One opinion for the site
Hi Folks,
One man’s opinion:
I have been reading through the archives and searches. A lot of time and reading is on wasted idle talk in some posts. A lot of time is spent on telling someone that is a stupid question or go to the search button. I feel this is clogging up the search feature. You can search a topic and pull up 15,236 results with the first 500 not pertaining to what you are looking for and then give up. It’s like a un-organized garage and searching for a tool for two hours before starting your project. Now granted sometimes I’m in the middle of something in the garage and pop on just to get an instant reply and that works on some sites. Sometimes you just don’t have the time to wade through 15,000 posts. Everything has been covered at one point.
After all isn’t that what forums are for, helping out in a bind.
I’m wondering if this site would benefit from a FAQ section. That would be where members write clean, concise thorough write ups on how they did the procedure that is at hand with pictures to clarify. These are stored in a section “under construction: until they are proofed for accuracy and other members can post corrections or add tips to the author. Once proofed, they get moved to the FAQ for permanent placement. Once in FAQ they cannot have posts added to them or peoples comments. If correction or handy tip is needed the poster can email the author with the tip.
Have it in categories that pertain. i.e.:
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
• Suspension & Steering ( 4 items )
• Racing & Safety ( 1 items )
• Electrical & Ignition ( 13 items )
• Brakes ( 4 items )
• Body & Interior ( 13 items )
• Engine & Drive train ( 17 items )
• History & Reference ( 12 items )
This way when someone wants to know how to adjust valves or replace brakes or wonder why the starter just clicks when they turn the key, they can go to this section and read about how it was covered already and find the fix.
Just my opinion and you know what they say about that…..
Joel.
I'll giver er a try. Thanks.
Why did they delete the FAQ.
If you do a search on "FAQ section" you will find 217 threads going back to 1-19-1999 on the subject of having a FAQ section. Did you search before posting? It's OK it's a typical NewBee mistake.
Don't get mad now- I'm just joking with you!!! I agree a FAQ section would be great but I have to believe there is some reason for it not existing.
Nice one zx.
I knew I'd have at least one in the crowd. I don't get mad. There is a difference between debating and arguing & getting pissed.
Quit picking on me. I did do a search for 2.4 seconds. I don't have time. I just want the answer. You guys are a joke. Waaaaaaah.
I'm one of the biggest jokers around. You would be far wrong for ever taking me serious.
I agree on the FAQz even though you can search the site. The FAQz are the straight forward article on the topic in question without all the posts and off topic talk in between. Pretty much a clean how to section.
Check this other site I use. I think its a good idea. Browse a few topics and you will see what I mean.
http://www.bmw2002faq.com/content/section/3/32/
EDIT: Oh, I wanted to add, this site is great. Don't get me wrong I'm not complaining. I just thought FAQz are a good idea.
I thought you'd get a laugh out of that one!!
Z31 and Z32 boards have FAQ threads already stickied.. I'm sure if the members of the other boards wanted one, they could just put one together and ask a Mod to sticky it...
penth2o Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Nice one zx.
>
> I knew I'd have at least one in the crowd. I don't
> get mad. There is a difference between debating
> and arguing & getting pissed.
>
> Quit picking on me. I did do a search for 2.4
> seconds. I don't have time. I just want the
> answer. You guys are a joke. Waaaaaaah.
> http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x265/penth2o123
> /screw_you_211.gif
>
> I'm one of the biggest jokers around. You would be
> far wrong for ever taking me serious.
>
> I agree on the FAQz even though you can search the
> site. The FAQz are the straight forward article on
> the topic in question without all the posts and
> off topic talk in between. Pretty much a clean how
> to section.
>
> Check this other site I use. I think its a good
> idea. Browse a few topics and you will see what I
> mean.
> http://www.bmw2002faq.com/content/section/3/32/
>
> EDIT: Oh, I wanted to add, this site is great.
> Don't get me wrong I'm not complaining. I just
> thought FAQz are a good idea.
Someone I know offered to help the moderators out by going into posts that were at least 24 months old and summarily deleting just the very threads you have noticed...
That same person also suggested that the DEFAULT SETTING for the reply is that the replying person supply a SUBJECT LINE instead of putting the original posts' line up...thereby stopping someone who searched on 'subject' from not getting every damn post in the thread because EVERYBODY IS TOO DAMN LAZY TO TYPE IN A DIFFERENT SUBJECT LINE OH OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!
(This post is a PRIM EXAMPLE) of Jerry's Kids posting with not a thought in their head but click click click... You will note I always change the subject line so my posts don't show up when checked via subject line search.
At one time we had an 'articles' site here, where a lot of this kind of basic information was shuttled off to, but it went away.
And nobody ever let the grim reaper go in a cull useless posts from threads 24 months old or older. Things where noobies use the site as an "IM FORUM" instead of AIM or YM... Hell, I posit the whole content of "Elaine Z" and her posts would fall into this catagory... Bubbles as well...
But it was not to be. Apparently there is great value in posts in the TECHNICAL forum that contain 'sup dawg', 'yer ghey', or'who's meeting at Chilis Laredo this weekend?'
Whoodathunkit, eh?
"There is a difference between debating and arguing & getting pissed."
There are many here who haven't figured that out. They usually say stupid things like 'don't get so wound up' or 'chill out, man!' when given ascerbic commentary in relation to the ludicrous proposal or otherwise faux information they vomit forth...
I think it all comes down to how much the owner & the moderators are willing to put time into the site. Right now its a relatively low maintence forum. Just the basics appear to be done like inapropriate or offence post deletion & shutting posts down when so called arguments get out of hand.
