Need help? Check out our Support site, then


WordPress.com Forums » Support

12

Possibly related Posts

  1. secondchancetolive
    Member

    I just published and then added the titles to my site map. After adding the titles to my site map and looking at the post I noticed at the bottom of my post this list of possibly related posts. I am not terribly thrilled about this list being included on my web site being that I have not added those websites to my blogroll. I am very selective of who I endorse and include on my web site.

    I have 2 questions.Why are these "possibly related post" being included on web site, especially with out my consent?

    How do I go about removing that feature from my web site?

    I do not want my readers to think that I am steering them to other web sites, which I know nothing about. Let me pick and choose who I want to include a possible posts for my readerst to visit and read.

  2. dissfunktional
    Member

    there are numerous threads in the forum on this topic.

    you can also read this:
    http://wordpress.com/blog/2008/04/25/possibly-an-announcement/

  3. secondchancetolive
    Member

    Thank you for the head's up. I read the post and am still concerned. I appreciate the availability of the feature, however I am not too keen on having my readers believing that I am pointing them to these other web sites - related posts - that I know nothing about their "related information" , nor do I endorse. For all I know the related post could point people to nefarious sites that have similar wording or phrases.

    I would like the option of having or not having the feature on my web log.

  4. philgroom
    Member

    I too have just encountered this feature for the first time intruding on one of my posts — and I don't want it either. Thanks, interesting idea, but no thanks, guys!

    Have it like a widget by all means, an optional extra for those who want it, but please don't automate it.

  5. secondchancetolive
    Member

    I left this comment for Matt at the thread you gave me dis

    Hi Matt,
    I appreciate the hard work that you all do at Word Press and the services / options through widgets that you provide. I really like the option of using or not using a widget per my preferences. I like have the option of whether to include or not include people / web sites in my blogroll or otherwise. With this being said, I appreciate the availability of the feature -- Possibly Related Post -- however I am not too keen on having my readers believing that I am pointing them to these "possibly related posts". I do not want my readers to be directed to some crude or vulgar web site, while thinking I am endorsing their material.

    In my thinking that by the "possibly related post list" being presented at the bottom of my post, WordPress.com is communicating to my readers -- and I am not -- that I am somehow endorsing or pointing my readers to those web sites. I do not want to point my readers to web sites, or their post (s) especially when I do not know anything about those web sites. For all I know the related post could point people to nefarious sites because those web site use similar wording or phrases.

    Please provide the option to include this feature "possibly related posts" as a widget and let me decide if I want to have the option -- like other widgets -- of placing that widget on my web site.

    Thank you Matt.

    Craig

  6. vivianpaige
    Member

    You can turn it off under Design>Extras

  7. secondchancetolive
    Member

    Hi Vivian,
    You rock. I went to Design>Extras and updated my Extras and whalla. Thank you for providing a solution. Have a simply amazing rest of your weekend my friend and God bless you.

    Craig

  8. dissfunktional
    Member

    that solution was in the post you read.

  9. 1tess
    Moderator

    Apparently emotions are running high on the issue of "possibly related" and the announcement was quite sudden and very casual. I think a lot of people don't read the whole story. It is not really clear that people can opt out of it easily.

    For myself, I would like to delete blogs from the list that are irrelevant, but essentially the idea is interesting. So far, it only applies to new posts, so I'm lucky that the ones on my blog are sort of applicable, but it would be better for me to get rid of the ones that I don't approve. This is not the same issue as the "mature" content discussed in another thread.

  10. vivianpaige
    Member

    1tess - not sure where you're getting the idea it only applies to new posts. It's showing up on old posts on my blog and others.

  11. dissfunktional
    Member

    http://en.forums.wordpress.com/topic.php?id=27295&replies=6#post-195995

    Matt's recent input.

  12. 1tess
    Moderator

    vivianpaige,
    Oh. So far I've only seen it on the post I did today! I even edited some older posts and there was no sign of "possibly related posts" on the older ones. hmmm.... I guess I should go look at my blog again?

  13. 1tess
    Moderator

    And now there is nothing on my latest post! It was there all day—3 links, 2 sensible, 1 irrelevant— but now I checked in firefox and safari: nothing!!!????

  14. raincoaster
    Member

    I really, really wish they'd make a sticky post and NOT close it for topics like this. Everyone is asking, and we've got a completely unweildy number of threads.

    1tess, it depends on how you get to the post in question. I see nothing when I go from the Stats page, but I can see them on my blog if i"m scrolling down the front page and click the title of a post. But not on all of them.,

  15. 1tess
    Moderator

    raincoaster,
    A few minutes ago, I opened a new tab in Safari and nothing. I opened Firefox new. Clicked on the title of the most recent post in each browser. Nothing. But now I refreshed the pages and can see the possible related posts again. But they are only on the post I did today. I was doing some editing earlier, and not any of my older posts had the "new feature." So do you see it in older posts?

  16. raincoaster
    Member

    I've looked through your archives for December and don't see it on a single post.

