Simple Request

[lulzfish]

The pandora wiki does have a FAQ, but there's too many links from and to other pages, and the main page doesn't visibly link to the wiki.

 

[cbp]

A lot of flaming and question repeating can be eliminated by just replacing the current search of the forums by the google search. Most acronyms cannot be found when searched with the integrated search.

Either google search, or put an addon for complex regular expressions. It isn't that hard at all to add google search on top of the page.

 

[kmob]

The pandora wiki does have a FAQ, but there's too many links from and to other pages, and the main page doesn't visibly link to the wiki.

This is true, but the wiki is not the official OP site. The official OP site should host a FAQ.

The fact that the wiki needs to exist is itself an indication of the problem. The official OP site is more like a holding page it doesn't actually provide a lot of information about the Pandora. Remembering that we’re talking about new users here and that the official site is exactly where they'd first go for information.

But once again, I (perhaps selfishly!) would rather the OP team just got the Pandora out the door rather than upgrading their site at the moment .

 

[Rockthesmurf]

Wouldn't all this constant noise about if the Pandora can run XP or not be fixed if someone just got XP running on the Pandora?

...


Why are you still reading this? Get porting!

<waits>



Steve

 

[zaoin]

I think that a new created forum user should go through a "wizard assistant" tellling what questions are yet answered o redirecting to a search page or must-read pages.

 

[Tuxula]

I think that a new created forum user should go through a "wizard assistant" tellling what questions are yet answered o redirecting to a search page or must-read pages.

Yeah or we should have somthing like a index of all pandora related information. That index should then be pinned so everyone sees it and after that for people that still decide not to read it a subtitle "READ THIS FIRST" might help.

 

[Monk]

All of that said, given that the OP team aren't full time and they must be spending every spare moment getting the Pandora ready then I guess they have to weigh up getting the Pandora out of the door or spending time updating their site.. In which case leaving the site the way it is has to be the right choice.




This turns out not to be the case. The OpenPandora project turns out to be a lot like war - mostly mindless boredom with the occasional spurt of bedwetting panic. Members of the team find time to do other tings, like:



http://www.30daygame.com/

 

[Vorporeal]

I think that a new created forum user should go through a "wizard assistant" tellling what questions are yet answered o redirecting to a search page or must-read pages.

Yeah or we should have somthing like a index of all pandora related information. That index should then be pinned so everyone sees it and after that for people that still decide not to read it a subtitle "READ THIS FIRST" might help.


Um... there's one. Exactly how you mentioned it. (I'm assuming therefore that you're being sarcastic.)

The difference between this and the Information Index is that you can use links from there to find information and important posts, but we'd be creating a document with the answers to all of the important questions right there, and then links to more detail on other sites. It would be an easy copy-paste to answer the same old questions, instead of linking them to somewhere that they'd have to use to find other pages with links to pages with the right information.

 

[WizardStan]

I remember signing up for a forum once, many years ago, though I can't remember what the forum was anymore. The signup procedure included the basic username, password, email, etc... questions, but also 4 or 5 multiple choice knowledge test questions.
For example:
CODE
1) Which is correct:
A) Im going 2 go ovr their
B) I'm going to go over they're
C) I'm going to go over there

2) I have a question. Do I
A) ask it immediately?
B) use the search button to see if a similar question has been asked?

3) I've done a search but can't find any answer. Now I
A) Assume that no one else has ever asked this question and arrogantly post a thread about it.
B) Humbly post my question, stating that I searched but couldn't find the answer.

Maybe they'd get the hint?

 

[dflemstr]

The signup procedure included the basic username, password, email, etc... questions, but also 4 or 5 multiple choice knowledge test questions.


Genius!
But afaik, we (aka us mortals and mods) don't have access to the forum server where the forum software runs; not even the administration pages for it, so to implement such a feature would prove difficult.

BTW: how could anyone mix up 'there' and 'they're'? They have completely different meanings and barely resemble each other when spoken aloud.

 

[cools]

BTW: how could anyone mix up 'there' and 'they're'? They have completely different meanings and barely resemble each other when spoken aloud.

Depends how much the speaker cares about their pronunciation. A good 50-60% of the people I know pronounce their, and they're as there.

 

[Monk]

As an aside, I've found that several members of this forum were kind enough not just to point me at the Search facility or Google, but actually to help me with correct syntax to get Google to be helpful. There's plenty of friendly folk here too

 

[christoph]

Hi there

I've been watching the forum for some time now and this is also my first post.

I think the best solution for the problem would be the same as on the german forum.
They've created a "little questions only" topic to stop the newbie- questions which have been asked all the time.

Link: http://forum.gp2x.de/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=6658

What do you think?

Yes, it's in german, but in my opinion it's got a good structure..
In the first post, screeny has given the rules how to use the "little questions only"- thread and it is working good. No more flamed newbies..

 

[Chip]

They've created a "little questions only" topic to stop the newbie- questions which have been asked all the time.
We have one of those too: www.gp32x.de/board/index.php?showtopic=44133 It is linked in the Information Index that nobody reads.

Creating new informational resources is not the answer. The information is already out there. If people aren't willing to go to the wiki or search the forums to find their answers, they're not going to go to some other repository either. That's just the way it is. Accept it. Getting mad at people for being lazy is like getting mad at the sun for going down every evening.

If you want to improve the wiki, by all means, do so. I've requested that people contribute information and improve the layout several times, but not much has actually been done. If you think there is something missing, add it. Just don't expect new members to bother to read it.

