Request2Moderators >> Del. irrelevant threads

[ag101]

Dear Moderators,

It is extremely difficult to search for help on these forums due to the extreme number of messages.

We, who are trying to seek solutions for our problems have to spend days on end surfing through the endless posts.

Is is possible to delete the old/irrelevant/useless messages so that new users can have a more specific and relevant set of results to browse through?

We feel a need for this deletion/segregation/filtering increasingly necessary.

Thank you, AG.

[Only A Hobo]

ag101 You have made a very good point ...

not I think that posts should necessarily be deleted, but that at least the stickies should be tidied considerably. It would make life easier for everyone. I have just checked out "For thorse who can't connect" and "...part deux". They are filled with pages and pages of problems and few solutions. A number of problems are being raised recently notably about firewalls and inability to download, and if the answers are there it is very hard to find them for those of us who know their way about, so how we can expect the novice to manage it.......... I notice some stickies are closed which has annoyed me in the past as I felt, probably along with hundreds of others, that I had something useful to add. So we would all have added our bit and the sticky would have become useless Stickies should be closed, and only ammended by moderators.

I'm afraid I don't have a definitive answer to either of these problems and tooking reasonably quickly through the forums I can't see how to find answers, or if they are there.

Any thoughts?????????

[ukbobboy01]

Hobo and AG

I think I may have a solution to the novice problem but, unfortunately, it is somewhat labour intensive and probably a thankless task.

As you know, the stickies contain a wealth of information that is difficult for anyone, let alone novices, to navigate. Therefore we need some sort of prominent Navigator that which lists all the problems novices have, along with a URL link to the stickie or posting with the most relevant answer.

Creating an appropriate Navigator would be a problem, one that exudes user friendliness, to attract novices, but serious enough to show that this is an effective and useful tool.

Reading through and deciding which stickie or posting was the most relevant to a particular problem would also be difficult because, as most computer users know, there are several different ways to tackle and solve any given problem.

To tell the truth, I can't see my suggestion getting off the ground because it would either require a very dedicated person or a team of people to complete and implement.




UK Bob

[Only A Hobo]

Bob That seems to be the main problem.

Stopping the stickies becoming filled with more unhelpful posts is something that would be easy ... sorting them our retrospectively would however be somewhat of a chore! For more unusual problems the search function works well.

Another thought is that at present so many newcommers are chosing not to read forum rues and stickies plus posting in the Bearshare, or Limewire Beta Forums, both which are top of their particular lists, that a rearrangement of how newcomers are introduced to the forums initially, would remove a lot of the unneccessary posts which could be solved before they even become posts.

btw and off the subject, was my pm on Phex of any interest/use?

[ag101]

Dear friends and moderators,

The stickies are a great concept: Excellent for newbies and experts. Being on the first page itself, it manages to catch everyone's eye - and it limited to frequently occuring problems.
Just what people are looking for....

If only this forum would refine and polish the stickies! Make it resourceful rather than a pilefull !!
So people can browse quickly and more instinctively to carefully organized posts and troubleshooting tips....

I'd like something like WinXP's troubleshooting concept - first do this - then depending on the result, do this or that, then depending on it's result, go here or there..... that type of troubleshooting ought to prove quite useful for the most common problems like installation, connectivity, firewall, etc.

I don't mean to be asking for too much. Just an opinion. Maybe wishful thinking....

AG

[ukbobboy01]

Hi Hobo

Yea man, your PM was Top Gun, helped me to get over my initial "what the hell is going on" nerves.


Live Long and Prosper.



UK Bob