Hi Kris, thanks for taking the time!
When those posts pop up, they get the feeling as if it’s telling them off, or rather, that I’m telling them off, that i’ve put those settings to say that. It makes them feel as if they’re somehow doing something wrong.
‘Consider replying to several posts at once’ has absolutely no meaning to them: there are two reply buttons and frankly, i’m happy with whichever one they hit.
As for the ‘similar topics’, that is absolutely perfect in a place like this, where people are looking for information and it helps if things are contained. It’s better for everyone.
But mine is a place for intimate sharing and having ‘similar posts’ elsewhere simply isn’t relevant. So it startles them, they wonder if they should post elsewhere - and end up not posting at all.
Now, if this were to happen just the first once or twice, or for trust_level 0, that would be one thing. But even as admin, three years later, i keep getting those warnings. So it’s not as if it eventually stops.
Thanks for the solutions. I’m going to adjust those settings right away!