this board just isn't catching on...

[canuckster]

I think there are two reasons people post tech questions here: a) they don't know they're not supposed to (cause they don't read the guidelines) or they don't care; or b) they're desperate for an answer that they haven't been getting on the other boards.

I myself was guilty of this quite recently. I'm no moderator, but I've got some decent Flash skills under my belt (no pun intended) so when I have a problem understanding something, it's a bit different than "How do I make a mask?" I'm not saying my question is any more important than that one--but it may not be as common as many within the General Help or Actionscript boards. As a result, more than once I've posted a question (and I've always taken the time to be clear about what I'm asking, and only after searching for similar past posts) only to see 0 responses--and that's it. And Flashkit's so populated now that it only takes a few hours for a new post to get pushed to page 2, or page 3.

But someone out there must know the answer to my question, right? So what do I do? Repost it? That's spam to me. Post a reply to my own question, just to keep it 'fresh' in the posts? Maybe, but then people are more likely to skip it because they think it's already been answered. What about posting a query someplace else, like the boardroom? It's all professional types, right? So someone there will be able to help me, surely.

That's how I thought about it, anyway. I'm sure others have too. Perhaps we could establish a new board called Advanced Flash Only or Advanced Techniques or something that would attract just those who are in that awkward stage--not quite a Guru, but certainly not a Newbie.

What do you think?

[jelve]

We do get a few of those posts like you're talking about and, if it seems that the member has tried to find the answer in other forums, the post is often left open. I've even tried to answer some of these myself. Sometimes, the question being asked is hard to categorize, thus, hard to say WHICH forum it relates to. In cases like that, we try to either answer or at least not close or move the thread.
When a member is 'desperate', the last thing we want to do is refuse to help.

However, the vast majority of these posts are from new members that fit into your 'a' category. More often than not, it's a first post or one of the member's first 10 posts. In these cases, we try to discourage the member from posting tech questions by either closing or moving their thread.

You're right about threads getting pushed to the bottom of the list very quickly on some of the forums and it does get a bit tricky trying to get back to the top. I'm not sure if this is the best way to do it but, here's an idea. If your thread has gone way down the page w/o any replies. Use the 'edit/delete' feature and delete your own thread. Then, post a new one with a different (catchier?) title. This way, you're not double-posting and you may get the answer you need. Just a thought.

BTW, thanks for a new twist on this issue.

[pigghost]

Hi James.......I see the logic in your reasoning and in my opinion, your recent Flash5 Magic question was appropriate...you just brought attention to your other post...and the occasional technical question (again, in my opinion) is not going to break the board...but there has to be a standard...and there is.

I think a lot of questions go unanswered in the Help Forums because people genuinely don't know the answer...

(as in the case of your Flash5 Magic question...I have Flash5 Magic also, and I must say I'm somewhat disappointed with it...seems to be some gaps and overlooks...but that's another thread perhaps.)

...and as you said, it is a timing issue. If the true "gurus" just happen to not be around, your question could be overlooked.

In your case, the more advanced you are, the smaller the circle of your peers who can answer your questions, becomes. I'm sure it must be frustrating....I wouldn't know, my questions are always easily answered.

...but when you look at the big picture, FlashKit runs pretty smoothly.....and serves the majority of the population pretty well.

Just my opinion...

Take care,

-pigghost-

[canuckster]

As far as the problem with those in the "a" category goes, would the following be practical to implement?

When a user hits Post New, a script checks their number of posts. If it's under some number (25? 50? 100?) they go to an 'advisory' screen of sorts, reminding them of the rules for content on the board (you'd probably only bother doing this for Boardroom and Coffee Lounge, but you could make up advisory pages for more boards if the need arose). There could also be suggestions on what boards would be best for what subjects (which should be obvious, since all one has to do is look at the board names, but it wouldn't hurt to point it out again). Make sure that they have to scroll down a bit to get to the Continue button.

Most users will either never encounter this screen, or else encounter it only once and turn back.

In fact, I'd even go further than this and include an advisory/description screen for everyboard, but only for users with less than 5 posts. So if you're new to Flashkit and you go to post onto "Flash 5 Actionscript", you see a few sentences describing what sort of questions one might expect to see there, and what sort would be better directed to "Newbies" or something. Come to think of it, when I made my very first post, I wasn't sure what I was doing, I didn't click on Boards and then see the page with all the descriptions; I just clicked straight on General Help. The fact that there are a few direct links to the boards (ie sans descriptions) on the home page makes it--in my opinion--easier for a newcomer to gaffe.

So whaddya' think?

Note to pighost: (smashing name, by the way)

I certainly agree with you that Flashkit works well--especially considering its enormous growth. But I'd still like to find an easier way for more advanced users to assist each other without resorting to subject headings like, "Calling all Gurus! I need your help NOW!!!"
[Edited by James Hutchings on 04-29-2001 at 01:29 PM]