When we post a response, the board puts us on the post we just made. We might have been responding to something 4 pages back and if we want to continue in thread order, we have to step back to it.
Is this inherent in vBulletin, or is there a setting that can be enabled that leaves us on the post we were responding to?
Try reading the whole thread first.
That’s just the way vBulletin works. The software automatically takes you to your post after it is submitted, which takes you to the last page of the thread.
If you are accessing the SDMB on a browser that supports tabs, you can open a new tab and create your reply. Then you’ll still have the thread in the original tab right where you left off.
That said, while it is not a requirement, it is generally a good idea to read a thread all the way through to the end before replying.
I always thought that was odd that replies were placed at the end my self but I can see why they keep it
I mean why do it facebook/you tube style when every response can be turned into a mini thread …
It’s rarely worth replying to a post 4 pages back. The conversation has moved past that point, someone has already said what you want to say, or if they haven’t then your reply is probably wrong, etc.
Exactly. For this reason, if I find a thread several pages long that I want to get into, I’ll start by reading the last post and then go backward from there until I get a good feel where the conversation is at.
Haven’t tried it (because I always use linear mode) but would using threaded mode or hybrid mode fix this? (Display Mode drop-down, upper right at the top of any thread.)
Those modes basically just feel like weird hacks. And since that’s not mode most people use, they distort the conversation.
What I sometimes do is write up a quick reply in a separate tab and then keep on reading to see if anyone has said what I wanted to say. And, yes, I’ll often go to the bottom of the thread to see if they’ve completely changed topics or not. More often than not, they haven’t, even if they are currently focusing on a different part. And even if they have, I may just really want to say it, and the only real downside is that people may skip my post. My post wasn’t as interesting to others as I thought. Oh well.
I think Darren Garrison has it right. Threaded mode should do what you want. I can’t say for sure because I’ve not tried it in a while.
This is almost exactly what the Multi Quote button is for. Click the MQ button, read the rest of the thread, and if your comment is still relevant, click the big blue “Reply” button at the end of the thread to respond - and you’ll be all caught up.
If I want to mark a post for response (but not bother if it turns out somebody ninja’d me), I do it in a separate tab, then continue reading. This permits me to determine whether my post is unique before I submit it.
I actually kinda hate reddit and all the other discussion places that have threaded replies. Sure it’s great for immediate, short form responses, but if the thread goes on for more than a day or 2, the discussion will have moved on, and cross referencing everything is a bitch.
Sure, if you just want to post memes that’s fine, but it’s really disruptive to an organised discussion where everyone should be expected to be on the latest page (literally and figuratively).
Reddit doesn’t have “the discussion,” because it’s far bigger than anything that could handle a single discussion. It has many side discussions in one place. That’s why it (by default) lets you know when someone has responded to you.
You’re not supposed to cross reference anything. That’s not how the discussion works. It is a reply based system. You reply to the people you want to talk to. They or others respond to you. What anyone has said outside that one comment thread is immaterial.
I find the strategy used here fine, but I like the Reddit strategy, too. And I really don’t think our strategy can possibly scale, while Reddit can handle many users having many different concurrent conversations about the same thing.
I can always find things to talk about on Reddit. Not so much here. I can get bored here. Plus the worst stuff gets downvoted and thus I don’t see it. Too bad it can have the most capricious mods who literally troll you when you try to talk to them about the ban.
This.
When I’m late to a long thread I’ll just read through the thread accumulating MQs. Then at the very end I’ll click [Reply] and either delete or respond to each MQ I’ve captured. Often I find that a couple pages later I can’t even remember what I’d intended to say to/about some of the MQs I’d captured. If it turns out I delete them all then I just cancel my reply.
Once in awhile I’ll find that my MQs naturally fall into a couple distinct categories. If so I create a second post tab and copy all the quoted contents of the first post tab into it. Then delete the dupes from one or the other reply to make my two distinct groups, add my comments, and post both of my posts.