Change name of Newbies & FAQ forum?

Eeden

Every time I look at the Newbies & FAQs forum to see if a Boards-related FAQ I have might be answered, I have to wade through questions about where to buy drill-bits, problems with new TVs, etc.

I realize that the stickies, charter, etc. make it obvious what it's for, but I guess people don't look at these.

Could it be re-named something like Using Boards - Newbies & FAQs, or something similar? This might stop irrelevant threads being started there?

Mr. G

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't the Newbies forum mentioned in the welcome PM? I would imagine newbies just go to that link and post away.

Regardless of what you call it, people are just going to randomly post all types of questions, because 1) They may not get how Boards works, 2) Do not see the forum category dropdown at the top of the site or 3) Everyone else asks random things.

I suppose it could be a case of asking newer users regarding this, and why they just post in there and what would be a better way of preventing it and helping them find the relevant forum.

There is a difference between: Where do I post about drill bits, and what drill bits are comparable with X. The majority of posters over there create the former type thread.

Spear

It won't change anything. For someone to post in there, they have fail to read the forum title, forum description, forum charter, the sticky titles, the stickies themselves, the other thread titles, pretty much everything. At this point, the amount of legit questions is probably barely single digits per year. There's a pretty good argument to close it at this point.

Eeden

Spear wrote: »

It won't change anything. For someone to post in there, they have fail to read the forum title, forum description, forum charter, the sticky titles, the stickies themselves, the other thread titles, pretty much everything. At this point, the amount of legit questions is probably barely single digits per year. There's a pretty good argument to close it at this point.

Spear, I often wonder at your patience in re-directing all the posts! Though I understand that newbies probably just post there because they don't know how to find the right place, and you do steer them in the right direction. So it's helpful in that sense.

But I still can't help but think that a Newbies and FAQ forum is a good idea. Perhaps it could incorporate a separate thread for "where do I post about....XXX?"

Spear

Eeden wrote: »

Spear, I often wonder at your patience in re-directing all the posts! Though I understand that newbies probably just post there because they don't know how to find the right place, and you do steer them in the right direction. So it's helpful in that sense.

But I still can't help but think that a Newbies and FAQ forum is a good idea. Perhaps it could incorporate a separate thread for "where do I post about....XXX?"

There's a sticky pretty much called exactly that, that did seem to cut down on some of the off-topic threads. And with 14,000 views it seems to serve a purpose at least.

But far too many people are used to the likes of Facebook/Twitter and the like, where most things are a simple single page, and they've no concept of sites having a structure to them. Check how many of the nonsense threads have still managed to have meta tags added.

Dades

Would it be an idea to delete or just move posts without leaving a redirect (or just a short temp one)?

At least then whatever meager relevant questions the forum entertains would be visible.

Spear

Dades wrote: »

Would it be an idea to delete or just move posts without leaving a redirect (or just a short temp one)?

At least then whatever meager relevant questions the forum entertains would be visible.

That used to be the pattern. If I don't mention that it was moved from N&F, the newbie dosen't realise they've done wrong. If I do mention it, their first response was to ask what I was referring to, and the thread goes quickly off-topic. Plus it was the practice of spambots back then to follow the redirects threads from N&F and commence spamming those threads, which was merely exporting the pre-existing problem of the spambots already targeting N&F.

Just deleting would never work, new users would never realise what's happened, or that they've done something wrong, merely that they were either ignored or couldn't figure boards.ie out entirely and inevitably give up.

hullaballoo

Just change the name to "Gas Boiler forum" and be done with it.

While you're at it, please change the name of the Gaeilge forum to "the Translate this tattoo to Irish for me forum".

Thanks.

Spear

hullaballoo wrote: »

Just change the name to "Gas Boiler forum" and be done with it.

While you're at it, please change the name of the Gaeilge forum to "the Translate this tattoo to Irish for me forum".

Thanks.

I've noticed that too. Motors questions are common, which is a reflection of motors being a busy forum. But why all the heating and boiler issues?

The Hill Billy

Some idiot (me, actually) recommended changing the name of the Help Desk forum some years ago for a similar reason. That ran for a while but made no difference either.

Maybe the Welcome email could be made a bit more informative? (I don't honestly know what it says these days though.)

Eeden

The Hill Billy wrote: »

Some idiot (me, actually) recommended changing the name of the Help Desk forum some years ago for a similar reason. That ran for a while but made no difference either.

Maybe the Welcome email could be made a bit more informative? (I don't honestly know what it says these days though.)

I think that the Welcome email fades out of your mind pretty quickly. Like, here I am after over five years later, still coming up with newbie questions!

Femme_Fatale

I try to be patient and understanding of misunderstandings, but my god... the idiocy of some of the questions on that forum make me wonder how they get through the day.

To think "Oh, here, a forum that clearly has nothing to do with cars/golf, would be a good place to ask a very specific question about cars/golf."

Or maybe it's not stupidity and just extraordinary laziness.

Dav

Femme_Fatale wrote: »

Or maybe it's not stupidity and just extraordinary laziness.

It's honestly neither, new internet people don't even comprehend the idea of a forum/topic based site like ours when their only exposure to the internet is Facebook or Twitter who are all about the individual's timeline and experience. Forums work completely opposite to this where you're expected to go to the content rather than wait for the content to come to you.

Short of making everyone take a test to sign up, there's nothing we can really do about that only than to patiently explain to people that this part of the internet is different from what they're used to (and to maybe ask them where they've been for the last 15 years? )

biko

As a suggestion to Newb mods:
Instead of responding in every thread, just move it to an appropriate forum with a 2 days redirect.
The newb will follow it and keep posting in the correct forum.
It saves you having to respond at all.

Secondly, new users will see some threads being moved and cop on (maybe) that maybe they should post somewhere else.
If you need a hand moving threads I'm happy to help out.

MugMugs

biko wrote: »

As a suggestion to Newb mods:
Instead of responding in every thread, just move it to an appropriate forum with a 2 days redirect.
The newb will follow it and keep posting in the correct forum.
It saves you having to respond at all.

Spear wrote: »

That used to be the pattern. If I don't mention that it was moved from N&F, the newbie dosen't realise they've done wrong. If I do mention it, their first response was to ask what I was referring to, and the thread goes quickly off-topic. Plus it was the practice of spambots back then to follow the redirects threads from N&F and commence spamming those threads, which was merely exporting the pre-existing problem of the spambots already targeting N&F.

Just deleting would never work, new users would never realise what's happened, or that they've done something wrong, merely that they were either ignored or couldn't figure boards.ie out entirely and inevitably give up.

The poor mans at his wits end Biko, can't you see?

biko

Oops missed his post.

Dades

It might be fun to redirect all the lost newbie threads to a new dedicated forum where they could all get to know each other and figure out where they are, and how they got there.

We could call it the "Misplaced" forum and insist someone post the numbers 4, 8, 15, 16, 23 and 42 once every 108 minutes.

Steve

biko wrote: »

If you need a hand moving threads I'm happy to help out.

Have you cleared this with the Dublin forum mods?

:pac: