Related
Right, so as a small group of you may be aware (And those that read my signature too), I have a keen interest in porting google android to mobile devices. Now a particular topic about the Dell X50v recieved a bit of attention, and a small site grew out of it, unfortunately, my dell died and I stopped visiting the site, and the few (25) users gradually drifted away from the project.
Now i've bought a website, set up my own server, and the site is up and running (Check my signature)
Now I obviously want this to take off, and I was going to make a post in General/Hacking + Development on XDA-Devs, as pretty much every device forum has a post "I want android on X device plz!!" here.
I had a look about the Q+A sections and Rules and saw nothing forbidding this, though many forums i've frequented disallow advertising of websites unless in a specific section. I figured this would be a pretty big thing here if it took off, so I wanted people to be aware of it.
So the upshot of this question is: Should I bother creating a thread basically advertising this website?
well first advice i would give is not to crosspost, not that im saying you would, just a precaution
secondly stick to one post and update that one only
thirdly only offer the site address if you think the person needs to have it
Thanks for the help, as you can see, I have a habit of rambling! Would it be acceptable for me to write a draft of the topic here before posting it so you can offer advice?
Could the posts in "Raphael Questions & Answers Here" be mini threads themselves?
I was just wondering about this after reading yet another post from a member about how difficult it could be to trace the thread once it is moved into the big thread, mostly because it would not have all the answers for that particular thread, well, threaded, to the original post anymore. Although the moderators might have contemplated this, but is it possible to have some sort of threading for each post within the big single thread? Maybe something like the threaded SMS feature for the Fuze? I hope this thread stays as a single thread itself , so someone wondering about the same thing I am, knows why things are the way they are. Thanks.
An even better idea would be to create a Raphael Questions and Answers Sub-Forum where people could start threads to ask questions and then keep it as an archive where you can go to find the answer to any question.
new system doesn't work
I totally agree with incisivekeith:
The single-thread Q&A system and the displacer-mods are killing active and concentrated conversations over the issues by forcing it into a chaotic messy HOLY THREAD. This undermines the entire point to exist of the forum
I know I'm missing out on a decent amount of information because I don't even check that thread. It's an absolute mess. Even if I see a new thread that I might want to read that gets moved to that Q&A, I don't even bother. What a waste.
Kevin
Yes, the mods and admins are trying to figure out better ways to organize it but for right now i think it is decided that they will just have one huge thread of all questions and answers because there are way too many threads coming up with simple questions and they want to try and keep things more clean and organized on forums.
If you think its a bad idea take a look into the kaiser section and see how much crap is there. What the mods are doing is a GOOD start to keep the forum clean.
In addition, most of the people that are complaining are the ones that have only been here for a couple months, therefore they have no idea what everyone has been through in the past year and even longer. You (no disrespect) new users here must realize that this has been our home for a long time, there is a certain level of respect and rules that many of us wish would be followed. Those rules are not being followed, so this is a good solution for a problem that has been going on for a while.
ptyindian said:
Yes, the mods and admins are trying to figure out better ways to organize it but for right now i think it is decided that they will just have one huge thread of all questions and answers because there are way too many threads coming up with simple questions and they want to try and keep things more clean and organized on forums.
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Yeah well having one huge thread isn't exactly clean... It makes it terribly hard to find ANYTHING. They can call it the Questions & Answers Thread but that's just a poor way of trying to address a very large issue.
1. People are going to start a thread asking for help.
2. The moderators will merge that thread with ALL THE OTHER threads of people asking questions.
3. Now that person who was asking a question before will go back to their thread and see it was merged with that HUGE questions and answers thread and never be able to find their question or the potential answer...
Result of all of this?
They're going to start a new thread asking their question over and over again until they eventually get frustrated and give up, possibly driving them off... That's never a good way to run a site...
WE NEED A dedicated "Questions & Answers" SUB-FORUM within every major device's main forum. This will provide a place for people to ask their questions, get their answers, and move on. It will also provide the users with the ability to have those mini-discussions without having to worry about the moderators taking their thread and moving it to that giant mess you all call the questions and answers thread.
Just my 2 cents...
Hey yeah i totally understand what you are feeling. I brought the same exact point up in a thread here and here was the response by a mod. They are trying to figure things out too and in order to get a Q&A subforum they have to go through different things and get permissions and stuff like that and it apparently is not that easy.I understand what you are saying but for right now that is what the mods and admins decided was the best thing to do and this is only a trial from what i understand it is not permanent. They just wanted to see how it is going to work.
ptyindian said:
Hey yeah i totally understand what you are feeling. I brought the same exact point up in a thread here and here was the response by a mod. They are trying to figure things out too and in order to get a Q&A subforum they have to go through different things and get permissions and stuff like that and it apparently is not that easy.I understand what you are saying but for right now that is what the mods and admins decided was the best thing to do and this is only a trial from what i understand it is not permanent. They just wanted to see how it is going to work.
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Yeah I hope they figure this out sooner than later because I know that if I was the one asking a question only to come back a few hours later to find out that my post is now lost in that thread I wouldn't even waste my time trying to find the post let alone the answer...
People are gonna start getting discouraged and maybe that's their goal... Idk... I hope not but that's what's going to happen. People are gonna ask their question and then it's gonna be lost in that thread and they're never gonna find the answer IF someone actually reads through the thread enough to actually answer it.
I have to make this clear - my intention to begin this thread. It is certainly not to question the policy of the moderators of merging the questions in one big thread, because as KD8DNS said, people (new users) often open a thread for anything and everything, most of the times, without researching for the issue. I am highly technically inclined, but I could be considered a "new user" myself, not unfamiliar with the whole smart phone thing as I had a Nokia smart phone before the Fuze, but new to the Windows Mobile platform, and boy I have learned in the past couple of weeks alone.
I posted the following in response to a post in the big thread, which brought into light the lack of convenience in searching for a solution in the big thread:
"I had that line of thinking for a while, so I won't say you are saying something that is unreasonable. But, if it makes you feel a little better, maybe you can try for the keywords for that thread/post by using the "Search this Thread" menu at the top of any thread. Even with that, you will not have a thread that would have all the answers for that one issue in one thread, I agree, but maybe this huge thread is required, as there are/were so many threads for issues that have already been discussed or could really be answered in a big thread like this."
So, as I said, I most certainly understand the reason due to which the moderators decided to merge many threads. Having said that, and also considering there are certain rules, all I was opening for discussion, was whether there was a way to have mini threads within that thread or some alternate solution or not, which would not only reduce the maintenance and clumsiness of many threads for already discussed issues, but also be efficient in providing information to new users, for some of whom, frankly, this forum could be their first ever forum. That was the point I was wanting to discuss, and, I am reiterating the purpose of this thread, which is not to question any policies, but to just discuss an alternative. Thanks.
Okay, since i'm the moderator being discussed i figured i should weigh in on the matter.
First, if you have an issue with anything that i do, feel free to PM me. I cannot promise that i'll change my mind about any of my decisions, but i will certainly listen to your point of view.
Second, a couple users were correct in saying MOST of the posts that I merge are redundant questions posted by people who don't know how to search or special issues that aren't going to apply to many people.
Finally, if there are several posts that you think would be beneficial to be posted as a separate thread for discussion about a significant issue then send me list of links to the posts you'd like to have merged into a separate thread, and I can pull all the posts together and put them in a new thread. It will just save me a lot of time if i don't have to look around for them, and increase the likelihood i will get to it sooner.
That's about it. I'll leave this open for a few to see if anyone has something useful to be gleaned, but to be honest, if it turns into people complaining because they don't like the Q & A thread then i'll probably just close it.
darfri said:
I totally agree with incisivekeith:
The single-thread Q&A system and the displacer-mods are killing active and concentrated conversations over the issues by forcing it into a chaotic messy HOLY THREAD. This undermines the entire point to exist of the forum
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You obviously don't know what the point of the forum is. The Q&A people have very little to do with development, which is, in fact, actually the point of the forum.
dharvey4651 said:
They're going to start a new thread asking their question over and over again until they eventually get frustrated and give up, possibly driving them off... That's never a good way to run a site...
WE NEED A dedicated "Questions & Answers" SUB-FORUM within every major device's main forum.
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This site has never been about being tech support to people not really interested in learning, so most of the users who would be discouraged that easily probably aren't users that were gonna stick around and contribute a lot anyway. That being said, right now the option is either to merge most of the new threads OR to delete them, because they're VERY redundant. I don't think anyone wants me to delete them, so for now i 'm doing the best we can. Right now it's been only a little over a week that we've been doing this. In that time there have been HUNDREDS of threads created in ONE subforum alone. We are working on reshaping a rapidly changing culture around here. If we swing too far toward the casual user we will lose our developers, but we don't want to completely ignore them. So have patience, offer constructive advice.
Thank you scotchua for being kind to offer a PM helpdesk... but I am afraid that you might get flooded with questions if you offer your help too graciously.
I have seen many dumb questions starting a thread around here like "my device is slow! What to do?" but those threads will also disappear in "history" and I don't understand how this really bugs anyone. We have a search option here. I understand that this is a development oriented forum BUT isn't an "end users" expression/opinion/frustration/rapture an important value?
I'd see a per-device Q&A subforum as a very good idea. You'll see that this subforum will be the most active. xda-dev is very good site and it should also remain flexible. I'm sorry that I am not a developer and don't have those skills. It might sound silly but "children" like me and other non-developers think different than hi-tech-development-geniuses and might point to problems that are more dysfunctional in practice than the ones that superbrains notice.
Actually I have stopped initiating my thoughts/worries here because of that new filter
darfri said:
Thank you scotchua for being kind to offer a PM helpdesk... but I am afraid that you might get flooded with questions if you offer your help too graciously.
I have seen many dumb questions starting a thread around here like "my device is slow! What to do?" but those threads will also disappear in "history" and I don't understand how this really bugs anyone. We have a search option here. I understand that this is a development oriented forum BUT isn't an "end users" expression/opinion/frustration/rapture an important value?
I'd see a per-device Q&A subforum as a very good idea. You'll see that this subforum will be the most active. xda-dev is very good site and it should also remain flexible. I'm sorry that I am not a developer and don't have those skills. It might sound silly but "children" like me and other non-developers think different than hi-tech-development-geniuses and might point to problems that are more dysfunctional in practice than the ones that superbrains notice.
Actually I have stopped initiating my thoughts/worries here because of that new filter
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Click to collapse
First, I never offered to be a one man help desk cause you're right, there is no way i'd have the time, haha. What I did say is that people who have questions about WHY i did something should feel free to ask me, BEFORE they start complaining about it publically. The reality is that there is no way to make everyone happy. I have people who PM me saying they think what I'm doing is great, some who say that i'm not doing enough, some who hate it and think i'm ruining the forum, and some who disagree with it but understand....the site is huge and there are differing opinions.
I don't want anyone to be offended, but the reality is that not all opinions are of equal value to me, and accordingly, while i will gladly listen to ANY user, certain users or groups of users will have more pull because of their length of time here, my perceived quality of their ideas, or because of their contributions. Some may think this unfair, but then someone always does, and at least I am transparent about which factors i value most.
As I have said several times, a Q&A Sub-Forum could maybe be possible, however, it's really barely been a week with this Q&A thread and sometimes these things take time to develop. I really do think that the 20 new threads started every day take a lot away from the sub-forum as they push the actually valueable threads down to the second and third page most of the time. My preference honestly would be to delete every thread started and PM each user to post their questions in the Q&A thread instead. Then if people would use the quote feature it would be much easier to follow a conversation related to your question. Unfortunately, upon discussion with some other users it was determined that it might be a bit of a "heavy-handed" approach at this point.
The simple reality is that the rules are clearly posted everywhere, and if people would read them, then this whole issue would be moot. I personally don't even think it would be unfair to administer a short ban for people so blatantly disregarding the rules; however, at this point it has been deemed an excessive remedy to the issue. The reality is that MOSt of the threads being started are about self-inflicted issues, created by users who don't search or read...so while I have sympathy and am happy to help them, my sympathy runs short when they start complaining because it's hard to read 3-4 pages of posts a day to find their answer. If only any of those whining about this knew how much each mods personal time is devoted to sorting through everyone else's posts they'd certainly quit whining so much about having to spend a few minutes to find a solution.
First, I have to tell you that XDA-Developers is my most valuable web site for WM support. And I understand the original intent of this site as a site for developers and your desire to protect its intent. But success breeds success and in part it is because of the value of the information here that new/basic users are attracted to this site. If that is really what you don't want, point those users and questions to a different site and let us know where to go. I have downloaded and used the custom roms prepared for the Tilt and if I keep the Fuze, I intend to do the same. But I also just received my
Fuze and have very basic questions which have ben relegated to a post that will make finding a response difficult.
