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Post by ejparrott on Mar 6, 2015 14:22:55 GMT
I can sympathise to a point. I'm a member of a number of LAnd Rover -related facebook groups. Sometimes a question will come up that I can help with instantly, but there are 40 or 50 or 60 or even 140 posts already, so I don't bother looking. Trouble is, there are soooo many idiots on there who just give totally wrong answers, like one the other week where everyone was telling the poor guy his brake cylinders were leaking, when in actual fact his problem was the other side of the wheel are far far simpler and cheaper to fix.
Conversely, sometimes there's a question to which I don't know the answer but it might be handy to know....but again, there's 30 or 40 or 50 or 60 replies already, and because of those self same idiots that don't know their backside from their elbow, I don't bother looking.
I try not to fill threads up with junk, and the 'Like' button we have on this forum is a very good and useful function. I try to write my build thread in such a way as it's helpful to others and I try to include information where I can, but the same post goes on another forum so sometimes it might appear simplistic and condescending, that's for the benfit of some friends who are not engineeringly minded though, just saves me writing it out twice!
I look at all the forums at the top of the board, everything above personal sales. I read every post that goes in, except when it goes off and gets boring when I skim through, but I don't always reply. It would sometimes be good to weed out the crap.
Now I'm off...before this becomes an endless thread too!
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Post by joanlluch on Mar 6, 2015 14:51:46 GMT
On a purely based "question and answer" forum (such as stack Overflow forums again) you have the following tools available:
(1) answers can be rated. (2) members receive a prestige rating based on the rates of their posts. (3) a particular single answer can be voted as the "best answer".
So basically when you are on search of an answer you only read what is relevant and useful.
The tools mentioned above also help to keep idiots away from the forums, because they won't be ever noticed anyway.
HOWEVER, I do not think that any of that would help in any way on this ME forums because we are far less members and I think that a more conversational approach is more convenient
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Midland
Elder Statesman
Posts: 1,870
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Post by Midland on Mar 6, 2015 18:44:17 GMT
I must be out of touch or disinterested in the argy bargy as I thought this was about threads that you find nuts on!!! D
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Post by Roger on Mar 6, 2015 20:26:12 GMT
Isn't it already like that?. Not sure what you mean. Maybe you can bring an example... Particularly, I like the current way because if we keep starting a new topic for every single deviation we would loss the ability to follow the flow of posts. In my opinion, what you propose is more useful on "question -> response" like forums. This is the model of the "stack overflow" forums, and given their nature they are as they should. But in this case we tend to produce more conversational posts and as such it is interesting to keep the flow of them in single, longer threads. When something different occurs to somebody that requires a new thread, it is made. So this is already done. Well a good example would probably be after about page four of help with speedy valve gear. But I see that’s now become “and other issues”, when did that happen? The original title has never been changed.
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Post by springcrocus on Mar 6, 2015 22:51:21 GMT
There is a discussion here that may interest some of our members although I prefer to read about engineering topics. Steve
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Post by suctionhose on Mar 7, 2015 0:19:51 GMT
Build threads can be kept tight and on topic. They do provide feed for all sorts of breakout discussions. The owner of the thread can self moderate content by starting a separate thread to deflect the waffling on. Some do that and some encourage the chat room style. In the end I find forums a fairly dysfunctional source of information but they do connect with people with which a PM discussion can prove quite fruitful (sometimes!) It's all good fun including the stoushes!
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Post by runner42 on Mar 7, 2015 6:47:01 GMT
In this thread there has been some useful suggestions on improvements to the forum, but the moderators appear to be silent on changes that may occur, therefore it maybe that moderators don't have a remit to make changes? Although I think changes are beneficial I am happy to go along with the status quo and in doing so avoid using the search function because it's reliant on like all search engines putting the right words in the search engine dialogue box and then sifting through a lot of near related information, often resulting in missing out on the answer you require. So I generally go straight to asking the question on a new post.
Coming back on topic, viz endless threads I think that it is the nature of the beast that the forum members are a cross section of any collective with a common interest that some like lengthy replies and some prefer brevity, some like to perpetuate the dialogue until they have the last word and some have the maturity to limit their input to the relevant issues. So endless threads or protracted threads are part of the forum's agenda.
Brian
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Post by alanstepney on Mar 7, 2015 9:23:00 GMT
The actual software used on this site is severely limited in its functions. That limits our options.
Even within what we CAN do, there are often good arguments put forward not to do some of them.
It is rather like specific posts that people complain about. For each complaint we also get messages complimenting the same post. That makes it impossible to please everyone.
