Read vs Unread

[kencombs]

I've seen a lot of comments that people can't tell if they have read or replied to a thread and that others like color changes to indicate that.

What I see on the new format is that when I enter a forum all the thread titles that I have not read, or that have new info since I did read it, are in bold type face. Others, those I've read or that have new entries are not bold.

Not a color change but a clear indication.
Are others not seeing this??

Also the feature that takes you to the first unread comment in a thread is great!

 

[Brown David]

I've seen a lot of comments that people can't tell if they have read or replied to a thread and that others like color changes to indicate that.

What I see on the new format is that when I enter a forum all the thread titles that I have not read, or that have new info since I did read it, are in bold type face. Others, those I've read or that have new entries are not bold.

Not a color change but a clear indication.
Are others not seeing this??

Also the feature that takes you to the first unread comment in a thread is great!

Yes, it's very simple to see what's new and it's been explained many times. I don't understand how anyone can not see and comprehend this.

 

[cpratt]

The Red New button is a giveaway too:

 

[formerly ny bill]

my bold face title doesn't change after reading a topic that has no new comments.

 

[cpratt]

my bold face title doesn't change after reading a topic that has no new comments.

If you are viewing a thread, and then move back to the list of threads by using your browsers back arrow, the list of threads will remain exactly as it was leaving the bold face title. That will make it seem like the bold face is there as if new posts were available, even if they are not. If you (for example in this forum), click on Site Comments to refresh the page to the thread list, it will show which threads you've already seen with the bold or non-bold to indicate it.

If you just want to stay in the same thread and watch for new posts, you just have to press the refresh button/icon on your browser to reload the thread. Then you will see a new red New square as I showed in that graphic. There are a couple of ways to know if new posts are in the thread.

More on the back arrow of your browser, which we all use frequently. Back arrow on the browser does not refresh from a server on any page, it reuses the page as stored locally on your system. This is true on almost every site and page. It's what the browser history or "cache" is supposed to do, keep you from having to go out on the net and reload a page. In this case (and most), you want to reload a page so what you've read and not read is clear to you.

The back arrow was extremely important when we all used modems to access the net. Nowadays, it mostly stops page content from being current. This trips me up frequently because I use the back arrow instinctively, but then I have to refresh the page if there is new content.

 

[DoubleO7]

my bold face title doesn't change after reading a topic that has no new comments.

This thread is not bold after viewing, compared to others not yet viewed. Your view should show the same differences.

 

[formerly ny bill]

If you are viewing a thread, and then move back to the list of threads by using your browsers back arrow, the list of threads will remain exactly as it was leaving the bold face title. That will make it seem like the bold face is there as if new posts were available, even if they are not. If you (for example in this forum), click on Site Comments to refresh the page to the thread list, it will show which threads you've already seen with the bold or non-bold to indicate it.

If you just want to stay in the same thread and watch for new posts, you just have to press the refresh button/icon on your browser to reload the thread. Then you will see a new red New square as I showed in that graphic. There are a couple of ways to know if new posts are in the thread.

More on the back arrow of your browser, which we all use frequently. Back arrow on the browser does not refresh from a server on any page, it reuses the page as stored locally on your system. This is true on almost every site and page. It's what the browser history or "cache" is supposed to do, keep you from having to go out on the net and reload a page. In this case (and most), you want to reload a page so what you've read and not read is clear to you.

The back arrow was extremely important when we all used modems to access the net. Nowadays, it mostly stops page content from being current. This trips me up frequently because I use the back arrow instinctively, but then I have to refresh the page if there is new content.

Not sure how to proceed. I'm using a modem.

 

[cpratt]

Not sure how to proceed. I'm using a modem.

My apologies. When I use the term modem, I forget that everyone uses a "modem" nowadays on DSL, cable, satellite etc. I'm quite old and the term modem means to me a 300 or 1200 character per second serial connection to the net. That type of modem would not be usable on the net any more, as the modems we use now send and receive millions of characters per second. In the old days, it would take a few hours to upload a photo, even as much as a minute or two to display a page as internet sites are now.

The reason I was using that term is that in the old days, you could not afford to refresh a page, so the back arrow was crucial to be able to browse the net in any reasonable amount of time. It still can serve a purpose if you are browsing static pages, but dynamic pages like a forum, social media, browser email, buying anything online... where you want updated information, it is a problem or even can have disastrous results (for example, buying something, hitting the back arrow and accidentally resubmitting a purchase). With the back arrow, you don't get updated information most of the time.