Tracking "Messages Read"

[Timmeh-31]

I've been noticing over the past week or so that the forums are rather hit-or-miss when it comes to accurately tracking which messages/sub-forums have already been read and which ones still have new/unread posts. Have there been any updates to the forum software which may account for this?

I've tried wiping my history on Chrome (sometimes it picks up a bad cookie somewhere along the line) but this doesn't seem to help. I've taken to manually using the Quick Links>Mark Forums Read at the end of each session, which does somewhat help when I return later. But within a session, I can read and re-read the same message multiple times, go up a level and it still shows that thread as unread.

It's a trifling matter in the grand scheme of things, but thought it worth bringing to the admin's attention just in case it's a symptom of something larger going on in the background. Thanks for enduring my rambling.

 

[QDP2012]

This will happen if you are blocking any of the cookies from radioreference.com, viglink.com and from d39pklu5rpk118.cloudfront.net.

Hope this helps,

 

[mikewazowski]

Tracking "Messages Read"

No, no changes have been made to the Forums software.

I haven't seen any problems myself but I'll keep an eye out for it.

 

[dave3825]

This will happen if you are blocking any of the cookies from radioreference.com, viglink.com and from d39pklu5rpk118.cloudfront.net.

Hope this helps,

How would blocking a cookie from a site other than radio reference affect whether it shows a thread was read or not. Could you explain how a company, like viglink.com VigLink -- Powering Content-Driven Commerce would have any effect on or ability to change a threads status?

viglink.com identifys commercial products mentioned within a publisher’s content, VigLink automatically transforms those terms into revenue generating hyperlinks whose destinations are determined in real-time, advertiser-bid auctions.

Just curious.

 

[QDP2012]

How would blocking a cookie from a site other than radio reference affect whether it shows a thread was read or not. Could you explain how a company, like viglink.com VigLink -- Powering Content-Driven Commerce would have any effect on or ability to change a threads status?

viglink.com identifys commercial products mentioned within a publisher’s content, VigLink automatically transforms those terms into revenue generating hyperlinks whose destinations are determined in real-time, advertiser-bid auctions.

Just curious.

As to why RadioReference would allow a 3rd-party to have that much influence, I cannot say, only RR leadership could.

But, when I use FireFox with NoScript and block the viglink and cloudfront cookies mentioned earlier, it creates the problem described by the OP. When I permit the cookies, the problem resolves. I've been dealing with this issue for years on multiple computers, and found that when cookies from those three sites are permitted, the problem does not happen.

I assume a similar result would happen with any equivalent browser and cookie/script-blocker software.

Again, about the question of why, I defer to RR staff who know the behind-the-scenes coding, and the relationship(s) with the 3rd-party site(s)..

Hope this helps,

 

[Timmeh-31]

Well, here's the odd thing then. I'm not aware of blocking anything from RR or the other sites (although AdBlocker may be purposely blocking anything it perceives to be malware/adware.) Also peculiar is that this behavior slowly exhibited itself; that is, the new message tracking worked fine for the first couple of weeks, and has gradually deteriorated over the past week or so to its current state.

I'll try flushing the cache again and see if that helps. Strange.

 

[QDP2012]

Well, here's the odd thing then. I'm not aware of blocking anything from RR or the other sites (although AdBlocker may be purposely blocking anything it perceives to be malware/adware.) Also peculiar is that this behavior slowly exhibited itself; that is, the new message tracking worked fine for the first couple of weeks, and has gradually deteriorated over the past week or so to its current state.

I'll try flushing the cache again and see if that helps. Strange.

Do you have any anti-virus/security-suite software that might be trying to "clean up" cookies, temp files, etc.?

Years ago I used a software package that tried to do that based upon its default settings, which caused similar issues, so I manage them differently now and don't let it 'automagically" clean them up on its own.

I've also seen such things happen after the AV/Security software installed its own updates, because it "reset" certain settings.

Hope this helps,

 

[safetyobc]

Using an iPad, I've noticed that if I click on "New Posts" it will sometimes say there is nothing new, even if it has been a day since I last logged on. Alternatively I click on "Forums" then "Today's Posts" and that will bring up everything I haven't read. For whatever reason, on the iPad you can't be in the forums and click on "Forums" to get to "Today's Posts." I have to go to the classifieds, then click on Forums to get the drop down to click "Today's Posts."

 

[N4GIX]

I have experienced more than once that if I spend "too much time" (usually more than ten minutes on average) composing a reply, when I complete my post suddenly there are no longer any unread messages...

...when there were up to six or seven pages of unread posts prior to making my post!