Related
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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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Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Hi Dear Admin
Why can not I would post in this forum?
For example, the following forum threads:
Touch Diamond, MDA Compact IV ROM Development
Torres 9 said:
Hi Dear Admin
Why can not I would post in this forum?
For example, the following forum threads:
Touch Diamond, MDA Compact IV ROM Development
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your post count is currently too low. You will be able to around 8 or 10 posts, no spam until then lmao. have fun and welcome aboard
I also cant post in the topic i want to ( darky's rom 9.3final )
i have a question i really want to ask there
I agree with these guys, it's not really a cool system we have to wait before asking questions.... it makes many days that I search the solution but I dont find it and I would like to post in a thread....
Same boat.
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App
mattlin32 said:
I agree with these guys, it's not really a cool system we have to wait before asking questions.... it makes many days that I search the solution but I dont find it and I would like to post in a thread....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Guys,
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO WAIT TO POST QUESTIONS
This is because questions DO NOT belong in the development forum. It is as simple as that. Let me define "not really cool". It's having to tell people NOT to post questions outwith the device Q&A section.
Post your questions THERE, NOWHERE ELSE.
Do NOT post questions in development.
Only posting in development is currently prevented. Make your thread in Q&A.
it makes many days that I search the solution
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
- that's the point exactly. Search harder. The answer will be there. You just need to practice how to find it. Google is your friend.
getting there!
same... have to post 9 posts first, befere i can ask my question
voriand said:
same... have to post 9 posts first, befere i can ask my question
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Read my post above.
You do not need 10 posts to post questions. Post it in the Q&A section for your device.
XDA policy selects the USELESS posts
XDA policy selects the USELESS posts
pulser_g2 said:
(Sun 06 Mar 2011 18:54 GMT)
Only posting in development is currently prevented. Make your thread in Q&A.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
IOW:
1) When we are new (to HD2 in my case), hence have a lot of issues with no clue, even no idea what to search exactly, and are willing to spend the time to find the exact forum, thread, post, to which we should ask a question (I did it, amply), we are FORBIDDEN to ask the relevant question in the appropriate, efficient, polite place and manner; instead, we have to post in a remote forum (Q & A), where all questions will end garbaged altogether with plenty unrelated others, and far away, both from the ones who could reply and from the ones who would like to second an existing question rather than posting a "new" one. Hence your policy is increasing the number of doubled or irrelevant questions, and refraining the people who are usually carefully, politely and efficiently writing their posts, while encouraging the Fast Posters (the ones who post faster than they can think or verify what they write).
2) Only when we finally have learnt (after lengthy and painful research in this unfriendly atmosphere) the information we need, hence only when we have no more questions, can we post in the relevant forums. But since the newer ones still CANNOT post there, our new knowledge can answer no question and no people, hence is useless to others. This explains why there are so many fundamental questions that are still plaguing many users after 2 years, with plenty threads addressing them without answering them (because missing the way the questions happen in new users' minds) but still no thread exposing them clearly and efficiently.
Versailles, Mon 07 Mar 2011 19:06:30 +0100, edited 19:11:20
"Google is your friend" only denotes people UNABLE to build an efficient search
"Google is your friend" only denotes people UNABLE to build an efficient search
pulser_g2 said:
(Sun 06 Mar 2011 18:54 GMT)
Search harder. The answer will be there. You just need to practice how to find it. Google is your friend.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most people are Scarce Posters, IOW do search a lot, intelligently and carefully, before asking a question on a forum; so while numerous, they remain little visible. OTOH, the Fast Posters (the ones who post faster than they can think or verify what they write), needing no time before posting, do post a lot, hence look as more numerous than they actually are; and of course they have not often really tried to build really efficient searches (or they would know it can be done only when you already know a significant amount about your seek).
The invisible majority (Scarce Posters) do know that Forums' Search Engines most often fail, and that searching a Forum from Google, sure can be much more efficient, yet only with informed and carefully built search requests. The ones who require visitors to "search" while giving neither help nor hint about how and what to search, belong to the vocal minority of "Fast Posters" and have generally NOT tried themselves - or they would know the above, hence would belong to the "Scarce Posters".
