How Do You Navigate the Site?

Yes, true, sozobe, and therfore I voted for that.

Actually, however, I'm reading at first the email-updates, later "view topics with posts since your last visit" .

Ah, yes, email updates. Just added that option.

I have a link to the "Forum Index" right on my desktop. I immediately go to "View topics with posts since your last visit". I read all the newly created posts.

If for some reason, in the interim, I lose the page (I am getting MUCH better at not doing that) I will then go to "view posts from the last 24 hours," and will keep reading until something looks familiar.

I do not get any E Mails, and rarely "watch" a thread.

I have sort of developed a system already.

When I check in I immediately check "View topics you have posted in" for updates.

Once I've hit those I go to "View topics with posts since your last visit". for new threads that may be of interest.

After that I'll go back and hit specific forums one at a time.

sozobe - I'm like you

Control Panel is what I have on my desktop, probably just the first page I viewed and have never changed it. I usually browse forums but after reading all or your response I can see viewing topics I have posted in for updates would save time.

It was hard, the adjustment from Abuzz at first, but now I feel at home and Abuzz seems strange when I go to post in the Rainforest thread each day.

I don't do the email thang either.

I browse the site similarly to fishin', so far it seems the easiest and most intuitive to me.

I usually go to "Posts since your last visit " as a rule, though I'm not rigorous about following such rules. Once in a while I'll start with "Topics you have posted in", particularly if I'm involved in a frequently responded-to thread. I haven't really experimented with the other options yet.



timber

Oh, be careful of marking a discussion as "Watch this topic for replies" . It sends email updates and I'm not sure anybody knows how to turn it off.

The email updates always come with a link to unwatch that topic or forum. As far as I know there has not been any case where turning off email updates didn't work.

There were a few people who thought that turning off updates in their profile would work retroactively (that option only changes future topics you post to) and who were to lazy to turn off the email updates that they were subscribed to but this function is, well, functional.

I'd NEVER put up an email subscription feature that did not work to turn off. It's unethical and should be (if it isn't already) illegal.

The way I navigate the site involves my own obligations so it's (I'm guessing) a bit more comprehensive than what most people do.

I work in this order:
(1) PMs
(2) Topics with posts since your last visit
(3) Cruise the forums
(4) Unanswered topics
(5) Member list/make sure there isn't anyone who hasn't validated their registration (in that case, I help those people)
(6) Posts from the last 24 hours
(7) Check support email/possibly check Administrator PM account (depends if there's a PM in the Admin. account - most days there isn't. This is good, because there shouldn't be anything in that PM account)
(8) Back to topics with posts since your last visit, in case there's something new that I missed
(9) Topics I have posted in or Topics I have started
(10) Check Member list one more time

During this tour, I am usually answering a bunch of PMs and emails, and also researching links for the topics I'm handling.

(Psst... Jes... I bought some gifts yesterday through the Amazon link, and am happy to know I'm contributing a teeny tiny piddly minute fraction of the salary you so richly deserve. I actually had two things in my hand at Barnes and Noble, thought, "Hey, what am I doing?", put 'em down, and went back home to order from Amazon. (30% off plus free shipping, though, so your take may hover below triple figures. Including both cents places. )

Hey, thank you! :-D

(jespah, I must admit: I only wanted to do so. But shipping from the states to me is too expensive and the link doesn't work with amazon.de, does it?)


However, when you look at your mailbox, you'll find a small donation. :wink:

(Sozobe should have a look at her mailbox as well!) :wink:

Walter - i sent jes the link to amazon.ca partnership to see if able would get credit for using that, and she said she'd check out hooking up with that as well as amazon.de and whatever amazon japan is.

Here's a hidden method (as far as I can tell it's not mentioned anywhere) for looking at the forums: All the forums at a glance

I can't believe you found that. It is just there for search engine spiders.

Here is another one: http://www.able2know.com/spyder.php

Please don't say where you found it linked (I have 2 reasons for that).

PS ehBeth and Walter - I have to sign up for the other Amazon programs for other countries (silly Amazon won't let me just be signed up to all of them at the same time). Once I've done that I'll post the links here.

So first of all I mischecked how I navigate the site, meaning to clink the control panel and clicking home instead.

Actually I vary how I use the site, and this is perfectly appropriate since I have a rather scattered approach to life generally.

Usually I click the Control Panel and scroll down to New Topics and go through those. I look at PM's if I have any. I go to Topics I have posted in, and work my way through those. I nose around one or two or three forums (fora?).

I do click on Watch this site for me (or whatever the words are) sometimes, to be sure I don't lose track of something, but I am fairly selective about that.

When I am into total able2 addiction I will scroll all the forums for something - perhaps older - that I missed that tweaks my interest. I could get interested in most of the forums...sheesh!