[Boards.ie: Nicola]

Originally Posted by Shield

Thanks URL. We appreciate the nod. It's hard work, but we knew what we were getting in to when we reformed both the Help Desk and N&F.

What we didn't foresee was the amount of spam N&F seems to attract, along with the volume of users who choose N&F as the place to post their first thread. AFAIK, the stats show that users register an account and the first thing they do is start a thread as opposed to respond to an existing one.

This causes us problems because the number of new accounts registered per day is around 400, and because the N&F link is in the 'Welcome' e-mail they receive, that seems to be where most of them go. It's even more frustrating when they don't read any of the stickies or notices telling them what N&F is for!

I help as many lost N&F people as I can, and advise those who seem really lost to have a browse around the site to see how it works. Those who can't get it after going and out of forums where "nothing happens" just end up leaving. I learned that a lot of people expect scrolling text boxes like IRC to appear, and once they see something that interests them, they'd just jump right in.

I've had to explain to several people that the forums they were entering weren't chat rooms, and sent them away to Chat Roulette instead, making sure that's what they wanted.

We (me and Spear) did have a few more ideas of possible solutions, but when Darragh left, and then we lost Ross and Conor, that was the end of it changed its position on the priority list.

Figuring out a better way of handling newbies/reworking the forums is actually still pretty high on the list of things to do-one of the first things I did when I started (after replying to 3000 emails....) was re-sort and redesign our inbox so we could analyse the most common queries.

AKAIK there is actually a step by step guide to registering/using Boards for newbies around somewhere-Dav has further details. Hopefully we'll be able to release it soon.

The registration process will be changed soon, the challenge is making it easy enough but not too easy for spammers.

With regard to creepy requests, we have some unbelievable queries every week-so much so that they have their own special folder

[dr.bollocko]

I used post regularly enough on N&F... Give a bit of time into writing long answers to direct people in the right direction. Most of them were still one post wonders so any perceived terseness is most likely not a big contributing factor to the one post wonder factor.
TBH If people thing newbies need more guidance and help (don't we all from time to time?) then just sub up the forum and start replying to newbie queries. You don't need to be a mod to do that and that's probably the best way to foster a good community spirit.

[meercat]

Originally Posted by dr.bollocko

I used post regularly enough on N&F... Give a bit of time into writing long answers to direct people in the right direction. Most of them were still one post wonders so any perceived terseness is most likely not a big contributing factor to the one post wonder factor.
TBH If people thing newbies need more guidance and help (don't we all from time to time?) then just sub up the forum and start replying to newbie queries. You don't need to be a mod to do that and that's probably the best way to foster a good community spirit.

agree with you about fostering community spirit

just wonder if newbies post in the wrong forum and the thread is locked without explanation,will this put them off for good?
i tried to help hazelbrook here but mods locked it
im sure hazelbrook was a bit daunted with the first post and may not come back
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showt...did=2056537991

i know the mods give up valuable time ,but surely an explanation or a standard reply to such a frequent newbie mistake would help

thanks ,meercat

[User Friendly]

Originally Posted by meercat

agree with you about fostering community spirit

just wonder if newbies post in the wrong forum and the thread is locked without explanation,will this put them off for good?
i tried to help hazelbrook here but mods locked it
im sure hazelbrook was a bit daunted with the first post and may not come back
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showt...did=2056537991

i know the mods give up valuable time ,but surely an explanation or a standard reply to such a frequent newbie mistake would help

thanks ,meercat

Difficult to know if they would come back to boards again,thats just piggish behaviour by whoever locked that thread. somebody should have a word with the mod who did this,pure laziness.