One thing we can do (to a limited degree) is to modify thread titles to reflect changes in the thread. However, I dont believe it is up to us (the moderators) to make an arbitary decission on this. Hence we usually only do so if the members (or preferably the thread starter) ask us to.
Apart from that, what we can do is, as I said, limited.
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Post by Doug on Mar 7, 2015 19:50:11 GMT
Wow this forum has a lot of members going into self destruct mode. Two very important things to note, 1: long threads are long cos people are interested in the subject. 2: lots of posts on a forum topic increases its ranking on search engines that's how I ended up joining this forum. i really don't get all the negative stuff lately if you don't like the subject don't bloody read it!!! It's just an article not a bad smell that needs to be removed so why all the trolling?
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Post by 3405jimmy on Mar 8, 2015 10:12:35 GMT
The actual software used on this site is severely limited in its functions. That limits our options. Even within what we CAN do, there are often good arguments put forward not to do some of them. It is rather like specific posts that people complain about. For each complaint we also get messages complimenting the same post. That makes it impossible to please everyone. One thing we can do (to a limited degree) is to modify thread titles to reflect changes in the thread. However, I dont believe it is up to us (the moderators) to make an arbitary decission on this. Hence we usually only do so if the members (or preferably the thread starter) ask us to. Apart from that, what we can do is, as I said, limited. Alan, I think this is a very good contribution to the debate. My concern was that information and help might be lost. According to Mike the search engine works fine. Although when I tried putting valve in as a key word the fourth hit was endless posts? To your comments though I don’t believe it’s a moderators job to follow the pack, keep people happy or rely on feed back to make up their mind. In other words they lead not follow and inaction isn’t a decision. The other board our paths cross on is far more regulated than this one and all the better for it. Just to be clear though this is NOT a criticism of you or the other moderators. As you say your room for action is limited. The usual suspects think endless posts area good idea; others don’t so we are where we are.
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Post by miketaylor on Mar 8, 2015 10:45:49 GMT
Jimmy,
You sound as though you are asking a bit much of the search function.
Valve is a pretty wide term and you are bound to turn up endless posts if that is all you ask for.
If, on the other hand, you search for "valve design" (note the inverted commas; these make sure you are looking for the whole phrase and not just the two words separately) in General Chat you will turn up just a page and a bit of posts most of which look pretty relevant.
As I and others said, the search engine here is pretty good compared with many other forums.
Mike
Sorry, must stop using "pretty".
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uuu
Elder Statesman
your message here...
Posts: 2,810
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Post by uuu on Mar 8, 2015 12:37:41 GMT
Can I encourage all users to have an avatar? It speeds recognition of the poster and makes debates easier to follow. And, if you want to ignore someone, you can just skip over the ones with the silly sheep, or whatever.
Wilf
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Post by ejparrott on Mar 8, 2015 14:54:45 GMT
What's wrong with the picture of the engine I'm building?
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uuu
Elder Statesman
your message here...
Posts: 2,810
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Post by uuu on Mar 8, 2015 15:02:43 GMT
It's excellent. Good looking and relevant.
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Post by ejparrott on Mar 8, 2015 15:08:11 GMT
Just re-read it...see what you mean now...
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Post by 3405jimmy on Mar 8, 2015 17:39:27 GMT
Jimmy, You sound as though you are asking a bit much of the search function. Valve is a pretty wide term and you are bound to turn up endless posts if that is all you ask for. If, on the other hand, you search for "valve design" (note the inverted commas; these make sure you are looking for the whole phrase and not just the two words separately) in General Chat you will turn up just a page and a bit of posts most of which look pretty relevant. As I and others said, the search engine here is pretty good compared with many other forums. Mike Sorry, must stop using "pretty". I new it would be my fault
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Post by miketaylor on Mar 8, 2015 18:04:37 GMT
At least it's a change from it always being my fault!!
Mike
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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2015 20:12:43 GMT
Hello JIMMY------- I've just had a read from page 1 through to page 7 but can't see the point you're making ??--Quote}------ " Well a good example would probably be after about page four of help with speedy valve gear." -Hello JIMMY--------- what was that "Good Example" you had in mind ??
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Post by 3405jimmy on Mar 8, 2015 20:25:27 GMT
Hello JIMMY------- I've just had a read from page 1 through to page 7 but can't see the point you're making ??--Quote}------ " Well a good example would probably be after about page four of help with speedy valve gear." -Hello JIMMY--------- what was that "Good Example" you had in mind ?? The next 180 or so pages
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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2015 20:38:48 GMT
Quite so !! ---LoL---
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