What To Do...

when your thread gets buried before anyone has a chance to see it. I've seen this happen several times to myself and others. Some were good threads too. Is continually posting in your own thread the only way to get it seen?

This happens to my threads often....I am not a good thread starter.

My suggestion is to maybe update your thread....if you have new info or a new thought...post to it! That always helps

I make it a point to look for new threads - but like anyone else I am not always here and they get deleted before I see them. I wonder if there is a way the new threads could stay for at least 2 days. Sometimes all it takes is one interesting reply to get a thread going. Feel free to send me a U2U if you post a new thread, tell me the forum to look under.

reply to post by greeneyedleo

Thanks. That's kinda what I figured, but thought I'd ask anyway. Here's the thread in case anyone is interested.
What science is...

reply to post by Klassified


I seem to have terrible timing posting threads as well, and It's one reason I don't post threads very often! I'm pretty sure you can chalk this one up to the Loughner incident. This is a stage that happens on ATS every time a major news story breaks. Don't take it personal!

All great advice everyone. Thanks. I wasn't even thinking of the shootings. Seems though like new threads shouldn't get buried so quickly. But such is life.

Originally posted by greeneyedleo
This happens to my threads often....I am not a good thread starter.

My suggestion is to maybe update your thread....if you have new info or a new thought...post to it! That always helps

I agree with Greeneyes here, sometimes a thread may just have bad timing. Example you start a thread in the evening in the US, it is already after midnight in Europe and pretty soon it will be too in the Eastern Timezone. Try updating with some pertinent info at a time when the site is going to have more traffic. (Bump it)

I see some people do this too much, but if you only do it when you deem necessary its no big deal.

Ive had thread that have zero comments, and continue to have zero comments as well, so i feel your pain.

reply to post by Klassified

For whatever it's worth, I know what you mean, and it can be very frustrating.

As other members have pointed out, timing seems to be key (and a problem for those of us who tend to post outside "prime time").

At the very least, you're definitely not alone.

Isn't part of the problem that we're all inundated with information?

Offer free booze and chicks

When I joined here I was overwhelmed with the new data to which I was exposed. Every hour it seemed that there was a new case of cattle mutilation, or a half decent ufo sighting, or a political scandal on the verge of breaking .
It was and still is a fantastic ballet of information, moving constantly , never still for long. One of the reasons I have limited my contribution to the site in terms of thread making, is that I work during the day, and cannot afford the time to actualy create a well structured and informative thread. I see the effort put into threads by people like Zorgon and others, and have decided that in general there is little point creating a thread on the fly. Deeply researched peices, well sourced and thoroughly investigated are a joy to read, but I have had the displeasure before now of comming across threads which have been started based on falsehood, have had no benifit to a researcher, and crucialy have had no actual effort (beyond finding the keyboard under the discarded remains of a take out dinner and a packet of Cheetos) put into them. These threads are a bloody menace, a waste of bandwidth, and the time of members who may see an interesting headline, and then be sorely dissapointed by the quality of the thread they introduce. Because I love this site, and because I understand the value of the time of the membership, I have limited my threads by way of a simple little mechanism I have developed for figuring out wether it is worth me posting a thread or not. It is as follows:

1. Is there already a thread in which the topic I wish to raise is being discussed, and if so would my time be better spent posting there?
If I answer yes to this , then I am bound to avoid posting a thread if I can help it, because cluttering up the boards with the same old nonsense is just a waste of time and effort, and doesnt advance any debates on a subject one iota, save to allow people a forum in which to stomp around on already well trodden ground.

2. Do I have the time and resources to create a thread with some meat behind its headline, rather than just announcing the subject, saying seconds out, and watching the mayhem of debate ensue?
When I answer yes to this part of my checking system the only thing that would stop me from making a thread would be the answer to the next question.

3. Are there people on the site who will likely post a better thread than me on the same subject, in not very long from now?
If the answer to this is yes, then of course I will step back and allow far more talented thread writers to perform thier discipline.


These three rules ususaly prevent me from making threads that would contribute nothing to the site and I can think of only one scenario lately where I decided to make a thread without checking this system first, and that was my thread regarding the student protests in London at the end of last year. The issues surrounding those events are quite close to my heart, being as they are to do with freedom, the right to protest and the right to an education.
Other than this I tend to let the stars of ATS shine without waving my torch at them to often They usualy offer much better threads than I could, and those are excellent forums for debate, and I will post in them with great vigour and enthusiasm!

reply to post by TrueBrit

An excellent post. I may not be able to star it. But I can give you more than one thumbs up.