Is this a good or bad idea for the forum??

rgregg48 · #1 10-02-2008, 08:52 AM

I was wondering,, would it be useful to have a catagory reserved for
topics that constantly repeated, for instance

What is better mahogany or rosewood?
is sitka as good as englemann?
what do you think of elixer vs. D'addario coated?
Martin vs. Taylor?

Im kind of tired of them,, BUT i have been on the forum for quite a while,
and i realize there are newer people who have not seen the past threads
and do not know how to look them up,,, and its important for them
to have their questions answered..
so it seems to me that a separate discussion forum titled
"Frequently asked questions' would make sense.
If a question like " what is gas anyway, or what does koa mean?
they can be moved to the frequently asked forum.
I dont know if this is a good or bad idea, and ultimatly
its up to Mr. Rogers and the moderating staff,
but i just thought i would throw it out there.

Rick

MattJohnPaul · #2 10-02-2008, 09:00 AM

How would one know that the topic had been discussed in length before so as to look for it in a special section?

surfoxy · #3 10-02-2008, 09:00 AM

I think there becomes a point where gear discussions are not as useful as they were the first times you got involved with them. That's okay. Let the new people have the same fun we all did, and let them stay where they are.

Making them separate makes them harder to find. It's really easy to avoid topics in which one has little interest. My 2 cents.

tpp · #4 10-02-2008, 09:05 AM

Actually, I had proposed an idea like this a while ago and I like the concept. The forum could have a library of FAQ, weblinks, defintions, and videos for instance from luthiers, etc. that would serve as a resource. Not because someone would be disallowed from starting certain threads.

rgregg48 · #5 10-02-2008, 09:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MattJohnPaul

How would one know that the topic had been discussed in length before so as to look for it in a special section?

I was refering to frequancy, not length,, if a question like Martin vs Taylor is asked, the post could be moved to the frequently asked section, for a reply or a link to past threads.. there is always one more point
that could be brought up on any and every subject.
Again , is it a good idea? I dont know!

Rick

Ken C · #6 10-02-2008, 09:22 AM

This is not an uncommon concern for any special interest forum. On one, I kept track of the titles of some of the recurring questions and when a bloke asked one of "those" questions, I kindly told him it had been discussed three times in the last year and here are the references to those discussions.

No one said "thank you." Several regulars said that I was discouraging open discussions...in other words, the constant members enjoyed giving the same advice over and over.

My concern with that is after a fellow has been asked the same thing four times, it would not be unexpected for him to give the same answer four times.

There are several approaches to what you are suggesting and I propose (as others have) one that is the least amount of work. Use the FAQ list.

This would have a double blessing. It necessitates that members of long standing go back over some of the ways the forum operates...sort of a refresher course. The other blessing is the knowledge that the FAQ list has become an archive of salient and recurring concerns.

Then, when someone asks one of "those" questions, a more constant member can post "This has been discussed in depth before. Please read #43 of the FAQ list.

Yes, there would need to be another section added to the current FAQ list..."Archive of Recurring Questions." This should not be that difficult.

Or we can leave it like it is and keep posting the same messages (and pictures) over and over...re. finger picks. <g>

Ken C.

ToneSrchin · #7 10-02-2008, 09:28 AM

Another solution would be two separate sections:

General Acoustic Forum:

Advanced Acoustic Forum:

All people who want to discuss basic acoustic issues would post and read the General Acoustic Forum.

All the people who want to dabble in more advanced areas will participate in the Advanced Acoustic Forum.

From time to time the advanced members could pop into the General Forum to spread their expertise.

Moderators could easily identify and switch questions in the Advanced forum that belonged in the General forum and vise versa.

I thinks it's an easy cure! (I myself am getting very tired of reading "saddle question", or "humidity question", or "string question", or "which guitar do you recommend", etc., etc. etc..)

ljguitar · #8 10-02-2008, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rgregg48

I was wondering,, would it be useful to have a catagory reserved for topics that constantly repeated

Hi Rick...
My experience as a forum attendee is that when I join a forum and need information, I don't want someone to post a link to a thread or data base. I appreciate personal attention.

