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Enabled similar topics

2 min read

This thread's last reply is from . Advice, software, and links below may be out of date — treat specific steps and download links with caution.

Post #1
Similar topics now show beneath the forum post. It should help users that are trying to diagnose their own problems, increase site "stickiness", and help with search engine indexing. Please report any problems or concerns.
Post #2
I really do not like this option as it makes it harder for me to search for possible fixes. When I run into trouble on a log and need to research how some of the Experts fixed it, I run a Google search for the file name (or problem) and the name of an Expert (such as Miekiemoes, Metallica, Atribune, etc.) Many times Google shows a hit for it and when I click on the thread, the Experts were not involved in the thread at all. After re-checking the cached page, sure enough, I find the Experts name at the bottom having replied to one of the "similar topics" at the time the page was cached. <_< Not really a major concern but it wastes more time for me as I need to look through many more threads than necessary and on dial-up I need to be as efficient as possible. This is why I check for the Experts solution first. Just my $.02 from a helpers viewpoint.
Post #3
Found one other issue with this item. It may only be for Slyware Warriors though. It appears that links in the Similar Topics section are being added for hidden parts of the board. In one thread I was helping in, two of the Similar Topics links gave me a "board error : You do not have permission…" By the looks of them, they appear to be in Pre-Archive. Slyware Warriors and up can see this board but we are not allowed to view the contents. I can PM you the topic link and Similar Topics links if needed.
Post #4 last edited
I could tag the similar topics as "no index", but one of the advantages to showing similar topics is that it encourages search engines to spider a site more deeply. Maybe I can just "no-index" the authors name in the "last action" column? The similar topics shown are limited by the permission level of the user. For instance, if I log out and view this topic as a guest, I see different topics then when logged in as admin, becuase I have permission to view more forums.