Discussions/touchstones/Community

On author pages there is a section "Discussions" with links to threads which have been marked as "about" that author. It does not include threads where they have been linked by a touchstone.

On work pages, there is a section "Talk Discussions" which links to threads marked as about that work. It does not include threads where they have been linked by a touchstone. There is also a "Community" link (on the left hand side), and on that page are sections for both "Talk Discussions" and "Mentions (Touchstones).

My proposal is to have both the "Discussions" and "Mentions (Touchstones)" on the author page and the work page. This will make it easier to see where an author or work is being talked about, which in turn will encourage participation.

Failing that, at least add the "Community" link to author pages, to link to a page with both "Discussions" and "Mentions" on it, as exists for Works. As it stands we have no way of seeing where an author has been touchstoned (or if we have, it has been very well hidden).

This was discussed and is a deliberate change with the new Work and Author pages, because so many touchstones aren't discussion or about, just quick references. (as in this post I'm typing now!)

I do wish there were an in between, though. My ongoing reading thread is "About" Turning the Pages of American Girlhood, because that is where it started and is the theme of the books I discuss. But I spend a lot of time in it talking about Elizabeth Champney and her books in the context of the non-fiction text as well as in comparison to other books or authors, like the one I'm reading right now, Mary Harriott Norris. The thread isn't really about them, though Champney is certainly a recurring author.

I understand what you're requesting, and this is how it used to work. But touchstones are mostly used in contexts where the topic is not in any way about the book, but are merely mentioned in passing, mostly listing books that one has read. This is why we came up with the About feature so that members could mark a topic as being truly "about" that book.

>3 timspalding: OK, that explains having the Touchstone mentions on the Community page, it doesn't explain not having any way of seeing touchstones for an author.

I thought about this because there's a "what are you reading" thread which has produced a discussion about the works of a particular author, and why he hasn't been republished. Does that qualify the thread as being "about" the author? You could split out a few of the posts into a thread that was unequivocally about him, but the existing thread as a whole clearly isn't. There's no way for people looking at the author page to know this discussion is going on.

As a by the by, lots of threads that are clearly "about" a work or an author don't get labelled as such - when you start a new thread you are given clear opportunities and instructions as to how to touchstone in it, but no instructions or opportunity to label it as "about". You can't add an "about" until after the thread has been started, and then it's only offered as an aside, not in the main body of the thread. Likewise, every reply you are offered the chance to touchstone, but not to "about".

You promote "touchstoning" ABOVE "abouting" when people start a thread or reply to one, but then downgrade touchstoning when it comes to people finding the discussions.

>4 DuncanHill: I agree. 'About' would benefit from having it's own button when making a post, rather than out of sight in the sidebar. You need to both know it's there AND remember to go make use of it when appropriate

I've been here (checks email) 365 days and have no memory of ever reading about "Abouting".

And having typed that, my eyes drift to the right, and above the big red "Touchstones" I see a button and a sentence and a big red "About".

/sigh/

So much to learn ...
So much left to catalog ...

I do, on occasion, add touchstones or abouts to topics that seem to need them, even if I don't otherwise participate, just to help new members realise that these things exist.

BTW Abouting is much easier if you have already put in the touchstone.