How do you keep up with, read, and reply to discussion threads on CCS?

[Dan Goodwin]

In another thread, the topic came up up about how we keep up with threads on CCS.

The way we follow and read and contribute to discussion threads here is at the absolute core of our experiences as CCS members.

And it's the area where it's most easy to get overwhelmed and confused! (And I include myself in this!)

So I thought it'd be a good idea to share how we each do this, and maybe pick up some tips from each other as to how to do in the way that work best for each of us.

How do you follow and keep up with replies to threads?

Do you have email notifications?

Do you have the email notifications set to send an update each time a reply is made to a thread you're following, or as a daily summary?

(If you didn't know about any of these options, please just say and I can explain them in more detail).

How many of the thread replies do you read in your email inbox, and how many do you actually visit CCS itself to read? 

How do you decide which threads to follow and which (and when) to stop following? 

(Again, if you want to know more about starting and stopping to follow discussion threads, just say, and I'll write it in more detail).

Finally, how often do you visit the main page of CCS to find out what's been happening? Or do you visit CCS almost entirely by clicking through the links in the email notifications?

Looking forward to hearing everyone's experiences (and picking up a few tips myself!) 

Dan

[Caroline Alexander]

I do have email notifications set, but I use them to click through to the site, and then  browse to see whats going on, and if its interesting I follow the thread. Its rather haphazard but I generally visit most days. The one place I rarely start at is the front page.  I try to keep notifications to a minimum otherwise my email gets swamped and I can miss things, or, worse still, something gets filed as spam along with every other notification from here! Thats the one disadvantage of living downunder: we get up in the morning to a bunch of overnight conversations, and if we use a daily update, the thread has moved on so far, that we cannot participate!

[Dan Goodwin]

How do you browse Caroline, once you're here? Do you mean browse through the replies thread that you were following and got the email notification for, or you browse through other parts of the site too?

If you don't often visit the main page where the Latest Activity stream is, how do you know where the latest activity has been?

Just curious to know more about people's habits in visiting CCS, and if I can help to make it easier.

I relate about the time zones, most CCS activity seems to take place when I'm asleep too. : ) When I visit early in the morning (6am ish my time) there are sometimes still a few from the US online, and by about lunchtime (1pm ish my time) some are waking there and starting to appear online, like DJ and FR for example.

I would say if you have something to add to a thread, just reply, don't worry that you haven't kept up or that the thread has moved on. Everyone's contributions are valuable.

[Caroline Alexander]

When I browse through the groups, it tells me what and when the latest activity is - I know its not the most efficient way to find something, but its how I like to browse with my morning coffee, sort of like window shopping, while I wake up. I don't do mornings as well as I used to, lol! If I find something interesting I make a comment so I get the email notifications, and generally the posts carry on for a couple of hours in the mornings. Then they die off and start again late evening, unless there are any Europeans around.

I have got My Page up on the bookmarks tool bar, perhaps I should change it to the home page. I have been a bit reluctant because other Ning groups I belong to have started adding so much to their home pages they have become a nightmare to open even on fast broadband, so I avoid them now. I know I could do it with a feed or a reader on Yahoo or Google, but since I keep forgetting to use those tools I only put the less important blogs I follow on there and catch up every few months.

[Dan Goodwin]

This is all valuable to hear, thanks Caroline.

I have always deliberately tried to keep the main page here clean and uncluttered, just for that reason - if there's too many boxes and add ons, it a) slows it down loads and b) makes it overwhelming to members, especially newer members.

I hope you find our main page fairly accessible in both of these ways?

To be completely honest, I rarely visit my own Profile Page (My Page) and I don't often visit other people's. Aside from if you want to leave a comment on someone's page, and check out their other sites, like blogs etc if they're a new member, there are not a great number of reasons to visit in my view. Nearly all of the activity happens in the groups and in the main forum, like you've said.

So the logical page to have as the first place to visit here is the main page.  

Others of course may have a different approach, I'm keen to hear.

[Jackie Paulson]

Emails are best for me.

[Dan Goodwin]

Then you visit by clicking through from links in the emails?

What about new threads people have started Jackie? Do you ever visit the main page of CCS to see the Latest Activity?

[jane]

for me i use Google Reader.  I have a CCS folder and within that all the discussions that i am either participating in or people's threads that i am particularly interested in.  With these subscriptions i can follow all the discussions in one place.  In addition I have "subscribed" to the Latest Activity page - which is the front page of CCS - so i can keep a track of what is happening there... the only trouble with that nowadays is that it only gives you "headline" and not content as it used to... so I dont find that as useful anymore (does anyone know of a setting i am missing for this??).  

So - i visit the actual CCS site when i want to reply (as you cant do that from Google) or to find out more about a "Latest Activity" content... .   But by using Google Reader... its a one-stop shop and I can keep up with everything fairly easily without getting overwhelmed.

Hope that helps.

[Dan Goodwin]

No you're not missing a setting Jane, I have a support call in with Ning about this.

On the plus side, what Ning have done a few months back is add a "More" button at the end of the Latest Activity (LA) box on the main page. So now, in effect it's the same as having following the Latest Activity in Google Reader - to see updates older then the first few displayed in LA, just keep clicking the More button and they'll keep opening below. This is how I tend to use CCS most these days, and it's has superceded the way I used to do it, like you do, in Reader. Maybe worth trying for a while?

(I do still use Google Reader to follow other blogs etc, it's an excellent idea to have a one stop shop like you say).

[jane]

yep - i noticed the "more" button and it is helpful and i use that quite a bit.   I didnt realise the change in the google reader was as a result of a change in Ning.... so that is worth knowing too!

[Dan Goodwin]

Ning have been somewhat elusive in giving a straightforward answer. I think they were concerned that too many people were spending too much time in their inboxes and not clicking through to the Ning networks. No problem for us here on CCS really, because I pay for the Plus option each month so there are no Ning ads etc.

But the basic, cheapest (they call them Mini) sites where the network admin (like me) doesn't pay for the Plus or Pro options, and where Ning have their ads etc, obviously they're not going to get as many eyes on their ads. 

Looking at the address of the Latest Activity RSS feed, it's a different format to all the others, I suspect this is the issue, why it's not working the same in Reader. (Mine doesn't even update fully now, sometimes the most recent item in Reader is five days old!)

But like I said I'm not getting much from them and don't really expect them to change it back. They did soon after add the More button, which is great and really eliminates the need to follow the LA feed in Reader anyway. 

[jane]

thanks for the update x

[Atlantic Flower]

Hi

Actually - I start at Photos on the Main Page to see if anyone has posted anything new!

Then I start to read by looking at the Main Page Thread, and clicking open "More" to see what has been going on since I was last here - just to get the drift of the various threads - and where the Australians have moved things on to while I was asleep!

 then if I spot something interesting I click on the "replied " link to jump straight to the comment and hopefully the interesting posting that elicited the Reply ...

I get an  a notification if anyone responds to one of my postings  ... and will click through to that or the email if someone has responded or sent a direct Message ....