpful. And it sticks around long enough for me to read it, so that’s fine by me. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-the-thread-hint-useful-or-annoying/236929/45 "2004-03-29T22:47:10Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > Wait just one cotton-pickin’ minute! How come everyone else’s goes away too fast, but mine often stays up (ahem) even after I’ve opened the thread? :mad: > > I’m using Mozilla. Maybe it goes away quicker with IE? I certainly have never seen it linger, but it’s often too short. ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-the-thread-hint-useful-or-annoying/236929/46 "2004-03-29T23:23:44Z")
I like the thread hint myself… I think it’s purpose is somewhat defeated by use of descriptive thread titles but it’s nice to be able to see how a thread starts off. For example, I hate reading through the right vs. left mudslinging fests in GD but I like threads about politics. The preview usually lets me know if it’s a real discussion or just more “my candidate/party/belief is better than yours” tripe. So it’s a useful feature as far as I’m concerned and I find myself wishing other message boards that I like used it as well. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2004, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-the-thread-hint-useful-or-annoying/236929/47 "2004-03-30T00:54:44Z")
I really like this feature and would miss it terribly if it went away for some reason. I’ll agree with what **Servo** says, though: that it’s slightly annoying that the whole thread area is popup sensitive. I’ve had to adjust my mouse-wheeling technique so I stay way off to the left, in the narrow margin between the window’s edge and the envelope graphics on the forum page, in order to prevent text-box flashes when I don’t want them. I’m almost completely used to the adjustment, now, so that minor annoyance is fading away. Big thumbs up from me. I wish all boards had this behavior. I especially miss it when I’m at the TiVo Community board, which doesn’t suggest or enforce a policy of descriptive thread titles, so half of the discussions look the same from the listing. ---
**Author:** ![AngelicGemma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/439d5e/32.png) [@AngelicGemma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelicGemma)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2004, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-the-thread-hint-useful-or-annoying/236929/48 "2004-03-30T13:19:21Z")
I find it really helpful. But the fact that it doesn’t always work can be bit annoying. ---
**Author:** ![erislover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/71e660/32.png) [@erislover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erislover)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2004, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-the-thread-hint-useful-or-annoying/236929/49 "2004-03-30T13:31:58Z")
At work, where I use IE, it annoys the hell out of me. At home, where I use Opera, I like it immensely. It is a pop-up on IE, but at home it is only on the status bar. ---
**Author:** ![Mauvaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mauvaise/32/11084_2.png) [@Mauvaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mauvaise)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2004, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-the-thread-hint-useful-or-annoying/236929/50 "2004-03-30T14:53:42Z")
> [@Idlewild](#): > > I really like knowing whether I’m likely to be even slightly interested in a topic before clicking on an ambiguously named thread. I love it too, especially for the reason above. > [@Lobsang](#): > > Those that like it: Does it bug you how short the delay before it disappears is? Nope, but then I’m a very fast reader. ---
**Author:** ![Phedre\_no\_Delaunay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/839c29/32.png) [@Phedre\_no\_Delaunay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phedre_no_Delaunay)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2004, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-the-thread-hint-useful-or-annoying/236929/51 "2004-03-30T18:17:12Z")
I’m the opposite of the OP. At first I didn’t like it, but now I’ve grown to love it and I miss it when I am viewing other boards that don’t have this feature. I find it really helpful for all of the reasons that have already been said. ---
**Author:** ![ErinPuff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dbc845/32.png) [@ErinPuff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ErinPuff)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2004, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-the-thread-hint-useful-or-annoying/236929/52 "2004-03-30T22:40:23Z")
I love it, especially when the board’s running slow. Now, on other message boards, I find myself with the cursor poised over a thread title, waiting for the little box to appear, but it never does. Sigh. ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-the-thread-hint-useful-or-annoying/236929/53 "2004-03-31T07:42:46Z")
> [@Libertarian](#): > > I like it when it’s useful. I find it annoying when it’s not. A real definitive answer. 😃 [sup] **And they say Kerry flip-flops.** [/sup] ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-the-thread-hint-useful-or-annoying/236929/54 "2004-03-31T21:57:56Z")
I love it. I hate that it’s only one line on my Mac, though. On the PC at work it’s a big box. ---
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2004, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-the-thread-hint-useful-or-annoying/236929/55 "2004-04-01T13:01:28Z")
I like it, but without justification. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-the-thread-hint-useful-or-annoying/236929.md?page=2)