Mefi Bookmark August 1, 2013 7:06 AM Subscribe
Is there any sort of script or add-on that will allow me to bookmark my place in long threads, so I can go back to exactly where I was? I use Firefox and have Greasemonkey.
That and the Recent Activity Summary are the best scripts ever.
posted by theichibun at 7:15 AM on August 1, 2013
posted by theichibun at 7:15 AM on August 1, 2013
OK, thanks, got it and it is exactly what I want! Close this up if you like! Thanks PB.
posted by marienbad at 7:21 AM on August 1, 2013
posted by marienbad at 7:21 AM on August 1, 2013
i also sometimes favorite the last comment i read.
posted by nadawi at 9:59 AM on August 1, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by nadawi at 9:59 AM on August 1, 2013 [2 favorites]
Just copy every comment in the entire thread onto a piece of paper using a quill and ink, then collate all the pages, then send the manuscript to a book-binder, then wait six to eight weeks for delivery, then travel to one of the world's great "destination" libraries during opening hours and make your way to their gift shop, then purchase a crisp, new bookmark, then make your way home (stopping for a beverage if you wish - it's up to you), then take the bound book of the thread and find the last comment you were really interested in and bookmark that page, and then put the book back in your bookshelf and go about your chores, then call your parents and tell them that you are thinking of them, then retire to the bedroom (stopping in the study to take the book of the thread with you), then lie back and open the book up at the bookmarked page and Voilà! the relevant comment is before you. This will save a lot of wasted time "clicking" on things, believe me.
posted by the quidnunc kid at 10:13 AM on August 1, 2013 [13 favorites]
posted by the quidnunc kid at 10:13 AM on August 1, 2013 [13 favorites]
i'm so sad that comment didn't turn into a encouragement to vote...maybe if i get out my quill i can just jot that in myself...
posted by nadawi at 10:24 AM on August 1, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by nadawi at 10:24 AM on August 1, 2013 [3 favorites]
I use favorites as bookmarks in Very Long Threads.
posted by laconic skeuomorph at 5:07 PM on August 1, 2013
posted by laconic skeuomorph at 5:07 PM on August 1, 2013
i'd love to do something like Something Awful does, which saves your place in threads and then you click on that bookmark and goes to that place in the thread
and you can bookmark threads without commenting in them
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants at 6:14 PM on August 1, 2013
and you can bookmark threads without commenting in them
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants at 6:14 PM on August 1, 2013
i'd love to do something like Something Awful does, which saves your place in threads and then you click on that bookmark and goes to that place in the thread
and you can bookmark threads without commenting in them
Favorites can do both of those though.
posted by kagredon at 11:50 PM on August 1, 2013
and you can bookmark threads without commenting in them
Favorites can do both of those though.
posted by kagredon at 11:50 PM on August 1, 2013
Just curious, why isn't this a feature anyhow? Is the idea that if there's already a greasemonkey script for something then it doesn't need to be added to the site?
I just think it would make long threads go so much better. Most people aren't using greasemonkey. I just think there would be less repetition in those threads, less people talking past each other, more people bringing something new to the conversation rather than just reviving things that have already been hashed out.
When you make a comment and come back a few hours later and over 100 more comments have been made, that makes it really difficult to engage well unless you have a big chunk of time right then to read them all and a lot of patience. Being able to read a bit at a time and have a better way to mark where you stopped would help.
I know that I personally could use the greasemonkey script but I'm just saying it would make things better overall.
posted by cairdeas at 12:46 AM on August 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
I just think it would make long threads go so much better. Most people aren't using greasemonkey. I just think there would be less repetition in those threads, less people talking past each other, more people bringing something new to the conversation rather than just reviving things that have already been hashed out.
When you make a comment and come back a few hours later and over 100 more comments have been made, that makes it really difficult to engage well unless you have a big chunk of time right then to read them all and a lot of patience. Being able to read a bit at a time and have a better way to mark where you stopped would help.
I know that I personally could use the greasemonkey script but I'm just saying it would make things better overall.
posted by cairdeas at 12:46 AM on August 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
You can also click on the time to get a URL that goes directly to the comment, and then bookmark that however you want.
posted by kavasa at 4:15 AM on August 2, 2013
posted by kavasa at 4:15 AM on August 2, 2013
cairdeas: Just curious, why isn't this a feature anyhow? Is the idea that if there's already a greasemonkey script for something then it doesn't need to be added to the site? I just think it would make long threads go so much better.
Historically, long threads have been the exception. In 2013 there have already been almost as many 1000 comment threads as there were in the first 10 years of the site's existence. While a bookmarking tool might be nice to have now, it just wasn't even remotely necessary until the last couple of years.
posted by Rock Steady at 6:46 AM on August 2, 2013
Historically, long threads have been the exception. In 2013 there have already been almost as many 1000 comment threads as there were in the first 10 years of the site's existence. While a bookmarking tool might be nice to have now, it just wasn't even remotely necessary until the last couple of years.
posted by Rock Steady at 6:46 AM on August 2, 2013
i don't have greasemonkey and manage to mark my place just fine by the other methods mentioned in this thread.
posted by nadawi at 7:03 AM on August 2, 2013
posted by nadawi at 7:03 AM on August 2, 2013
Just curious, why isn't this a feature anyhow?
One reason is that we just haven't wanted to tackle the data management involved. We have around 10,000 unique members visit in any seven day period. Let's say they all visit 10 pages. That's already a million records to read, write, store, backup, etc. Then we'd need to run that more than seven days. It's not impossible, but we haven't felt the extra load is worth the payoff.
The nice thing about Greasemonkey is that the data for one individual is stored on their computer in cookies. We can't take that route because if we implement a feature it would be expected to work and be in sync across all browsers/devices someone might use to browse MetaFilter. So we have to go the centralized storage route.
It's definitely in our "someday" pile of features, and overall site performance is better than it once was. So it's one of those things we're thinking about, but haven't wanted to take on yet.
posted by pb (staff) at 8:53 AM on August 2, 2013
One reason is that we just haven't wanted to tackle the data management involved. We have around 10,000 unique members visit in any seven day period. Let's say they all visit 10 pages. That's already a million records to read, write, store, backup, etc. Then we'd need to run that more than seven days. It's not impossible, but we haven't felt the extra load is worth the payoff.
The nice thing about Greasemonkey is that the data for one individual is stored on their computer in cookies. We can't take that route because if we implement a feature it would be expected to work and be in sync across all browsers/devices someone might use to browse MetaFilter. So we have to go the centralized storage route.
It's definitely in our "someday" pile of features, and overall site performance is better than it once was. So it's one of those things we're thinking about, but haven't wanted to take on yet.
posted by pb (staff) at 8:53 AM on August 2, 2013
And my bad math is another reason we haven't done it. 10 pages from 10,000 users would be 100,000 records. Not too shabby! It'd be 10 weeks before we get to a million.
posted by pb (staff) at 9:39 AM on August 2, 2013
posted by pb (staff) at 9:39 AM on August 2, 2013
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posted by pb (staff) at 7:08 AM on August 1, 2013 [3 favorites]