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So, should questions and answers remain in a single thread as they are now, or are they better of in their own Q&A subforum, with a separate thread for each topic?
Yes I know this is a new thread but I think it qualifies for one
this is gonna get merged into that big thread!!!
i think it should be a sub forum because:
1) the links don't redirect you to the post, it only takes u to the thread, which is huge
2) sometimes the answer is 10 pages behind the question, completely out of order
There is already an extire Q&A subforum. There are a lot of very wonderful users helping out over there. We probably wouldn't even need a Q&A thread here if people would just post their questions in a thread that already addresses the topic, or actually search before starting a new thread. Either way, this topic has been addressed before, and we're not gonna add device specific Q & A subforums at this point.
It's not hard to see which way this poll's gonna go!
It realy should be a sub forum, but it don't need to be a device spesific subforum. As long as the question have a tag for what device it's about.
The problem with the long Q&A thread is that it's impossible to search up anything in it. You can search and find someone that have asked the question you wanted to ask, but there is no way of searching where the answer is.
I do see some benefit in one long Q&A thread, that is to ask stupid question that most other forum users know, but if it's a more difficult question that only a handfull of member can answer it needs to have a own thread.
As it was pointed out one of the most important thing to do is to make sure everyone makes good topics for their threads. If someone make a thread called "Help, it doesn't work" they should be banned for like a week.
The Avatar said:
It realy should be a sub forum, but it don't need to be a device spesific subforum. As long as the question have a tag for what device it's about.
The problem with the long Q&A thread is that it's impossible to search up anything in it. You can search and find someone that have asked the question you wanted to ask, but there is no way of searching where the answer is.
I do see some benefit in one long Q&A thread, that is to ask stupid question that most other forum users know, but if it's a more difficult question that only a handfull of member can answer it needs to have a own thread.
As it was pointed out one of the most important thing to do is to make sure everyone makes good topics for their threads. If someone make a thread called "Help, it doesn't work" they should be banned for like a week.
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There already is a Q & A subforum, so i'm not sure why everyone keeps asking for one. As for the Q & A Thread, I think people forget that it's not intended to be a resource like the wiki. I created it as a safe place where users can ask the same silly questions as many times as they need to. Most of the time if users had really searched then they would't be creating new threads constantly anyway, but rather they'd find the answer or post in another thread on a related topic. I think a lot of the confusion is caused by people thinking that the Q&A thread is supposed to a searchable resource. IMO if the answer isn't really eays to find in the Q&A thread you should just ask it again. I have tried to monitor the responses to make sure people aren't flaming users for now searching, as that thread is a flame free zone.
With all these threads being moved about quite actively, and that may be a good thing, I myself am not schooled on the difference between what constitutes a general purpose thread versus one that should be considered more of a Q&A type thing. For instance, aren't 90% of the threads here in this forum begun as questions that are missing a question mark in the title? Ether the OP had forgotten to indicate the existence of a question in the thread title or the title is misleading, because invariably, you will find in the OP, you guessed it, a question. So, what's the dealy-o?
General: "The MyTouch 4G looks AWESOME in red!!!"
Q&A: "Does the MyTouch 4G look awesome in red???"
That's about the only diff I've been able to tell
I have to kinda agree. I tried to implement a well known and proven successful thread from WM here, to have place for answers to commonly ask questions with answers in a single thread closed to other post where anyone with a question could look to see the answer before posting. Mainly for Android development but it go shot down by the Moderator. IMHO General should be a place to ask all general questions so the Q & A section is pointless.
Shouldn't this be in the Q&A thread? LOL, just kidding
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App
Q&A section is for questions that have a clear cut answer. General if for a community discussion about a subject. I try to evaluate each thread as if it is for discussion or for Q&A, and sometimes it's hard and I get it wrong. If I do and you feel I made a mistake, feel free to shoot me a PM with your reasoning and I'll take a second look.
Thanks,
Korey
Whosdaman said:
Q&A section is for questions that have a clear cut answer. General if for a community discussion about a subject. I try to evaluate each thread as if it is for discussion or for Q&A, and sometimes it's hard and I get it wrong. If I do and you feel I made a mistake, feel free to shoot me a PM with your reasoning and I'll take a second look.
Thanks,
Korey
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Why not put a list of all the questions that have answers on the first post of your Q&A thread? Then once people get used to checking there first before posting, it will reduce asked question and unnecessary post.
bobsbbq said:
Why not put a list of all the questions that have answers on the first post of your Q&A thread? Then once people get used to checking there first before posting, it will reduce asked question and unnecessary post.
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Well that's kinda the point of the Q&A section. Users good just get use to searching as well
Whosdaman said:
Well that's kinda the point of the Q&A section. Users good just get use to searching as well
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Well whatever but as you and I know the majority of users will still not search so in theory it is good but in reality we know what happens. I had my doubts when the WM thread in chefs central started but I can tell you it made a positive impact and works very well, and to have all the solved questions and links to the solved thread in the first post for easy reference helps everyone. Sometimes even the search fails us. It is just a friendly suggestion take it for what it's worth.
