Suggestion Just a thought

[Kim]

Hi-
First of all I would like to say what a great site this is! People seem very friendly and helpful (although being a complete newbie here I can't say for certain - but it feels like it's true!)
The only other site that I know like this is a technical computer site (Tek-Tips). Which brings me to my suggestion....

Tek-Tips is set up much like this - forum based according to topic. Obviously in any given forum sometimes the same questions get asked again and again. I asked my first question here in the Photo/Oly forum - only to have it (correctly) pointed out that the topic had been covered before (exactly the same question) last year. I still got two polite answers as well - and a link to an older thread - great, but probably a little time consuming considering the info was already there. To handle this kind of situation Tek-Tips attaches a FAQ page to each forum where members can post one good answer to repeat questions - and then if the same thing comes up again - point the person at the FAQ (saves time!) Also, everyone is advised to check the FAQ section of a forum before they ask a new question. It works very well over there, so I just thought it might be worth a mention here. (I have no idea how much potential work I am suggesting for the webmaster - I do hardware, not software!!!)

Anyway, like I said, just a thought.......

 

[jonnythan]

IMO, "FAQ" threads discourage ongoing discussion and turn into gigantic, unreadable threads themselves. If you lock them, you'll have constant complaints that they don't cover everyone's opinion.

I *would* like to see a little sticky message in each forum that just says "DO A SEARCH BEFORE YOU ASK A QUESTION"

 

[glbirch]

On a forum like this, I can see such an "FAQ" becoming quite unwieldy in a short time. More emphasis on the search feature might not be a bad idea though.

Kim, if you do tech support and you like tek-tips, have you ever used Experts-Exchange? http://www.experts-exchange.com

 

[Steve_S]

Kim, Congrats on your idea. Member input for improvements is the lifeblood of a mature Community.

In the imperfect world of Forums/Communities I can see both sides of the issue.

1. Dee, Gilligan, and crew have done a really outstanding job with Tips and Techniques at:

http://www.scubaboard.com/f92.html

In this case it's a lot of work and the nature of the subject makes this valuable resource last a lot longer. Note that each thread is locked to insure the value of same and keep things on target.

2. Many of our Forums don't really lend themselves to this kind of resource for various reasons. Let's take travel as an example. Last years top hotel and or dive shop could be this years "dump" Think "current" and "fresh" information which is constantly changing.

3. I have seen the same question asked thousands of times and it never fails to amaze me with the fact that a different "slant/twist" and or answer produces a quality thread. Sometimes "newbs" ask the very best questions since they approach things with a blank slate. Devoid of assumptions and hang ups.

4. A significant number of folks either don't use the search feature or don't use it properly.

5. If you wan't to grab a lot of attention and join the talented and hard working folks who Moderate and Administer SB, grab the bull by the horns and create a bunch of Tips and or FAQ that are usefull for a given Forum.

Dive safe

 

[Kim]

Well I can see the points made. Obviously in a computer technical environment there are more "correct" answers - you do it the right way - it works, you do it the wrong way - it doesn't. In the light of that maybe scuba is different! (Although what is the DIR forum all about!!)
As far as searching goes - maybe I do it the wrong way - but I tested it out using keywords from my repeat question - it only brought up my question as a find - not the link that had actually addressed the same topic that I was pointed to. As I said though - maybe I have to learn how to use it better - I'll keep trying! (Seems to work OK on Google though!!!)