# Qualitative difference in "Similar topics" **URL:** \ **Category:** Site Feedback\ **Created:** [January 21, 2025, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/qualitative-difference-in-similar-topics/1013228 "2025-01-21T21:08:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![GailForce](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/dfb087/32.png) [@GailForce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GailForce)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2025, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/qualitative-difference-in-similar-topics/1013228/1 "2025-01-21T21:08:32Z")
I’ve noticed that when posting a new topic, a popup appears on the right side of my screen listing previous threads under the heading “Your topic is similar to…” but after the new topic is posted, there appears a listing of related topics below mine that is often radically different from the pre-posting list, and usually radically better–more relevant, closer in focus, et cetera. Both lists are generated, presumably, using the same database so why would they be such different lists, and why would the second one be so much better than the first? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2025, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/qualitative-difference-in-similar-topics/1013228/2 "2025-01-21T21:17:26Z")
This is a feature of Discourse, so I moved it to #Site Feedback. Personally, I find it largely useless most of the time. ---
**Author:** ![GailForce](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/dfb087/32.png) [@GailForce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GailForce)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2025, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/qualitative-difference-in-similar-topics/1013228/3 "2025-01-21T21:25:27Z")
Thanks. Not entirely useless, because sometimes you get referred to an identical topic with loads of replies. The problem for me is that the list that appears after I’ve posted mine supplies an identical topic much more often. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2025, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/qualitative-difference-in-similar-topics/1013228/4 "2025-01-21T23:08:42Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Personally, I find it largely useless most of the time. It links by keywords and tags, so it can’t be expected to compare content but it often does reference older threads with similar topics. Whether this is valuable to you or not depends on how interested you are in what may have been discussed on an issue previously but I wouldn’t call it useless, and in general I find Discourse much easier to search than the previous iteration of board software even if I do get frustrated with some of its formatting issues. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2025, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/qualitative-difference-in-similar-topics/1013228/5 "2025-01-21T23:11:26Z")
The overall search is way better. I stand by the recommends are mostly useless. At least to me. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2025, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/qualitative-difference-in-similar-topics/1013228/6 "2025-01-22T01:14:20Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > I stand by the recommends are mostly useless. At least to me. They aren’t useful to me either. I can’t think of a time where a recommendation actually recommended something I was interested in. I just stick to new threads in categories I’m interested in. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2025, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/qualitative-difference-in-similar-topics/1013228/7 "2025-01-22T03:35:09Z")
Worse than useless. Always wrong and actively annoying. IMO ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2025, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/qualitative-difference-in-similar-topics/1013228/8 "2025-01-22T11:17:19Z")
I think the point is that there are 2 different lists of “related” topics … One which appears while you are creating your post (“your post is similar to”), and another which appears under your post (“Suggested” and “Related”) which you only see when you’ve posted it. The former is largely useless while the latter appears to be much more useful. The question is, why are they not the same ? (My guess would be that the first just uses the thread title while the second has access to the whole post.) ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2025, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/qualitative-difference-in-similar-topics/1013228/9 "2025-01-22T16:26:40Z")
> [@GailForce](#): > > Both lists are generated, presumably, using the same database so why would they be such different lists, and why would the second one be so much better than the first? They may use the same database, but the related topics list at the bottom is generated using AI. The “Your topic is similar to…” list is not. > [@What\_Exit](#): > > Personally, I find it largely useless most of the time. I also find it mostly useless. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2025, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/qualitative-difference-in-similar-topics/1013228/10 "2025-01-22T16:31:52Z")
One big difference is that the list at the bottom of a posted thread is heavily biased for recency. It’s also almost always threads in the same forum, and it also favors threads that you’ve posted in or viewed. But yeah, the one that pops up while you’re creating a thread is completely useless. Sometimes, the only link I can find between the threads is they both have “the” in the title, or something. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2025, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/qualitative-difference-in-similar-topics/1013228/11 "2025-01-23T01:32:14Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Sometimes, the only link I can find between the threads is they both have “the” in the title, or something. It’s almost like that nasty in-law that has to criticize anything you do, and sometimes really stretches things to do so.