# "Your topic is similar to..." **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 23, 2020, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-topic-is-similar-to/912582 "2020-06-23T23:59:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2020, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-topic-is-similar-to/912582/1 "2020-06-23T23:59:42Z")
My thread title was going to be: **How many 2021 calendars have you gotten so far?** And then I noticed the blue box to the right of my OP. That box said “Your topic is similar to…” **Have you ever gotten a “universal remote” to work? for how many devices?** **What albums have gotten 5 mics in The Source?** **How in the blue fuck has Neil Young gotten as far as he has?** **Latest you’ve gotten presents** **Any reason why these two should not have gotten it on?** For some very, _very_ stretched values of ‘similar.’ 😕 ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2020, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-topic-is-similar-to/912582/2 "2020-06-24T00:06:12Z")
And now that I went ahead and posted my originally intended OP, I’m told it’s similar to: **How many dead so far in Iraq?** That may be the most useless bell or whistle I’ve ever seen in any online space. 😄 ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2020, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-topic-is-similar-to/912582/3 "2020-06-24T00:06:41Z")
Interesting. I assume it’s a feature designed to cut down on multiple threads on the same topic (so Mods don’t have to go around merging threads). But… yeah. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2020, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-topic-is-similar-to/912582/4 "2020-06-24T02:04:50Z")
A.I. on these petty websites still has a long way to go. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2020, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-topic-is-similar-to/912582/5 "2020-06-24T02:28:16Z")
Maybe they haven’t created a “Copycat” badge. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2020, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-topic-is-similar-to/912582/6 "2020-06-24T07:31:50Z")
Just a few minutes ago I started a new thread titled “How do I delete notifications?” and Disco-Nanny-Bot said: Your topic is similar to… Do MRI-manufacturers make a large profit on MRI machines? ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2020, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-topic-is-similar-to/912582/7 "2020-06-24T12:16:27Z")
At least this could be fodder for a new “sequential threads”-type thread! “Goofy suggestions from Discourse of similar thread titles.” ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2020, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-topic-is-similar-to/912582/8 "2020-06-24T12:20:39Z")
Many thumbs up! (Don’t want to use too many emojis) ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2020, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-topic-is-similar-to/912582/9 "2020-06-24T13:41:43Z")
IIRC Discourse was originally meant for use as tech support forums, so that “feature” is probably to help a poster see if their question/problem has already been addressed elsewhere. not really applicable to general message boards. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2020, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-topic-is-similar-to/912582/10 "2020-06-24T13:44:01Z")
Interesting!