    Also: that Mr Sweet Potato thing is hysterical! I have to steal that!

  17. 1tess
    Moderator

    Oh, you and Mr. Tess are the only ones who have commented on that sweet potato with personality. Maybe the humor is too subtle. not many people look at my blog so steal away.

    But I meant do you find the "possibly related posts" on YOUR older posts?

  18. raincoaster
    Member

    Yes, but I haven't disabled it. Matt's threat to drop people from other blogs if they dropped other blogs from theirs was enough to get me to leave it on. But I love Vivian's workaround for people with the CSS upgrade. It just gives a heads-up that the links were selected by WP, not by the individual blogger.
    http://en.forums.wordpress.com/topic.php?id=27314&replies=13

  19. 1tess
    Moderator

    CSS=roof
    over my head

  20. raincoaster
    Member

    I'm hoping that WP.com will impliment that for everyone, though. I'm going to try to remember to send it in as a suggestion on Monday.

  21. justjennifer
    Member

    I don't have time in this lifetime or the next to start blocking specific blogs that may show up as a result of this new feature, especially given the huge number of blogs hosted on WP.com Count me in as willing to lose the potential traffic involved. I've just turned this feature off on all my blogs here.

  22. moneyedpoliticians
    Member

    I went to Design/Extras and didn't see such an option.

    The only thing I have checked is "Enable Snap Shots on this blog," which I've always had checked.

    "Hide related links" is unchecked. Nothing else exists.

    What exactly must I look for?

    Also, I would hope that future options default to OFF and send me an email telling me when new options are available. Please....

  23. mxyzplk
    Member

    @moneyedpoliticians - You want to check "hide related links" - this will hide the related links.

  24. secondchancetolive
    Member

    I am with you justjennifer as a huge amount of my time and energy would be diverted to police which blogs are empowering and those that are nefarious in nature. In addition, I do not want to confuse my readers or validate -- by association in "possibly related posts" -- web sites that I may never have or take the time to read.

    I appreciate the hard work and time that Matt and the others at WordPress have taken to develope this feature / portal, however I am concerned about the potential of opening a unwanted "can of worms" and confusion for my readers.

  25. membracid
    Member

    I was very excited, and then very dissapointed.
    I write about racism or LGBT issues occasionally, and now I get a whole bunch of racist or gaybashing posts attached to my stuff.
    GREAT.
    Or, I write about bogus alternative medicine treatments, and then get links to the treatments inserted to my post, which make it look like I’m endorsing them (and giving them Google juice.)

    I like this feature, but I would like it a lot better if there was a way that I could veto some of the links that contain content I find offensive.

    I’ve reluctantly turned it off. And I think blackmailing us into the system by saying that you have to allow links on your blog to be included in the links on other blogs is pretty low. Standard reciprocity, I know, but it feels like blackmail.

  26. fromtheleft
    Member

    Membracid,

    This is a perfect example of WordPress NOT thinking these moronic enhancements through BEFORE they shove them the community's throat.

    I have seen some pretty bizarre "matches" when visiting other WP blogs than have absolutely nothing to do with the content of the blogger's thread.

    There is an old saying: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." The men and women who run WordPress would be well served to embrace it.

  27. philgroom
    Member

    I've said this on another thread but I'll say it again here: this feature really does need more fine tuning: at the moment it’s all or nothing: there’s no way to moderate the links generated, no way of turning it on or off on a per-post basis; the links are not flagged up as auto-generated; and they only show when the post is viewed as a standalone page, not in the main blog.

    C'mon Matt - you guys can do better then this!

    I've posted a warning to visitors on my 'About' page stating that no endorsement of auto-generated links is implied. Anyone who wants to is welcome to re-use or adapt my wording:

    Possibly Related Posts
    Links at the bottom of posts flagged as ‘Possibly related posts’ are automatically generated by WordPress: no endorsement of these links is implied. Please see this definitely related post for more information.

    http://christianbookshopsblog.org.uk/about/
    http://christianbookshopsblog.org.uk/2008/04/27/possibly-related-posts/

    But it really shouldn't be necessary to post warnings or explanations like this!

  28. akhomeschoolfun
    Member

    I just found 3 "Possibly related posts" listed on my post. It is a controversial topic and I don't appreciate the suggestions as to what may be related which implies that it is there by my consent which they definitely are not. If I want links to other posts I would like to be the one to put them there! Why were these put on without first e-mailing this was happening? I agree that this feature should be default to off then if someone thinks it is necessary they can decide to turn it on. Especially since there is no way to moderate them to weed out irrelevant or opposing posts.

  29. vivianpaige
    Member

    You know, I'm not advocating mutiny here but if we all turn it off....

  30. shimworld
    Member

    POSSIBLY Related ... it is anything but and definitely far from "possibly related". Improvements and enhancements are good but I don't think this is the time to be introducing new features when people are still coming to terms with the Dashboard-related issues.

Topic Closed

This topic has been closed to new replies.

About this Topic

Tags