Brian Ellis
26-May-2006, 10:14
I'm puzzled by the way responses to the thread "Processing Advice for Newbie" are displayed. At the top of the thread, where normally each response is briefly summarized by subject there are 7 responses shown, followed by the statement "more replies below current depth." Then on the first page there are 9 responses and no indication at the bottom that there are any more responses (i.e. no indication that there is a page 2). The only way to access the 2 or 3 responses on the second page, even if someone realizes they're there, is to go back to the top of the thread and click on the phrase "more replies below current depth."
I happened to notice this just because I asked a question that appears on the second page of the "Processing Advice for Newbie" thread and wanted to see if it had been answered. When I couldn't find my question I started looking around and figured out what I've described above, i.e. that it's there but only can be discovered if you realize what the phrase "more replies below current depth" means and then go back to the top of the thread and click on that phrase.
I don't know whether this system of displaying responses is unique to this thread for some reason or whether it happens with others. I quickly scanned a few other threads that had more than 10 or so responses and didn't see any others like this one. All the ones I saw seemed to list each response at the top of the thread and all showed page 2, 3, etc. at the bottom of the first page when there was more than one page of responses.
If this is not a unique situation and happens with any degree of frequency then I don't see why anyone would bother responding to anything once the first page is full. Obviously very few people will even be aware that there are additional responses if there's no indication of that at the bottom of the first page and even fewer will realize that they can access those undisclosed responses by going back to the top of the thread and clicking on "more relies below current depth."
Then of course there's always the possibility that I failed to notice something I should have noticed or should have done something I didn't do or did something I shouldn't have done etc. etc. that created this situation, in which case you can tell me about that and I'll slink away with my face covered in shame and embarassment, not to reappear until I've learned how to better handle this new system.
I happened to notice this just because I asked a question that appears on the second page of the "Processing Advice for Newbie" thread and wanted to see if it had been answered. When I couldn't find my question I started looking around and figured out what I've described above, i.e. that it's there but only can be discovered if you realize what the phrase "more replies below current depth" means and then go back to the top of the thread and click on that phrase.
I don't know whether this system of displaying responses is unique to this thread for some reason or whether it happens with others. I quickly scanned a few other threads that had more than 10 or so responses and didn't see any others like this one. All the ones I saw seemed to list each response at the top of the thread and all showed page 2, 3, etc. at the bottom of the first page when there was more than one page of responses.
If this is not a unique situation and happens with any degree of frequency then I don't see why anyone would bother responding to anything once the first page is full. Obviously very few people will even be aware that there are additional responses if there's no indication of that at the bottom of the first page and even fewer will realize that they can access those undisclosed responses by going back to the top of the thread and clicking on "more relies below current depth."
Then of course there's always the possibility that I failed to notice something I should have noticed or should have done something I didn't do or did something I shouldn't have done etc. etc. that created this situation, in which case you can tell me about that and I'll slink away with my face covered in shame and embarassment, not to reappear until I've learned how to better handle this new system.