IOW, really helpful people don't reply "Google is your friend", instead they post, after trying, tweaking and testing it, the exact search to do, for instance Google "How to flash 6.5.3 ROM on HD2 site:xda-developers.com". And as you can see, this particular search request, as carefully designed as it may be, is still far from the right one(s), because when you need it, you usually DON'T KNOW YET what to search; here, when I designed this one, I STILL IGNORED that I needed to download and install a BOOTLOADER, an HSPL, a RADIO, a ROM (and which one: a "3.14"? a "1.66"? What are those?), and possibly a MANILA and some other stuffs.
IOW, when you have written the appropriate search request, your problem is already almost completely researched, thought, defined, and solved. When someone is asking something on a forum, the one replying "Google is your friend" is essentially someone who is UNABLE to build a helpful search request (or he would just post it). Requiring from the visitor to search before asking is just, despite the appearances, putting the cart before the horse: unrealistic, illogical, unhelpful, and counterproductive.
I think the great resources on XDA Forums are hampered by a bad case of NIH and Resistance to change.
Versailles, Mon 07 Mar 2011 19:13:00 +0100, edited 19:19:25
What about questions about specific custom ROMs? Should they also be posted in the General Q&A sections of the device?
pulser_g2 said:
Read my post above.
You do not need 10 posts to post questions. Post it in the Q&A section for your device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol.. Thanks.. This solve my problem..
Well, the problem with forming a good search term is that most of the useful text is not so well written as to be easily searched. You can spend all day sorting through search results, trying to kraft THE perfect query, and still miss the web page that gives you the answer you need.
I am a fairly new user in here and one problem that i can clearly see is that there is no easy way to solve your problems by searching and digging through the existing posts. The first rule invariably for anyone posting a question is to ensure the question has not be asked AND ANSWERED already somewhere by someone but then the answers may sometimes not clarify all the doubts in your mind and replies in old threads sometimes don't get a favorable response.. i.e, sometimes the question could look repetitive but the answer needs to be contextual. build numbers, geographical builds, worries about voiding warranties etc do create concerns which can be slightly different for each user.
another issue is that, if you found another person asking the same question who never got an answer, you are forced to ask the question again in a new thread in an attempt to catch the eye of a good Samaritan...
I believe one of the reasons that the same questions are asked again and again is because it is faster and more importantly, with new members joining everyday, newer users are not averse to helping out someone asking the same question for the nth time. The reasons usually are that they are trying to get some posts going and to earn a few thanks along the way and maybe feel good about having shared their new found knowledge to help someone.
i wont be surprised if many senior members are also answering repetitive questions over and over again because it would probably take a sentence to provide the solution and 4 sentences to swear at the person for posting the question for the gazillionth time . I have seen many an instance of users doing both, i.e. swear at the person and provide the solution
Getting to the real question in my mind...
would it be at all possible to mine the database based on thanks (clicks as well as in replies) to build some kind of a quick and dirty dynamic FAQ list that people can look into before posting afresh? I am assuming that someone would only go to the extent of thanking a fellow user only if that person genuinely solved his/her problem or even pointed in the right direction.
such a dynamically generated FAQ list could have a feature where by future users could vote up or down an entry based on usefulness and also mark an entry as a duplicate so that the system could automatically remove entries from the list when the dupe count goes beyond a certain value to ensure rogue users don't knock off legitimate entries. it could maybe support things such as tags to create a taxonomy to drill down my manufacturer model, related model etc..
just thinking aloud...
not to mention hoping to catch somebody's attention.....
With the general feeling of disappointment (and even hate) around, I thought I'll take this moment out to thoroughly explain what has been done, and why it has been done.
Have a look at the list below:
Singapore Galaxy S4
Australian Galaxy S4 owners thread
Pakistani Galaxy S4 Owners Thread
Brazilian Galaxy S4 Thread
Galaxy S4 Philippines
Bangladesh Galaxy S4
Indian Galaxy S4 Owners Thread
[malaysian i9500/i9505 thread]
Ireland/UK Galaxy S4 Thread
Lebanese Galaxy S4 Thread
Sweden S4 Thread
Now ask yourself these questions:
Do you actually need these many country threads?
There are 190+ countries in the world, and with a global launch for the S4, does each and every country require it's own thread? If you answer "No", then you are biased in thinking that country A needs a thread whereas country B doesn't.
