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To the mods and Admin and general users ...

I am seeing more and more dis-respectful replies to newbies then ever before, and it is getting old, all this does is run off potential new comers to this site who might be the next great cooker and spreads a not so good rep about this site
at the same time I see some mods have be respectful to others in there sigs. I think this should become policy across the forum period and those that are rude and disrespectful in their reply should get a vacation to let them know this is not to be tolerated IMO
This site is about growth and interest in these toys of ours, not about ripping newbies who may ask a question that maybe have been asked many times over, so what, why not just post a link to the search and to the Wiki and say welcome to the forums , instead of bashing them? It would leave a better taste in the newbs mouths and they might become a contributor in the future.
Also think about this, just how many of you cookers have something in your sig asking for a cup of coffee ? or Donate to XDA or Donations graciously accepted. Well if a newbie is made to feel welcomed and comfortable here , They are more then likely going leave you a little something.
Me , If I notice a rom cooker being rude, they are not very likely going to get anything from me even if they had something great and useful.
I just replied to a newbie that asked a simple question, but not before someone posted a B.S. reply, I instead answered it with something useful and promoted the search engine at the same time
This did two things, first the newbies was made to feel welcomed and also if someone was to search the same question, they would find a reasonable answer.
BTW B.S. replies just screw up the search results forcing newbies just ask questions instead of finding answers.
Flame away if you want or become part of the solution .

i agree,
there are times that newbs do need help. some of those who i have pointed in the right direction have tried to search, but either search the wrong thing or don't know what they are looking for.
it does work two ways and some of the mods and senior members are to be commended for their help. ( i can think of about 10 folks who go out of their way to help as many as possible and never rip a newb)
those who are helped are more likely to help others.

I find it often takes longer to explain how to use the search facility properly to yield useable results than it takes to answer the specific question, but there is no excuse for rude replies, if you don't like what you see simply move on rather than posting an offensive reply - Mike

Here is a good example of what I am talking about,
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=403829
This reply by kspirit did nothing to help this user ,
No , nothing like that runs on the tilt..
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.
its these kind of responses that need to be curtailed.
Even though a mod did respond , he/she did nothing regarding the above users response. All this does is give the impression that this behavior is condoned .
I am not knocking the Moderator (I do find him to be very helpful) but they do have a huge influence on how others act on this site, and by not informing this above user that these types of replies are not helpful or uncalled for) they are giving the impression that it is okay.
Mods & Admin , what do you all think ? Am I off track here ?

Just wanted to add this:
If the mods were to take the time to edit the titles like this one " New AT&T Tilt Phone - Help" to something like this...Will software like HTC Home, Mobile Shell, Pocket Informant work on both the tilt & 8525?. or something along those lines.....
This would help with search engine results, Yea its abit more work for the mods to do this but it will help greatly in producing more viable search results .
Just a thought...

i think what drives some ppl to be rude is the fact that the ppl who decided to ask a repeated question were told that they have to search for an existing answer before asking a new question, and that they decided not to do that and just post a new one, i think both are mistaken here, and the one with the question brought it on themselves. i really don't like rude answers, but!

AthenaLod said:
i think what drives some ppl to be rude is the fact that the ppl who decided to ask a repeated question were told that they have to search for an existing answer before asking a new question, and that they decided not to do that and just post a new one, i think both are mistaken here, and the one with the question brought it on themselves. i really don't like rude answers, but!
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Ahh do you search much ? this user did not ask the same question twice....
and there is no excuse for being rude, and so what if they had ? a simple link to the Wiki would be a very easy way to deal with it, and a welcome to the forum would get much better results.
why would I want to donate or promote this site in any form if all I got is ripped on ? hmmm
Like Mike has posted,
if you don't like what you see simply move on rather than posting an offensive reply - Mike
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This would yield better results .

by "told" i meant that for example in the kaiser forum, the only sticky there is titled "**BEFORE YOU POST START HERE**" and it says "Read and search before posting. Reply to an existing thread before creating a new thread. Redundant threads will be closed." so, if somebody decides that he/she wants to just ignore this, he/she brought it on themselves. i don't do bad language, or encourage it, but, sometimes some ppl can be really so lazy to even do a search

Just my personal opinion....
I've only been here for a few months and I have to say, I've seen more useless threads then ever before! Now, don't get me wrong, I love to help, and do all the time, but at some point, you see a junior on their first post asking something like, "How do I uninstall an app?", or "How do I turn the phone off?" So at some point of seeing these threads, someone will be a bit frustrated and point them to the search and wiki fetaures located on the top bar instead of a full answer. I fully understand your point, but like I said, these members who join just for a simple answer then after 10 minutes ask why nobody is helping can aggrivate all of us users who come here for new information on a daily basis. Especially when they start a thread, get an answer, and never return.
Look here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=404065
Now in this post, this user was looking for a specific dialer, and of course it's impoosible to search for an image, but I did help. Actually at first, I was a bit mad at the fact they posted the image, but didn't ask in the thread they got the photo from, then realized the image wasn't from here. But after I saw that, I tried to give some info on it, but I can't spend time looking for something they want, but I can help, so I did.
I think I'm done typing , but I'll say this, when I first joined, actually being my first forum, I had a bunch of questions, I didn't feel a need to post a thread for one simple question. I actually spent about a week after work searching and going through a bunch of pages looking for info, and I found a lot!
Also, a suggestion, I asked this in the SPAM thread, how about putting a block on junior users poting new threads? It would prevent SPAM and these simple question threads.

It seems that mods and Admin are strangely silent regarding this topic......wonder why..

I don't think they aren't responding for any unknown reason, this topic has been discussed so many times, there is no interest in tackling this issue anymore.