 

[God Ginrai]

I remember signing up for a forum once, many years ago, though I can't remember what the forum was anymore. The signup procedure included the basic username, password, email, etc... questions, but also 4 or 5 multiple choice knowledge test questions.
For example:
CODE
1) Which is correct:
A) Im going 2 go ovr their
B) I'm going to go over they're
C) I'm going to go over there

2) I have a question. Do I
A) ask it immediately?
B) use the search button to see if a similar question has been asked?

3) I've done a search but can't find any answer. Now I
A) Assume that no one else has ever asked this question and arrogantly post a thread about it.
B) Humbly post my question, stating that I searched but couldn't find the answer.

Maybe they'd get the hint?


Interesting, we could also show them this video when registering:
CODE
http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/posting

Also, we could also go with my idea from an earlier topic that suggested that we have a mechanism in the posting page that checks the user's post count. If it is above a certain level, then it goes through, if it isn't, it performs a search with their topic title as the search terms. Then, it would have some apparatus through which they would physically click the checkmarks for each topic that came up to say that the topic doesn't pertain or help, and then once all of them are dealt with, the post will be submitted. (This means that in the case the search returns no results that it would post it, so we would need some way to deal with those 3 letter or less search terms)

-God Ginrai

 

[Consequence_9]

Interesting, we could also show them this video when registering:
CODE
http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/posting

Also, we could also go with my idea from an earlier topic that suggested that we have a mechanism in the posting page that checks the user's post count. If it is above a certain level, then it goes through, if it isn't, it performs a search with their topic title as the search terms. Then, it would have some apparatus through which they would physically click the checkmarks for each topic that came up to say that the topic doesn't pertain or help, and then once all of them are dealt with, the post will be submitted. (This means that in the case the search returns no results that it would post it, so we would need some way to deal with those 3 letter or less search terms)

-God Ginrai

I like the questions before registering thing, but that doesn't help the existing newb problem. Ginrai, i like the idea of forcing them to watch the video, but the second idea seems a little too invasive, and might just act to piss off those of us who are new here, but may be veterans of forums in general. One thing that might aide the whole search thing is just replacing it with a google custom search. EEEuser's forum did that and it's quite handy.

 

[God Ginrai]

Interesting, we could also show them this video when registering:
CODE
http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/posting

Also, we could also go with my idea from an earlier topic that suggested that we have a mechanism in the posting page that checks the user's post count. If it is above a certain level, then it goes through, if it isn't, it performs a search with their topic title as the search terms. Then, it would have some apparatus through which they would physically click the checkmarks for each topic that came up to say that the topic doesn't pertain or help, and then once all of them are dealt with, the post will be submitted. (This means that in the case the search returns no results that it would post it, so we would need some way to deal with those 3 letter or less search terms)

-God Ginrai

I like the questions before registering thing, but that doesn't help the existing newb problem. Ginrai, i like the idea of forcing them to watch the video, but the second idea seems a little too invasive, and might just act to piss off those of us who are new here, but may be veterans of forums in general. One thing that might aide the whole search thing is just replacing it with a google custom search. EEEuser's forum did that and it's quite handy.

To tell you the truth, I don't see why so many people have problems with this forum's search function. I seldom don't find what I'm looking for with it, and it allows the topics to be formatted in an easy way to read. I would see the google search as a step down. Maybe an option on the search page to choose between the two?

-God Ginrai

 

[Poem58]

I think a talented coder should make a Windows xP (P being Pandora of course) it should just be a program that looks like it's booting windows and even gives the windows desktop...makes the little icons pop up in the task bar and then holds...I wonder how many people would sit there for an hour trying to click the picture trying to get the start menu to show up...or maybe just (after like 2 minutes) it just drops the screen to black and prints "No, You CAN'T run windows XP on Pandora" after it....might be a good April fools joke next year?

 

[Poem58]

I don't think it's a problem with the search as much as those who never used a forum or never needed to search don't even think to use one...that's why I didn't know that "TV out" was not a valid search term...I've been a moderator on a board for over two years...and I have never used it's search function...never needed to...for some it's just something that doesn't even come to mind....when I asked my Tv out question...I had read the Wiki (didn't really answer my question) and read through the boards here...search never even occurred to me...but then again..it seemed at that point I had a valid question...no one jumped on me for it thankfully and everyone was friendly and helpful...unfortunately I found out later that the answers while with the best of knowledge and intention were not actually correct...So sometimes, things don't go as you would hope no matter how you go about it...I know that people get tired of seeing the same question over and over...but only on certain boards have I seen people get upset about it...on others there is just no response and that person either moves on or searches for another way to ask...I prefer just answering when I know the answer just to keep from alienating someone cause I happen to know rules they have overlooked...cause they may have just been lazy...but maybe they just got frustrated and wanted to just get an answer....
not saying anything is right or wrong here...about the posters or the responses...just my 2 cents (which is all I have left after the tax man cometh)

 

[Vorporeal]

They've created a "little questions only" topic to stop the newbie- questions which have been asked all the time.
We have one of those too: www.gp32x.de/board/index.php?showtopic=44133 It is linked in the Information Index that nobody reads.

Creating new informational resources is not the answer. The information is already out there. If people aren't willing to go to the wiki or search the forums to find their answers, they're not going to go to some other repository either. That's just the way it is. Accept it. Getting mad at people for being lazy is like getting mad at the sun for going down every evening.

If you want to improve the wiki, by all means, do so. I've requested that people contribute information and improve the layout several times, but not much has actually been done. If you think there is something missing, add it. Just don't expect new members to bother to read it.


The thought was to improve on the page that already exists in the wiki so that it contained a fairly comprehensive list of the frequently asked questions, and it would be posted in response to the stupid questions that people keep asking. It wouldn't be something that we would expect people to read, it would be something linked to so that they could get their answer and we could hopefully cut down on the flaming.

(P.S.: We've been pretty on topic, eh? )