Fairly new to the Boards - how do you "top" your post?
Apr 8th, 2005, 03:49 PM
#2
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You add any reply to it. Like this. Moves it up to number one. Until a new(er) number one comes along.
Or do you mean that you can't find a post to top it?
Do you know "click on your own name"?
Best wishes,
Rex
Or do you mean that you can't find a post to top it?
Do you know "click on your own name"?
Best wishes,
Rex
Apr 8th, 2005, 04:23 PM
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Could one of you walk me thru this, please....I've never been clear on ttt/topping. If, I as an observor read your thread and its' responses and I want to know what has gone before, WHAT DO I DO? I'ved tried ttt to no avail - all of your responses (read this meaning rex,ira, suze, cigalechanta... do not make clear what the reader must do to as well as the individual who has posted his/her question? Do I make myself clear? Specifically, what do I input& where, if I am not the question writer but rather simply an observor????????
Apr 8th, 2005, 04:44 PM
#8
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You're not grasping what "it" is, nnrobnz - - because you DID "it". Anytime you post a reply, you take a thread back to the top. It doesn't matter if you type an essay, or "topping" or xoxoxo...
Apr 9th, 2005, 06:45 AM
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Thanks Rex - I understand about the post getting to the top (being topping.... wish italics were available here) but often someone reading a recent post simply responds, ttt, when the question is one which has been asked often before and is obviously redundant to oldtimers (again, italics...), and topping will not necessarily bring up all previous data - so what's the purpose? How does responding, ttt, help the petitioner who is often a newcomer?
Apr 9th, 2005, 07:12 AM
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"Topping" increases the visibility of a thread with the purpose of eliciting responses from people who might not otherwise have seen it.
<i><i>italics</i></i>
<b><b>bold</b></b>
<u><u>underline</u></u>
<i><i>italics</i></i>
<b><b>bold</b></b>
<u><u>underline</u></u>
Apr 9th, 2005, 07:21 AM
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Okay, now I understand your question... there are, in my mind, a variety of reasons for "topping" and sometimes the reason is not apparent.
The "oldest" reason is now, for the most part, obsolete because we now have the option of citing the URL of a thread. Before 2003, when someone asked a question -- and th respondent wanted to direct the uestioner to a old thread with lot of good information, the only choice was to go find that old thread and "top" it, and typically in that situation, one would say "topping for John Doe". If the reader wanted to know more, the only option to learn more about the context was to search John Doe's name and see what question had been asked. This kind of topping doesn't happen so much anymore.
Next... and perhaps this puzzles you most... is a question of only 12-48 hours old... I do some of these,and so do ira and various other people, and it's mostly (in my case) because I think the question is interesting. It's been ignored for one reason or another, and by bringing it back up to the top, I am hoping that it will gain visibility and get additional anwers. Just having even ONE reply probably increases the chances that others will open the message and respond. But I never explain that this is why I am topping those types of questions.
I, and others will also top a question when it is obvious that it has been asked by a first-time registrant, and chances are that person wil not know how to find his/her own post again. In this case - - personally - - I typically post a wordy message explaining that this is what I am doing: bringing the message back up "to the top" because the poster is a first-timer. And I include the tip to "click on your own name" since the goal is to help a newbie with the daunting task (for the inexperienced) of finding your own posts.
And last of all, people top their own posts - - both answered and unanswered - - to get more visibility. Those seem self-explanatory, I would think.
Does this answer your question better?
The "oldest" reason is now, for the most part, obsolete because we now have the option of citing the URL of a thread. Before 2003, when someone asked a question -- and th respondent wanted to direct the uestioner to a old thread with lot of good information, the only choice was to go find that old thread and "top" it, and typically in that situation, one would say "topping for John Doe". If the reader wanted to know more, the only option to learn more about the context was to search John Doe's name and see what question had been asked. This kind of topping doesn't happen so much anymore.
Next... and perhaps this puzzles you most... is a question of only 12-48 hours old... I do some of these,and so do ira and various other people, and it's mostly (in my case) because I think the question is interesting. It's been ignored for one reason or another, and by bringing it back up to the top, I am hoping that it will gain visibility and get additional anwers. Just having even ONE reply probably increases the chances that others will open the message and respond. But I never explain that this is why I am topping those types of questions.
I, and others will also top a question when it is obvious that it has been asked by a first-time registrant, and chances are that person wil not know how to find his/her own post again. In this case - - personally - - I typically post a wordy message explaining that this is what I am doing: bringing the message back up "to the top" because the poster is a first-timer. And I include the tip to "click on your own name" since the goal is to help a newbie with the daunting task (for the inexperienced) of finding your own posts.
And last of all, people top their own posts - - both answered and unanswered - - to get more visibility. Those seem self-explanatory, I would think.
Does this answer your question better?
Apr 9th, 2005, 08:10 AM
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To Rex - Okayeee - yes, this explains it all well and I do appreciate your response. Makes sense finally.
And, to <i><b><u>Robespierre</u></b></i> - a bit of extra work but hey, at least one gets to make the point a tad clearer, eh?
I was reading a post from a self-proclaimed <i>lurker</i> and I must admit with the exception of a few inquiries, I, too, fit in this category. I think my new goal will be to (<i>finally</i
fit-in at fodors / tnx to all! 
And, to <i><b><u>Robespierre</u></b></i> - a bit of extra work but hey, at least one gets to make the point a tad clearer, eh?
I was reading a post from a self-proclaimed <i>lurker</i> and I must admit with the exception of a few inquiries, I, too, fit in this category. I think my new goal will be to (<i>finally</i
fit-in at fodors / tnx to all!