Just wanted to say that F2504x4 put the problem very articulately and I totally agree with him. Pointing out a mistake (such as not using the search facility) need not be done in a rude and dismissive way.
I will just remind us that we were all noobs one day, and also that some people are more technically minded than others. What may seem to us a simple and trivial question is obviously not so for the one asking it.

TheChampJT said:
I don't think they aren't responding for any unknown reason, this topic has been discussed so many times, there is no interest in tackling this issue anymore.
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They should be taking a interest in this.....if they are becoming numb to it , then they need to take a hard look at why they are a moderator, Sorry if this sounds harsh . Moderators are the leaders that others look to for guidance, they help set the tone of the community.
This is a great site, with a lot of great talent , but it will not take long before it becomes over shadowed with a darker side.
Continued growth is key to any forum and community , and running off new comers with not help with that.
Fact is you will always have newbs ignoring stickies and search engines , nothing will ever change that.
All this site can do is maintain a positive atmosphere , and continuing education to those that join .
So i ask again , what say you Admin and mods ?
Thank you pedmond for this , very well put.
I will just remind us that we were all noobs one day, and also that some people are more technically minded than others. What may seem to us a simple and trivial question is obviously not so for the one asking it.
Yesterday 07:49 PM
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F2504x4 said:
It seems that mods and Admin are strangely silent regarding this topic......wonder why..
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Don't really think the issue is with Mods and Admin. I do see a lot of evidence of them cleaning up threads if they're getting out of hand and sorting out users that are really getting obnoxious. But the problem seems to be that certain people feel their post count is a license to have a go at the newer members. And certain new members seem to think the world is their private helpdesk and that the purpose of these forums is to instantly deal with their every need. Well in any large group you'll always get those that are unpleasant to deal with - that's life. There are just as many, maybe more, who're a real pleasure to deal with and try their best to help. I think if new members read the forum rules and were prepared to lurk a bit before posting, then they'd quickly get an idea of what types of questions to ask and how to get help.
So while I personally totally agree with your views on decent behaviour etc I don't think its an issue to get wound up about. If you can filter out some of the fluff, this site is still the best resource for our phones by far.
(But I've only got about 80 posts, so maybe I'll change my mind when I hit 100! )

What are the Mods/Admins supposed to do? Ban every user?
I often tell people to search for things when they have one post, and have a very stupid question with a blatant answer. When they do that, they don't deserve to be treated with a great amount of respect.
When someone who has evidently searched around, and has clearly tried to solve their own problems and then as a last resort asks for help, I'm far more inclined to be generous with my time, and try to help them.
Some people are obnoxious and post without searching at all, but the admins/mods can't go and ban people because they were once an idiot.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=2360488&posted=1#post2360488
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

l3v5y said:
What are the Mods/Admins supposed to do? Ban every user?
I often tell people to search for things when they have one post, and have a very stupid question with a blatant answer. When they do that, they don't deserve to be treated with a great amount of respect.
When someone who has evidently searched around, and has clearly tried to solve their own problems and then as a last resort asks for help, I'm far more inclined to be generous with my time, and try to help them.
Some people are obnoxious and post without searching at all, but the admins/mods can't go and ban people because they were once an idiot.
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Wow what a way to start off a reply Ban every user ?
I think you should re read what has been stated, I did not hint or say ban anyone..but if that is what it takes to effect a change then maybe it should be considered but it should be directed at those that are creating a un-friendly and less then helpful place . IMO
First off I have no problem with someone being told to search, its how they are being told and some of the un-called for comments that are becoming more and more common and is the real problem, go read the example I posted earlier.
what do you consider a worthy response in this thread ? http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=404065
As to the stupid questions , Idiots and respect, ahhh I thinks its way past beer thirty .

swanlm said:
. But the problem seems to be that certain people feel their post count is a license to have a go at the newer members.
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while I agree with a lot of what you said, In the example I gave , its even the low post count members that are posting these less then helpful responses, so that is telling me that this a is trend that is spreading and the bad thing is that a mod even replied in the thread, and did nothing about the response given, they only quoted part of my reply about searching.... ( I am still wondering why...)
Btw I only started this thread after a lot of reading and seeing this trend become more common place.

It's not about being against Noobies...
Too many come here from other sites for the wrong reason. Many of the questions that get jumped, closed & merged really should have been asked at the AT&T or other carrier support forums.
I'll quote this post of mine:
I think what a lot of people forget is that this is not a "make my phone neat & kewl" place.
As implied by the name this is technically a Developers forum/community.
Now what does that mean? Well first off it means that there is an expectation that if you are here then you want to customize your device but rather than just installing something that someone packaged you want to understand how it works and maybe even enhance it yourself.
When I first came here with a Blue Angel it was a different environment. PDA Phones were not embraced by the general public because of the expense and complexity (I paid over $400 for my BA). A $400 phone 4 years ago was expensive, today the Tilt is $300 after rebates but with inflation & the rise in the cost of other devices and the fact that there are other sources out there giving them away for $150 our neat bit of kit has become popular with mainstream users.
Now we have a flood of new users who are asking not "How can I do this myself" but more like "Give me the quick fix" without caring to understand the process. See if you read the threads then you get to experience the learning process, you see how the issues were investigated and confirmed. Then you get to watch the different attempts at resolution and learn why some failed while others worked. That is called Development.
The NooB backlash is coming from users who have walked in the development shoes and is directed mainly at those who don't care for the journey but just want the end result or destination.
As a Development Forum we are just as much (if not more) about the journey. I've read so many comments like "I don't have time to read all of the threads" or "I don't care how it works, just that it does". These very statements are contrary to the heart & soul of XDA-Devs and that is why the backlash is so strong.
Let me be very clear on this: IF YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT UNDERSTANDING THE JOURNEY THEN YOU PROBABLY SHOULDN'T BE HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE.
XDA-Devs is about developers & hackers helping each other and working together to get the most out of our devices by understanding them better than most.
XDA-Devs is not about helping everyone who wants a "Kewl bit of kit" make their phone better than the guy next to him.
Now do we go kicking users off who never contribute anything, NO. We tolerate it to an extent. Where the toleration ends is when these users start diluting the usefulness of the forum by repeating the same questions over and over again.
You ask us to understand your position. Well if you want to benefit from our experience and time then I think it is only fair that you understand our position.
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Good post and very worthwhile reading kyphur,
and I understand clearly why it was written.
Just be aware of this trend and its long term results...
Btw I have walked in Mod shoes , and understand the inner workings of forums, and it is no easy task managing a community.
Thanks for posting that.

