Why does the "Vaugely similar topics" section exist?

[TeaInTheMorning]

I'm curious! I personally don't like it, as I come to forums to get away from being told by a computer what to view next.

So I was curious why the feature exists, and how people use it?

On a similar note, does anyone enjoy the feature ^^

(I'm a bit of an pessimist, so I'm trying on a bit of optimism )
(If this is the wrong place for this post feel free to move it, I am not used to the structure of this forum quite yet)

[ThunderPerfectWitchcraft]

I'm curious! I personally don't like it, as I come to forums to get away from being told by a computer what to view next.

As soon as you use a computer to "view" things, they will influence what you see, how you perceive it, and how you interact with it - the quality of it might differ depending on the code you interact with, but there is no escape of algorithms within the internet ;). I'm not trying to be a smartass here, but imho this is a very important point when reflecting about media.

So I was curious why the feature exists, and how people use it?

Such features come in handy when you want to dive deeper into certain topics. I click on the suggestions when I see something interesting, and found some worthy threads this way.

[Sam]

Seconding what Thunder said! sometimes I find a thread talking about an interesting topic and want to read more about that topic so the vagely similar thing can show more fun threads talking about similar things

but I would also like to add that one of the main purposes of the forum is to help people solve problems in their art or code so if you're posting a question it can help you find an old thread of someone having the same problem as you and answer your question 

[TeaInTheMorning]

As soon as you use a computer to "view" things, they will influence what you see, how you perceive it, and how you interact with it - the quality of it might differ depending on the code you interact with, but there is no escape of algorithms within the internet ;). I'm not trying to be a smartass here, but imho this is a very important point when reflecting about media.

Such features come in handy when you want to dive deeper into certain topics. I click on the suggestions when I see something interesting, and found some worthy threads this way.

That makes a lot of sense, and I like the feature a lot more now :D
I think I should do this more! (Asking about something I don't understand and am angry about, to get a positive outlook on it!)

I think I've seen you around forums, am I having a brain fart or are you actually on other forums?

[TeaInTheMorning]

Seconding what Tea said! sometimes I find a thread talking about an interesting topic and want to read more about that topic so the vagely similar thing can show more fun threads talking about similar things

but I would also like to add that one of the main purposes of the forum is to help people solve problems in their art or code so if you're posting a question it can help you find an old thread of someone having the same problem as you and answer your question 

Oki Doki!
The reason I joined this forum was to get help if needed! (Gonna do a massive overhaul of my website to fit the vision I had a day or two ago, and using a more sustainable approach (I like blogging so moving to a ssg is gonna be worth it, haven't decided weather to use a pre-existing one or roll my own primative one, but that's a discussion for another thread)

On another simpler note, It's nice to meet you! Hope to (and already have!) see you around!

[Melooon]

I’d also add that from a forum hosting perspective; my job is to make sure that the topics people create, get seen by the people who should see them - it’s no use having a forum full of threads no one can find 

There are lots of tools and features here designed to help do that, and the similar topics list (aka snappy search) is one of those tools to help topics reach the correct audience.

Someone recently pointed out to me that there’s a huge difference between getting peoples attention for the sake of consuming their time for your own selfish reasons, and getting peoples attention for the sake of filling their time in order to provide them something (like help, info or fun) - they can seem so close, but one is about taking while the other is giving - sometimes the methods to do those things are very similar, but the spirit behind them is totally different; you’ve gotta find your own way to judge when something is one or the other though!

[Noah_S]

As long as it stays to being similar topics to the thread I'm currently on and not similar to my browsing history here, I like it.

I was a bit skeptical at first because of what recommendations have devolved into elsewhere. But for discovering things that I wasn't here for, I like it.

[lakes]

I don't use the "vaguely similar topics" section. A lot of times I don't even notice it. However I do use "unread topics" a lot for recommendations.