Well if someone makes a FAQ thread and makes it look nice, and promises to update it often. I promise to sticky it
I think the two sections are pointless and should be merged as one or too many things are being moved to Q&A, i dont remember every single question being moved into Q&A on the vibrant forum
PolishDude said:
I think the two sections are pointless and should be merged as one or too many things are being moved to Q&A, i dont remember every single question being moved into Q&A on the vibrant forum
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o they do.... go look , and not everything is being moved from general sections. only cut and dry q&a threads. and im more efficient then most moderators as well jk'ing
I want to start this thread by saying that I respect the mods in this forum, but I've got this question. There are a few sections for each phone at XDA; one of them is a General section, the other is Q&A.
More than half of initial threads start with a question, so why aren't the all moved to Q&A? And if this is the case, why bother having a General section anyway? This is a place to ask questions and receive answers and because most people spend their time between the General and Development sections, Q&A is overlooked many times.
I'm unhappy about having a legitimate question moved to the Q&A section, and that is my reason for starting this thread. I'd appreciate a mod replying and making the difference between the two threads clear. Thanks.
the Q&A section is the place to ask question.
that's is what it is designed for
all high volume sections have the Q&A section to keep Discussions/News and other important matters in General from Questions
You can still post to General as long as the Subject is not a question and the content is not a question, but rather some sort of statement with supporting facts, or leads, or an issue, and screen captures helps a lot in the discussion.
and for the record the Q&A section does work, else this would have not been seen
I am no longer able to post questions or respond to questions in dev forums. What am I missing here?
I tried to post on a HTCHD2 forum and the message I got was if you have less than 10 total posts, you aren't allowed to post. I found that very frustrating as I (i) had an answer for someone (which was educated) and (ii) couldn't ask a very specific question about a significant problem I was experiencing with the mod. So, now I'm trying to post 10 "meaningful" posts...argh.
Gents,
The rule was put in place for very specific reasons, in that new members were spamming the develpoment forums with questions that if they had bothered to search would have found the answers.
This nuisance was putting developers off; i mean what good is a develepor forum without developers???????
The correct place for questions is the Q&A forum NOT developer forums. You should ONLY be posting there if you are a contributing to the thread/development or be dev'ing yourself.
Trust this explains why, enjoy the forums and please be aware of what you are posting where.
Cheers.
Tim.
Thanks, and I do understand the thought process. But, it's discouraging to see people with 300+ posts that are posting ill-educated and noobish questions, while I couldn't post a question which was valid and I had done my research...even the developers are sometimes poor about how the threads are used. By the way, likely most of the users here are gents, but not me...:> After posting some thoughtful replies elsewhere, I was finally able to post on the "proper" forum. I do think you are getting a lot of questions in the general Q&A which would best be addressed in the proper forum, but they can't post there...Anyway, have a great day!! And, thanks for replying to us.
Okay, so you would rather questions in the Q&A section rather then in the threads dedicated to the ROMS?
timmymarsh said:
Gents,
The rule was put in place for very specific reasons, in that new members were spamming the develpoment forums with questions that if they had bothered to search would have found the answers.
This nuisance was putting developers off; i mean what good is a develepor forum without developers???????
The correct place for questions is the Q&A forum NOT developer forums. You should ONLY be posting there if you are a contributing to the thread/development or be dev'ing yourself.
Trust this explains why, enjoy the forums and please be aware of what you are posting where.
Cheers.
Tim.
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The rule had said that it was applied to users that joined after a certain date but members that have been here for awhile but acquired new posts were also affected when it was put into place.
i have some questions about developing roms and i'm willing to learn and get started.
i posted my question in the Q&A Forum 19 Vies now answers on page 2 allready.
My question are directly pointed to develop roms for samsung galaxy tab. so the dev's who could help getting me started have to read but they can't since they won't look in here.
Great ^^
Frustrating because frequently no replies. For example, I posted a question - 77 views, 0 replies. However, at least I can now post on the relevant forum! LOL.
have a great day...
Hey Guys n Gals,
Let me make this clear for avoidance of doubt.
Device specific forums generally have their own Q&A section, so if it is device specific, ask it in there.
If it isnt device specific ask it in here.
Dont ask general questions in developer forums for example "how do i root my xxxxxx" , they will get moved to Q&A or at worst deleted.
These are the rules, they are here for everyones guidance and to prevent dev forums from being cluttered with n00b questions.
Trust this makes things crystal clear, if not feel free to pm me.
Cheers.
Thread Closed.
Hi,
I know this isn't directly related to the Galaxy S4, but very often I see many 'Best ROM/Kernel' threads in the Q&A section here. In the i9100 (Galaxy S2), a forum mod created a sticky which can be viewed in the Q&A section. It clearly states that 'Best ROM/Kernel' threads are not allowed, and that people have to test for themselves.
