Usually you reach the bottom when you have read the whole topic. Makes more sense this way, IMHO.

Perhaps on both, top and bottom.
If you want to brwose the forum, you perhaps read the first two entries and decide to go on, then on the top would also be nice.

Yes it would be nice to have it in the top too.

I agree with this.

disperso wrote:

Usually you reach the bottom when you have read the whole topic. Makes more sense this way, IMHO.

I read the beginning to see if I’m interested in the topic. If not, I move on. If so, I read the whole topic. Reading just the title often isn’t enough for me to know my interest level.

Gerolf Reinwardt wrote:

Perhaps on both, top and bottom. If you want to brwose the forum, you perhaps read the first two entries and decide to go on, then on the top would also be nice.

Yes. I wasn’t suggesting removing the ones at the bottom. The Gmail interface is similar in that it has controls at the top and bottom of messages. Sometimes you can take action after reading a bit and sometimes only after reading everything.

I would like to be able to go next within the “post since last visit” … :)

fcrochik wrote:

I would like to be able to go next within the “post since last visit” … :)

How would you distinguish between doing that and just browsing?

Bradley wrote:

fcrochik wrote:

I would like to be able to go next within the “post since last visit” … :)

How would you distinguish between doing that and just browsing?

That is easy: I don’t know! :)

In theory is quite simple (but almost never is on real life): when you click on a post on the “posts since last visit” list you pass a parameter to the server saying “onlySinceLastVisit” then the server will render the “next” and “last” links based on that information.

EDIT: of course if you don’t have the “extra” parameter you would assume you are just browsing. Also, the next and last links would pass the extra parameter too. :)

I was thinking of some sort of visual indication so that after a reader switches away from the page and then comes back, it gives feedback that it is in that mode rather then regular mode.

I see… It could be a small note on the bottom right (before the next and prev links).

At any rate I would vote for simplicity: anytime you break out the flow (click anywhere but the next and prev links) you go back to the “default” mode. If you want to start browsing just the “since last visit” you start over on that page.

I myself consider a power user, but don’t you think that this is a little bit too much? Wouldn’t it be too complicated for new users?

I don’t think so. I think it can be something unobtrusive which won’t be noticed by new users, but only by members who frequent the site.

Initially I had never noticed that links at the bottom. Had it been on the top one would have noticed it. Usually I don’t scroll below the reply box.

Yes, I didn’t notice them for quite awhile. It wasn’t until I was responding to a topic that I said “Ohh, what is that?”