Do we really need thread Nazis right now?

This is a new phone with new users coming in here every day. I've seen he same one or two people here not answer a single question, they just say wrong forum or hey let me google that for you.
Way to foster a growing community.

I think everyone that replies should encourage people to search for themselves and put things in the proper forums.
I know it falls on deaf ears as most people want to be spoon fed - it is just to much work to read 30 pages of a thread to understand how something works - they just want the short answer. Then they complain when they miss a step and break something.

I agree. It seems like they just started recently. Ive had my phone since launch and it hasnt been like this. It does get annoying to see dumb questions but most on here its our first android phone ( backflip and aria didnt really cut it).
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

I have just decided if you are a thread Nazi I will block you. I have 2 on my ignore list right now.

gunnyman said:
I have just decided if you are a thread Nazi I will block you. I have 2 on my ignore list right now.
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If you don't know how to block people, let me know and and I'll google it for you ; )
J/k, don't block me.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

ashoooo said:
If you don't know how to block people, let me know and and I'll google it for you ; )
J/k, don't block me.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
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LOL 10chars

gunnyman said:
This is a new phone with new users coming in here every day. I've seen he same one or two people here not answer a single question, they just say wrong forum or hey let me google that for you.
Way to foster a growing community.
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I do notice the large amount of people that seem to ask questions that have already been covered or start cloned threads that do not need repeated. You could view it as overly eager people who want to jump into the community before getting to know it or as people to lazy to do a search and/or read some existing threads.
Either way, I always felt ignoring the post seems to be a better option than making a negative comment. I think you are correct in saying this does not "foster a growing community."
Do keep in mind that it is sometimes hard to search for the correct answer or how to word a question when you are new to a subject. Back in my first few weeks of XDA on my old tilt, I felt a bit bombarded by new terminology and confusing tutorials. More experienced members should be able to determine if an OP is partialy ignorant or just plain lazy. I say when in doubt, ignore it.

Good post, Shovelhead. I agree with your comments.
I think another factor is that just now many people are just being introduced to smart phones. And that in turn probably is causing many new forum users to come on board. I mean new to forums, period. So they may not know the methods, and protocols expected.
It's interesting that I see in many forums that some people will expend more effort griping or castigating someone than it would take to just answer the question, or ignore the post/thread if it is one that doesn't interest them.
I actually am not familiar with the ignore option. I presumed that would just ignore if they sent you PM messages.
Can someone Google that for me?

ewingr said:
Good post, Shovelhead. I agree with your comments.
I actually am not familiar with the ignore option. I presumed that would just ignore if they sent you PM messages.
Can someone Google that for me?
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In efforts to prevent confusion, I was referring to a personal ability to ignore. I have not used any ignore features through the forum. I am currently ignorant to these features.

Shovelhead84 said:
In efforts to prevent confusion, I was referring to a personal ability to ignore. I have not used any ignore features through the forum. I am currently ignorant to these features.
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I put them on ignore so I don't say something banworthy to them. It's the best form of self moderation for me.

I understand your point, but having the developement section tampered with unnecessary threads hampers its readability. And to many it is fundamental to keep up with multiple threads in there.
I'm not the kind of person that goes around bashing new users, but I did notice an increase in such threads lately, and although "thread nazis" can be just as annoying, don't forget there's no personal gain for them in it: they're just trying to keep the forum as clean and readable as possible.
I mean, there is a reason to have a Q&A section: using it would actually make it resourceful for newcomers while keeping developement clean.

I actually would say there haven't been many "thread nazis" in the Captivate forums. I read development for the most part and there are MANY questions (hell half of them start with [Q] that have NOTHING to do with development, people just want a question answered for them) that just belong in Q&A.
Most of the people (most, not all) tell people that they are in the wrong section but usually still provide the answer in hopes of letting the thread die. asking how a command works in adb does not count as captivate-specific android development.
it's important to remind people that the development section should be left for DEVELOPING android on the phone or TESTING new developments on the phone (or thinktanks and the occasional request for apps that would have to be dev'd to get functional)

Has anybody tried to use the search since the redesign? All my searches come up with a hundred pages of nothing remotely related to what I searched for, and that's using all combinations of the advanced search. At least for me it's useless now.
This stuff here makes mad:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=752670
Sent from my captivate

In my begginings in this forum I'm ashamed to admit that I acted like one too. But now what I do is when I see an out of place thread I reply very succinctly almost bordering on a terse response and then I suggest the Q&A section.
I then proceed to answer as many questions as I can for 5 min in an effort to make the Q&A section the best it can be and not clutter the rest of the sections.

boborone said:
Has anybody tried to use the search since the redesign? All my searches come up with a hundred pages of nothing remotely related to what I searched for, and that's using all combinations of the advanced search. At least for me it's useless now.
This stuff here makes mad:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=752670
Sent from my captivate
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I find the search function works very well.
As for not liking references to google - I don't see the problem - OK, maybe you were looking for more specific information, but like all things, likes of forums is suggestive. So why not use google, search for Android forums, then pick the ones you like.
So many questions are answered by using google but no one tries that, so unless someone says "I have tried google, and only find X - but I want Y" then a response that says "try Google" is not out of line.

