Threads Posted At Top Of Site

I am forced to wonder why certain threads are being 'advertised' on the top portion of this site. Many times the threads that are shown there are either very active or hold some importance...but other times very 'unworthy' threads find themselves up top.

Case in point: John Titor Steps Forward?

What we have here is a thread that is, most likely, a hoax. No substantial or quantitative information is given in the thread and the majority of the posters are simply questioning why this thread is still allowed to be alive.

I am assuming that, unlike the Active Topics sidebar, these thread that reside on the top of each page are linked by a moderator. Even the name of the thread is changed for the top portion of the site. So my question comes down to this:

Why are threads of this nature picked for the top of the site? Why are threads which are seen by the majority of those posting within them as a joke put up with the rest of the top-of-site material?

www.abovetopsecret.com...

I like having this 'banner' to check on. Keeps me moving around the site and brings my attention to threads I might not otherwise see.

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic
I like having this 'banner' to check on. Keeps me moving around the site and brings my attention to threads I might not otherwise see.

And I enjoy them too...when they are not linking to obvious crap.

It is not titles of the links that bother me but the fact that threads of horrible quality and substance can take a banner spot.

There are plenty of new and interesting threads popping up on ATS; stuff like 'I was John Titor' just take up space that could be used to showcase threads of superior interest and/or quality.

Maybe it is to enhance traffic on the site? New members, visitors, etc., may see these "controversial" topics and be left with a sense of wanting more. I've come across a few threads that I otherwise would of never heard of, but I can see the argument for a few strange threads.

This is a discussion board, and the motto is to Deny Ignorance.

...Maybe it is a good place to start?

If I understand correctly, the 'banner' position isn't an endorsement by ATS of a particularly valid thread, just some threads that people may find interesting. There may be a bigfoot thread one day and a "I was captured by an alien" thread the next. Whether or not they're 'crap' is a value judgment and not really part of the equation.

Like headlines. Perhaps some of them would be more likely to show up in the Enquirer, but some would show up in the NYTimes. It's a nice variety, I think.

They are just to grab your attention nothing else. I imagine that it may help attract new members.

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic
If I understand correctly, the 'banner' position isn't an endorsement by ATS of a particularly valid thread, just some threads that people may find interesting. There may be a bigfoot thread one day and a "I was captured by an alien" thread the next. Whether or not they're 'crap' is a value judgment and not really part of the equation.

Like headlines. Perhaps some of them would be more likely to show up in the Enquirer, but some would show up in the NYTimes. It's a nice variety, I think.

Benevolent Heretic has got it spot on. We regularly change the threads advertised at the top of the forums in order to try and provide a variety of topics people might be interested in.

If you don't like some one day, hopefully you will on another occasion.

I find those headlines a useful and a positive design element, which brings to my attention threads that I might have otherwise overlooked.

The John Titor thread gave me a chuckle too

As there is already a topic about the links at the top I'm closing this thread.

Discussion continues here.