Confusing discussions structure

[Kirsten]

I'm wondering why sometimes the replies show up in top of a discussion and sometimes in the end.

And I think it is very confusing when people reply directly to another post.
When I already have read a discussion, I only go to the end of it, searching for news.
I don't read the complete discussion again and again.
It sure is nice to answer directly to a person but it can be overlooked easily.

Couldn't we just write the name of the person we want to answer to, and doing it at the end of the discussion?
Or is there the option to change the discussions structure?

[sharonb]

When you click the reply button you reply to just that person although everyone can see it and it is indented. When you add something at the bottom you are chipping into the whole discussion - like talking to anyone who wants to read - its like making another point rather than replying to an individual.

[Kirsten]

Oh yes I understand this.
But do we always go back to all our own posts in a discussion to see if anybody replied to it?
I fear I will overlook comments and people think I'm rude not to answer...

[Liz in Kansas]

If you click on the "Follow" button at the bottom of the screen you will receive a message in your ordinary mailbox whenever someone replies to your comment.
I know, it feels like an extra step and is not really what you are asking. Seems like all we have unless we can train everyone to go to the original post, though.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could get programmers to write the way the rest of us think? I gave up a long time ago. If they thought like "normal" people they wouldn't write programs!!

[sharonb]

Just click on the link in the email and then you dont miss it - it saves time I agree with you there is a only so many hours in the day so the trick is to find ways to make the technology work for you rather than you work the technology that is my idelisit goal anyway! LOL :-)

[Heather]

Is there any way that we can get notification on our page that someone has replied to us or added to a discussion? And does this have anything to do with the rss thingy?

Heather

[Heather]

Thanks Paula, (BTW your work is beautiful), but I don't want it to go to email. I'd rather just have it all in one place on my page. I noticed that when I commented there was a notice on my page, but not one when you replied. I'll try the rss thing and see what happens.

[Kirsten]

Thanks Ladies, I will try this email notification. Although I'm getting already so many e-mails that my mailbox nearly bursts *lol*

By the way, I have added the RSS of the Cloth Dolls Group to my Google Reader some time ago and find that it doesn't work like it should.
When I added it, it shows some of the posts but not these from the comment wall and since that day nothing new came in.
And the way the reader listed the posts is even more confusing than reading here on the site, so I just will go on like I did till now.
I'm using Google reader for many blogs, no problems with this.

I just thought it could be a good idea to write important things in the end of the discussion because the chances, not to be overlooked are better.

[Nancy]

Thank you all for clarifying the discussion structure. I am not the most computer savvy person and found the explanations about 'RSS' and 'follow' very useful. I had no idea what they were for or what could be done.