With that said, I don't think that your intent is to chase people away. After all, the added user base does give your site greater authority, if that is of value to you. But confining basic questions to a single thread takes away from the usefulness of a site such as this for those users. So, a hopefully constructive suggestion. Consider implementing the sub forum for questions and answers. If you don't want to monitor it yourself or have a developer do that, query some of your more valuable posters to see if they will perform that function. I am sure that some posters are not developers and would be willing to support that function. It costs nothing to ask. This would keep new users here. After all, many new users grow and eventually can add to the usefulness of the community as a whole.
Just a thought.
ourtech said:
But confining basic questions to a single thread takes away from the usefulness of a site such as this for those users.
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I have highlighted the key term in bold. The problem we're facing is that most users are thinking individually. What is best for THEM when THEY are looking for ONE piece of info. I am really trying to think what is best for the site as a whole, and in my opinion having 30 new threads a day in just this one section is not what is best for people who are actually trying to find valuable resources. We had the same problem with the Development & Hacking section until we really cracked down on random thread posting in the wrong place, and created the Question & Answers section.
I know that people are frustrated that we only have one thread for their questions and answers, but the simple fact is that there are only 4 or 5 pages being added each day, so if you asked a question it really isn't that hard to see if it's being answered, which most of them are. I do agree that a sub-forum might be a possible solution to the problem, but even then people are still not going to even bother reading the rules.
Here's where my main objection comes in, and i sincerely hope that people understand me on this. It is fairly offensive to me for people to tell me it's too much work to read 4 pages in the Q&A thread, which i spend 10 times as much time cleaning up, helping users, and settling petty arguments between childish users on the forum every day. So you'll understand why i see the problem as being larger than just a little inconvenience for a few users wanting to ask simple questions. Most users don't even bother to post in the thread titled "Don't Start A New Thread".
No offense intended to you because I, as the questioner, have no problem reading 10 pages, 70 pages or 170 pages for an answer and it is your site. I don't own it and have no say in the rules. If I want to use the facilities of this site then I should folllow the rules. But I am not sure that I communicated the point I intended. Respectfully, my point is perhaps better expressed like this:
Noob user has a question and posts it in the normal manner in a new thread. Users new and old see it in the list of threads. The topic is what attracts them or steers them away. Someone sees it and wishes to contribute, others will ignore it. That is the way that it traditionally works.
What doesn't happen when all questions are lumped into one thread is that only readers looking for answers to questions are likely to wade through that thread. There is no possibility of a thread title that might catch attention. If someone hasn't been keeping up with that thread 70 pages of posts can be intimidating. So the prospective audience is reduced. If you are saying that this reduces the usefulness of the site as a whole I am puzzled as it makes it more likely to me that I would come and see what is new. In telling me that it harms the site as a whole makes it seem that I am not the kind of user you want hanging around. I don't think that that is your intent, but when you put me in a corner and say that my questions are not useful to the members as a whole, how am I to take that?
It is just my viewpoint as someone that is looking to contact other users of the Fuze. I hope that rather than take offense, it is with the best of motives that I add these comments. I like this site and it has been of real use in the past. I sold my Tilt and I am not sure that the Fuze is a keeper, so I may not be around. But I offer these observations with the genuine desire to help. Best wishes to you.
My point was simply that having 30 new threads added in this sub-forum alone, pushes the very useful threads onto the 3rd or 4th page where people are far less likely to see them. That's who it makes the site less useful.
As for the Q&A thread, I don't expect anyone to look for answers in there. I simply expect that people would post their questions in there instead of starting a new thread. I honestly don't care if people ask the same question 100 times in that thread. That's what it's there for. Most people will get quick responses and move on to something else.
Disrespectfulness
darfri said:
I have seen many dumb questions starting a thread around here like "my device is slow! What to do?" but those threads will also disappear in "history" and I don't understand how this really bugs anyone
KD8DNS said:
You (no disrespect) new users here must realize that this has been our home for a long time
aaand, scotchua said & said & said & ...:
You obviously don't know what the point of the forum is.
not all opinions are of equal value to me
If only any of those whining about this knew how much each mods...
I personally don't even think it would be unfair to administer a short ban for people so blatantly disregarding the rules
The problem we're facing is that most users are thinking individually.
I do agree that a sub-forum might be a possible solution to the problem, but even then people are still not going to even bother reading the rules.
As for the Q&A thread, I don't expect anyone to look for answers in there
if it turns into people complaining because they don't like the Q & A thread then i'll probably just close it.
i have followed this thread from the moment it was created as i shared the same feeling as the op with the dissatisfaction with the current policy of merging all qa threads into one qa thread. i have seen how the similar problem of not-that-constructive posts was solved in the general d&h forum by creating a qa subforum, and i thought that was the right solution.
in the mean time, the situation before the qa thread was not disastrous, as darfri indicated.
i was really annoyed by the disrespectful reply of KD8DNS and the many disrespectful replies by scotchua. it is really amazing how scotchua was throwing insults right and left to everybody who criticized the single-qa-thread policy. THIS is what should be totally unacceptable, not a naive user's question that have asked and answered a billion times. the use of terms like whining tells you that even if you are the brightest, you can't be the best leader (or moderator in our case). scotchua's thoughts of feeling that developers are better than non-developers are simple wrong! i am sure scotchua knows that many of his fellow smarter-than-the-rest-of-us developers have gained a lot of knowledge and came up with many ideas by reading such "valueless" threads.
scotchua might think it is unimportant, but i usually tend to the qa subforum and try to answer general simple questions that i can answer, and i have noticed many others do the same, from a user point of view, such a single qa thread just kills this kind of participation.
forums exist on so many topics all over the internet, and the simple feature in all such forums of having non-active threads go down, is the simple solution to the problem scotchua is "whining" about by having and trying to explain by writing posts of 100s of words to everybody who is disagreeing with that useless thread policy.
the single thread for all qa's policy is obviously wrong because a questioners can't find answers to their question, if anybody ever cared to try answer it in such a mess!
and such disrespectful responses should stop. being a mod doesn't give such privileges.
Hopefully this catches the eyes of those who need to read it most...
Too many people are trying to take the easy road and post a new thread on a subject or idea, usually asking a question about something that has already been answered instead of doing a simple search!
I've been a member here for a couple years now and haven't needed to post very much because, if you take the time, the information is out there. 99.9% of the time, you aren't the first person to ask a question, have a problem, or hit a wall.
