Editing Hotrodders.com engine forum thread quality
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− | + | '''The quality of discussion in the [http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/engine Engine forum of the Hotrodders Bulletin Board] has come into question. Concerns include: | |
− | + | *Too many basic, repetitive, or inane questions. | |
− | '''The quality of discussion in the [http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/engine Engine forum of the Hotrodders Bulletin Board] has come into question. | + | *A lack of media savvy and/or industry savvy. |
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− | *Too many | + | |
− | *A lack of media savvy and/or industry savvy | + | |
*A contentious and aggressive atmosphere. | *A contentious and aggressive atmosphere. | ||
− | + | *An abundance of self-proclaimed "experts". | |
+ | Ideas for improving the Engine forum include: | ||
+ | * | ||
+ | * | ||
− | + | However, the opposing viewpoint indicates that: | |
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+ | *The forum isn't really "broken", it's just the nature of the net. | ||
+ | *Potential changes could invite elitism and snobbery, rather than cultivate kindness and respect. | ||
+ | *We could chase away newcomers, rather than open the door for them. | ||
+ | ''' | ||
− | + | ==Summary== | |
− | + | The quality of discussion in the [http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/engine Engine forum] on the [http://www.hotrodders.com/forum Hotrodders Bulletin Board] has been coming under question lately. This wiki article is intended to summarize the problem and examine possible solutions. | |
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− | + | Thanks to everyone who gave feedback on this issue, and will hopefully be encouraged to edit this wiki article. Thanks also to 4 Jaw Chuck for spearheading discussion on this issue, and donning the requisite thick skin to handle user input. | |
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==Specific issues with engine forum discussions== | ==Specific issues with engine forum discussions== | ||
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====Lock posts that are repetitive==== | ====Lock posts that are repetitive==== | ||
− | Upon encountering a repetitive post, the mods could post a boilerplate "use the search function, please" response, and then lock the thread | + | Upon encountering a repetitive post, the mods could post a boilerplate "use the search function, please" response, and then lock the thread, |
====Be more aggressive about moving posts into Hotrodding Basics==== | ====Be more aggressive about moving posts into Hotrodding Basics==== | ||
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===This change is an invitation to elitism and snobbery=== | ===This change is an invitation to elitism and snobbery=== | ||
− | *The | + | *The newbie-ish aspect of the Hotrodding Basics forum discourages posting -- users are made to feel like lesser members of the hobby. |
*People come to the forums for human interaction. Otherwise, they would read a book about hotrodding. It's not a big deal to say to a newbie: "do a search". It's part of the learning/teaching process. Don't want to help a newbie? Just don't respond. | *People come to the forums for human interaction. Otherwise, they would read a book about hotrodding. It's not a big deal to say to a newbie: "do a search". It's part of the learning/teaching process. Don't want to help a newbie? Just don't respond. | ||
*Ignore the silly posts, and they essentially go away. | *Ignore the silly posts, and they essentially go away. | ||
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*Rather than framing this as a rule/compliance issue, we can stress how useful the Hotrodding Basics forum can be. We can change the descriptive text, highlight it better, etc. | *Rather than framing this as a rule/compliance issue, we can stress how useful the Hotrodding Basics forum can be. We can change the descriptive text, highlight it better, etc. | ||
*To move or not move into Hotrodding Basics is a judgement call. | *To move or not move into Hotrodding Basics is a judgement call. | ||
− | + | *The moderator workload has to be reasonable. | |
− | *The moderator workload has to be reasonable | + | |
*We should clearly enunciate a list of the types of questions that qualify as "Basic". | *We should clearly enunciate a list of the types of questions that qualify as "Basic". | ||
*Maybe we should try aggressively moving threads into Hotrodding Basics for a month or so, and see how it turns out? | *Maybe we should try aggressively moving threads into Hotrodding Basics for a month or so, and see how it turns out? | ||
− | *Sometimes an initially "Basic" threads turns advanced | + | *We could make sure that there are plenty of mods who moderate in both the Engine and Basics forums. |
− | *We need to be mindful of elitism, or, at least, the perception of elitism. One way to address this is if "advanced" users occasionally posted a genuine basic question in the Hotrodding Basics forum | + | *Sometimes an initially "Basic" threads turns advanced. |
+ | *We need to be mindful of elitism, or, at least, the perception of elitism. One way to address this is if "advanced" users occasionally posted a genuine basic question in the Hotrodding Basics forum. | ||
*Having a Basic forum doesn't mean that we're shunning newbies, it means that we've allocated a special zone just to help them. | *Having a Basic forum doesn't mean that we're shunning newbies, it means that we've allocated a special zone just to help them. | ||
*A humorous and relevant thread posting video is [http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/posting here]. | *A humorous and relevant thread posting video is [http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/posting here]. | ||
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==References== | ==References== | ||
− | *[http://www.hotrodders.com/help/board/forums.html Hotrodders | + | *[http://www.hotrodders.com/help/board/forums.html Hotrodders Guidelines: Placing questions in the proper forum] |
− | * | + | *http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/new-rule-engine-forum-please-read-150533.html |
− | * | + | *http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/you-must-read-before-posting-engine-forum-150530.html |
− | * | + | *http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/engine-board-getting-out-hand-149172.html |
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