My $0.02 has always been this ...
We were all noobs once. When I was a noob I had enough sense to spend time and effort rooting around XDA to learn about my new (at the time) device before I started to ask questions.
Whether it's here, or on any other message board in cyberspace, that is the standard level of expectation that the senior members of the forum have. Experienced members want to help people and often spend a lot of time adding their experience to the forum, but they also want the new members to try to help themselves first. When they see someone ask a question that's answered in a 'sticky' at the top of the page or one or two posts below on the first page, it can be amazingly frustrating, and as others have said, it unnecessarily clutters up the forum.
So yes, sometimes people are harsh. Personally, if it at least looks like someone has tried to find and answer but can't figure something out, I'm always happy to help. Those who make their very first XDA post a question that has been asked and answered many times will get a 'search is a beautiful thing' response from me with a link to the post where the answer is. It's a subtle jab, yes, but at the same time the poster gets an answer. It's not meant to be a 'Thread Nazi'.
Hopefully that nudges them down the path of looking first and not expecting to be spoon fed everything, and to the realization that the forum doesn't exist simply to be a place to pop in and ask a question and go. Every time I pick up a new device and move to a new forum I see a ton of this ... one hit wonders that you never see again.

I I don't have a problem with that at all.
But what value does "hey you should have posted that somewhere else dumbass" provide. especially in "Dev"
I mean General is the catch all
Q&A is kind of basic
Themes and Apps are self explanatory.
I see dev section as the "hey I wanna break stuff" department. If the answer to a question could break stuff I say it's a dev question.

I agree with most remarks on here. I know i have been too harsh with post on here. But mainly after i read the same post in different threads. I agree that there are alot of newer members now that are lost in the threads lol. So im glad this thread was made and cast new light for me. Guess i need to be nice and more helpfull.

smokestack76 said:
I agree with most remarks on here. I know i have been too harsh with post on here. But mainly after i read the same post in different threads. I agree that there are alot of newer members now that are lost in the threads lol. So im glad this thread was made and cast new light for me. Guess i need to be nice and more helpfull.
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Well well Smoke seems like once again we are on the same device lol. Ill be working in this forum more closely cleaning things up and trying to help point new users in the right direction.

zelendel said:
Well well Smoke seems like once again we are on the same device lol. Ill be working in this forum more closely cleaning things up and trying to help point new users in the right direction.
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Yes this rocks!!! I guess my talks with a few people worked Glad to see ya here
Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

Great Job.

i dont understand this here forum, (redneck voice)...
while ive been here, in the last 2-3 days ive encountered the following:
1) horrible attitudes and question answering. not that the questions weren't being answered, just the way they were being answered. if a noob asks a question, let him ask. but we all know how easy it is for us to look cooler by bashing them.
2) Inappropriate use of language and shameful and offensive harassment. now passive as it may, calling a ROM "Gay" for not having xxx feature is wrong.so is calling said members "******s" even better?
3) trolls trolls trolls. if we have nothing nice to say lets at least keep it civil.
although we could all go on all night over something, this i sno way to have a thread. ive been in many other forums, and i can honestly say none are as bad as this one. if this is the way the i727 forum will conduct its business consider me gone. although i am not much help to the communtiy, i do love the Dev work. but if its at the cost of seeing a horrible thread such as this i think im better off stock.
d

it comes and it goes. hang in there and find a good way to contribute in the meantime

cdromo90 said:
i dont understand this here forum, (redneck voice)...
while ive been here, in the last 2-3 days ive encountered the following:
1) horrible attitudes and question answering. not that the questions weren't being answered, just the way they were being answered. if a noob asks a question, let him ask. but we all know how easy it is for us to look cooler by bashing them.
2) Inappropriate use of language and shameful and offensive harassment. now passive as it may, calling a ROM "Gay" for not having xxx feature is wrong.so is calling said members "******s" even better?
3) trolls trolls trolls. if we have nothing nice to say lets at least keep it civil.
although we could all go on all night over something, this i sno way to have a thread. ive been in many other forums, and i can honestly say none are as bad as this one. if this is the way the i727 forum will conduct its business consider me gone. although i am not much help to the communtiy, i do love the Dev work. but if its at the cost of seeing a horrible thread such as this i think im better off stock.
d
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5 Months and 14 posts???? This is by far the most deticated forum to the HELP and DEVELOPMENT for the largest selection of mobile devices and devices alike. I am not bashing you but after you have been around for awhile and contribute to this forum then your opinion with come with more value. There are many people on here that do help and are very generous but the are few and far between that are oh not so friendly (and I stress few and far between). If you are a noob then it would help to read the NOOB STICKIES to find out more about your device and learn your way around instead of just jumping in with no intelect or know how of how to use this forum properly. I have only been here for 4 years (actually 4 years ago today), I have tested hundrends of ROMs on lots of devices and have donated hundreds to the developers who help make this possible. Even though I have been through and done the forementioned I myself still read through the stickies to find out more information about the device at hand. You can never gain too much knowledge or know too much about what you are doing. There are weeks maybe even months woth of guides and stickes on this forum. If you need information about your device i'd say there is a 98% chance that someone has already gone through the same thing and has a solution to the problem. The best thing to do here is READ READ READ and try to find out on your own to solve your problem before just logging in and asking questions about something that has been answered because you are too lazy to look yourself. Hopefully you stick around and leanr more and see what this forum is all about. Don't let some asshats ruin it for you. They will be weeded out and generally the situation is solved pretty quickly. There are always someone somewhere that makes things difficult at some point.

