Thread Starting

[boiltheocean]

Is there any way you could make clearer to New Members that they should look through atleast the first 2 or 3 pages of whatever forum they are looking at to see if their issue or topic has been posted already.

I've had two in the last two days where their issue has been discussed in detail a few lines under their new thread. This is extremely annoying to me and I'm sure many others as I keep seeing threads for the same topic.

 

[bergauk]

I think we should have a training video before you can even start posting on the site. Covering all sorts of things that no one even cares to look at when they first join. I've only looked at the sticky post on The Rumble Strip to be honest. But I agree that it should be known in some way, shape or form that no matter what, your topic has most likely already been discussed a few times in the couple threads and that you should look for that specific topic before you go make a new thread.

 

[Pupik]

We've tried everything, to be honest: But that's a big reason why we have a moderation queue. We warn them if they are starting multiple new threads, and give infractions for those that obviously do not get it (it's quite obvious when they are ignoring our requests to search).

As more and more people are becoming internet-savvy and have used a forum or two before, membership is actually improving in this respect.

The search tool front, top, and center of every page helps out a lot, too. It's really just the laziest of new members that do not get it, they want an answer or two, and split.

 

[TB]

they want an answer or two, and split.

I'm sure you're more than willing to help out in this regard, too!

I mostly steer clear of the GT5 sections so I typically don't see the make-new-thread-that's-already-been-done-to-death scenario.

On the rest of the forum (usually the Site Feedback and the former General Questions thread), it's quite the opposite. It's almost like people are scared to start new threads.

 

[boiltheocean]

I mostly steer clear of the GT5 sections so I typically don't see the make-new-thread-that's-already-been-done-to-death scenario.

On the rest of the forum (usually the Site Feedback and the former General Questions thread), it's quite the opposite. It's almost like people are scared to start new threads.

So True... I tend to avoid the GT section because of this problem, whenever I do take a look I'm confronted with the same problem with 20+ different titles. Mabye a tag system could be introducted so searching would bring up more results.

EDIT: Actually we already have that kinda system in place.

Mabye you need a Mod specifically for this issue. :Looks Useful:

 

[Legendary]

Personally, I didnt read anything when I started here. But then again. I had been on many forums, just the grammar needed some perking up.

 

[Pupik]

I'm sure you're more than willing to help out in this regard, too!

I've never banned a member for failure to use the search feature, and in my time here, I can only think of about 3-4 members that were banned because of it, but their New Thread Creations-to-Contributions in Existing Threads ratio was very high (say, over 10), and they became extremely defensive when asked to change their ways or use the search engine.

If I know the game (so that excludes GT5), I'm usually willing to help out, but now that I can lock threads, it's a different matter. If some thought and work is put into the said post, I'd personally rather merge the post/thread into another thread.

Some people create threads with totally ambiguous titles, which is probably my biggest moderation pet peeve of all. You see them, they say: "How do you...", "Quick question...", and of course "GT_ question". If it's actually a topic or question that hasn't been discussed, and there's lots of responses, then there's the process of concocting a title for it.

Or the discussion splinters off because someone asked a totally different question within another thread, and it takes off from there. That's natural, in a way, and it sometimes shows the vitality and experience of our community; and that's something that's a lot more difficult to police. Sometimes we encourage it, and other times, we do not (some discussions go in a bad direction like name-calling or politics, and/or steer far away from the original topic and context of the sub-forum).

There's no absolute rule for this, since we are seeing that members are tending towards contributing towards these all-in-one threads that go on for 500 posts or more. It's only when it becomes an unmanageable mess that we say something. Personally, I'd rather there were new threads for a separate discussion, rather than an ongoing thread that gets away from itself. But that's not my call to make.

Of course, careful what you wish for...I can't imagine the barrage of new threads that are going to fling in all directions once GT5 arrives in stores, but we moderators will be very busy in the queue.

 

[The Grim Reaper]

Would it be possible to limit new members to searching before they are aloud to post for a set period of time.

In other words when they first become a member they don't have the "New Thread" button, but in its place they have a "Search Topics" button to encourage them to search for topics. Then only after a period of time they are eligable to post topics & new threads.

