Dude, Wheres My Thread? - Simple Guide To Forum Topics

[Sam DeathWalker]

Well by vapid I mean look at the current General the most recent 20 or so posts, there is virtually no valueuable information in those, as compared to the top 20 in macros, software, hardware etc. forums. And as you say 40-60 percent are moved elsewehre, I'v never encounted a forum where so much moving is done ... seems less work for the mods also.

FoH dumps most everything in General with no organizational effort:

http://www.fohguild.org/forums/mmorp...al-discussion/

But everything you say is also resonable. There are lots of ways to do this all resonably valid no doubt. And as you say many post without searching first ...

I'v found the EQ warrior forum very nice all around, resonably well organized with a bit more polished feel.

http://www.thesteelwarrior.org/forum...isplay.php?f=1

But the best of all forums, imo, has been MrFixIt, I think they make all their own software but their whole layout has all beat I thinks:

http://www.mrfixitonline.com/aoe3

[Bigfish]

Go hang out at FoH then. Kind of ironic that you're complaining about the quality of forums here (especially on something as silly as your personal preference for organization) when I've yet to see you actually contribute to anything outside of self-aggrandization.

The way these forums are set up works out just fine. General operates as a *gasp* general channel with a number of useful and useless threads. Big whoop. It doesn't exist for your personal benefit or to suit your personal tastes.

The sub-forums work just fine as well, as personally, I don't want to sift through a bunch of threads on software I don't use, PvP I don't participate in, or guild chatter that I'm not a part of. At the same time, I'm sure there are a number of people who don't want to sift through macros, PvE discussions, and group composition theories.

In summation: The forums are fine. Stop bitching.

[Svpernova09]

In summation: The forums are fine. Stop bitching.

/Internet high five

[Owltoid]

This is because people simply don't search for their answers, or they don't know the key phrases to search. There are two parts to this, the first, is typically "I'm going to post a new thread to ask my question instead of search" is generally born out of people being lazy, or people being unsure of current documentation.

I seem to have an opposing viewpoint to many on this forum. I would rather have many similar posts than an inactive forum. I really don't understand those who bash members for posting a thread instead of searching for the answer on their own. Even with the most basic question you'll still get varied answers depending on who is online at the time and who the user base is (it does change over time). Also, even if a subject was covered multiple times it could be the first time some members are seeing the thread. These members will benefit from having someone ask the question, or bump the thread. For instance, I'm sure the Pally vs DK tank debate has at least 10 threads with valuable information. However, I likely wouldn't have known as much as I currently do about DKs if some random thread hadn't been started again. Whoever started that thread could have just used the search function, found their answer, and continued on their merry way. However, I personally wouldn't have gained anything and I'm glad they made a new post regarding a subject that could have been covered with a search. I may never have searched for that information on my own, or even thought to ask questions regarding the subject, but because someone started a redundant thread that may have been covered 2 weeks ago, I was able to learn.

Forums are supposed to be active dialog... they're not supposed to be encyclopedias for reference.

[Tonuss]

I seem to have an opposing viewpoint to many on this forum. I would rather have many similar posts than an inactive forum.

I think that forums that have a lot of similar posts eventually turn into inactive forums. I do feel that moderating should be left to the moderators, so if a person is posting a topic that they should have searched for, it should be left to the moderators to deal with it, and not have members hassling the person who made the post. But I prefer forums that are run by an active and strict moderating team. You know where you stand, and you learn how things will be handled after a while. And most important, troublemakers don't last long. That to me is more important than layout and how many sub-forums we have.

[Bigfish]

I would say that repetitive topics are a fair issue for what needs to be addressed. I also find them helpful in so much that as independant players, we often find ourselves needing to bounce ideas off each other to figure out what works best for us. The solution one player reaches may not be the best answer for another player, even if they have a similar issue. Is it worth partaking in thread necromancy or hijacking to try and get elaboration on a point, or is it better to make a fresh topic that discussion can continue in? So long as we're not stuck at either extreme, I don't see much of a problem.

[Wilbur]

We've had the same problems pretty much since the start. People don't know where to post and cant be arsed to search. I believe keyclone and I both made suggestions for re-structuring in the staff forum a while ago, I'd advise the admins re-check that thread, because the suggestions made were pretty fucking awesome tbh

I've always been in favour of an Elitist-Jerks style of moderation here. It works, plain and simple.

[Sam DeathWalker]

Go hang out at FoH then. Kind of ironic that you're complaining about the quality of forums here (especially on something as silly as your personal preference for organization) when I've yet to see you actually contribute to anything outside of self-aggrandization.

Thats cause yur to lazy to use "search":

http://www.dual-boxing.com/forums/in...412&highlight=

[Bigfish]

Go hang out at FoH then. Kind of ironic that you're complaining about the quality of forums here (especially on something as silly as your personal preference for organization) when I've yet to see you actually contribute to anything outside of self-aggrandization.

Thats cause yur to lazy to use "search":

http://www.dual-boxing.com/forums/in...412&highlight=

"The link you are trying to reach is no longer available or is invalid. "

So I was right?

[keyclone]

Forums are supposed to be active dialog... they're not supposed to be encyclopedias for reference.

ding ding! we have a winner

active dialog... i call this chatter. my thinking is that we want a good amount of chatter to keep things interesting for people. if stuff is in the wrong group, and has been idle for a couple of days... then move it to the appropriate thread. what you don't want is to move a thread in the middle of an active conversation. that would kill chatter and confuse people as they cannot find the thread they were chatting on.