If you're having trouble doing something that was posted in a thread, POST YOUR QUESTION IN THAT THREAD!!
It seems as though there are a lot of newbies who are anxious to root their Inc, which is fine: If you pay attention, read the instructions and most of the thread before you begin, and follow them to a T . Every time I have a problem either rooting or installing a ROM or something else, I am the one who did something wrong.
Some of you are probably new to the Thread concept, which is also fine. It's very frustrating getting used to how they work, and learning the "right" way to do things- but trust me, it's worth it.
Posting a new thread is like standing on a chair in the middle of a crowded room and screaming out a question. If your in the wrong room (i.e. wrong section), people are going to be upset. If the question was already answered by another group (i.e. another forum), people are also going to be upset. If you aren't sure if you should start a new thread, you probably shouldn't.
Take the time and READ THE RULES! Here they are if you don't know where to find them:
New forum rules, please read!
1. Search before posting.
Use one of our search functions before posting, whether you have a question or something new to share, it's very likely someone already asked that question or shared that news.
2. Member conduct.
2.1 Language: XDA is a worldwide community. As a result what is ‘ok’ to say in your part of the world may not be ok in someone else’s part of the world. Please think about who is reading what you write. Keep in mind that what you think of as acceptable use of language may not be acceptable to others. Conversely, while reading member posts, remember that word you find offensive may not be to the writer. Tolerance is a two way street.
2.2 Nudity: XDA is used by people of all ages, including minors. It's not acceptable to post nude/pornographic imagery, which includes exposure of the male or female genitalia or of female breasts.
2.3 Flaming: XDA was founded as a group of people sharing information about certain mobile phones. Sharing does not involve virtual yelling (flaming) it does involve working together to solve problems in an environment of mutual respect and understanding. Losing your temper and flaming another member, or group of members, is not acceptable behavior.
2.4 Personal attacks, racial, political and/or religious discussions: XDA is a discussion forum about certain mobile phones. Mobile phones are not racial, political, religious or personally offensive, therefore none of these types of discussions are permitted on XDA.
2.5 New Members: Treat new members the way you would have liked to have been treated when you were a new member. Provide the new members with guidance, advice and instruction always with respect and courtesy.
2.6 All members are expected to read and adhere to the XDA rules.
3. Post only using a clear subject and message.
You're most likely to receive a helpful answer to your question if you use a short subject title that describes your problem and a message that explains in detail what your problem is and what you've tried to solve it.
4. Use the English language.
We understand that with all the different nationalities not everyone speaks English well, but please try. If you're really unable to post in English use an online translator, You're free to include your original message in your own language below the English translation.
5. Post a message only once.
As a large forum we don't need unnecessary clutter, You're free to edit your message as you like, so if you do not receive an answer revisit your message and see if you can describe your problem better. Not everyone is online at the same time, it might take a while before you receive an answer.
6. Do not post warez.
If a piece of software requires you to pay to use it, either pay or find your cracks and serials somewhere else. We do not accept warez nor do we permit any member to promote or describe ways in which Warez, cracks, serial codes or other means of avoiding payment, can be obtained.
7. Do not spam.
If you wish to advertise a product, contact us we provide ads. But do not post it in the forums, it will be removed and you're likely to receive a ban.
You are however allowed to sell used goods like your own device, parts of your device or accessories for your device in the marketplace forum, please read the rules there before posting. (This rule includes signatures, if you use a signature it will appear in your post)
8. Donations.
We appreciate all donations to xda-developers.com, it keeps our forum online and well maintained. As a user you're allowed to ask for donations in your signature as a thank you for your hard work. However donations up front are not allowed, this forum is about sharing, not about getting paid to do something, that's what your job is for.
9. Don't get us in trouble.
Don't post copyrighted materials or do other things that will obviously lead to legal trouble. If you wouldn't do it on your own homepage, you probably don't want to do it here either. This does not mean we agree with everything the software piracy lobby try to impose on us, it simply means you cannot break any laws here, since we'll end up dealing with legal hassle caused by you. Please use common sense: respect the forum, its users, and those that write great code.
10. Help others if you can.
If you see posts from others where you can help out, please do. This place exists because people are helping each other, and even if you are relatively new to the matter, there's probably already quite a few people newer than you that would benefit from what you've learned. Don't be shy.
11. Don’t post with the intent on selling something.
As an elaboration to rule number 7, don’t use XDA to advertise your product or service. If you are the proprietor of a for-pay product or service, you may use XDA to get feedback, provide beta access, or offer support on the product, but you may not make any posts with the primary intent of selling. This includes posting press releases, announcements, or links to downloads for trial software. The only exception to this is when you’re posting an exclusive release to XDA.
12. Using the work of others.
If you are developing something that is based on the work of another Member, you MUST first seek their permission, and you must give credit to the member whose work you used. If a dispute occurs about who developed / created a piece of work, first try to settle the matter by private message and NOT in open forum. If this fails then you may contact a moderator with clear evidence that the work was created by you.
Convincing evidence will result in copied work being removed. If there is no clear evidence you created the work then in the spirit of sharing all work will remain posted on the forums.
These rules apply to all software posted on XDA unless that software comes with a license that waives these rules.
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So instead of starting a new thread like "How do I.." or "Where do I" or "Why can't I..." Do a search of the threads, Google it, or even hop on over to PPC Geeks, Trust me- you'll find the answers you're looking for.
BTW - Thanks to Mikey1022 for moderating
+100000000000000000000000
I wish people had to read this before they could post new threads. This forum seems to be worse than most of the other android forums on xda... not sure why.
Everyone who disagrees with this should check out the nexus one forum to get an idea of how lax things are here.
You better watch it. Some people may take offense to this. people also have to be aware when they do make a new thread that it is in the correct section. Too many questions are being posted in Development instead of General. Let's keep the sections on topic so people can find what they came looking for.
I agree, but I can see the other side as well.
The "Root process" thread is up to 108 pages. Sure, searching helps, but you are still poring over pages and pages of forums for hours. I kind of learned that this was the buy-in from my WinMo days, but that doesn't make it less frustrating.
One advantage to sticking to existing threads, however, is that people who are successful will probably post back to that thread, with any variations they used, whereas they are less likely to post to a new thread.
Calibob2001 said:
Hopefully this catches the eyes of those who need to read it most...
Too many people are trying to take the easy road and post a new thread on a subject or idea, usually asking a question about something that has already been answered instead of doing a simple search!
