well if they have to make a number of reply posts before they can start a thread, you can imagine people polluting existing threads with crap to get around it. So I'd definitely be inclined to count that out.

Timmy

I agree. A post count could lead to the behaviour you mention which would not be a good outcome. Perhaps just a time bar is the sensible road to follow. It stops a deliberate approach to pushing a view, and should force a newbie to read a bit before being published.

This could frustrate participation by some, but all in all there has to be a balance. If we take the view that the DBA forum is seen as a desirable resource, then most would be prepared to wait I would guess.

That's why I suggest keeping a time restriction short. Give them 30 minutes before they can post.. with a suggestion to use the search function in the meantime. Make it too long and they'll go away and forget about digital TV altogether - except to blame DBA for it!

I think longer than 30 minutes is desirable. It probably takes 15 to 20 mins to do the registration, and then confirm it etc.

I'd go for 12 hours myself. What do others think ?

I think if you went into a shop with the intention of buying something, and the sales person said "I won't answer any questions for 12 hours, but please browse our store in the meantime" you would not come back. I know I wouldn't.

I think if you went into a shop with the intention of buying something, and the sales person said "I won't answer any questions for 12 hours, but please browse our store in the meantime" you would not come back. I know I wouldn't.

That is not what we are saying. I can see your point but you have to ask which is worse, a bit of crap in an existing thread (which happens anyway), or yet another new meaningless thread asking the same thing for the nth time. I find it hard to believe that you don't find the latter more wasteful than the former. But again that is only my HO.

Edit Add: Then again maybe there is no answer to the problem and we just have to be patient and point people as best we can.

Edited March 12, 200620 yr by Lyle

That is not what we are saying. I can see your point but you have to ask which is worse, a bit of crap in an existing thread (which happens anyway), or yet another new meaningless thread asking the same thing for the nth time. I find it hard to believe that you don't find the latter more wasteful than the former. But again that is only my HO.

Edit Add: Then again maybe there is no answer to the problem and we just have to be patient and point people as best we can.

I would agree that it is i better to have a silly question in an existing thread, than silly threads all over the forum. Also, I have noticed that a number of newcomers start threads to sensationalise an issue, perhaps attract attention, maybe even advertise the virtues/defects/whatever of a product, etc

I think these same people would be less likely to post "a bit of crap", as you call it, in existing threads and might even ask more sensible questions and in context (presumably because they have read the thread they are posting in?).

I think if you went into a shop with the intention of buying something, and the sales person said "I won't answer any questions for 12 hours, but please browse our store in the meantime" you would not come back. I know I wouldn't.

I don't think the forums should be seen as a shop, rather a place where you can come and learn about Digital TV and share experiences, in my view anyone that is not patient enough to wait a while to learn and/or share experiences, is one whom will never learn, and I would not consider her/him a loss to this or any community

I think if you went into a shop with the intention of buying something, and the sales person said "I won't answer any questions for 12 hours, but please browse our store in the meantime" you would not come back. I know I wouldn't.

And thats why this website is not a shop!

If people come here looking for info ... then, making them wait a day or so before posting might encourage them to do just that - ie: look for info, which they'll likely find pretty quickly, even without needing to use the search function.

However, if someone went to said shop in your analogy, simply to shout out time and again at all the other shoppers as well as the salesmen "I wan chip TV!" ... "I wan chip TV! NOW!", then would you even want them in the store?

Setting a day or so's cooling off period isn't a bad idea.

In fact, if you really wanted to take it further, as the final part of the registration, new members could be asked "what are you looking for?", and either given a menu of choices, and then sent to the appropriate part of the forum to read... or given a dialogue (to answer the question), which simply sends the input to the search function!

And on the subject of "silly threads all over the forum", thats what I was saying before, on the best price debate as well....

In the cooling off period they do have the option to PM the experienced advisors on the forum. I have spent many a Sat/Sun afternoon on the phone setting up a DTV system in NSW or VIC.

In the cooling off period they do have the option to PM the experienced advisors on the forum. I have spent many a Sat/Sun afternoon on the phone setting up a DTV system in NSW or VIC.

I would say so.

My take on a cooling off period would be that it allowed a period of useful research, and that includes asking direct questions of members who appear predisposed to answering them.

OTOH, it would hopefully reduce the incidence of people coming here not to do sensible research, but to simply SHOUT "I wan chipess TV NOWWWWW!"

My point is that DBA and regular contributors are presumably promoters, sellers or enthusiasts of digital TV... so is that really different from a sales environment?

Admittedly DBA members all have a different barrow to push. The networks, for example, all would like to push ahead and drop analogue, now that they are stuck with triplecast in the meantime, but they are loathe to do what is required and accept that multichannelling is the fastest means of achieving that aim.

I don't want to hijack this thread to that end, but we all are here because we aim to promote digital TV. So ultimately I don't believe the sales analogy is really wrong.

My point is that DBA and regular contributors are presumably promoters, sellers or enthusiasts of digital TV... so is that really different from a sales environment?

