#3 may be a bit too much; it seems to kinda overlook practical experience. If I understand it correctly, some good past contributors could actually be barred from participation due to lack of formal certification.
Like Raptor's post says, this would be optional. Neither of us have any formal certifications either; it would just be a nice option to have for profiles. Notice that "hobby" is also mentioned. Other words, that would be your area of interest, for those of us who don't have any official papers.
#4 also seems a bit far-fetched. Choose the most skilled person is chosen for the job? Uh, hold on here. Let’s remember this is a volunteer community. This suggestion seems to impose a responsibility on the most skilled person chosen for the job to be available when needed. Again, this is a volunteer community. And, I don’t think that calls for the level of commitment implied in this suggestion.
Point taken. As this was more Raptor's suggestion, I'll let him give a rebuttal if he wishes to do so.
Regarding the arguments, I don’t agree that the Off-Topic section is a mess. Why does it matter if discussions there are not “productive”? They don’t need to be productive (in terms of computing topics); indeed, the Off-Topic section was, in a sense, created for non-productive discussions, created to provide an area specifically for off-topic discussions.
My issue with the Off-Topic section is that it seems to be spilling out onto the other forums. We all like to have a bit of fun; but since the inclusion of the Off-Topic section, the "play area" and "work area" seem to be meshing more. Before having this designated section, I didn't notice this nearly as much. It brings in...certain un-named members who just seem to want to goof off and talk to people. That's what chat rooms are for.
Regarding the implementation of some or most of these suggestions, I’m sure the feasibility of doing so depends on whether the SMF forum software is designed to accommodate such ideas, and I doubt that it is so designed.
We understand that many of these things would be difficult to implement. Heck, some of them might be downright impossible. But it doesn't hurt to bring it up for a friendly debate (and let's please try to keep this friendly, gentlemen). If enough people agree on something and we decide that it's in our best interest, perhaps we can find some sort of workaround.
hummmmmmmm........
Discussed & compiled by me and CBMatt.. What are your thoughts?
Under suggestions...... There are several things mentioned that make sense. The remainder, appear to be a little intrusive.
Anything intrusive is probably Raptor. Ha.
The forum is not making any progress
How are you defining progress........... Perhaps ask a few of the visitors and or members, who have come here looking for a solution to some issue and it has been resolved, what they think.
Perhaps this one was overstated just a little. Yes, there is some progress. Personally, I feel I have made a lot of my own progress since joining ComputerHope. I've learned a lot since coming here with my own problems. However, as a whole, we're not making much progress. Yes, we help a lot of people. Yes, people learn something by coming here. That's what's great about this place. But it gets tiresome repeating ourselves over and over to answer the same questions that could be found on Google in a few seconds. I understand that it's not always easy to know what to search for (I myself sometimes need a point in the right direction), but some things are just common sense. I'm sure GX1_Man feels me on this one.
ComputerHope could be more efficient if the forum was handled in a more strict manner
Ah ...... do we mean, 1 spelling error (a warning), 1 poorly worded sentance. (a warning), posting in the wrong place........ oops that 3 your banned.......... get a grip people.
We're not talking about being
that strict. We can't all be perfect, and that's acceptable. But some people appear to make no real effort. A few spelling errors here and there are fine. But someone who provides
very little or
almost no information, or someone who is
flat-out incoherent is counter-productive and wasting time. The continuation of this sort of activity is what the "three-strikes rule" refers to. And
spam and multiple-postings as well, of course.
I understand your frustration, however people arrive at Computer Hope usually because they have some sort of issue. These people may be from anywhere in the world and may not have a good understanding of the english language ........... Hows your Hindi , Cantonese or Polish.
We understand that there are some language barriers, and that's understandable, but some people are just plain lazy when it comes to communicating. There are several members here whom I recently found out are American and I have to say I was very surprised to discover this. Some people flat-out don't make an effort to make sense.
That's part of the reason why we suggested the spellcheck. It could really help things out if there were some sort of automated spellcheck when posting, much like some e-mail clients. And we're not saying that it's an automatic ban if someone can't spell. As long as I can understand what someone's saying, it's fine with me.
Yeah, and if a newbie doesn't post enough information about their system, what will happen? We all make mistakes.
Being a newbie isn't an excuse for ignorance. Even when I was totally new to computers, this stuff wasn't hard to find out. Heck, most of the important information is printed on the front of the PC! And something isn't, it literally takes seconds to find out on Google. Manufacturer sites are also very useful for this (that would be the most logical approach, I think). For the longest time, I had no idea what motherboard I have. It isn't listed anywhere. I found Everest and it listed it as unknown. Well, I spent a whole five minutes on the Gateway site and got all of the information I needed (including stuff I didn't even think of).
In my mind, there would be a large feedback form prior to registration, and it would list all of the components we need information for. If there's somebody doesn't know something, the form can refer them to Google, SIW, Everest, etc. It's really quite simple. I think anyone who isn't willing to make the effort must not really be serious about their problem(s). If they are in fact serious, they'll take the time to fill out the form. And the best part about it is that it'll help them learn some things about their computer. Better yet, while looking up information, they may even stumble upon a solution on their own. I know I often do.
This seems pretty win-win to me. Not only do new users keep us from wasting time asking questions that should've been provided from the start; they also learn something in the process! And isn't that what we want?
EDIT: A thought I had...perhaps there could be a General Help section. Those who are serious can actually go through the registration process and gain access to the normal forums. Those who are totally lost/clueless would be limited to the General Help. That way, we could make progress without having to deny those who need help. I think this is fair, and I'm sure it would be possible to set up.