I've been a member here for a couple years now and haven't needed to post very much because, if you take the time, the information is out there. 99.9% of the time, you aren't the first person to ask a question, have a problem, or hit a wall.
If you're having trouble doing something that was posted in a thread, POST YOUR QUESTION IN THAT THREAD!!
It seems as though there are a lot of newbies who are anxious to root their Inc, which is fine: If you pay attention, read the instructions and most of the thread before you begin, and follow them to a T . Every time I have a problem either rooting or installing a ROM or something else, I am the one who did something wrong.
Some of you are probably new to the Thread concept, which is also fine. It's very frustrating getting used to how they work, and learning the "right" way to do things- but trust me, it's worth it.
Posting a new thread is like standing on a chair in the middle of a crowded room and screaming out a question. If your in the wrong room (i.e. wrong section), people are going to be upset. If the question was already answered by another group (i.e. another forum), people are also going to be upset. If you aren't sure if you should start a new thread, you probably shouldn't.
Take the time and READ THE RULES! Here they are if you don't know where to find them:
So instead of starting a new thread like "How do I.." or "Where do I" or "Why can't I..." Do a search of the threads, Google it, or even hop on over to PPC Geeks, Trust me- you'll find the answers you're looking for.
BTW - Thanks to Mikey1022 for moderating
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How much time did you spend writing this? No ones going to pay attention.
Calibob2001 said:
Hopefully this catches the eyes of those who need to read it most...
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You know they won't. The ones who post these repeated topics are the ones who freak out when they're lost, post a topic, and hit refresh all day instead of looking for the answer. The only ones who actually read this are the ones already pissed off about it.
barry1685 said:
How much time did you spend writing this? No ones going to pay attention.
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LOL, I didn't even read it. Just scrolled to through the comments
bluetooth_decay said:
I agree, but I can see the other side as well.
The "Root process" thread is up to 108 pages. Sure, searching helps, but you are still poring over pages and pages of forums for hours. I kind of learned that this was the buy-in from my WinMo days, but that doesn't make it less frustrating.
One advantage to sticking to existing threads, however, is that people who are successful will probably post back to that thread, with any variations they used, whereas they are less likely to post to a new thread.
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Click to collapse
There are so many pages of topics because of the issue that is being described. There is a very handy function called "search" that, while not perfect, at least narrows results down for you. You can search within a Section, Topic or down to a single thread for key words.
Odds are, if you are on here you know how to navigate the web. If you can't perform a basic search in a topic or thread then please don't try to root your phone or follow any instructions to change, modify or "hack" anything.
As was brought out by [OP], if you WANT to do something that you think will be useful to you, read up on it. If you do run into an issue, search the key word of your issue. Entering "boot loop", "frozen", "Error message 123" will return something to help you find your answer. Odds are, you are not alone and, if you find you are alone, return to the thread where you were following instructions to do whatever it was you want to do and post a reply describing your issues. [OP] or others who are familiar with the process will help. Patience is a must.
barry1685 said:
How much time did you spend writing this? No ones going to pay attention.
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Click to collapse
Far too long than I care to admit - My first draft was rather angry and the overtone has calmed quite a bit...
And even if ONE newbie reads it and gleans even a whisper of insight as to how to operate the forums, then I have been 100% successful- even if 1% of those who read it take this to heart, at this point, that's still 2 fewer Threads the moderators have to close down...
MY Gripe
My biggest grip is those people: "What Music Player Are You Using" I don't really care and that's usually a personal preference. After joining the android section of XDA three months ago. It's astonishing to see how many DUMB post go up...It makes android users look idiotic? I'll admit I'm a noob but you don't see me posting stupid crap all over the place. This time I believe I've found the right section to express my opinion. I still can't get over how many crappy posts are out there. UGH
~PLUR~ Peace Love Unity Respect
DJyoSNOW
Impatient PMers
What's really not acceptable and why I actually stopped helping people in the "Newbie Forums" is because when people wanted more information/answers, I would start to help and then soon after I would receive a PM asking for more help, which is wasteful because then instead of answering the question(s) for the site as a whole, only you are getting your "quick fix".
I am a noob.
I read it and it explains alot.
Thank you. Your site is very helpful and has saved me from problems in the past.
I have posted something once and i was really in a bind but no reply on it. I always search for my questions first and with alot of digging i can find the answers (Most of my answers came from you site by people that blow me away at how knowledgable they are) and most of the people who answer questions are very patient here, (even though there was a thread right above the question with the answer) thank you guys for doing great work.
Again i am very new to all of this and i couldnt be writing this from my rooted incredible with s off and cm 6.0.2 that is overclocked and i did some minor hacks via your forums. Thank you again.
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App
I read it.. nice post very Mich appreciated.. not a newb but sometimes feel that way when I'm stuck!
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App
I'm sorry to have been THAT guy.
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App
Thank You
I read threads on this site every single day but I am much more involved in Android Central (they are smaller and less cluttered IMO), however, I rarely post anything because if you just dig a little deep you WILL find you answer in here.... I just wanted to Say THANK YOU FOR POSTING THIS... I FEEL THE SAME WAY EVERY FRIGGIN DAY.... in the time that it takes for someone to post a new thread and wait for a response, they could have already found the answer themselves. and to top it off, you can search the threads for specifics....
I THINK THAT YOUR OP SHOULD BE A STANDARD WARNING TO ANY AND EVERYONE THAT WANTS TO START A NEW THREAD
lol, you've been a member since 08 and you're just now figuring this out? No offense, but I doubt this will do any real damage. I constantly see these threads and it doesn't do anything cause people will ALWAYS keep posting stuff like this unless it's a hidden subforum. Its ****ty, and I don't mean to rain on your parade, but it's just how it works on forums.
one main problem i see, and im sure its why so many people post the same question 12 different times, is the search on the forums suck, you can type in a specific thing and even if you switch between thread or posts, it brings up EVERYTHING (example: i need to find "honeycomb launcher dock" do i type that in the search, it will bring up EVERY post or thread with ANY of those words in it, and 99.9% of the time its ROMs, no apps, .apk files or anything close to what you are looking for, now when ive looked for a ROM, yea like you said it works 99.9% of the time, with anything else its crap) .to me that was a terrible terrible mistake made by the person that set up the "search tool" on this site. and i think THAT is why there are soooo many "double" posts. the search tool needs to be set up the correct way.