If you have a problem with a post or thread hit the report button and let us (moderators) know whats going on. You also need to understand this forum is not a service center we are not here to make your phone cooler or get you out of your mess for not reading (that's 90% of the "HELP" threads or post) so if someone asks something that has been covered before most people will help you out not always as cheerful, but they do. Yes there are trolls, always will be but that's your job to report. We can't read every single post all day (2 moderators vs how many Skyrocket users?) so you guys have to help out. Will be locking this thread as its not really Skyrocket related (just your personal rant) about the community.
Cheers

[OFF TOPIC QUESTION] Is Arrogance so important to XDA community

I understand that here, on XDA, you get nice and civilized answers if your thanks-meter is high. My question is: Is the XDA strategy built to make users leave XDA for other communities? Or is it just that the arrogance is directly proportional with the thanks-meter?

Ruwin said:
I understand that here, on XDA, you get nice and civilized answers if your thanks-meter is high. My question is: Is the XDA strategy built to make users leave XDA for other communities? Or is it just that the arrogance is directly proportional with the thanks-meter?
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I understand that here, on XDA, you get nice and civilized answers if your thanks-meter is high.
Not really true.
Is the XDA strategy built to make users leave XDA for other communities?
There is no XDA strategy. It's just a place for people to tinker with their phones.
Or is it just that the arrogance is directly proportional with the thanks-meter?
No it is not directly proportional to the thanks meter.
There are a lot of grumpy people around though.

I think the best thing you can do is to report arrogance and hope the user gets some sort of warning. I have also witnessed some comments that were unnecessary and that could really put new users off asking questions here. That is a real shame imo.

dc211 said:
There are a lot of grumpy people around though.
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Dmwitz said:
I have also witnessed some comments that were unnecessary and that could really put new users off asking questions here.
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+1 to these, some people who are new just don't understand how the forum layouts and whatnot work, but rather than being more polite about it, the more experienced ones go off at the new people. Pretty hard for the new people to get help that way.
Tapatalked from my HTC One S running CM10

I only really see "arrogance" displayed in two fashions:
1. The occasional Dev war drama. This really only happens rarely and has settled down quite a bit since some ROM devs have moved on to other devices.
2. Noob squashing. The fact is, Android is a victim of it's own success. In the G1 days, XDA was a true home for hackers to exchange information. Now that Android has such a large worldwide marketshare, more and more folks are coming here to enhance their devices and free them from their cell provider's greed and bad decisions, regardless of their technical level. I'd bet the CM10 thread could be condensed into a one page FAQ which would eliminate hundreds of pages of repeat questions, but in reality, the types of people that frustrate us so much wouldn't even take the time to read that. The only solution here is help or ignore...flaming just triples the number of pages dedicated to a noob mistake.

You get nasty responses when you refuse to read and the question has been asked soo many times.. or you post a question in the general section... or break any rules
I've had people not read the downgrade thread and pm asking what to do.. when if you read it, you realize its nearly noob proof
Sent from my HTC One X-

I think that one of the problems is that the pros try to distance themselves from the noobs. The problem with that is that the noobs will only feel more ignored and try harder to get their voice heard. It's a problem almost all forums have, but it seems more serious here on xda than anywhere else I've been. I think much of the talent here gets wasted. Answers get hidden away deep in overly long topics and poor communication skills make things worse.
I get the feeling that many of the threads here would have worked better in wiki-form, where each issue has its own page, instead of each topic.
But these are just a noob's impression after a few days here.

el_smurfo said:
The only solution here is help or ignore...flaming just triples the number of pages dedicated to a noob mistake.
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^^^ So much this. ^^^
@OP: I don't think what you're seeing is arrogance. More likely frustration. <S>About those damn n00bs who keep pissing all over 'our' forums.</S> But flinging poop at them doesn't result in neater cleaner tidier forums.. The catch22 here is that there is no real way to tell people (noobs and grumps alike) to stop polluting the forums without engaging in forum pollution yourself.
Also, it is not related to the thanks meter. If anything, the 'thanks' feature is meant to keep the forums cleaner, by eliminating "Wow thanks!"-posts.
(Maybe we need buttons for "Wrong section!" and "Use the search!" too. Actually, we do have a button for "Wrong section!", it's labeled "/!\ Report".)
-Jobo

As was previously was stated it frustration over most issues.
If people took a few seconds to try and search or post in correct sections things would be a tiny bit easier. Though since its the internet conflicts or bad attitudes will never subside
Sent from my HTC VLE_U using xda app-developers app

JN3141 said:
+1 to these, some people who are new just don't understand how the forum layouts and whatnot work, but rather than being more polite about it, the more experienced ones go off at the new people. Pretty hard for the new people to get help that way.
Tapatalked from my HTC One S running CM10
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No reason to be polite, when the answer or rules are stickied or found on the first page. For instance, development forum is only for development, and there's a sticky emphasizing that. Try they post questions there anyway.
So while it's understandable they don't know the layout yet, they can read. If they ask a question, they'll obviously be reading the post in case is has their answer. So they can just as easily read the stickies.
Not to mention, it's always good to take a moment and read stickies or the first page, before asking questions.
Sent from my HTC One S using xda app-developers app

No matter how wrong they are, you still don't need to get rude like I've seen happen. Yes, there are a lot of frustrating situations, but that still doesn't constitute the flaming. If you were new, maybe you might make a mistake like that, and wouldn't want to have people flaming you, it'd just get more confusing for you.
Tapatalked from my HTC One S running CM10

JN3141 said:
No matter how wrong they are, you still don't need to get rude like I've seen happen.
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Exactly. There is no excuse, ever. You either answer and help, or ignore, or report.
Making an unhelpful off-topic post to verbally smack someone in the face is a waaaay worse offense than posting in the wrong section or asking something that's already been asked and answered in the post right above it. It also has much more negative impact on the forums than some stray posts.

