Some of you need to improve your thread titles...

When someone replies to a thread, that thread is supposed to jump to the top of the index. However, there are times when it doesn't. This is an indication that the thread has been "anchored".

You may ask, "Why do threads get anchored?" The main reasons usually have to do with the text inside the subject field.

Your thread title should be descriptive and contain the point of your thread...2-3 key words doesn't state the exact point of your thread. If you have a question to ask, ask it fully in the thread title. If you are linking to a news article, often the headline of the article makes for a good thread title.

Important: Don't force readers to have to click the thread to know what it is about.

Here are some of the main reasons for anchored threads:

1. The subject of the thread is too short and not descriptive enough. We often see users just put one word or sometimes two words. These are immediately anchored. Again, be descriptive.

2. The subject of the thread is cut off. This is also referred to as "Cliffhanger Subjects". This is a problem that has been popping up a lot lately. A user will post a subject such as:

"The key to winning the game is..."

or

"I am about to get torn to shreds but I think that"

For whatever reasons, the user cut the subject off and is requiring that the reader click on the thread to find out what the point of the thread is. We would rather the main idea of the thread to be inside the subject.

3. THE SUBJECT OR POST IS IN ALL CAPS. These are immediately anchored or deleted All caps are hard to read and comes across as shouting.

4. There is already a thread on the info that you are posting. This is self-explanatory. We usually keep the thread with the best subject, and anchor/delete the repeat threads.

5. The topic has been beaten to death. Sometimes, topics have run their course and need to just fade away.

6. A thread has gone off topic. If the replies inside a thread have nothing to do with the main idea in the subject, we often anchor.

Hopefully, we can start improving the readability of SR.com by following the guidelines inside this thread.