Sonic Design said:
one main problem i see, and im sure its why so many people post the same question 12 different times, is the search on the forums suck, you can type in a specific thing and even if you switch between thread or posts, it brings up EVERYTHING (example: i need to find "honeycomb launcher dock" do i type that in the search, it will bring up EVERY post or thread with ANY of those words in it, and 99.9% of the time its ROMs, no apps, .apk files or anything close to what you are looking for, now when ive looked for a ROM, yea like you said it works 99.9% of the time, with anything else its crap) .to me that was a terrible terrible mistake made by the person that set up the "search tool" on this site. and i think THAT is why there are soooo many "double" posts. the search tool needs to be set up the correct way.
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You could enclose those words in quotes, but then it would have to match that phrase perfectly. I personally use google instead of any forum searches as none of them are really all that great (unless I'm searching a particular users' posts).
codybear said:
You could enclose those words in quotes, but then it would have to match that phrase perfectly. I personally use google instead of any forum searches as none of them are really all that great (unless I'm searching a particular users' posts).
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yea very true, i like to take what most GM's here say and change it
"google is your friend, the forum search is not"
A great resource to help with Google searches are at the google is your friend link in my signature. I usually direct people to that when they say they can't find anything using Google. Just thought I'd point it out so everyone can help spread this resource to those that are not Google savvy.
Hello All:
(As you can see by my post count) I rarely post here. Its not that I don't want to participate in this awesome community; simply, unless I have a question that search (a wonderful tool that all should become familiar with - really, its much faster than waiting for someone to answer your question, specifically when its a re-post as many members often skip these or chastise you for not using some basic search skills) can not answer or I have something valuable to contribute (not an easy task here as there are some very dedicated members whose due diligence is not-notch), I prefer not to clutter the forum with, well, clutter...
That said, I would like to bring to our attention something of an annoyance. Let's call it a double fault of the repeat thread.
Oftentimes (let's face it 99% of the times), when a member searches for an answer to their question, they have to sort through a ton of threads from individuals (let's say these individuals are lazy because...) asking, often basic, questions that can be found with a little diligence on their part. These questions are many times answered by irritated members (whom rightfully believe that these people should be taught to educate themselves) and told to use search, not be lazy, etc.
Here lies the issue. This just adds to the "clutter". Many times, a kind-hearted member will chime in with a link or an actual answer to these "less-than-ambitious" persons and this is wonderful for the next member searching the forums for answers.
However, too many times, the thread ends with that irritated member scolding the "newbie" leading to another dead thread.
I understand why it would be inundating and wouldn't possibly suggest that a moderator delete or maintain these threads.
Instead, how about the OP (original poster) take the responsibility and clean up their own mess!
What I mean by this is that if you post a question and find yourself in the above position, be kind and responsible enough to post the solution (or link to the solution) as the last post of an otherwise useless thread. Consider, as you begin to educate yourself, you'll find yourself frustrated by the same thing.
Basically, consider the next member and yourself in the process.
Maybe consider linking this post (if you find it warrants merit) to the next "lazy" member that just tweaks you and maybe that member will have the courtesy to answering his/her own question (by posting in their own thread the answer or link) and making life easy for everyone, including themselves.
Thanks for taking the time to read this post and I hope you've found it to not be "clutter".
+1
Force people to use the damned search button before post... or limit the posting of threads to people that reply 20 times at least more than 20 words...
I say ban anyone found doing this more than ONE time, period.
jagpoag said:
I say ban anyone found doing this more than ONE time, period.
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A bit extreme. Maybe we can educate instead.
I agree with u tr8. I am actually one of the people who both gives a straight forward answer and uses the search button or Google. But then again I read through tons of threads just for educational purposes. Lol. I have personally answered the same question over and over. Helping takes just as much time as flaming and someday u might ask a question someone smarter than u might think is flammable. Lets keep that in mind.
Sent from my HTC Magic SparksMod using XDA App
Roflmao. I agree with your point as well. Both sides are very valid. All I'm saying is either answering with something productive or passing it by is logical. Flaming is a waist of time. If the didn't take the time to research then flaming them wont make them think they should. That's all. And u can't find a thread on here from me labeled anything like " how do I get to recovery " or anything like that. I agree with u completely.
Sent from my HTC Magic SparksMod using XDA App
ROFL..... I have seen the "use the search tool" so many times, on so many forums, it's not funny.
The problem with inbuilt search tools are these:
1: Spelling. Many users on the internet do not spell correctly. They abbreviate things, simply spell it wrong, or get the position of the letters in various acronyms around the wrong way. This makes searching for a particular word, or group of words, very hit-and-miss, as the particular thread that answers your question, may not show up in search results because either the searcher, or the poster, has spelt stuff incorrectly.
2: Global differences. Irrelevant in this instance and on this website, but a good example to make the point.... in Australia and most UK-background countries, we call it a "nappy" In USA, it's called a "diaper".
We call them "taps"..... USA calls them "faucets".... and others call them something else.
Because forums and the net are global entities, a search function should allow for dialect and language differences.... but this would be almost impossible, so a search function relies on the HOPE that MOST members have spelt things correctly, and MOST members all use the same terminology.
Are YOU going to post a thread with language/dialectural differences, on the off-chance someone from another country calls it something different ? "My toilet (bathroom) tap (faucet) isn't working (operational) - how do I fix (repair) the leak (breach / broken washer / cracked pipe)? "
3: Minimum number of characters. Most search functions have a minimum number of characters required, to perform a search, to weed out the useless "common" words like "at," "I," "on," "the," etc etc. Usually 4 characters minimum. It does not help that most technological things - especially on a forum such as this - are abbreviated or have acronyms that do not provide the minimum number of search characters required. On an automotive forum, for example, how does someone search for "AFM" "VTEC" "EFI" or such-like, if those terms don't reach the minimum? Computer and technology parts are the same.
If a forum has a minimum 4-character search function, how does anyone search for "HTC" or "HD2" ????? There is NO other option for spelling out those terms to something longer..... that's all their names are. They are not shortened versions of a longer word... that's it.
4: Trawling through the results. Oftentimes, when a search DOES result in a page of threads, it can take hours upon hours to read through them all, trying to FIND the answer within those search results. As mentioned above, most-times the responses are simply other users flaming the OP for not searching. Finding the actual answer within those threads could take days.
Users also go off on tangents when posting replies. So a simple thread asking "how do I do A" may have 3 useful replies, then 10 pages of totally irrelevant posts as reply #4 has gone off and described "how I did B instead of A" and the thread has followed suit.
