handle a variety of unexpected situations. update conflict handling. remove error_log(). for WEB-8258 +review WEBCR-111
replace uneccessary ajax calls for WEB-8258 probably breaking everything +review WEBCR-111
fix the bugs from the last commit for WEB-8258 +review WEBCR-111
Add '...Complete' to topic update messages for WEB-8258 +review WEBCR-111