I see it as arrogance and frustration. There are many of us that are unseasoned in the knowledge of phones. When we have knowledge in a particular field and become wise, we sometimes become impatient with others for what is simple to us. Very few people knew years ago what they know now. Life is about development, meant to cultivate and refine, and it happens in stages or seasons. To the well-seasoned people, (pros) please try to understand our ignorance or unfamiliarity. When a noobie asks something, try to understand you didnt always know what you know. Show some humility, you can better help us by understanding we are students to the knowledge you have. When you teach, we can learn, and go away more intelligent in that field, then we can help others on a lower level. . Example: The Pros have level 10, some noobies may have level 5. But that level 5 noobie can help a level 3 noobie, easing the burden on the level 10 pro.
On the other hand, many noobies may start asking questions and expect the pro to do allllllll their work, NO GOOD. There is a friend of us all, his name is Google, he has helped me many times. I dont expect for the pros to do all of the work for me, as none of us should. We as noobies do need to spend more time reading and researching, if we fail to understand, then ask the question. Sometimes we all overlook things and it may take a noobie to make a pro recall that thing that was overlooked. As the commercial says, "you can learn alot from a dummy' (noobie). I even see some pros ride the coat tails of other pros and more or less follow their leads. If the first pro is hard on a noobie the second pro adds his two cents. Thats not necessary.
Let us both, pro and noobie, do our part to develop and keep good karma here at XDA. I do like XDA very much and recognize and respect the abundance of talent which is here. It is fascinating for us to learn and share what we know with others and to see we have helped someone. Im interested in learning and if possible over time to share what I learn with others in a humble manner. So if the community will have me, I plan on being here.

One other productive point of dialogue. I have noticed that recently when you create a new thread XDA automatically searches your subject line and shows you threads with similar subject lines. I think that is helpful.
But it all goes to show that maybe the search functions could be reviewed a bit more with newer members input.
I really like XDA btw, but just thinking about ways to make it better. It may be that those kinds of auto search functions should appear when you are posting in a thread, and not just creating a new one.
There may also be ways to make the search functions more intuitive. Sometimes, for example when you search threads (and not just posts) the default screeen sends back a bunch of threads and it becomes hard to judge which thread may actually contain the most relevant info you are looking for (since the subject line may not be helpful). There may be other info the search could show you (ie how many times the word comes up in that particular thread, etc).
I am sure XDA is always looking at ways to make things better. But it would be interesting to hear what new folks have to say and the challanges they face when searching for information.

AKToronto said:
I have noticed that recently when you create a new thread XDA automatically searches your subject line and shows you threads with similar subject lines. I think that is helpful.
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I agree with you AK, It is very helpful and a nice feature. It reduces the amount of clutter. I went looking to start a new thread on the subject titled "Arrogance vs Humility", and boom, the search suggestions showed me a few threads on the subject. It does become time consuming when cleaning up the forums. Most times when we want to know something we want it on the spot and dont take the time to look first. More so than not, the question has already been answered.

Another issue is the xda app does not have an option to filter the search results. It's pretty well useless. Main reason I switched to tapatalk.
One S | Xparent Blue Tapatalk 2 | Viper 1.2.1 | Bricked Beastmode

There's also not a lot of stickies in the Q & A section... I think we might want to start a project with moderators to propose some stickies and have folks volunteer to create and update the original posts in such stickies.
For example an RUU FAQ, and a Wifi faq, perhaps another on different hboot versions what that even means, one on custom recoveries, kernels, etc. I posted what I thought was a more comprehensive review of sd card issues people have had and fixes and asked it be moved to q & a (since the one stickied there is pretty basic and hasn't been updated). My explanation is still getting buried in the general section for now http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=36372149#post36372149... It's not a big deal though.
But I do find that really good OPs (ie original posts) can do a world of good for someone who is new. Stickies and other OPs should be updated frequently especially as people start explaining their issues.
Another good example of a post that should be stickied in Q&A but is lingering in General is http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2076086
Sent from my HTC One S using xda premium

Dmwitz said:
I think the best thing you can do is to report arrogance and hope the user gets some sort of warning. I have also witnessed some comments that were unnecessary and that could really put new users off asking questions here. That is a real shame imo.
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AGREE completely, some people just believe that just because they've been here for what seems forever and (believe) they have put in their time that they can actually treat people like they're complete idiots and that is just WRONG! I have been around for awhile and never that I can remember have ever treated members like this plus each individual may have better understandings of many other devices or aspects of several other types of electronics compared to many, than again some just are not too familiar with this or that type of device possibly because there are as we can agree slight differences in each. Why can we not just treat everyone as people of a large and (sometimes) great community also, just explain things like the way you wanted them explained to you when you first arrived or switched devices and I just received the BEST experience in my thread for the past week from 'Darknites' and another member whom I'm having issues with writing his username lol but he knows who he is. I try to learn from what has been taught to me through trial and error and lots of it but members like above stick in and help even though I know they were getting irritated lol, when I can I help those with similar issues or with issues I possibly know the answer to. PLEASE just help, no need for rude degrading comments to anyone no matter how much they may not be catching on also you can type many things in 'Google' or even in this forum's search but may not get exactly what your looking for especially like me when this is your daily driver device and can't afford or are not into testing many different devices.
Thanks.