Apr 9th, 2005, 09:03 AM
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posting just for the sake of manipulating the order should be banned IMO. it can easily get out of hand or worse, be done in mass in order to maliciously hijack the board (as we recently saw). furthermore, i find it kind of annoying how some people play moderator by selecting which posts to top for other people. topping your own is equally or more annoying.
let the board work as it's designed. if no one responds to your post, then this is for a variety of reasons that we can all imagine. why not add some more useful information to spark interest rather than just ttt or just let it die if there is no interest and you have nothing further to add?
let the board work as it's designed. if no one responds to your post, then this is for a variety of reasons that we can all imagine. why not add some more useful information to spark interest rather than just ttt or just let it die if there is no interest and you have nothing further to add?
Apr 9th, 2005, 09:09 AM
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rex, if you top because:
>>>>because I think the question is interesting<<<<
why not just respond to it. maybe there would be some strange exceptions but i would think that if you think it is interesting, you would have at least something to add. maybe you know there is an expert here on a very specific subject....but if that's the case won't they find it themselves?
>>>>because I think the question is interesting<<<<
why not just respond to it. maybe there would be some strange exceptions but i would think that if you think it is interesting, you would have at least something to add. maybe you know there is an expert here on a very specific subject....but if that's the case won't they find it themselves?
Apr 9th, 2005, 09:16 AM
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I prefer to top mine with whipped cream and a cherry.
I mostly agree with walkinaround. Moreso, I am topping this one that doesn't really have any long term value for anyone, while someone is urgently looking for a place to stay in a not-often-traveled city and their post is rapidly dropping out of sight of one of the two or three people who might be able to answer it, should they happen to sign on.
I'm considering topping it... with whipped cream and a cherry.
Apr 9th, 2005, 10:26 AM
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<<rex, if you top because:
>>>>because I think the question is interesting<<<<
why not just respond to it. >>
Well, here's a recent example:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34593341
It's about northern Spain - - I enjoyed Barcelona and Seu d'Urgell - - it was almost ten years ago, and it was only a few days, so I just didn't have any real basis for answering the question. It called upon some fairly specialized knowledge of outdoor activities, and I thought it would be interesting to read responses, rather than just let it languish unanswered...
When the turnover approaches 50 questions an hour as it has, sometimes recently, I don't see ANYthing wrong with bringing certain questions back up to the top. So, so many questions here are very repetititve to questions asked before that unusual questions merit a little extra cultivation.
And I am really surprised tht you think it is "wrong" for a person to top their own unanswered question. Certainly makes more sense than just asking it again. On any given day, the questions from yesterday are somewhere between two and ten "pages" buried "down there" somewhere. Lots of people, myself included, just don't go digging all that deep to see what questions have gone by without receiving any attention.
"Topping" levels the playing field between the way-too-abundant "what hotel in Rome" questions - - and those asking about hiking in the Tatras, museum hours in Helsinki, or restaurants in Oporto.
>>>>because I think the question is interesting<<<<
why not just respond to it. >>
Well, here's a recent example:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34593341
It's about northern Spain - - I enjoyed Barcelona and Seu d'Urgell - - it was almost ten years ago, and it was only a few days, so I just didn't have any real basis for answering the question. It called upon some fairly specialized knowledge of outdoor activities, and I thought it would be interesting to read responses, rather than just let it languish unanswered...
When the turnover approaches 50 questions an hour as it has, sometimes recently, I don't see ANYthing wrong with bringing certain questions back up to the top. So, so many questions here are very repetititve to questions asked before that unusual questions merit a little extra cultivation.
And I am really surprised tht you think it is "wrong" for a person to top their own unanswered question. Certainly makes more sense than just asking it again. On any given day, the questions from yesterday are somewhere between two and ten "pages" buried "down there" somewhere. Lots of people, myself included, just don't go digging all that deep to see what questions have gone by without receiving any attention.
"Topping" levels the playing field between the way-too-abundant "what hotel in Rome" questions - - and those asking about hiking in the Tatras, museum hours in Helsinki, or restaurants in Oporto.
Apr 9th, 2005, 01:35 PM
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rex, it is hard to disagree with what you are saying. there are a lot of repetitive posts and it does seem to be swamped by the same questions about the same places. we all learn from the odd, interesting question that makes us think about something new. the answer for this is perhaps in the design/categorisation of the board rather than in individuals taking it upon themselves to try to "level the playing field". BTW, i am not complaining about the overall design of the board as i realise it is hard to please everyone and to make it 100% "fair".
it just doesn't seem right that a few people try to manage what posts deserve more attention than others. this is no criticism against you as you clearly have a good sense and no personal agenda. my only point was that, if i love the nordic countries or greece, for example, i can top every question about my favourite place and abuse the system. or i can play tricks and top every old post about a contentious subject, or from one person, or whatever (as we recently saw). or people can just keep topping their own posts about hotels in rome, etc. so the point is that i understand and agree with your argument but i think that the potential bad outweighs the potential good.
it just doesn't seem right that a few people try to manage what posts deserve more attention than others. this is no criticism against you as you clearly have a good sense and no personal agenda. my only point was that, if i love the nordic countries or greece, for example, i can top every question about my favourite place and abuse the system. or i can play tricks and top every old post about a contentious subject, or from one person, or whatever (as we recently saw). or people can just keep topping their own posts about hotels in rome, etc. so the point is that i understand and agree with your argument but i think that the potential bad outweighs the potential good.