A hybridZ or classic Z car style forum would require more maintenance, time & perhaps server space $$ to accomodate more features such as holding pics, personal albums, more sub forums, faq files & stickies.
"(This post is a PRIM EXAMPLE) of Jerry's Kids posting with not a thought in their head but click click click... You will note I always change the subject line so my posts don't show up when checked via subject line search."
There are many here who haven't figured that out. They usually say stupid things like 'don't get so wound up' or 'chill out, man!' when given ascerbic commentary in relation to the ludicrous proposal or otherwise faux information they vomit forth...
Jerry's kids? Hey, man you need to chill out cause you're getting too wound up.
"I think it all comes down to how much the owner & the moderators are willing to put time into the site. Right now its a relatively low maintence forum. Just the basics appear to be done like inapropriate or offence post deletion & shutting posts down when so called arguments get out of hand."
The FAQ's don't take up anything really. I asked this before on other sites.
People are posting pics now. It doesn't take much to do it. We just need a few directories. One holding articles till proofed and one permanent with sub directories to leave.
Proofing all articles would be a lot to ask the moderators if they don't have the time. This is where we come in.
It is our site and a good one at that. We can't expect everything free. We need to kick in when the threat of losing it is financial. We need to kick in if the moderators are dogged out. When all the articles that need proofing get overwhelming you put up the list that needs to be proofed and let experienced people in that area put their name to it to get the job done. You will find the work load distributed and completed fairly quick. Then all the moderator has to do is move the completed article to the permanent category.
Once done you have a FAQ that will slow down the amount of repetitive questions. Think of it as building a continuing How to section. Right now if you ask how to do something you get various answers from go search to that has been covered. When some do stick to the topic you sometimes have a conflict of knowledge and then further down the post it turns to like Tony said (you going to Taco bell tonight). You will always have Q&A type format as that’s what forums are about. You will always have people asking a repetitive question But, if one does ask you can politely reply there is a well written article in the FAQ. I feel it’s a lot better than hey jackass look down 7 posts or it’s been covered search.
If space is a factor, I don’t think it is but maybe Tony has something there. Go through and trim the trash. If it is all posts about people bickering or calling each other names or running down each other than what are we really losing.
I don’t know. I just see a lot of the bickering or rudeness mentioned above and think it could be alleviated some how. I have been on sites where the old timers left for this reason and am in a few private sites because of the fore mentioned. I hate to see a good thing go bad when it could have been avoided.
I wonder why the FAQ's went by the wayside. I can't think of any reason for trashing well written articles unless it got to be too much for the moderators to handle.
Again, just my opinion.
Joel.
We must have full time moderators on here as I see my post between ZXtoys just got deleted along with Yurgo's picture.
Mine must have been because of the screw pic. was that against the rules.
Yurgo. I don't know. I didn't get his post. I'm still trying to figure out what he was saying. He doesn't talk much does he. I always see a pic for his posts.
He doesn't talk much because of his thick russian accent, it's hard to understand!
Yurgo. I don't know. I didn't get his post. I'm still trying to figure out what he was saying. He doesn't talk much does he. I always see a pic for his posts.
That`s the genius of YORGO, a picture speaks a thousand words.
As far as the topic goes, I`ve (and many others) mentioned a couple times that stickys or FAQ`s would be good. Nothing changed. I used to be a strong advocate of searching, but the second you point out an answer could be easily attained in a search, the next post would ask the same, or an equally covered, topic. Nothing changed, so I gave up. Now I bask in the warm glow of apathy and all is good.
http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/images/following-instructions-for-dummi...
And portable also...
Tony D Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>...because EVERYBODY IS TOO
> DAMN LAZY TO TYPE IN A DIFFERENT SUBJECT LINE OH
> OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!
I have mixed feelings about changing the subject line Tony. I completely understand the reasons for changing the subject line, but I have one issue with it. I really like to get email notifications when someone replies to a thread I posted on and when the subject line has changed, I no longer know what thread the link relates to. I might return from a meeting and have 20 new emails for three or four threads and it's tough when I can't tell which is which. If half the subject lines have changed, I wind up following every link even after I read all the new posts in the threads. If the forum could be changed to list the subject line from the original post, or better yet, give a preview of the post like most other forums, it wouldn't be a problem. As it stands, I would rather not see the subject lines change over and over. I know you think it sucks for the archives, but I find it harder to deal with on a day to day basis. Also, when I am searching in the archives, I would rather see ten posts with the same subject than ten different subjects for the same thread. Once I open the first post, I read through all the replies and if I don't find what I'm looking for, I simply scroll to the next new subject line in the list. If every post has a new subject, I once again open the same non-helpful thread due to not being able to tell where the thread ends in the search results list.
It is funny that I can tell when you are travelling because you don't reply to threads for a few days and then one day, within an hour, my inbox is full of reply notifications - all with different subject lines. I can tell right away that you have logged back in.
Believe it or not, keeping a site like hybridz or classicz running is far more complex than this forum. I don't think would be an issue. This forum is a low maintenance, low cost, and reliable. Deleting a post or thread is a lot easier than trying to figure out why threads have stopped appearing altogether.
Believe it or not at one time this site did have an FAQ section. However, questions still found their way to the boards.
The reason you may be finding so may answers to your question is you are not searching in the tech section and you are using a broad question.
Example:
I did a search in the 70-83 tech section for a popular search "Engine Removal"
I placed the search on all and exact phrase. Search came back with 240 answers in which several of those were just post to the question. so the post were actually closer to maybe 20 if that.
It all comes down to knowing how to use the search on this board. I have never had a problem finding answers. I think you need to make your searches not so broad and search the correct forum.
Progress:
S30 one of these days I will get around to putting it all back together.