I have seen similar ways of dealing with new members before on other forums.

 

[TB]

I like the "forced search" but the only problem with that is someone who legitimately needs to start a new thread can't. Unless they can submit a new thread to have it approved, which puts us right back to square one.

Like Pupik said, the search box is already front and center on every page and yet it still gets missed. I think this is a case of the cure is as bad as the disease.

 

[The Grim Reaper]

I like the "forced search" but the only problem with that is someone who legitimately needs to start a new thread can't. Unless they can submit a new thread to have it approved, which puts us right back to square one.

Like Pupik said, the search box is already front and center on every page and yet it still gets missed. I think this is a case of the cure is as bad as the disease.

Maybe the mods could put flashing lights around it to draw even more attention to it.

Or been more serious, every time they hit New thread they are asked to search first.

 

[Duke]

Certain boards are already set up that way. Boards like the GT5 board will ask them if they've looked for an existing thread before it will allow them to submit one.

Inexperienced or lazy users are not going to get it at first, though inexperienced ones will likely change. Lazy users likely won't.

 

[TB]

Maybe the mods could put flashing lights around it to draw even more attention to it.

I bet Casio could come up with an attention getting image!

Or been more serious, every time they hit New thread they are asked to search first.

This one has some merit. Something along this line, but worded better and nicer looking.

Edit: I just thought of another one - actually having Yes/No buttons when you click New Thread. Yes takes you to the New Thread page and no to the search.

 

[The Grim Reaper]

I just thought of another one - actually having Yes/No buttons when you click New Thread. Yes takes you to the New Thread page and no to the search.

That looks like a plan.

 

[boiltheocean]

Edit: I just thought of another one - actually having Yes/No buttons when you click New Thread. Yes takes you to the New Thread page and no to the search.

But everyone would click "Yes" all the time. Think about it.

Clicks New Thread - Dialogue box asking Yes or No - Clicks Yes

They wouldn't click "No" as they wouldn't have bothered clicking "New Thread" in the first place.
They will always click "Yes" just in the same way everyone clicks approve on those stupid vista admin privilages messages.

Although this is progress so I can't complain too much.

 

[boiltheocean]

Ooh just had a thought, what if we limited new members to 0 New Threads on the first 2 days, then 1 New Thread each day for the next 3 days. Then after those 5 days service resumes as normal.

 

[nk4e]

I think we should have a training video before you can even start posting on the site. Covering all sorts of things that no one even cares to look at when they first join. I've only looked at the sticky post on The Rumble Strip to be honest. But I agree that it should be known in some way, shape or form that no matter what, your topic has most likely already been discussed a few times in the couple threads and that you should look for that specific topic before you go make a new thread.

maybe there is a god

 

[boiltheocean]

maybe there is a god

Oh I loved that!

 

[Danoff]

But everyone would click "Yes" all the time. Think about it.

Clicks New Thread - Dialogue box asking Yes or No - Clicks Yes

So make the answer they want correspond to No.

"Have you failed to search for an existing thread on this subject? Yes/No"

Ooh just had a thought, what if we limited new members to 0 New Threads on the first 2 days, then 1 New Thread each day for the next 3 days. Then after those 5 days service resumes as normal.

I admit, my first post on this site was as careless as the people we're discussing. I started a new thread asking a very common question about GT3. I'd never been to a message board before and didn't really have a good concept of threads. If I'd been prevented from starting that thread, I honestly think I wouldn't have bothered and would never have discovered GTPlanet (think of all the time I'd have saved! )

So I'm glad that the staff had a little patience. I suppose a "Have you been to a forum before?" intro page with an explanation about why duplicate threads are annoying would have worked on me... not sure it would work on many though.

 

[boiltheocean]

I admit, my first post on this site was as careless as the people we're discussing. I started a new thread asking a very common question about GT3. I'd never been to a message board before and didn't really have a good concept of threads. If I'd been prevented from starting that thread, I honestly think I wouldn't have bothered and would never have discovered GTPlanet (think of all the time I'd have saved! )

So I'm glad that the staff had a little patience. I suppose a "Have you been to a forum before?" intro page with an explanation about why duplicate threads are annoying would have worked on me... not sure it would work on many though.