TheCrow1372 said:
AGREE completely, some people just believe that just because they've been here for what seems forever and (believe) they have put in their time that they can actually treat people like they're complete idiots and that is just WRONG! I have been around for awhile and never that I can remember have ever treated members like this plus each individual may have better understandings of many other devices or aspects of several other types of electronics compared to many, than again some just are not too familiar with this or that type of device possibly because there are as we can agree slight differences in each. Why can we not just treat everyone as people of a large and (sometimes) great community also, just explain things like the way you wanted them explained to you when you first arrived or switched devices and I just received the BEST experience in my thread for the past week from 'Darknites' and another member whom I'm having issues with writing his username lol but he knows who he is. I try to learn from what has been taught to me through trial and error and lots of it but members like above stick in and help even though I know they were getting irritated lol, when I can I help those with similar issues or with issues I possibly know the answer to. PLEASE just help, no need for rude degrading comments to anyone no matter how much they may not be catching on also you can type many things in 'Google' or even in this forum's search but may not get exactly what your looking for especially like me when this is your daily driver device and can't afford or are not into testing many different devices.
Thanks.
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:laugh:

End of custom roms.......

Sorry guys.... As another dev shuts up shop due to users/noobs that don't read opening posts or explain the bugs they having.
Custom roms will soon be a thing of the pass.
I for one knows how much time/effort goes into making a rom. It's no easy task. The amount of flashing/bricking to bring roms to us.
All the roms on xda are free but if this continues then devs may start charging for their roms (maybe not on xda but who knows) Wouldn't blame them really though.
All users need to understand if we don't have devs on Android. Then basically we will end up like iPhone users that are locked down. We should be grateful for all devs that brings us root without it then no custom roms would exist.
Do the Android community wanna end up like iPhone? I doubt it very much.
Respect the devs
Read the first post, search the thread! All answers are there. This excuse "I searched but couldn't find anything" is BS basically.
We will lose them all eventually.
Rant over.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk 2

Post of the month!
ETA:
As much as I agree, this is flogging a dead horse
Until you can change the impatient 'fix it now, I refuse to read the first post post anyway, that bits not important' mentality of the average user, nothing will change

I agree. most users in this community are selfish. most likely they demand fix this please, when's the next update, port it please, comparing their work to another's hard work, flaming and so on.
they neither try to read back the thread or use the search function. or has no clue with the forum rules. it's a sad thing but yeah it's here. it's really a sad thing but there's nothing we can do unless they learn to respect the free work devs have put into their work. people should realize devs are doing it on their spare time on their own will to share to people for users to enjoy for free.

Agree
I was hoping to find a thread like this and I totally agree with you.
But maybe that is not the end cause I think that the devs will still love what they do just that they try not to address certain people.
As great as the idea of XDA is and as much as I'm happy that this awesome forum exists..I think that it should be talked/discussed about the forum rules!!!
Example:
How can it be possible that you become senior member with 100 posts?
This leads to flaming in some cases and is no way near related on how helpful you are
The process in being allowed to post
While some are annoyed that they can't discuss right after logging the first time....for others it is way to simple to join and flame.
Rules enforcement
We all know that some posts we make are not related to the devices...and I think that this shouldn't be seen as an issue in general...XDA to me is also a communication page as long as the dev doesn't have a problem with it... BUT being disrespectful to the work you receive for free and claiming bugs where there are reported to be none and most important refusing to read should be looked after more often.
At last I really don't want to criticize XDA or what it stands for cause I still love it... I just hope it stays what it was created for and won't loose the devs which are doing so many awesome things for us because some people just can't follow the rules and be thankful for what they get

Maybe some new rules when people sign up?like private reference or something?but then again that would drop Ads revenue of this site drasticly

Unfortunately it's fact that most of the users are never happy enough with the things they get FOR FREE. They don't see the hard work of the devs behind a custom ROM. They only see what they have on their phones, and if there's something they don't like, they complain and blame the dev. And the fact that many users don't read instructions or simple informations gives the devs more work. They have to watch their thread 24 hours a day and always be friendly and helpful. If that's not given, some users become rude. My favorite thread was closed this morning because of such stupidity. The dev pulls his heart and soul in his project and gets more negative than positive feedback. That's not fair.
 @4aces: you know what thread I'm talking about, i think you agree, it's a sad sad day for us.

Exactly @speedwayfan75 that why I had to voice my rant over that thread. And @DSA same for your thread too shut due to some users. Black box was great used on s3 then got discontinued on s4
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk 2

So you are announcing the end of the custom ROMs, because of some impatient noobs, who have always been around and probably always will be? Are you for real?

centavar said:
So you are announcing the end of the custom ROMs, because of some impatient noobs, who have always been around and probably always will be? Are you for real?
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Did I day that :banghead:
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk 2

In my opinion it's also the fault of XDA in general.
Just take a look in the Q&A section. So many question that have been anwsered before, so many people that just won't read.
In my opinion every thread that doesn't have a decent opening post should be closed untill they put some effort in it. But the more users XDA gets, the more money they make. So the skill level will only keep lowering and then some other decent website opens and replaces XDA.
Users just get to much space to do anything they want. I'm not blaming the mods in any way, because I think they are doing a good job. People higher up the ladder should take action or XDA will go down true their own succes.

I agree that there are many noob who do not read the post before replying.
But every boby was a noob before no?
just give them a chance to become good Android users...
PS: sorry for my english, i'am french !

