How do you find quality threads?

Just curious how others here go about finding quality threads in ATS land. Myself, I just have a bookmark to "Recent Posts" and usually just browse that list. One thing I find my attention drawn to is the "flags to replies" ratio. You can sort by flags or replies, but I don't think that gives you a good representation of noteworthy threads. You can have a post with 4000 replies and 150 flags, and another with 10 replies and 15 flags, and it'd be the latter that I'd be more interested in. Would an explicit metric like that make sense here? How do others go about finding the quality threads? Maybe I'm missing something...

reply to post by redtic


I pick some forums which have topics I'm interested in, and they show up in myATS when something new is posted.

Otherwise, there's direct forum browsing, and also the ATS Search function.

I filter out the chaff that clutters up the Recent Posts list

On each thread, next to the author is a little red "minus sign". If you click this, it will filter out the topic that particular thread was posted under.

For many types of discussions that don't interest me much, this tool is invaluable and let's me view More of what does interest me - like HAARP-abducted reptilian clone starchildren

Best way is to create your own quality.
By the way it is a difficult word to define is "quality"

Perhaps read "Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance"

As a rule, I never click threads that goes like this:

"I DARE Group X to dis/prove non-fact Y!"
"Weird Feeling I have been having..."
"I think the [insert secret group] is after me!"

But sometimes if one these thread gets popular I'll scan thru it to see what all the hoopla is about.

My difficulty with your proposal is that flags are not always awarded for merit. Quite often they seem to be for a controversial issue in which the OP takes the side of the flagger. Even if it's moronic, rabid supporters will flag it.

I look at the fire-hose page, take a brief look at the ones that seem interesting, then check some of the most recent posts in the thread. If they're angry, stupid, or repetitive, I head for the next thread.

I have several forums I follow on MyATS, after looking there, I go to Friends Threads, all these people are not my friends, if I come across a poster I enjoy their threads, I will friend them, so I can easily find future threads. I also check out New Topics and Recent Posts. A quick look at the home page often picks up important threads I might have missed. If it is slow day, pick a forum and go hunting

reply to post by redtic


Learn to use the myATS button, and properly organized, it will serve you many interesting threads to read.

First off, what are you interested in? Find that forum, and enter it, then near the top of the page to the left is a button that says MAKE FAVORITE. Then, goto the myATS button that is persistent at the top of every page. See how you now have that forum listed to the left? Off to the right, you'll see all the threads you have subscribed to by commenting in.

Cool, huh? Now, do that to as many forums as you are interested in. (My favorite list is currently at 21, seriously. I never worry about anything interesting floating through.)

Occasionally I use the ribbon at the bottom, and click the "current topics" button, which shows all the threads flowing through. It easy to miss some interesting threads, but they usually show up there.

There ya go.

Well it depends on what your definition of quality is. I'm serious. Some love the political or religious debates, some love the science stuff, some the UFOs, etc, etc... Likewise some hate that stuff. Everybody is different.

"Recent Posts" is ok. I use it myself. After awhile you kind of learn by thread title, forum and even OP which ones you'll find of interest.

My ATS and just picking forums of topics that interest you is also good.

Click "Top Topics"

Then choose from the sub-menu

All-time summary

1-year summary

6-month summary

90-day overview

30-day overview

Hot now

or you can also choose from the page below

ATS Trending Pages

Thanks, guys - some useful tips there. I came from *another* site that will remain nameless (starts with a g, ends with a p, has an l in it) - horrible mods and a lot of whackos, but one thing I liked was the simple presentation of the threads with the many sorting options. I've been lurking here for a while, but haven't really used it intensely - sounds like if I dig, there's a lot of useful stuff here. Just a little overwhelming and perhaps not the most intuitive. Anyhow - I will try out myATS and I like the red minus on Recent Posts. Thanks! See you around.

Originally posted by charles1952
My difficulty with your proposal is that flags are not always awarded for merit. Quite often they seem to be for a controversial issue in which the OP takes the side of the flagger. Even if it's moronic, rabid supporters will flag it.

True - but I do find that more often than not, that "flags to replies" ratio does have some validity and would be a useful metric, at least for me. Seems to at least suggest a hot topic.

reply to post by redtic


One thing I do is; when I see that some member consistently posts good stuff, I add them to my Friends list. Then, when you hit FRIEND'S THREADS on the ribbon at the bottom of the page, you can see all of the recent threads from your favorite posters.

Members don't get a PM when you add them as a friend and you can remove them from your friends list at any time.

When you've been here long enough, you'll start to notice which members are most likely to start quality threads in specific forum...

Mostly I go by the title... If it's a balanced title that doesn't throw out a judgement, it's likely, though not always, to be a better thread.

Originally posted by redtic
How do you find quality threads?

Get a taste for spam and wade through it.

Not like the old days when the average age wasn't in the teens..

If you have any interest in the UFO forum, threads by karl 12 are consistently worthwhile. Otherwise the flag-to-post ratio is usually a good indicator of thread quality.

Originally posted by redtic
Just curious how others here go about finding quality threads in ATS land. Myself, I just have a bookmark to "Recent Posts" and usually just browse that list. One thing I find my attention drawn to is the "flags to replies" ratio. You can sort by flags or replies, but I don't think that gives you a good representation of noteworthy threads. You can have a post with 4000 replies and 150 flags, and another with 10 replies and 15 flags, and it'd be the latter that I'd be more interested in. Would an explicit metric like that make sense here? How do others go about finding the quality threads? Maybe I'm missing something...

Quality is in the eye of the beholder. Period.

What is quality to you, may not be so for me....and vice versa.

The amount of flags and stars mean nothing - for those are people's individual opinions.

Originally posted by greeneyedleo

Originally posted by redtic
Just curious how others here go about finding quality threads in ATS land. Myself, I just have a bookmark to "Recent Posts" and usually just browse that list. One thing I find my attention drawn to is the "flags to replies" ratio. You can sort by flags or replies, but I don't think that gives you a good representation of noteworthy threads. You can have a post with 4000 replies and 150 flags, and another with 10 replies and 15 flags, and it'd be the latter that I'd be more interested in. Would an explicit metric like that make sense here? How do others go about finding the quality threads? Maybe I'm missing something...

Quality is in the eye of the beholder. Period.

What is quality to you, may not be so for me....and vice versa.

The amount of flags and stars mean nothing - for those are people's individual opinions.

Of course quality is in the eye of the beholder, but I'm willing to wager that you could empirically prove that the flag-to-reply ratio is more often than not a good indicator of at least an interesting thread, and therefore would be a useful metric for a majority of people. But I don't want to belabor what is probably a trivial point at this point...