That is why I'm willing to chip in on discussions which are endlessly circulating here (string weight or type, wood combinations, etc).

It just seems more friendly to share with folks rather than send them off to research on their own. I wouldn't shop at stores where they did that.

RareBird · #9 10-02-2008, 10:48 AM

To me it won't matter where one wants to organize such stuff. People aren't just looking to read info on a forum and are here for interplay. Ergo, they will spin their question how it occurs to them most of the time regardless. And since I only use the "check new post" function, it's gonna appear in the results in the random order that such threads do now intermingled with whatever else is currently active.

Dukester · #10 10-02-2008, 10:55 AM

No, but Ill tell you what would be a better idea is to have better search functions.

Lets say I want to search Mahogany Tops. If I seach "Mahogany" and "top," I get 9,000 responses that have both words in them, even if they have nothing to do with each other. If I could specify that Im looking for one word within x number of words from the other, that would be much better.

I would also like an Or function. So if I want to learn about Acacia or Blackwood, I can search both at once, indead of having to do one and then the other.

Maybe if it were easier to search, people would do it more often...?

Just a thought.

Dukester · #11 10-02-2008, 11:00 AM

Let me just say this also:

If we will never be talking about stuff that has been discussed before, the boards will eventually die, because there are only so many topics out there.

Also, as time goes by, people have different answers. If you ask me if I've played a Goodall three years ago, I would have said no. But in three years I may have owned one, or visited 12 shops and played them, so now I may have something to offer.

And, as we all know, our opinions, likes and dislikes change through time, meaning that we may have different advice to offer than we did when the same question was asked previously.

So maybe its not such a big deal to have questions repeated?

Dukester · #12 10-02-2008, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ljguitar

Hi Rick...
My experience as a forum attendee is that when I join a forum and need information, I don't want someone to post a link to a thread or data base. I appreciate personal attention.

That is why I'm willing to chip in on discussions which are endlessly circulating here (string weight or type, wood combinations, etc).

It just seems more friendly to share with folks rather than send them off to research on their own. I wouldn't shop at stores where they did that.

Exactly. Otherwise I could just do an internet search and read stuff on my question. The point of a forum is active interplay and give and take feedback on issues that matter.

Mandarb · #13 10-02-2008, 11:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ljguitar

Hi Rick...
My experience as a forum attendee is that when I join a forum and need information, I don't want someone to post a link to a thread or data base. I appreciate personal attention.

That is why I'm willing to chip in on discussions which are endlessly circulating here (string weight or type, wood combinations, etc).

It just seems more friendly to share with folks rather than send them off to research on their own. I wouldn't shop at stores where they did that.

Once again, I think Larry nailed it - personal attention. As a new member I know that I would rather have personal attention then someone stating read this thread that was posted 3 years ago. As someone else mentioned - opinions change and it is good to hear what people think nowadays not what they thought 3 years ago. But like I said - I am a newbie and I have not been discussing the same topics for many years like a lot of people on this forum. I think this is a great forum - thank you.

Kabalan · #14 10-02-2008, 11:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ljguitar

Hi Rick...
My experience as a forum attendee is that when I join a forum and need information, I don't want someone to post a link to a thread or data base. I appreciate personal attention.

That is why I'm willing to chip in on discussions which are endlessly circulating here (string weight or type, wood combinations, etc).

It just seems more friendly to share with folks rather than send them off to research on their own. I wouldn't shop at stores where they did that.

i agree with larry,, some others forums are not nice with basic questions.
so we have to keep helping the new people. that is the exit of this place!!
Eblen

ToneSrchin · #15 10-02-2008, 02:39 PM

Again...Two separate sections:

General Acoustic Forum:

Advanced Acoustic Forum:

All people who want to discuss basic acoustic issues would post and read the General Acoustic Forum.

All the people who want to dabble in more advanced areas will participate in the Advanced Acoustic Forum.