Help Me Poll

[knc1]

How many correctly indexed, useful posts must a newly register member add to the index system before being allowed to make their first "Help Me" forum post?

[Bilbo1967]

I voted 0. Isn't this supposed to be a friendly, helpful forum? Why would we want to impose conditions on being helpful?

[knc1]

Originally Posted by Bilbo1967

I voted 0. Isn't this supposed to be a friendly, helpful forum? Why would we want to impose conditions on being helpful?

I see that you noticed I included "0" as a possibility.
I also presume that your questions are obviously rhetorical.

[Bilbo1967]

Originally Posted by knc1

I see that you noticed I included "0" as a possibility.
I also presume that your questions are obviously rhetorical.

Why would you presume my questions are rhetorical?

[DiapDealer]

0 - As long as the words "Help Me" don't actually appear in the subject.

[knc1]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

0 - As long as the words "Help Me" don't actually appear in the subject.

Wish I had thought of that one.

[Rob Lister]

Originally Posted by Bilbo1967

Why would you presume my questions are rhetorical?

Is that a rhetorical question?

[thomass]

Maybe a real problem for these "Help me" threads is that they are created even we have similar (sticky) threads.

A possible soln: Maybe these new "help me" threads could be deleted ( or just ignored) if they are already a "how to" thread (or a similar "help me" thread) available around here?
Or they could be "closed" with a warning (with a direct link to the related "how to thread")

[knc1]

Now demonstrating the en_Mobileread variation on the en_Nixon, "Silent Majority".
Unfortunately, the polling package here does not let me set the default choice of "No Public Opinion" == 156,000-9 votes.

[geekmaster]

An important point of web page design is to put all the important stuff "above the fold" (a term from newspaper layout, where people can read the top half of the front page without putting money into the newspaper vending machine. On web pages (such as MR), you just need to ASSUME that people do not bother using scrollbars (or cursor keys).

It is amazing how many functionally illiterate (able to read, but do not WANT to read) turn to the internet for technical "assistance" (used in the literal sense, where by assistance they really want somebody else to do the reading and making for them (custom scripts and step-by-step recipes customized for THEIR situation). No attempt to do ANYTHING themselves other than the absolute minimum needed to ASK for help: http://www.whathaveyoutried.com

Adding an extra step may (probably WILL) make them just give up and send their kindle back to amazon with NO learning involved. At least if we help them, they will learn something because they MUST use MfgTool, fastboot, SSH, and a few linux commands. We help them learn in relatively painless "baby steps".

Putting another barrier in their way may prevent this potential valuable learning experience.

[thomass]

it would be great if it was possible to move (append) one thread into another just like moving into another subforum.

then whenever so starts a thread with a same issue with another one, moderators could append it into the appropriate thread.

[knc1]

Originally Posted by thomass

it would be great if it was possible to move (append) one thread into another just like moving into another subforum.

then whenever so starts a thread with a same issue with another one, moderators could append it into the appropriate thread.

It might be possible in vBulletin, I know it is in TikiWiki.

The problem is not with the features of the site package but that there is so much duplication (even on the first page of the forum list) that it would take a full-time moderator assigned to this forum.

And with 156,000-5 not even bothering to index their own threads...

PS: To the casual reader: Thomass is one of the 5 contributors to the index.

[geekmaster]

Some of our most prolific developers have not yet indexed their own thread (including NiLuJe who said he plans to). Ixtab has a lot of great threads. I hope he prefixes and indexes them too. I am sure people will have more time to index their threads when summertime ends.

Actually, some large threads contain MANY important "subthreads" inside them, that also need indexing. This will be an ongoing process. Unfortunately, time spent indexing is taken away from time spend developing.

There is no need to wait for people to index their OWN threads. That is why the indexes are wikis. Anybody can index any thread. I hope people who want to help and have time search the forum and index threads and posts FOR the developers who created them.

[knc1]

Originally Posted by geekmaster

There is no need to wait for people to index their OWN threads. That is why the indexes are wikis. Anybody can index any thread. I hope people who want to help and have time search the forum and index threads and posts FOR the developers who created them.

Anybody may index Anything!

Just sitting here, adding to the index the threads/posts/resources that appear as "answers" to the day's questions has stalled KeK for two days now.

With yesterday's changes to the structure, I think the structure is fairly well established and the index is usable as is.

Although I am not suggesting it is (yet) time to move it out of "beta" status.

The google-bot likes our entry style (even if it does seem a bit repetitious to a human reader).
We (the humans) are using the click-able strings for indexing, google-bot is using the non-click-able strings.

The "thread hits" and the "wiki page hits" tell the story.
Try in google: Kindle serial port
Just as an example.

[geekmaster]

Google customizes its hits for each user. I just googled "Kindle serial port". Just the "usual" results (no indexing pages) for MY personalized google results.

Google is worthless, as far as telling other people to google YOUR keywords (which only work for YOU). *sigh*