Do you use the "New Posts" button?

For the first several months I was here I avoided the New Posts button, and instead would scroll down through the list of forums and open the ones with recent activity that interested me. This helped me learn my way around! Now I use New Posts most of the time, unless I'm looking for something specific.

I wouldn't say exclusively, but I would say predominantly. Generally I go to the user cp and check out subscribed threads, then hit new posts.

Generally, I use the new post button when I return from my last visit.

If I need specific information, then I'll search the forums tabs.

Enough to be exclusive, actually. I'll check my control panel for replies to subscribed threads, then hit new posts, and then check out some forums individually.

I use the button exclusively. I get email notifications for subscribed threads.

thothguard51 said:

Generally, I use the new post button when I return from my last visit.

If I need specific information, then I'll search the forums tabs.

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^This.

Nope, never used the New Posts button, except when I was searching in vain for the secret room. (I found it later through different means.)

Well, duh, I just learned something new. I'll have to check out "New Posts" and see if I like it or not.

Thanks for asking the question!

I find it the quickest way to keep up to date...

I usually look in User CP for subscribed threads first. If there aren't any, I look in a few specific sub-forums for anything interesting. If there's still nothing, I use 'New Posts' and that's how I got to this thread.

Chris P said:

Enough to be exclusive, actually. I'll check my control panel for replies to subscribed threads, then hit new posts, and then check out some forums individually.

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^^^This

Another predominantly. First, I check my CP for subscribed thread updates; next, one specific forum; then, New Posts.

I don't exclusively use it, but almost, maybe 98% of the time. It's the best way to keep up.

I scan the new posts, open threads of interest in new tabs, then read them.

I never noticed it before. Then I opened this thread, read the posts, assembled a posse, and sent out a search party.

And there it was: Top row, slightly right of center, sandwiched between "Calendar" and "Search"!

That's how I found this thread.

Not exclusively, I alternate between New Posts and User CP as I describe below.

Every once in a while, if things are dull, I'll look into P&CE for fresh meat any new threads I missed with New Posts.

shadowwalker said:

I use the button exclusively. I get email notifications for subscribed threads.

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I got the emails for a day or two, but I got a LOT of emails, and it's easy enough to click User CP to see updated threads I've posted in. Every once in a while I find a thread quite interesting but don't have something to say in it, so I go to Thread Tools (just above the first message in a thread, NOT in the line with User CP) -> Subscribe To Thread, so when there's a new post it shows up in User CP.

fivetoesten said:

I don't exclusively use it, but almost, maybe 98% of the time. It's the best way to keep up.

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This is how I use it too. Very occasionally I'll go through individual forums, if I'm looking for something specific or have run out of new posts and am desperate for more procrastination fodder.

I use it exclusively and after I've gone through those, if I've got something more specific I want to see, I click on individual forums. Or I click "New Posts" again to make sure I didn't miss anything new.

I have a hand-written HTML file on my computer named local.htm that links to most every website I commonly use. It's the default page that shows when I run my browser. I've got Twitter, Gmail, and tons of stuff I've added over the years. I use the thumb button (equivalent to the middle/Scrollwheel button) on my Logitech Mouseman mouse to click on different sites, and it does the same as right-click-open-in-new-tab, so I can open a bunch of new tabs with site I want to look at in just a couple of seconds. I read the first while the others are loading.

The first few lines are:

The second link is the same one you get on AW when you press the "New Posts" button.

benbradley said:

The second link is the same one you get on AW when you press the "New Posts" button.

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I expect Ben knows this but for those who don't and care:

AW's Forums use vBulletin software which sits on a Very Large Database.

When you click on the New Posts link (that's a link, not a button) it sends a JavaScript command from your browser to AW's server to the vBulletin software which issues a query to the database that says "Give me all the stuff this user hasn't seen since their last activity on this date and time."

The database responds with a list of posts; vBulletin formats it using html, javascript, CSS and templates, and sends it to your browser.

Aren't you glad you know this?

W00T!

Awesomesauce.

Smaaaaaarrt database!



(and, thank you for 'splainin'.)

Yep

Not until I came across this thread. I always went to my CP for my subscribed threads and then perused individual ones around the board.