Ability to have hyperlinks in thread titles?

LuckyLloyd · 07-09-2009 07:18PM #1

No idea if this is feasible or not, but hear me out.

In a couple of the forums I mod we have some very long threads. Given the nature of the threads, sometimes things can get a little out of hand leading me or one of my fellow moderators to issue an on - thread warning. Now, in a fast moving thread this can be three pages (using 40 posts per page) back within 24 hours. And as we all know, people have a tendency to simply read the last 40 - 80 posts before posting stuff - often meaning that a warning becomes obsolete.

Now, we have been adjusting thread titles so that they note the post number of a warning. So, in soccer it might be "Liverpool Discussion thread [Please note mod warning post #3658]". The problem is that the more a thread moves on, the more awkward it becomes for someone to find the post number and check the warning before posting. Yes, I know that one can find any post in a thread if they really want to, but as we all are aware - any extra effort is frequently too much effort for our users (and rightly so).

Sooo, if we were able to have a hyperlink to the post in question within the thread title it would mean that someone has one click to make before they post. Seems like it would be a huge help for any lengthy threads that can sometimes get a little heated. I prefer (and I assume every mod is with me on this) to use warnings / infractions / bans as means of last resort. And on thread notes can be effective - but only if they are read before people post.

Thanks for reading.

Gordon · 07-09-2009 07:22PM

How does that work when you click the thread title though? Which part is the link and which part is the link to the title? Or do you mean that the thread title isn't of the thread - but to the post that you have assigned as the dominant post?

Interesting thought making the title a mod-decided post within the thread as opposed to the actual thread though. I don't think it comes as standard on Vbulletin though, unless I'm wrong.

Giblet · 07-09-2009 07:24PM

Edit the first post and include the link there?

LuckyLloyd · 08-09-2009 01:01AM

Ah yeah Gordon, I see why a thread link and individual post hyperlink wouldn't work. So maybe if there was some way of redirecting the thread link so that when you click it it opens the thread on a pre - selected post?

So we have a warning on post 12456 in a 20k post thread, and set the thread link so that when you click to enter it, it automatically opens the thread on 12456, and the user needs to make another click to "last page" or "first unread"?

The Hitcher wrote: »

Edit the first post and include the link there?

Nah, doesn't work in huge threads because people will always click on either "last page" or "go to first unread" when they enter a thread with thousands of posts.

08-09-2009 03:13PM

Could you include a hyperlink in prefixes, such as the ones in this forum? For example, you could include a prefix on the thread in question, but have it as a hyperlink to the post with the most recent warning.

Gordon · 09-09-2009 05:31PM

Or another option (not sure if it's feasible either) is to have a sticky post which always stays at the top of the thread which could be the first post. I think other bulletin board systems have this option but not sure if vbulletin does. But that could be an easier way around it.

LuckyLloyd · 09-09-2009 08:18PM

Gordon wrote: »

Or another option (not sure if it's feasible either) is to have a sticky post which always stays at the top of the thread which could be the first post. I think other bulletin board systems have this option but not sure if vbulletin does. But that could be an easier way around it.

Yeah, that would work as it would mean that a user is forced to see it no matter how they click into the thread thus making the warning worthwhile.

09-09-2009 08:19PM

Here's a thought:

Can admins change the date and time of a post? If they can, couldn't you have a warning in a post, and set the time of that post some time into the future, that way, it'll always appear as the newest post in the thread. If you wanted to update the warning, you only have to edit the post.

Ability to have hyperlinks in thread titles?

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