What would you say if our default sort on all pages was age based instead of most recent?

An idea I’ve been kicking around (to lukewarm reception) has been to change the filters we have now into two groups: Relevant to me, and “Everything”. The first iteration would be questions, updates, etc, by people in your age group - or close to it - then the “Everything” would of course be everything.

Those friend, follower, links don’t get clicked today…but, I think this would make them more interesting and potentially provide for a better experience. Sorry, but as a 33 year old…I’m not crazy about reading the life and drama from teens. What do you think, would a default filter like this (where you could still, with one click, get it all) make the site better, worse, or have no impact on your usage?

Answer #1

Woulnt it kind of set back questions from being answered?

Answer #2

Do only adults answer questions from teens? Or do only teens answer questions from adults?

No, to both situations…therefore, ‘answering’ wouldn’t change. :)

Answer #3

ohhh sorry i didnt read the whole thing (my bad) yeah i think its a good idea :D

Answer #4

I think it’s an excellent idea. I mean I like answering questions from some of the teenage people on here, but sometimes it would be nice to answer questions or post questions for people who are closer to my age to answer, as we might have had similar experiences. Again, I want to stress that I really like the young people on here too, the ones I talk to have are all great people..

Answer #5

Very true, not a fan of Teen drama, and how many times can you post what girt to get you BF, of what should I do with my hair.

Answer #6

The intergenerational community here is probably what I like best about FunAdvice, so I wouldn’t like a universal age-sorting default at all. But how about letting users choose on the fly among sorting options? Then I wouldn’t mind if what you set as the default is not my preference.

Answer #7

I think its a great idea! I usually spend more time sorting through the “What should I wear to school?” and the “How do I get this person to like me?” questions than I do actually answering questions.

Answer #8

Personally, I wouldn’t use it. I’m pretty okay with seeing every question. However, if enough people like it, I see no reason not to implement it into the site.

Answer #9

I would not agree as it may be discriminating to some children who are actually looking for an adults advice. It will also encourage children to be dishonest about their age.

Answer #10

I feel you here, I have this same problem, I don’t know what I should throw on in the morning, so I need to ask perfect strangers. This is why kids need uniforms and buzz cuts, would solve this problem.

Answer #11

Yes, and a better sex education program would probably stop all the “Am I pregnant” questions as well, which are the only ones that I get sick of. Often it’s just people asking if certain outfits would look good, or what would match with something they want to wear. I don’t answer them, because I’m completely fashion impaired, but I don’t see how that’s worse than a lot of questions you get on here.

Answer #12

To be more specific. The option to sort by age is a great idea but the default should be most recent. Also an option to sort questions by involvement (questions that you answered or replied to).

Answer #13

i wouldn’t like that

Answer #14

also that would be like judging age groups instead of respecting the individual.. it would make no snese to group questions based on age because everyone thinks different..

Answer #15

Sorry Jeremy, I think the idea is absolutely appalling. . Scenario : assume some 13 year olds and some 90 year olds (neither being typically blessed with the most logical thought processes) post a old of ludicrous questions that nobody is either interested in, or able to give a meaningful answer to.
. If the default view changes to sort by age (in either ascending or descending order) you will get a load of posts showing up that have been hanging around for weeks or even year without anyone having the slightest interest in reading them or answering them. . Personally I am not intesrested in seeing the same thing over and over again. Once I have seen it (what ever the age of the poster) and decided I have not got a useful answer or opinion to give, I would rather not see it again generally speaking. . I am interested in seeing the latest questions from posters of any age. They are the people who are most likely to need an immediate response and still be around to read it straight away and reply for further clarification if they wish. . I DEFINITELY would NEVER want to scroll to the middle of pages of questions just to see if there might be a question from a “median age” 50 year old who desperately wants an immediate answer to an urgent question. . Give me listing in order of most recent first (regardless of age of poster) or give me nothing. .

– Best wishes - Majikthise. .

Answer #16

“… post a old of ludicrous questions …” ? ….. I meant “… post a load of ludicrous questions …”

Answer #17

One problem here, is the lumping of all teens (and yes, I’m generalising) into the ‘drama’ category, not all of us are like that. As Nicole said above, that’s judging as a group. At the risk of sounding tiresome, I live and work in an adult world, and I get treated and respected as such. I guess here though, I’m an annoying teen. I don’t like to read some the ‘teen’ stuff either. But there are some mature teens on here who deserve to be treated with a little more credit.

Answer #18

I agree, with you, some teens are sometimes more responsible than a lot of adults and those are the ones that I like on this site. I have no problems talking and relating to them because It’s not all about what to wear, does he like me , am I pregnant etc.. I like talking with people like you who understand what the world and life is about.. Keep it up!

Answer #19

Personally I think most of the interesting questions, and the most enlightening opinions come from the teen age group anyway. OK maybe some of the older posters know a bit more in specialized areas and have a bit more life experience - but even that does not guarantee expression of a vibrant point of view - give me the lively teen responses for that any day.

Emma: I don’t recall ever reading one of your posts that I found even slightly annoying or tiresome.

Answer #20

I agree with Emma.(:

Answer #21

I wouldn’t like that. If the default pages were just from people my age (15, 16), it would be annoying. I don’t like seeing just posts from people my age. However; if, yes, there was another page that showed everything, I wouldn’t mind too much.

Overall, I think it would make the site worse. For me, anyway.

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