I need help!

Reloadron

Well-Known Member
Most Helpful Member
This thread would serve as an example of where I am going with this. I need help really doesn't say much. Financial help, mental help, my foot hurts help? However, so many threads begin with that thread title. Not to mention for example Micro-Controllers. This forum has a really great section devoted to uC applications, however, countless post with a focus on micro-controllers end up all over hell's half acre (Sq. Meter?). While I don't envy the forum moderators constantly needing to move threads and I don't want to memberate, possibly some new sticky information of if possible something to all new members on the subject. Especially considering all new member's post are held in Que for moderation.

While I am aware nobody can fix stupid, there must be a way to do more to curb it.

Just My Take..........
Ron
 
hi Ron,
I wonder if its possible for the 'mods' to toss threads with meaningless Titles straight into a trash bin Forum.

I know the 'mods' are kept busy in other ways and it will be an extra chore, but I feel the same as you, if the OP cannot make the effort to think up a descriptive Title, it should be dumped.

Eric
 
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Hi Ya Eric

Yes, there is little doubt in my mind the moderators here are kept quite busy and amused. On another forum I am active with we use "The Landfill" as a repository for spam, stupid post and whatever till we can sort through it all. On one hand I hate to see a person with a good sincere question go unanswered or wonder where their thread went but on the other new members need to know the importance of the thread title and placing the thread in the right location to get good help. Too many just seem to come along and drop kick a post like one hit wonders.

Holding initial post in Que is a good way to eliminate spam and garbage, I am sure these moderators face that challenge daily. I guess the trick becomes getting new members with good questions educated as to forum procedure and how things are supposed to work. Should they not grasp that, then their post should go to the landfill with a generic and gentle PM of try again the correct way.

Easy for me to complain and not have a solution.

Ron
 
ElectroMaster said:
Maybe we need a few more moderators.. I do like the idea of simply deleting posts that have such limited information..
Click to expand...

Hi EM. Generally they can be moved to a section with a name like "The Landfill". That section only being available to moderators and of course your administrator staff. This method works well for a few reasons. While my simple observation here is the moderators pretty much work well in unison that may not always be the case. What one moderator sees as a garbage post another moderator may see as a post with merit. If the post is totally blown away that can create problems in house. However, if posts are moved to a landfill it allows for moderation discussion prior to totally blowing it away. Unless of course it is a hopeless post or thread.

Anyway, since all brand new post from new members need to be moderated and approved here I would think fixing things like "Please help me" can be addressed at the onset. Don't get me wrong, I see this as a very well run and organized forum. I just figure it would be nice if what this thread is about could somehow be better addressed or handled.

Ron
 
If there were ever to be a perfect example of someone you would want active as a member on your forum or, even better, as part of your Mod/Admin team, it would be someone such as Mr Gibbs.

I am a very minor participant on this forum in regards to posting, but a major participant when it comes to reading...and with that said, I fully echo Nigel and Reloadron's sentiments.

Two thumbs up from me.
 
ericgibbs said:
Aw Shucks, I feel all fuzzy inside........

View attachment 52528
Click to expand...

Maybe, the post or the poster could be held in a cue not allowed to re-post in the section, after the post is considered un-desirable. Not to mentions a button that would alert a Mod by another member who knows the difference and puts it in question. Those members could also be chosen to assist the mod in finding bad titles.

The poster would have to come up with a better solution for the post title before reposting it. It would then have to pass the mods decision.

Eric, you sure you want to do this?
 
What are the current number of character requirements for a thread title and also for message text, when starting a new thread?

Off-topic forums aside, if a thread title had a requirement of let's say 25 characters minimum and the message text had a requirement of 100 characters minimum, would that help to urge a new-poster to be more descriptive?
 

Maybe it would eliminate a few "Pleeeease help's"
 
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My intent with this thread was not to open the proverbial can of worms.

If and when the forum admins decide an addition to moderation is needed I am sure, they in conjunction with existing moderator staff will make the decision. Moderating a forum this large is a time consuming task. When a moderator in a forum this size logs in they first go to the moderator control panel. They look at post in Que or whatever and tend to what needs tended to. Some forums have a button members can click to report post, and in forums with that feature the moderators have a pile of crap to weed through. Another time consuming task. Modding is not fun, it is a time consuming task.

Seriously, during my short time here there are a collection of long standing regular members who in my opinion would make excellent mods if the wanted the job. I was actually serious as to my comment about Eric. Laid back, quiet demeanor and just strikes me as the typical elder (no offense on elder) English gentleman.

Anyway, back to the I need help before I help derail my own thread. There has to be a way to make this work. I have no clue what tools the mods here are afforded but before a new member post comes out of Que I figure it is reviewed. That could be a fix it point. Additionally when signing in as a new member is the software allows a Read Me file, although there is a rules and regs file I believe?

I do know the Please Help Me could use some work and if I see a Plz Help Me I won't even read the thread. I am not a grammar freak but that stuff annoys me to no end.

Ron
 
May I suggest a title "Sufficiently Vague" to both categorize and impart the nature of the trouble to the OP? I like the idea of allowing OP to reset category with better description, but there should be a limit (<=3?).
Along similar lines... those who start a thread in a Totally Inappropriate category. I'm clueless as to answer.. perhaps a similar "sargasso sea" but as its' own category?
..The tap-tap of a cane indicates My skill at this... <<<)))
 
reloadron: the "report post" button hides in plain sight. I partially moderated a VB based forum with very restricted privs. (restricted moving, editing (primarily remove personal info). Deletion wasn't allowed either. So typically the low life mods made post titles meaningful, moved posts, merged threads, rarely edited and could not delete. Deletes were RIPed. Report Inappropriate Posts. There were very few people that had restricted delete powers too. It was somewhat of a heirarchy.
 

Ok, I have thought about this more now. I began a thread that I was not happy with the "Thread Starter" I thought I could go in and change it but, to no avail.

This has happened more than once. But, since I don't start that many lately I forget about it. However, this was recent and it makes me angry that I can't change it.

We can be the ones to tell the OP they should do this or that. The forum is good about inform new people in some proper use of their keyboards, like this is not a touch Phone so please no TXT Speak. But, once it has happened not even the OP has a way to change the "starter" short of EM doing it.
 
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Content scan & reject?

Maybe a short list of words that cause the post to Not post and respond with a message indicating the reason. "Do not use the word "help", you wouldn't be posting if you didn't need it...". <<<)))
 
3v0 said:
I know it would be work for EM but an input filter would be nice for the Title.

Or maybe just a popup to warn posters about vague titles. If they ignore the popup we can deal with them manualy.
Click to expand...

I would still like the ability to change the title.

Is there any reason we can't have it included in the editor?
 
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