And what's to say that a single thread is sufficient per country? For example, my own state is larger in area and population than many European nations. So why shouldn't I have my own state thread? The state itself is too big, and a city based thread would be more localized. Maybe I, as a user, should create one. Or maybe a locality based one would solve all my woes.
The question here is, at what point do we draw the line? This is no easy question to answer, because try as much as we may, no one solution will please all.
Yes, we understand that when the phone launches (even during pre-launch), there is general excitement and frenzy all over. And at these times, such threads become helpful. They allow people to gather information at the time when there is no clear answer with everybody. The device is relatively new, and people are ignorant of what the best deal may be.
Fast forward to two months after launch. Do you still require region specific threads? Wouldn't it be easier if you just paid a visit to your local market or your online store to find out the current market prices, check the online review stores for the best set of accessories, contact your provider's Customer Service to find out their LTE rollout plans, etc?
XDA is not the answer to everything. Yes, a lot of people rely on researching the forum to see if there are hardware/software issues before they buy a new device. But to say that the sole purpose they joined was to find the best contract they can avail from Three, then I must say, they joined for the wrong reasons.
We aren't a consumer oriented website. We are a developer's website, but we do allow plenty of leeway to non-developers. We realize that everybody starts small, and we really appreciate the people who actually take the efforts to start. But certain things are better considered as "privileges" and not "rights".
"They shouldn't have closed down the threads. They weren't useless."
- I honestly doubt if any moderator has called any of those threads as useless. Even in my closing posts, I have acknowledged the fact that the team considers these threads as useful. It's just that, they have served their time well, and all of them have started pointing towards the more generic topics of discussion, and hence, needed to be retired from duty. [Example: In a bunch of threads, the conversation topic was the latest firmware that dropped in another country thousands of kilometres away.] Essentially, people were talking the same things, but in different groups.
"You call yourself a community. Yet you do not allow communities to exist"
- We at XDA, are a community in ourselves. When people further attempt to create communities in the open fora, they are in fact dividing the existing one. We do not need this type of segregation, when there no longer exists need of one.
How many Malaysian users frequented the Indian thread, or how many Brazilian users helped around in the Philippines thread? (Just examples used to drive the point across). People can still roam around, but do they?
"These threads helped newbie's to start with their device. The people are really helpful, and answer any questions asked."
- Yes, again, Fact Acknowledged and a virtual pat on the back for everyone who helped :good:
But isn't that the purpose with which the "[HELP THREAD] Galaxy S4 | Ask any question | Noob friendly." thread (and the Q&A section at large) was made? Imagine, if people from one community are so helpful, if everyone chimed in and helped people around, you'd actually be increasing your scope from inter-region to international.
You see a question asked, and you have the knowledge and will, you answer it, irrespective of the user being from your country or not, asking in your thread or not. If you see someone genuinely taking efforts to help someone else out, you hit the "thanks" button for them and give them a pinch of motivation
TL;DR, things don't need to be restricted to your subscribed threads. There's a largely unexplored forum out there, waiting for you.
As a matter of fact, the early bunch of pm's I received after the closures were made, were people who thought/assumed that only their own thread was closed. They failed to notice at that moment that a bunch of them were closed at the same time.
People who frequently roam around the General subfora would even acknowledge the fact that the threads had started to clog. The regional threads notice a high turnover and this results in all of them sitting at page one. This barely leaves room for other threads to be noticed.
The S4 had ~13 regional threads, and as per the forecasted trend, the Note 3 would have touched 20 regional threads by this time in its product cycle. The threads are made under the general moniker of "Availabilty and Deals", but a lot of them end up being "me-too" type threads. Country A has it, so country B should do too.
Question again, where do we draw the line?
It is also disappointing to hear the tone in some of the pm's. Much more disappointing is the fact that people call us "fascist" and compare us moderators with controversial historical figures, while all we are doing is trying to manage a forum while having a broader line of sight. Have we really wronged you so much by closing a thread, so as to be deserving of such hate?
No, we do not ban people just because they questioned a moderator's action. We simply request you to be polite and do it via pm, not as public posts. We are tolerant and will accept constructive criticism as feedback.
