I have a sugestion for the administration and the moderators regarding the issue with "search first, ask later".

Maybe we are still really bad with our internet manners, especially with newbies. No offence, some are purely newbies just like babies who've never step a foot into LYN, while there are others that are the black sheep of the group. Even senior members may have the tendency to commit such a mistake.

My suggestion, is to open up a STICKY in each subsection that relates to the "hot issues".

For example, let's have a look at this:

under

Lowyat.NET -> Computers -> Software

we have few subsections. Now, if a sticky is done there, (Just one thread) and in the thread links are given in a particular format, let's say...

http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopic=323691


maybe in the thread we can put it this way:




Q&A redirected.

1. How to add password to my Windows XP? (add a hyperlink to thread)
2. How to set up my networking (streamyx especially) [add a hyperlink to thread]

Troubleshooters.

1. Help! I did portforwarding but it failed! (add a hyperlink to thread)







etc etc






every subsection will have different threads, etc etc. This may sound bad, but initially after getting the "hot topics" into the list, maintenance becomes a side issue.

That way, both the administrator and the user team wins.



I hope my suggestion did pave some ideas. Please feel free to criticize the idea if it does not work. I believe there are LYN surfers who are ready to contribute to this as well.

Then why dont you compile it and ask the mods to stick it? It sounds resonable.

It eventually boils down to the newbies.. What ever we do, there will still be people who do not google/search first but shoot first.

a pinned thread doesnt really change things that much.
proof is the handphones/communications forum.

day and night,non stop newbies and oldies alike will come out with a new thread asking "whats the best i can BUY with 1.2k?"
when right on top there already is a recommendations thread

This post has been edited by Mgsrulz: Aug 7 2006, 03:54 PM

Sometimes its hard to search the exactly thing u needed...

And sometimes alot of rubbish comes up...like a thread with 10 pages but 9 pages are worthless posts...
Most of the times just too lazy to read all pages..

Worth a shot, but it ain't gonna work well IMO. They'll still ignore the stickies.

This post has been edited by Sesshoumaru: Aug 7 2006, 04:32 PM

if you cant the specified thing u want ........
u can just change the keyword in the search panel until u get the search result u want .....

We actually did that for the Software forum before and I'm sorry to inform you that it didn't work at all. We had that thread pinned up for quite some time, samurai1337 even had that thread linked in his forum signature but we didn't see any improvement.

This post has been edited by shockw@ve: Aug 7 2006, 04:55 PM

Tats what i meant....
Its not easy to think of keywords....

Another thing to remember:
Most forumers IGNORE stickies.

Previously in Gamers Hideout, we used to pin up threads for games that were hot at the time. This was to stop ppl from constantly reposting threads about the same game just because that thread hit page 2.

Therefore, we pinned those threads up and guess what?

More threads started popping up as they thought that the original thread went missing... Totally ignoring the fact that it was the first thread in the list simply because it had the word [PINNED] in front.

So, unless ppl actually reading stickies, this wouldn't work... And that's about as likely as ppl start using searches.

My, my...

Well, i take it to the fact that the system failed once. If I am asked to recompile one, i'll do it if there's a green light. That is if the administration team wants to give a go at it again.

The idea is instead of sticking up the topics, you make a list of topics INSIDE a stickied thread that links to the "dead" / "alive" threads. Though I'll take it that it failed once. But maybe we can alleviate the situation. I've seen some not so big (well, they are quite big enough) forums that implement the system, and it really did took them quite a while for the majority to adopt the system, that was why I thought it might work for LYN as well.

In any case, thanks to the mods / admins for replying. I'm sorry i came up beating an old dead horse.

Addition:

Re-written the sentence.

This post has been edited by hyperyouth_firepower: Aug 7 2006, 07:34 PM

i get what you mean and i thought of it before too...

what you mean is a sticky thread but with the first/2nd/third etc post reserved and containing only embeded urls to the next few post on the thread itself or other threads with the solution - for easy reference to newbiews (or regulars (in that thread) to point newbies to).

ie. sort of like an index to pages in an ebook or words document.

...but then the problem doesn't lie with the system but whether users want to use it or not.

How about educating all LYN members to use the system?

how bout YOU do the educating? willing to take up the challenge?

thats the problem with the members in this, or any other FREE forum. for starters,all these suggestions are fine and dandy, but more often than not, they require manpower and extensive work to make it happen. the mods and admin arent paid for their services, so you cant reasonably expect them to spend every waking hour doing this and that. that leaves you members. if you think its so easy to implement this or that, or any other suggestion, i suggest you try and take the initiative to do something first. otherwise, its just all a load of hot air. after all, talking is so much easier than actually doing.

my 2 sen. bleh.

This post has been edited by eBola: Aug 10 2006, 04:59 PM

if really want the stickies to work
how about limiting the newbies (date joined-wise)
to only respond to the stickies area
for the first month
this atleast let them familiarise the system here

Is that search bar at the bottom of the page REALLY that hard to use? If you can type enough to open a new thread, i don't think typing a couple of words in the search bar is much of a challenge.

I'm clearly no big fan of the system here, but in this case it's definitely not the system's fault.