Asking a quick question - and getting a handful of helpful responses - gets the question answered (usually)... in which case, the thread is closed, and doesn't "block up" the internet with more useless posts.
And if someone asks the same question next week, so what. A handful of helpful responses still gets the question answered, and the thread is closed, and the world continues to rotate.
The issue of users not-using / incorrectly-using the Search function is something that has existed since Jesus was pissing in his nappies (diapers, for our American readers).
It is not something that can be forced upon members, until the Search function itself is re-programmed to be fool-proof.
Only then, can you FORCE users to use it first, before being allowed to post a question.
The simple answer is this: If the same question is being repetitively asked over and over again, ask yourselves why?
Obviously, it is because the answer is not readily available in a more obvious position, for members to find.
If the answer is something simple - make it a sticky, so that people can find it more easily.
Create a wiki page or something similar, again so users can find it more easily.
But most of all.... if you aren't prepared to help a user who asks a dumb question, simply move on. As mentioned above, flaming that person achieves nothing.
Most people don't post questions because they are lazy. You have no idea how much time that person has, or hasn't, spent searching for an answer. So you have no right to flame them about asking a repetitive question.
People naturally get defensive when flamed, so their simple "please help me" post becomes a 10-page flame war of people defending their rights and reasons for asking a question, versus those members who feel they shouldn't have asked in the first place.
Ultimately, forums are for helping each other. If you can answer someone's question, or point them in the right direction, then do so. But FFS don't waste everyone's time, and bandwidth, flaming them and blocking up the forums..... which is usually the reason you flame them in the first place (for blocking up the forums)
I second that.
There could be some kind of FAQ-Sheriff on each forum how maintains a sticky thread with those questions everybody asks...
Some interesting/stimulating conversation here. What I fail to understand is why do experienced users waste their time flaming. Why even bother reading a thread when you know you won't afford another user help.
The OP has caused everyone enough frustration without causing multiple pages of 'garbage'; why add to this? Do we really believe that flaming will cause the 'ignorant' on the web to suddenly change their ways?
If anything, you (you meaning the flamer) are doing the rest of the community a courtesy by not flaming because those of us that are diligent and considerate enough of others to actually use search have less work to do in our searches.
I'd like to be clear on something: I'm certainly not targeting the flamer over the lazy bozo, both have faults but the flamer (being wiser, more intelligent, etc.) stands to be assigned a bit more blame (for the clutter) since they really are 'smarter' (or more educated - whichever you prefer) than the OP. Also, those that flame are more likely to read this thread than the lazy masses that just request help without search.
Agreement to the facts!
tr8rjohnk said:
Hello All:
(As you can see by my post count) I rarely post here. Its not that I don't want to participate in this awesome community; simply, unless I have a question that search (a wonderful tool that all should become familiar with - really, its much faster than waiting for someone to answer your question, specifically when its a re-post as many members often skip these or chastise you for not using some basic search skills) can not answer or I have something valuable to contribute (not an easy task here as there are some very dedicated members whose due diligence is not-notch), I prefer not to clutter the forum with, well, clutter...
That said, I would like to bring to our attention something of an annoyance. Let's call it a double fault of the repeat thread.
Oftentimes (let's face it 99% of the times), when a member searches for an answer to their question, they have to sort through a ton of threads from individuals (let's say these individuals are lazy because...) asking, often basic, questions that can be found with a little diligence on their part. These questions are many times answered by irritated members (whom rightfully believe that these people should be taught to educate themselves) and told to use search, not be lazy, etc.
Here lies the issue. This just adds to the "clutter". Many times, a kind-hearted member will chime in with a link or an actual answer to these "less-than-ambitious" persons and this is wonderful for the next member searching the forums for answers.
However, too many times, the thread ends with that irritated member scolding the "newbie" leading to another dead thread.
I understand why it would be inundating and wouldn't possibly suggest that a moderator delete or maintain these threads.
Instead, how about the OP (original poster) take the responsibility and clean up their own mess!
What I mean by this is that if you post a question and find yourself in the above position, be kind and responsible enough to post the solution (or link to the solution) as the last post of an otherwise useless thread. Consider, as you begin to educate yourself, you'll find yourself frustrated by the same thing.
Basically, consider the next member and yourself in the process.
Maybe consider linking this post (if you find it warrants merit) to the next "lazy" member that just tweaks you and maybe that member will have the courtesy to answering his/her own question (by posting in their own thread the answer or link) and making life easy for everyone, including themselves.
Thanks for taking the time to read this post and I hope you've found it to not be "clutter".
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I agree with this whole-heartedly and you have a very valid point... Sometimes searching does take some refining to do and all those amount of results actually look scary to the untrained eye..
Maybe because of this many people just ask their question on a forum ... And after that ..
The senior members get annoyed or irritated or whatever and then they just [email protected] them... Lol..
But its a great topic of discussion that you've made and this thread upon its growth should be made a sticky!
Lordrdx666 said:
I agree with this whole-heartedly and you have a very valid point... Sometimes searching does take some refining to do and all those amount of results actually look scary to the untrained eye..
Maybe because of this many people just ask their question on a forum ... And after that ..
The senior members get annoyed or irritated or whatever and then they just [email protected] them... Lol..
But its a great topic of discussion that you've made and this thread upon its growth should be made a sticky!
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Hey, I appreciate the kudos.
In the thread here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1069298
The admins posed this challenge:
For lack of a better alternative. I challenge anyone to come up with a better alternative, and share it with us.
After goodness knows how much time under this username, and a bit under another (which I also didn't post with) I have to admit that now when I was finally ready to share something with the community (specific to the Motorola Photon) that I ran into this well intended, but somewhat counterproductive at times limit.
The admins acknowledge this:
We get that people might have experience from other fora and think this is a little over the top for them, but there are rarely any developers amongst the people that want to create new threads. There are a few people with a genuine need to post a thread in the developmental fora (developers), these people can contact a moderator to help them get sorted.
However, I have very little time and don't plan to find a mod, convince them I'm legit, etc just to share something that doesn't benefit me (harsh, but true). I make custom ROMs and other bits for my own private use as I device hop every couple of months and don't share them, really, ever because I don't want to support anything (or risk liability in any way). Sometimes I'll run other people's work (CM rocks), but more often I'll try to do something hybrid or unique. I'm using the time I would have spent posting trying to contribute to the community in another way, this message.