I agree with you on that. It's the only flaw that I could find in my plan and it would almost certainly drive away a few new members.

 

[nk4e]

I agree with you on that. It's the only flaw that I could find in my plan and it would almost certainly drive away a few new members.

Well, what usually keeps members here is the veteran members. I posted about two threads asking certain question. Though in time, I learned to used to the search bar, PM system, and stickies. ( and that video) with the help of Veteran members.

 

[Pupik]

It's a push-pull situation; we want the community to help out, which increases a "staying" membership, but on the other hand, we are not an on-call question-and-answer desk community.

As Famine put it so eloquently:

Imagine, if you will, going into a library.


In the library are hundreds - nay, thousands - of books. They're listed by category, alphabetically by title within the category and labelled according to the Dewey Decimal System, so finding a specific book isn't that hard with a little effort.


Now, imagine you are the librarian and you have six HUNDRED people every day coming in and shouting:

"WHERE CAN I FIND THE KAMA SUTRA?! I REALLY WANT THE KAMA SUTRA?! WHY CAN'T I FIND THE KAMA SUTRA!? THIS PLACE SUCKS!"

two inches from your face.

Wouldn't it get old awfully fast?


GTPlanet helps those who help themselves. The Search button is really rather good if you have your frontal lobes screwed in (as with Dewey) and has the benefit that you can find things which, if they aren't exactly what you want to know, you can contribute to and look intelligent by bringing a festering topic to life with a fresh point of view.

 

[Hun200kmh]

Well, I'm not a newbie here but I had today my first experience of having a thread locked. I don't know what mod did it and I didn't receive any PM about it (or warning), but I understand that the thread was locked because the same news I posted were already posted in ... another forum. A forum where I didn't think of searching for this news so, to make it clear, I had no idea they were posted when I opened the (meanwhile) locked thread.

So, and applying the gtplanet-library analogy so well used by Famine, if you are the librarian here and someone asks you about where to find the news and member-comments/discussion on the withdrawal of Mitsubishi and their works team from cross country competition, including the Dakar rally ... point them to the WRC section of the library.

 

[daan]

Well, I'm not a newbie here but I had today my first experience of having a thread locked. I don't know what mod did it and I didn't receive any PM about it (or warning), but I understand that the thread was locked because the same news I posted were already posted in ... another forum. A forum where I didn't think of searching for this news so, to make it clear, I had no idea they were posted when I opened the (meanwhile) locked thread.

I locked that as a duplicate thread of news already posted. The earlier thread is always the one that gets to stay open. I didn't make any comments in the thread as I didn't think one was needed. PMs and/or warnings are not given out in that situation.

So, and applying the gtplanet-library analogy so well used by Famine, if you are the librarian here and someone asks you about where to find the news and member-comments/discussion on the withdrawal of Mitsubishi and their works team from cross country competition, including the Dakar rally ... point them to the WRC section of the library.

Ironically, it was locked by someone who works in a library...

The World Rally Championship forum is probably slightly miss-named as it contains any news to do with ralling in general, not just the WRC. Any rallying related news should go into the rally forum in my view, and that seems to be supported by the threads it quite happily contains (which includes a thread on the Dakar rally itself).

EDIT: I have sought for clarification on this in the mods forum, so it should be made clearer soon.

 

[Hun200kmh]

Fair enough, I guess that Rally-Raid can be dicussed in the WRC forum (but I think that it should be renamed to "Rally" forum or something). Personaly it never came to my mind to look for Dakar news in the WRC forum.

And it really seems this could be clarified (sp?), because I did a search using the word "Dakar" in the "Motorsports" forum and the result (first page) was this:

https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/search.php?searchid=2700363&pp=25

So, 13 posts in one of the motorsports subforums (the WRC one); 10 posts in the other (Drifting and other Motorsports).

Anyway, thanks for replying.

 

[daan]

The WRC forum has now been renamed to include all rally disciplines.