Styl-X Design

Join Date 05/2002

Asking a question on the messageboard?

A lot of people come down to the messageboard with simpel questions, about why their skins aren't running and stuff like that.
This could be easly fixed by reading the FAQ.
witch is located here: https://www.wincustomize.com/faq/

Some other questions, that aren't in the FAQ, will probably answered by admins or helpfull users.
Now the reason why I made this post is because of the way they call for help.

The post has mostly a title like: help, I need help, I got a question, or something simulair to that.
Wouldn't it be a lot easier if they describe their question in the title?

like: I need help with photoshop, or something like that.
However it would be hard to make sure evrybody would, cause deleting posts witch asks for help is kind of... brutal?

well anyway, just an idea

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Yeah, I hate when ppl do that. I always go in, though, and then have no idea about what they are asking about (most of the time). But then I try to help anyway and prolly screw them up even more.

I totally agree with you, Styl.

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guilty.
But with good reason. I needed immediate help and could not post the question live in chat. relyed (sp?) on people's innate curiosity to find out what I needed "help help!" with.and it worked well. unfortunately there is no way to erase the question once help is gained thus it'll sit there till it rots. *shrug*

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KarmaGirl

Join Date 03/2001

+118

What if the messageboard was broken up into three groups?

General, skinning, and help?

General would be all the off topic stuff. Skinning would be skinning related only. And help would be...well..help.

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MadIce

Join Date 05/2001

+18

#3 by Admin KarmaGirl - 5/12/2003 5:10:32 AM What if the messageboard was broken up into three groups?General, skinning, and help?General would be all the off topic stuff. Skinning would be skinning related only. And help would be...well..help.

Maybe that would help, but the skinning section definitely needs more facilities. It would be better to make a section of it, without download count and ratings, but with a comment section, preview and ZIP-download facility. That way it will become more interactive. A message board is too static for the subject. The section would be available to site members and SD customers only. It would not be divided in app sections. All WC supported apps would go there.

Please do not add a Skinning message board without the extra facilities described above. When you just add another message board like that the only advantage will be that skinners can easily find it. But it will not help facilitate a learning or creative environment.

This site is becoming more and more a downloaders site. The number of downloaders increases rapidly. There is not much room left for the skinners here. It would be great if we added some facilties for them too. Afterall, skins keep this site alive. It would be an investment to future quality skins.

This idea is what I call the "Experimental section". You can read more about it in the "HotList" thread. Note that the Experimental section ia not only intended for new talent, but also for experienced skinners.

That thread tried to bring this matter under everyone's attention in the hope others came up with maybe better ideas. It surprised me that very few people responded to that thread. That looks like skinners dont't care about the subject at all. Am I wrong here?

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MadIce

Join Date 05/2001

+18

BTW: I didn't want to change the topic, but Karma's plan is IMHO not very usesfull to the skinners and because she mentioned a skinner's section I felt I needed to respond like I did.

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Keila

Join Date 10/2002

+27

I would start off slow and just add help at first. People would get tied in knots wondering through too much added at once trying to see what everyone is saying and where.

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actually, if there were an interactive skinning section, more downloaders might be encouraged to create. it's a daunting thing trying to figure out how to create a skin. when I first got OD I set out to create, expecting that I'd pick it up like I did html, but I found the process so confusing and intensive I gave up , discouraged.

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MadIce

Join Date 05/2001

+18

Well, I disagree, Keila. People are smarter than you think. It would be great to have a Help section. Also a section would be great to host the Marathons, political threads, relgious threads and other non-site topics. I love those, but sometimes the message board is hijacked by them (thread hijacking - as opposed to topic hijacking).

[Message Edited]

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paxx

Join Date 03/2001

The danger with a section just for "Help" posts is that maybe not a lot of people would go there unless they actually need help.

I know that I would probably not make a habit of going in that section too often. On the other hand, if the help request is posted with the other posts on the same messageboard, I'm more likely to notice it if it has an explicit title and I happen to know the answer.

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but paxx,
Just because you are an expert skinner is the exact reason why you SHOULD go to a just help board, to see if there's someone in there needing your help.

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personally, i refuse to open threads with titles like "help".

perhaps a bit harsh, but my logic is that to help i need some details of the type of problem. if the poster cannot provide more details that the single word "help", why should i bother?

and as for:

Citizen wulfn1 - 5/12/2003 4:52:57 AM guilty.But with good reason. I needed immediate help and could not post the question live in chat. relyed (sp?) on people's innate curiosity to find out what I needed "help help!" with.

personally, i have seen SO many titles called help, any lingering curiosity has long since been eroded away

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I think a good example of a message board with a help section is at the seti@home site: http://setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/
There are several veteran user's that actively participate in the "help" section.

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no, would be a BAAAAAD idea! then it would become a "forum" (here we go again

)
it would mess this place up, believe me.

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MadIce - That thread tried to bring this matter under everyone's attention in the hope others came up with maybe better ideas. It surprised me that very few people responded to that thread. That looks like skinners dont't care about the subject at all. Am I wrong here?

MadIce, i think part of the problem is that a lot of people are showing signs of retreating from the message board at the moment. it hasnt been its usual friendly place of late *sigh*

your ideas are interesting, but i am not quite sure i follow what you mean. i will look for the other thread soon. on the subject of sections on the board:

paxx - 5/12/2003 6:51:47 AM The danger with a section just for "Help" posts is that maybe not a lot of people would go there unless they actually need help.

i suspect i would also do that. i am happy to try and help with OB problems, and some WB problems. but since most help requests are outside my knowledge area, i am rather unlikely to bother reading over a help section.

out of sight, out of mind.

however, a small number of sections would help to group things together more sensibly. letting the admins move threads into the correct section will help to keep the sections well defined and in use.

edited to clarify the quotes. they didnt work.

[Message Edited]

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That's ok Feline,
It worked anyway. there will always be someone out there willing to help, despite the wording. I was grateful to WOM and Nakor, and werewolf and told them so.

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MadIce

Join Date 05/2001

+18

Feline: This is the https://www.wincustomize.com/msgboard.asp?id=142898&BID=WC&page=1#toppage

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paxx

Join Date 03/2001

wulfn: people by nature are lazy, and I'm no different. Oh, I probably would go i there once in a while, but certainly not 30 times a day like I do for the regular messageboard. Maybe a few times a week, I'd peek in, when i feel I got time to spare and feel in a particular good mood. But overall I'm much more likely to notice a call for help if it's mixed with the other posts, and if it has an explicit title.
IMO, placing the help requests in a specific section would have the same success as the posts right now who only have HELP for a title.

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by MadIce - 5/12/2003 8:11:07 AM Feline: This is the Link

thanks for that

i found it with the search button, and have spent the last 10 minutes composing a nice long reply

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