So... that's all just context for my suggestion answering the admin's challenge.
When doing a "can user post" check and determining posting has not already been verified do the following
Pull the account creation date, pick an age (say 6 months) and older for additional checking. Accounts younger than 6 months get rejected like everyone does now
Display a page stating "Determining eligibility" and force them to fill out a CAPTCHA of some sort
Pull the page, section or forum access logs. Since I don't know what is stored, I don't know what can be pulled. However, if User created his account 2 years ago and has accessed 4 main areas, and 6 subtopics he's probably not spam. Continue checking
Flag users somehow when they visit developer forums. If I have only visited a single device's development forum, even if the account is 2 years old, maybe additional checking is warranted, maybe not. If I've hit 3 or more devices in a measurable way in that 3 years though, chances are I'm not a noob
Based on some calculation of forums visited, decrease the amount of posts needed to gain dev forum posting access (or waive it altogehter)
Looping in data about files downloaded would be useful here too. In practical terms this means more site tracking of users, which raises space concerns. My recommendation is not to track every page, only increment a specific dev forum counter for number of unique pages visited, one for pages revisited (as if you are checking on updates for a ROM) and files downloaded
Based on the above, you should have a workable experience driven decrement system by which posting access can either be granted or made easier for users who are legitimately competent to post in the dev areas.
Also, I thought I should post these non-development specific reasons to post in the development forums:
- Adding money to a bounty (such as the bounty to get the Motorola Photon's GSM unlocked for US Domestic Towers)
- Providing output from something they were requested to by devs (error messages, radio versions, etc).
That's pretty much it, but both can be useful. Might not have gotten Galaxy Tabs in the US unlocked for Voice and Data without people posting dumps after all, as I recall (not that they worked all that well, or on all carriers, but hey).
I will try to make it back to xda in the next couple of days or weeks to answer any questions this thread might engender but my time and attention is spotty so no promises. Please don't flame me, or send me nasty PM's. Or any PM's really - I literally just read a PM from 6 years ago on another forum I frequent. I never think to check them. If you want to contact me in a way that doesn't involve XDA, use Twitter. I'm ardosi, obviously.
Hope this is a marginally useful suggestion and not overly long winded
---------- Post added at 01:45 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:38 AM ----------
I will add one more thing... the increment system should be over time. So, someone with a 2yr old account can't just visit a dozen forums in an evening and be able to post. It's the persistant, ongoing access to multiple forums, revisiting some of the same threads and regular downloads from the dev section that should be giving the indication that this is *probably* not someone who is clueless.
It's all risk management obviously, but with some devices having very little developer activity at all, it would be nice to lean a little bit more towards allowing additional posting.
ardosi said:
In the thread here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1069298
The admins posed this challenge:
For lack of a better alternative. I challenge anyone to come up with a better alternative, and share it with us.
After goodness knows how much time under this username, and a bit under another (which I also didn't post with) I have to admit that now when I was finally ready to share something with the community (specific to the Motorola Photon) that I ran into this well intended, but somewhat counterproductive at times limit.
The admins acknowledge this:
We get that people might have experience from other fora and think this is a little over the top for them, but there are rarely any developers amongst the people that want to create new threads. There are a few people with a genuine need to post a thread in the developmental fora (developers), these people can contact a moderator to help them get sorted.
However, I have very little time and don't plan to find a mod, convince them I'm legit, etc just to share something that doesn't benefit me (harsh, but true). I make custom ROMs and other bits for my own private use as I device hop every couple of months and don't share them, really, ever because I don't want to support anything (or risk liability in any way). Sometimes I'll run other people's work (CM rocks), but more often I'll try to do something hybrid or unique. I'm using the time I would have spent posting trying to contribute to the community in another way, this message.
So... that's all just context for my suggestion answering the admin's challenge.
When doing a "can user post" check and determining posting has not already been verified do the following
Pull the account creation date, pick an age (say 6 months) and older for additional checking. Accounts younger than 6 months get rejected like everyone does now
Display a page stating "Determining eligibility" and force them to fill out a CAPTCHA of some sort
Pull the page, section or forum access logs. Since I don't know what is stored, I don't know what can be pulled. However, if User created his account 2 years ago and has accessed 4 main areas, and 6 subtopics he's probably not spam. Continue checking
Flag users somehow when they visit developer forums. If I have only visited a single device's development forum, even if the account is 2 years old, maybe additional checking is warranted, maybe not. If I've hit 3 or more devices in a measurable way in that 3 years though, chances are I'm not a noob
Based on some calculation of forums visited, decrease the amount of posts needed to gain dev forum posting access (or waive it altogehter)
Looping in data about files downloaded would be useful here too. In practical terms this means more site tracking of users, which raises space concerns. My recommendation is not to track every page, only increment a specific dev forum counter for number of unique pages visited, one for pages revisited (as if you are checking on updates for a ROM) and files downloaded
Based on the above, you should have a workable experience driven decrement system by which posting access can either be granted or made easier for users who are legitimately competent to post in the dev areas.
Also, I thought I should post these non-development specific reasons to post in the development forums:
- Adding money to a bounty (such as the bounty to get the Motorola Photon's GSM unlocked for US Domestic Towers)
- Providing output from something they were requested to by devs (error messages, radio versions, etc).
That's pretty much it, but both can be useful. Might not have gotten Galaxy Tabs in the US unlocked for Voice and Data without people posting dumps after all, as I recall (not that they worked all that well, or on all carriers, but hey).
I will try to make it back to xda in the next couple of days or weeks to answer any questions this thread might engender but my time and attention is spotty so no promises. Please don't flame me, or send me nasty PM's. Or any PM's really - I literally just read a PM from 6 years ago on another forum I frequent. I never think to check them. If you want to contact me in a way that doesn't involve XDA, use Twitter. I'm ardosi, obviously.
Hope this is a marginally useful suggestion and not overly long winded
---------- Post added at 01:45 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:38 AM ----------
I will add one more thing... the increment system should be over time. So, someone with a 2yr old account can't just visit a dozen forums in an evening and be able to post. It's the persistant, ongoing access to multiple forums, revisiting some of the same threads and regular downloads from the dev section that should be giving the indication that this is *probably* not someone who is clueless.
It's all risk management obviously, but with some devices having very little developer activity at all, it would be nice to lean a little bit more towards allowing additional posting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i totally agree. the newly registered would think twice when posting clutters. they would have to wait all over again as the result is punishment.