Forum table of contents?

[Jeremiah]

Would it be possible to add a forum table of contents listing pertinent threads so that people can find information easier.

For the diaper forum, I was thinking a table of contents that resembled the following:

Diapers

I. Diaper reviews

A. Regular Type
1. Store Bought
a. Depends
b. Walgreens
c. CVS
2. Special Order
a. Abena X-Plus
b. Tranquility ATN
c. Bambino

B. Pull-on

C. Other styles

II. Diaper fit discussions
A. All of those threads discussing 30+ waists in a baby diaper.
B. Proper selection of adult diaper size

III. Diaper Usage.
A. 24/7
B. Why we are tired of discussing wet diapers
C. Why we are tired of discussing messy diapers
D. Advice and suggestions to assist other with dealing with diaper rash, leaks, and poor fit.

IIII. Diaper procurement
A. Cashiers don't care (unable to find this thread in the 68 pages of diaper threads.)
B. Online Ordering
C. Alternative sources.

V. Misc. other pertinent topics within the 68 pages of diaper threads.

VI. Diaper topics demonstrating what is unacceptable.


Of course, this is just my thoughts. I am unaware of what this would require as far as site software changes, manpower to implement, or other complications. Since this is my suggestion, I would feel obligated to assist with placing older threads into the correct location of the table of contents if this idea was implemented.

This may assist both Newbies and Regulars with finding pertinent topics. An added benefit would be a categorical listing of almost every thread in the forum so that anyone may easily see how many times a topic has been discussed. An added benefit would be the increased reading of older threads that are saved for future reference.

Please provide your thoughts and comments.



DIsclamer: Of course, the suggested table of contents for the diaper section is only a rough draft which may have a few formatting errors and intentional incorrect wordings. A more appropriate format would need to be formalized by other members.

 

[moocow]

would this work a little better under a wiki post where there is a thread in the diaper talk forms that reference it?

it seems to me that it could be kept up to date better if it was a wiki where more people could edit it..

But, that is my 2 cents. Though, I do agree with the idea as it would(ha new people posting before they search...and yes I admit, I have done that before) probably lessen the amount of threads that are posted...

 

[Martin]

What are you thinking about when you say table of contents?

 

[Jeremiah]

What I am thinking is a page that lists the different thread types within that particular forum and allows you to select threads of a specific type, such as section I, section I.A, or section I.A.2.a. The table of contents should be readily available sorta like a wiki table of contents. When you click on say "Diaper Review", the forum shows a page that lists all diaper review threads.

Lets say that we use this idea in all of the forums. When one enters a forum, on one side of the page, there is a list of thread types with multiple layers of subdivisions like an outline for a research paper. If one selects a subdivision, they will only see threads that fit that description. The mature forum could be divided into Religion, Drugs, Politics, Kinky discussions, and other muture topics. Under kinky discussion, we could subdivide it into BDSM, fetishes, and sex. This way, I can easily find all topics about kinky discussions or BDSM with one mouse click. Of course, this is just an example of what I would like to see implemented. The divisions and subdivisions require more consideration that I have currently put forth.

Does this make sense?

 

[Moo]

If our users make it, I will stick it to the top of the forum.

 

[Martin]

Only make a thread per roman numeral, add the other stuff in posts in the thread.

 

[Charlie]

Could this work with tags?

We could easy come up with some tags (e.g. Diaper reviews- Store bought, Diaper reviews- Depends, etc.) and those cold be added to all threads where relevant. Then the Table of contents would be the tag cloud, clicking the tag would bring up all those threads.

Yay!

 

[Martin]

That's a brilliant idea Charlie. But the tags would have to be somewhat specific.

How about using the Wiki for this, I think that'd work even better.

 

[Jeremiah]

The tags idea sounds good. The Wiki could work if we had an easy-to-find (ie. cannot miss it) link to the Wiki index page for the forum we are viewing. Not sure how easy it would be to implement the thread based index.

In order for something like this to work, it must be easy to find, easy to use, and easy to update as needed.

 

[Martin]

You can make one sticky in the diaper-talk board with the link to the Wiki article.