[Overheal]

all the mod would do in that situation is say what a user already said and then lock the thread. not sure i see what was lazy about it

[meercat]

Originally Posted by Overheal

all the mod would do in that situation is say what a user already said and then lock the thread. not sure i see what was lazy about it

i think that the mod should have moved it at the very least

it seems to be a regular problem with newbies posting in this forum
boards.ie is a maze of different sections and to help a new user out instead of alienating him with no explanation will be counter productive
its a major step for some (not so computer/internet competent)to join a forum and post a question,to find their thread locked without stating a reason.
im sure the op put a lot of time and effort to work out the join procedure,the post new thread procedure and then was dis-heartened with the outcome
they may not return,which is a shame because they will be missing out on the best user input information forum on the net

[tbh]

Originally Posted by Overheal

all the mod would do in that situation is say what a user already said and then lock the thread. not sure i see what was lazy about it

Wasn't necessarily lazy but wasn't exactly helpful either. how is a newbie supposed to know what happened or why?

[Overheal]

Originally Posted by meercat

i think that the mod should have moved it at the very least

we've already covered why that doesnt occur.

[meercat]

Originally Posted by Overheal

we've already covered why that doesnt occur.

sorry,read that and agree with the reasoning

[Overheal]

We need a registration page LIKE THIS

http://forum.xda-developers.com/register.php

I'm also mildly intrigued (if not annoyed) that users with less than 10 posts there can only post in a narrow scope of forums. In addition when creating a new thread a java box automagically parses your thread title for similar threads (helping the whole search before posting thing)

[tbh]

http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/posting

[User Friendly]

Originally Posted by tbh

http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/posting

Fantastic!

[chocoholica]

Originally Posted by meercat

i think that the mod should have moved it at the very least

it seems to be a regular problem with newbies posting in this forum
boards.ie is a maze of different sections and to help a new user out instead of alienating him with no explanation will be counter productive
its a major step for some (not so computer/internet competent)to join a forum and post a question,to find their thread locked without stating a reason.
im sure the op put a lot of time and effort to work out the join procedure,the post new thread procedure and then was dis-heartened with the outcome
they may not return,which is a shame because they will be missing out on the best user input information forum on the net

I am really disheartened about posting on boards as my posts were considered spam and within minutes deleted and myself banned and in the prison forum. Although I'm out now as the mod has said I'm to "chalk it up to experience," as it was an honest mistake. I feel it was a very heavy-handed and humiliating approach to take. I had posted a similar post about appalling conditions in St Brendan's psychiatric hospital with a link to a petition calling for an investigation into three different forums as there is no mental health forum so I picked the forums I read most and posted it there in a new thread.
Although not new to boards I have rarely posted but felt so passionate about this issue that I decided to post on it to raise public debate. Within half an hour all my hard work was gone and I was in the slammer! I was stunned and when I tried to explain myself that post was also removed because it was a new thread and the mod was pissed off having to do "the morning slop out". He didn't reattach my thread to the previous post, he just deleted it and didn't reply to it either. It really annoyed me as I felt like I was being treated like a naughty child/mindless idiot and not the rational adult I am (most of the time ;-p). I asked for a resolution and for the situation to be discussed but I had to literally grovel my way out over the course of a few days.
Is this the point of boards... pure humiliation and control?
I've emailed admin about this and again today, along with some of the mods in question but I am absolutely disgusted by a lack of common decency in dealing with people who aren't used to using boards.
As a user, I'd like a straightforward complaints mechanism and a bit of common sense, it was obvious I was no spammer, I quick PM would have sorted the whole thing out there and then. I always enjoyed catching up on boards but from now on I'll go elsewhere, as one mod even told me to take it to facebook, see prison forum:
"Every day, I have to delete multiple threads by people who contribute nothing to this site, other than spam. The morning slop-out, as I affectionately call it. One symptom of such spammers is posting the same thing across multiple forums. Irrespective of the content of such posts, posting the same things across multiple forums is considered spam and is much frowned upon. Hence why you find yourself in this situation.

We don't care if it is important, we don't care if it is highlighting a cause. If it is that important to you, start a Facebook page. This site is not the place for it."
Who do you guys think you are, the thought police?!?

[Insect Overlord]

You spammed, you got banned, and the admins gave you a second chance. Methinks you should get over it and use the site properly, to be honest.

[Overheal]

Chocoholica: Your incident has nothing to do with the topic. For disputes, use the Dispute Resolution Forum and Procedure detailed and diagrammed within. You have already PMd mods and admins, just wait for your responses back; don't take this thread off-topic please.