Now, I know this will not solve the problem entirely, but those of us that take the time to look at the stickies will know why these 'Best ROM/Kernel' threads are not allowed. Also, someone will no doubt post the XDA forum rules here, but for simplicity and to tackle confusion with new members, I believe it would be helpful if a sticky like: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1612881 was created and placed in the Q&A section.
Edit: If a mod wishes a sticky to be created, I will happily edit this thread to explain why 'Best ROM/Kernel' threads are not allowed, and this could be stickied and moved to the Q&A section.
Two examples in the last two days (many more but I think it gets the point across):
1) http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2427267
2) http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2428727
Thanks.
Sent from my GT-I9505
Yep, couldn't agree more. I've asked for it to be done.
Thing is, stickys are largely ignored (Check the average view count) - its the same in the s3 forum
Just report the thread when it appears
DSA said:
Thing is, stickys are largely ignored (Check the average view count) - its the same in the s3 forum
Just report the thread when it appears
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That is completely true, which is kind of annoying. As for your reporting the thread idea, every time a thread is reported and closed, it is highly likely the OP is very confused, 'why was my thread closed? This forum is for ROM's, what's wrong about asking for a good ROM?!' and the problem only becomes worse. At least if the thread is closed, it should only make sense if they are directed to a sticky or thread which explains why it has been closed, instead of a simple 'no best ROM/Kernel threads!'
Feedback appreciated.
Sent from my Nexus 7
No response from any mods? If mods do not wish for a sticky to be created, then let me know and you can close this thread. A response would be appreciated.
Sent from my GT-I9505
IMHO, "Best ROM/Kernel Thread" isn't allowed here. It may downgrade the level of Devs.
For Q/A thread we already have the same in Q/A Section.
themadba said:
That is completely true, which is kind of annoying. As for your reporting the thread idea, every time a thread is reported and closed, it is highly likely the OP is very confused, 'why was my thread closed? This forum is for ROM's, what's wrong about asking for a good ROM?!' and the problem only becomes worse. At least if the thread is closed, it should only make sense if they are directed to a sticky or thread which explains why it has been closed, instead of a simple 'no best ROM/Kernel threads!'
Feedback appreciated.
Sent from my Nexus 7
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Hi,
Moderators should never close a thread without leaving an short explanation behind to avoid the "confused noob" situation. I underlined "should never" because I am perfectly aware that guideline is (unfortunately) not followed by all moderators, however, it is followed by most of us.
themadba said:
No response from any mods? If mods do not wish for a sticky to be created, then let me know and you can close this thread. A response would be appreciated.
Sent from my GT-I9505
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It has only just been brought to my attention. If you want a thread noticed by moderators, it is best to report it and leave a report message asking us to read the thread.
As for sticking this thread, I'm not sure that its necessary - Q8 in the FAQ thread by malybru in the Q&A section deals with "Best ROM/Kernel" type questions and I have also added a short note in the Moderator Introduction thread stuck in general at the bottom with the other posting guidelines about best ROM/kernel threads.
Ultimately no matter what we do, as the userbase of XDA in general gets dumber with more people moving to smartphones and seeing XDA as a place to make their phone "kewl", these threads are going to become more commonplace and as noted by DSA, if the stickies aren't read, there isn't much anyone can do about it really apart from reporting the threads to moderators.
Jonny said:
Hi,
Moderators should never close a thread without leaving an short explanation behind to avoid the "confused noob" situation. I underlined "should never" because I am perfectly aware that guideline is (unfortunately) not followed by all moderators, however, it is followed by most of us.
It has only just been brought to my attention. If you want a thread noticed by moderators, it is best to report it and leave a report message asking us to read the thread.
As for sticking this thread, I'm not sure that its necessary - Q8 in the FAQ thread by malybru in the Q&A section deals with "Best ROM/Kernel" type questions and I have also added a short note in the Moderator Introduction thread stuck in general at the bottom with the other posting guidelines about best ROM/kernel threads.
Ultimately no matter what we do, as the userbase of XDA in general gets dumber with more people moving to smartphones and seeing XDA as a place to make their phone "kewl", these threads are going to become more commonplace and as noted by DSA, if the stickies aren't read, there isn't much anyone can do about it really apart from reporting the threads to moderators.
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Thanks for your detailed response, and to be honest I have to agree. As the smartphone community grows, so does the amount of noobs on this forum, and it will be near impossible to combat this. Thanks for your reply, if you wish you can close this thread now.
Sent from my GT-I9505
themadba said:
Thanks for your detailed response, and to be honest I have to agree. As the smartphone community grows, so does the amount of noobs on this forum, and it will be near impossible to combat this. Thanks for your reply, if you wish you can close this thread now.
Sent from my GT-I9505
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Done