  In this paper, we present a set of measures to quantify certain properties of
threaded discussions, which are ubiquitous in online learn-ing platforms. In
particular, we address how to measure the redundancy of posts, the compactness
of topics, and the degree of hierarchy in sub-threads. This preliminary work
would very much benefit from discussion and serves as a starting point for
ultimately creating optimal structures of threaded discussions depending on the
context.