Admittedly DBA members all have a different barrow to push. The networks, for example, all would like to push ahead and drop analogue, now that they are stuck with triplecast in the meantime, but they are loathe to do what is required and accept that multichannelling is the fastest means of achieving that aim.

I don't want to hijack this thread to that end, but we all are here because we aim to promote digital TV. So ultimately I don't believe the sales analogy is really wrong.

Yeah, I see the subtleties & distinctions. Its pretty blurred!

Its a partial analogy! In terms of shops, the forum's more of a showcase.

So, I don't think we can simply apply the shop model to the forum.... things that work well in a true retail environment don't make sense here, and vice versa.

And what shop owner wants a flood of deranged "Me wan you give it me cheep - NOW!" leeches*, crowding out legitimate shoppers ... thats what some of the suggestions here are directed at.

__________________________________________

*Who, if you do end up selling them something at cost-10%, will then rock up the next day demanding "How to turn on?" {Bellowing the same question in different parts of the shop, and joining the crowd of others shouting the same inane question}

I asked this in the etiquette thread but probably should ask it here where the Forum advisors can express their opinions.

What do you think of bumping?

Acceptable, unacceptable, don't care either way?

Lyle

Perhaps for my benefit. What's bumping ?

Bump.... Is this what it is ?

The act of "bumping" pushes the thread in question to the front page of the forum's subsection. It literally "bumps" it to the top, so that it gets people's attention.

IMO, bumping is a rude way of getting one's attention, and is a clear sign of desperation. The only thing you can do to prevent bumping is by closing all threads after a certain time of inactivity...

It's always going to be a tradeoff between the annoyance of bumps, and the annoyance of people starting multiple threads asking the same question.

I suppose that closing threads after a period of inactivity would be a reasonable tradeoff, provided the time delay on closing is long enough (though I suspect it wont stop the bump problem, as people usually bump in the first few days after posting).

I've also seen a few cases where threads have gotten lost, due to a large number of new threads in a forum, and a bump gets a desired answer because people who missed the thread the first time around now notice it...

It's always going to be a tradeoff between the annoyance of bumps, and the annoyance of people starting multiple threads asking the same question.

I suppose that closing threads after a period of inactivity would be a reasonable tradeoff, provided the time delay on closing is long enough (though I suspect it wont stop the bump problem, as people usually bump in the first few days after posting).

I've also seen a few cases where threads have gotten lost, due to a large number of new threads in a forum, and a bump gets a desired answer because people who missed the thread the first time around now notice it...

I don't think closing old threads is a good idea. I for one think much better to add to a discussion in an old thread than keep creating new threads.

I've no probs with bumping, except where the thread itself is rather annoying(eg obitus and his plasma) and the person keeps digging it out the depths all the time to continue to annoy !

Its also needed for sale items to keep them in view as we don't have a for sales section.

Like this:

Hello!

see, now i am at the top.

or you become a shoe cleaner and get your topics pinned!!

Edited March 19, 200620 yr by gclark8

The act of "bumping" pushes the thread in question to the front page of the forum's subsection. It literally "bumps" it to the top, so that it gets people's attention.

IMO, bumping is a rude way of getting one's attention, and is a clear sign of desperation. The only thing you can do to prevent bumping is by closing all threads after a certain time of inactivity...

Yes that is a good explanation. And although I have done it myself once, I personally feel it is bad form. (In my case it was a poll which does tend to slip down the thread quickly because although people respond to the poll they do not post). As someone else said to me, if the thread has merit it will rise to the top by itself. Of course there are many "subtle" ways if bumping. One is by replying to someone else's post by agreeing or disagreeing or ?? So in a sense this reply is a bump. But that is acceptable??

Or by just going, Hi!

I still think the pinned topics need a review, say, every month. Some are so obsolete and irrelavent now.

Davonogo

I thought that was what it was but if you don't know the lingo.....

gclark8

I agree with your point that some stickies are beyond their use by date

We should consider a mechanism for review periodically such that an obsolete sticky gets unstuck but one that is values hangs on...so to speak.

Not sure this can be automatic though

bumping is bloody annoying but what can you do?

I still think the pinned topics need a review, say, every month. Some are so obsolete and irrelavent now.

Agreed.

bumping is bloody annoying but what can you do?

Just wanted a concensus because I was going to add it to the etiquette thread.

Or by just going, Hi!

I still think the pinned topics need a review, say, every month. Some are so obsolete and irrelavent now.

agree totally

this ones pretty much been guzumped and no longer relevant given the change in rules

http://www.dtvforum.info/index.php?showtopic=28993

dgtec 5000I questions and answers still the most important thing for the HD forum

http://www.dtvforum.info/index.php?showtopic=2460

as with the J35 blue dot poll ?! I mean...

http://www.dtvforum.info/index.php?showtopic=20840

Just wanted a concensus because I was going to add it to the etiquette thread.

well by all means, add "bumping is bloody annoying so don't do it"

There was one thread recently where the guy kept doing it and it drove me crazy. I said as much at the time.

Maybe a thread should be deleted by mods if the OP bumps it more than once.