You can't stop anyone from posting questions without searching first, or asking for OTAs. The only thing the devs can do is to ignore these people.

worktorest said:
You can't stop anyone from posting questions without searching first, or asking for OTAs. The only thing the devs can do is to ignore these people.
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Its not as simple as that
If I create a development thread and include all relevant info in the first post, which is then populated with nothing but questions that are answered in the first post it makes it incredibly hard to find any proper posts which could contribute to the rom or for me to help a genuine user having issues
I created a specific q&a thread for these types of posts and everyone ignored it and filled up my dev thread instead
XDA has a chronic problem with users atm, I can't explain it or understand it, but I'm seeing more and more devs close their threads because of the users populating it
Have a read of the gravitybox thread in the xposed section...its unbelievable..
ETA: just had a read of the echorom thread...check @friedrich420 last posts in there..I feel for him as I know exactly how he feels

Users should be understanding about this. I think XDA should double the number of moderators so that useless posts are deleted on regular basis. For developers; they should create a third post on their ROM topic, that has a big list of all FAQs in bold.

worktorest said:
You can't stop anyone from posting questions without searching first, or asking for OTAs. The only thing the devs can do is to ignore these people.
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I agree. I'm not sure if Devs will start charging, to be honest I'd probably pay, But anyways.... I work in Service Management for a Global IT company, and this behaviour is pretty standard when you are dealing with this many users..
I for one respond ONCE and the ignore users that make demands or unreasonable requests or are just plain offensive or rude.
What makes it worse though is the number of more experienced users that actually reply to these people in the thread. Honestly is some threads they have doubled the useless post count! Now, before I get flamed, I have done it myself because its just plain RUDE!!! But it doesn't take every 'good' user to flame back or stick up for the dev or say not to ask for ETAs! Just once will do and then ignore them!
If you ask any service professional or SixSigma bod, they will say 'focus on the good users and ignore the bad'.
Please please though reading multiple posts from good users responding to bad users is just as annoying as having to read the original bad post.
Peace Out People!

DSA said:
Its not as simple as that
If I create a development thread and include all relevant info in the first post, which is then populated with nothing but questions that are answered in the first post it makes it incredibly hard to find any proper posts which could contribute to the rom or for me to help a genuine user having issues
I created a specific q&a thread for these types of posts and everyone ignored it and filled up my dev thread instead
XDA has a chronic problem with users atm, I can't explain it or understand it, but I'm seeing more and more devs close their threads because of the users populating it
Have a read of the gravitybox thread in the xposed section...its unbelievable..
ETA: just had a read of the echorom thread...check @friedrich420 last posts in there..I feel for him as I know exactly how he feels
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I thank you from the bottom of my heart!! I know if anyone can understand is you my man!! I create a basic custom rom at best (and kernels lately). You create the most awesome rom i have ever used!! Way way over my head!! And you get the same treatment?? Its really not worth it!! People (im not generalizing because there are some EXCEPTIONAL USERS who deserve recognition) dont get (or dont want to get) what it takes to create a masterpiece like yours for example...
Thank you and my wish is that we will see you back!!
But one thing is for sure, something has to change...
It seems that people value something only if they have to pay for it... Im not say this should happen here but something that protects us (the creators/ providers of roms. kernels, recoveries, mods, apps etc etc) for the **** we get should be put in place... Some kind of mechanism that protects spamming and protects flaming... Something with more success than the current measures we have in place now...
Also THANK YOU TO EVERYONE FOR YOUR SUPPORT and opening this thread is a good thing!!
It needs to stay up and we need to make it into a "brainstorming pool" of ways to make sure devs who do this for free (therefore they do it because they love sharing) are protected...

How to stop stupid questions?
Firstly if devs want to be paid then good for them. Whatever they get it wont be enough. This might leave some users feeling empowered though - they would feel they were owed answers as they had paid "where is my promised bug fix you lazy asshole!". And we don't want that. So how about a testers thread for each ROM were the dev controls who can post and a general thread for each ROM were you have to pay to post ($0.20). It would encourage only real questions after peole have searched.

finbaar said:
How to stop stupid questions?
Firstly if devs want to be paid then good for them. Whatever they get it wont be enough. This might leave some users feeling empowered though - they would feel they were owed answers as they had paid "where is my promised bug fix you lazy asshole!". And we don't want that. So how about a testers thread for each ROM were the dev controls who can post and a general thread for each ROM were you have to pay to post ($0.20). It would encourage only real questions after peole have searched.
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You are so so right about that!!
Thats why i would never want to sell anything here..
Can you imagine what they would do to me???
I mean i get abuse from offering free stuff for so many devices... can you imagine making money for it? People would think im their slave...

goodgood hahahahhahah
stevendeb25 said:
Sorry guys.... As another dev shuts up shop due to users/noobs that don't read opening posts or explain the bugs they having.
Custom roms will soon be a thing of the pass.
I for one knows how much time/effort goes into making a rom. It's no easy task. The amount of flashing/bricking to bring roms to us.
All the roms on xda are free but if this continues then devs may start charging for their roms (maybe not on xda but who knows) Wouldn't blame them really though.
All users need to understand if we don't have devs on Android. Then basically we will end up like iPhone users that are locked down. We should be grateful for all devs that brings us root without it then no custom roms would exist.
Do the Android community wanna end up like iPhone? I doubt it very much.
Respect the devs
Read the first post, search the thread! All answers are there. This excuse "I searched but couldn't find anything" is BS basically.
We will lose them all eventually.
Rant over.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk 2
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goodgood verygood

friedrich420 said:
You are so so right about that!!
Thats why i would never want to sell anything here..
Can you imagine what they would do to me???
I mean i get abuse from offering free stuff for so many devices... can you imagine making money for it? People would think im their slave...
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Gasp! I donated $1!!!!! You mean I don't own you????