AI topic summaries
The hundred-reply topic is a badge of honor for a community and a wall for everyone arriving late. AI topic summaries take that wall down: long topics get a catch-me-up that says what happened, so members can join the conversation instead of archaeology.
How it works for members
On long topics, members see the option to get the summary: the discussion so far, condensed to the points that mattered. It's generated from the actual replies in the topic, cached so repeated readers don't wait, and refreshed as the topic grows.
Your controls
Summaries are enabled per forum, with a minimum reply count before they appear; short topics never show one because short topics don't need one. Turn them on where your marathons happen: the megathreads, the long-running support sagas, the season discussion topics.
AI topic summaries come with the Launch plan and up. Like everything AI on ForumSpark, they work from your board's real content, and members always see that a summary is a summary, never a replacement for the thread.
The megathread that scares newcomers away is exactly where a summary earns its keep. "Catch up in one minute, then join in" turns your board's most intimidating topics into its most welcoming ones.