We haven't taken any action against misue of "official" in thread titles, while we could have very well infracted the erring OP's on misrepresentation and action without authorization. We can and we should have, but have we done so? No, we haven't. And this by itself is a testimony to the fact that we are tolerant to a really large extent.
Then you have posts like "Moderators are stupid, they don't know how to manage", which are no better than the newbie's post in a dev thread which says "My wifi broke. Fix it" without any additional details. Where is the constructive criticism in this? At the very least, work with us to solve the issues. Simply escalating problems isn't good for the community and might even worsen the situation.
Again, we are emphasizing the fact that these threads were useful. But the decision to close down a large number of these was one of the toughest ones that we have ever taken. As mentioned previously, it has been discussed to death. All possibilities, angles, point-of-views, were taken in mind before we came to a conclusion. Decisions aren't just abruptly taken.
In fact, the right decision isn't always the most popular one, as we have experienced here firsthand. We aren't looking around for threads to close in other devices as of yet. But if the need arises, and decision is to be made, then decision shall be made (on case by case basis).
In future devices, these threads aren't "banned" per se. Users are still free to create one when the device is just born/young. But do bear in mind that sometime in the future, they may get closed.
As for the Galaxy S4, this is the end of regional threads (except the ones exempted on hardware differences). Any more threads/retakes will not be allowed in the subfora. Please respect this decision.
"What do we do know?"
- As my teammates have mentioned (and as has been discussed via pm with some of you), the Social Groups feature of XDA is vastly left unutilized. You are free to create your own country, city, toy club groups. And as long as things remain within the forum rules there, they shall be allowed. Talk OT, availability, accessories, whatever you wish. Just abide by the forum rules, and report in case of problems That is all we ask :good:
If you pm me the link of the XDA social group that you have created for your country thread (provided one doesn't exist already), I'll edit the closing post and direct users towards them :good:
"Will you place links to our groups made on popular social networking sites?"
- I'm afraid we can't do that. We restrict ourselves to things concerning XDA.
We hope this clears up a lot of questions that people had in mind.
Thank you for your patience and co-operation
Moderator Team
Samsung International
I have an app that my drivers use for signature and pickup info. It also comes with fleet tracking GPS. I use Note 2, 3 and 4 phones and this error comes up on 21 of 60 phones. You see the error when logged into the App server where it records everything the driver does with the app. Phones are all set to high accuracy. The error reads: "JavaScript timeout (enabled)(LA 280 RB) repeated 2 times". The number after LA changes all the time and is not consistent. I have gone to the app developer and for months they have been trying to figure it out with nothing. If someone could point me in the right direction it would be great. I came here because I have always gotten great info and learned a lot about swapping ROM's and rooting my personal phones. Thanks in advance and I hope this is in the appropriate area for asking for help.
Hello,
Welcome to XDA.
Ok, This is going to be an intricate process for you if you want to get the best help available here. It isn't going to be easy but I will start you off with as much assistance as I can to get you going in the right direction.
First, since you are having this issue on an array of devices, you will be best served if you post your questions in the forums for each different model of device you are troubleshooting, this will increase your chances of finding an answer, but!! PLEASE note that if you are going to be posting your questions in more than one forum here then you will have to keep your questions specific and related to the device you are posting about.
It is not usually permitted to make multiple posts everywhere on XDA for the same issue but if you keep your questions varied so that each question is specific to the forum you are posting in then you won't be creating an issue or bringing unwanted attention on yourself. Our Forum Moderators keep a close eye out for multiple postings of the same issue and moderate the postings when they find them.
To find where to look/post for each different model you are working with, you will need need to use the "search all forums" search box at the top right of the page when viewing this forum in a mobile or PC browser. Type each model number there and when you run the search, it will give you links to different forums and threads for that model number. find the Q&A/help forum for each model. post your issue and look through different threads there, maybe you will find help and answers. Remember, doing this for each model number will increase your odds, you will probably be making a lot of posts on this journey, just keep them focused on where you are posting.
In addition to the posts you will make in each devices' forum, I will link you to some threads where the helpful members are knowledgeable of many devices, issues and operating systems.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/android/help
and
http://forum.xda-developers.com/general/help
The experts in those two threads may be able to help, on top of the posts you'll make in each devices' forum. Post in each forum about details of the devices and post questions about the apps and GPS in the two threads I linked. Good luck.
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