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Your web portal is where your end users go to browse ideas, vote, and comment. When a forum there has hundreds of ideas, the order they appear in matters. It decides which ideas get noticed, which get votes, and which get buried.
To help with this, the web portal has three sort options: Hot, Top, and New. Your end users can switch between them while they browse, so they can find popular ideas, the most-requested ones, or the latest submissions. Admins choose the default sort for the whole portal. Out of the box, that's Hot.
So how does it work?
Hot
Ranks ideas by a blend of total engagement and how recently they were submitted.
Hot gives your users a balanced first look at every forum in your portal. New ideas get a fair shot at being noticed, and ideas that keep getting support stay visible, so users see a mix of fresh ideas and proven favorites. That's why it's the default and a good fit for most portals.
Top
Ranks ideas by total number of unique supporters, all-time.
Top shows your users the most-requested ideas at a glance. It helps them find an existing idea to support instead of posting a duplicate. Consider making Top your default if your portal is well established and you want the highest-demand ideas front and center across all your forums.
New
Ranks ideas by submission date, newest first.
New lets your users see the latest submissions, so fresh ideas get a chance at early votes before they're buried. It's a good default for a newly launched portal, or when you want to keep feedback flowing on something recent across your forums, like a product launch or beta.
All three sorts show open ideas only. Ideas in a closed status (such as Completed or Declined) appear in the Closed view instead.
Changing the default sort
Hot is the default sort for your web portal, and admins can change it to Top or New at any time. The setting applies to every forum in your portal.
- In the admin console, go to General Settings → Ideas.
- Next to Sort Ideas by, click Edit.
- Select Hot, Top, or New from the drop-down menu.
The default only sets what users see when a forum first loads. Anyone can still switch the sort while browsing.
FAQ
Q: Why is an older idea ranking above a newer one in Hot?
A: Hot counts engagement over an idea's whole lifetime. An older idea with lots of supporters and comments can outrank a newer idea that hasn't gained traction yet.
Q: Why don't I see Completed ideas in any sort?
A: Hot, Top, and New only show open ideas. Closed ideas, including Completed and Declined, are in the Closed view.
Q: Does changing the default sort affect every forum?
A: This setting is portal-wide and affects the sort for every forum.