Topic Channels make it easy to follow entire conversations related to a specific Yellowdig topic without losing context. As opposed to when you Filter by Topic, where you will see isolated posts, comments, and replies, in a Topic Channel, you’ll see each post accompanied by its full conversation thread, just like the main community feed. These new channel views ensure you don’t have to jump back and forth between separate windows to keep track of conversations within specific topics that interest you.
Why Use Topic Channels?
- Stay Organized: Enjoy a unified view of conversations—posts, comments, and replies—all centered on a single topic.
- Quick Navigation: Easily switch between different topic channels to explore the specific conversation topics most relevant to you.
- Better Filtering: Seamlessly add or remove additional filters from the topic-based channel to dig deeper into any specific topic.
How to Use Topic Channels
When you open the Community Feed, locate the Topic Channels widget on the sidebar with a list of searchable topics and stats on their usage:
After locating the topic you want to explore—either by browsing or using the search bar, click on the topic name and the feed will update to show only the conversations related to the selected topic:
This action will also hide the “Topics” option in the filter menu because your feed is now focused on that specific topic.
You can also use the topic tags on a post to access that specific topic channel:
While viewing a Topic Channel feed, if you find a different topic of interest and click on it–either from the widget or from a post’s tag–your feed instantly refreshes to display the conversations for the newly selected topic channel.
Searching and Filtering in a Channel View
You can narrow down results further by doing a search or applying a filter (e.g., by user, date range, or any other filter). Keep in mind that once you perform a search or apply an additional filter, you’ll switch from the Topic Channel view to the Filtered View. You can easily return directly to the channel view by clearing the filters you added.