Closing Threads

Lansing Kai Don

Banned

Join Date: Mar 2005

Kansas

I realize that part of the responsibility of the moderator/admin is to realize when a thread is finished and close it. But lately it seems every other new thread I go to is closed with some generic answer from a moderator/admin. Perhaps the question is generic in itself, but then the new user (the ones we're trying to attract) has no ability to ask further questions if it didn't answer his... sure then he has the ability to post a new thread that is more specific. This then leads to clutter, and probably upsets the new user (it would me). I was thinking if you're going to close a thread on some generic answer/question... then perhaps delete it too (remove the clutter if it truly is that generic and simple). It also occurred to me, why do you need us other Guild Wars fans if most of the answers are going to be replied with some copied and pasted answer and then closed. I've gotten two people to message me for a more specific answer. This is why I'm worried. While I don't mind doing it, it doesn't help any of the other users who may have similar problems/questions.

Lansing Kai Don

Enix

Enix

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Mar 2005

I am in a transitional period.

GRE

The point is not to have 8000 threads asking "is my computer fast enough to run GW" or "what do I get for my preorder item" and so on. Being a former forum moderator, it is generally a pain in the butt when people dont read before asking questions. If it was already asked/answered, there is no need for a new thread.

Manderlock

Manderlock

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Apr 2005

TX

Crimson ScS

W/N

Quote:
Originally Posted by Enix
The point is not to have 8000 threads asking "is my computer fast enough to run GW" or "what do I get for my preorder item" and so on. Being a former forum moderator, it is generally a pain in the butt when people dont read before asking questions. If it was already asked/answered, there is no need for a new thread.
You talk about having 8000 threads, they dont delet them they just close them. That means your argument has no merit.

Most members (such as myself) have no prob awnsering these types of qs. Just let us awnser the question befor you close it. Then you still get to close the thread, but the poster now has his question awnsered.

Lansing Kai Don

Banned

Join Date: Mar 2005

Kansas

Quote:
Originally Posted by Enix
The point is not to have 8000 threads asking "is my computer fast enough to run GW" or "what do I get for my preorder item" and so on. Being a former forum moderator, it is generally a pain in the butt when people dont read before asking questions. If it was already asked/answered, there is no need for a new thread. Yes I mentioned deleting the threads if they are truly that generic of an answer. But what if the person asked if his computer is fast enough to run GW... "read the system requirements" thread closed. Before you know it I get a message... ok, I installed the client and it seems to be choppy and I was wondering if my computer may be the problem. Then doing it via MSN messenger while helpful to the user is not helpful to others with similar problems. And delete the threads if you're just going to close them on some generic answer there is no point in letting them stay, unless you like everyone to see what you typed.

As a forum admin,... and having offers to two other Guild Wars sites to be a moderator (turned down one, don't have the time). I understand the responsibilities. But "you" took them on (as I mentioned in another post), if you're not able to handle it or don't have enough time. Then do the honorable thing and resign from your post or have others pick up your slack (if it is for a brief period).

Lansing Kai Don

Loviatar

Underworld Spelunker

Join Date: Feb 2005

i note that threads are being closed by many different mod/admin so it doesnt appear that the issue is a particular mod/admin slacking off and taking the easy way out.

Nascent

Nascent

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Mar 2005

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

The Shi Mai

Normally I'm not one to add to threads such as this, but it's something I've noticed lately too. I'm not saying its unmerited, since the nice Guru folks are providing us with a community...but it just seems like things are getting kind of out of hand lately.

I've noticed some moderators perhaps being more crass with members than they should be given their position in the community, and its hard to voice complaints about this since favouritism will always take place.

Threads being closed as soon as they're opened...I don't mind this, except for when we hear something like "this has already been covered here (link) " and then the place we're being sent to is only vaguely related to the previous topic.

Maybe everyone’s just getting antsy since the games right around the corner, but I know at least a few people have mentioned some growing disdain for the way things are evolving around here. I'm not pointing fingers, or mentioning names, but you'd have to be blind to not notice it.

Lansing Kai Don

Banned

Join Date: Mar 2005

Kansas

Quote:
Originally Posted by Loviatar
i note that threads are being closed by many different mod/admin so it doesnt appear that the issue is a particular mod/admin slacking off and taking the easy way out. *sigh* I agree Loviatar, I was speaking generally in my first post. In the second I was addressing Enix remark not the question as a whole. And in the last paragraph that was to any moderator/admin, I wasn't referencing just one. I do not want to go that route by the way, I'm not hear to criticize one admin/moderator just the site as a whole. I have no right to make it personal in any way.. especially since it doesn't anger me. Just wanting to let the site know a possible deprivation of information that may be needed.

Lansing Kai Don

Loviatar

Underworld Spelunker

Join Date: Feb 2005

has anybody been tracking number of posts per day and the updates to the guides and other information not to mention a lot of new faces in the mod catagory?

they are busy and i have found new mods will have a tendency to be a little more strict at first as they dont want to appear to be sluffing off on the job.

lets let things settle out before passing a hint of judgement as it will only get worse after the game is released and the tide of questions begins.

Lansing Kai Don

Banned

Join Date: Mar 2005

Kansas

Quote:
Originally Posted by Loviatar
has anybody been tracking number of posts per day and the updates to the guides and other information not to mention a lot of new faces in the mod catagory?

they are busy and i have found new mods will have a tendency to be a little more strict at first as they dont want to appear to be sluffing off on the job.

lets let things settle out before passing a hint of judgement as it will only get worse after the game is released and the tide of questions begins. Once again Loviatar, I'm not passing judgement. Just trying to be informative.. I don't want this to become an argument or trying ot make the moderators/admins defend themselves. I agree with you, just letting them know the overall experience that users are getting. And how some members of the community feel. *sigh* Sometimes I wish I don't speak up, but I feel the need if I think there is major room for improvement. I realize it's going to get busy, that's why I chose this time to voice myself. Better before than after.

Lansing Kai Don

Bgnome

Bgnome

Elite Guru

Join Date: Feb 2005

i assume you guys are talking about me.

anyhow, i have been newly appointed as the moderator of the Q&A and Tech forums and have been fairly busy the past couple of days in anticipation of release. i understand that yall are concerned by my actions, specifically closing practically every thread opened in my sections.

i had already ade a note to the other admins of my intentions and so far, have not seen any indication that i am going about this the wrong way. it has been brought up several times that bothe of those sections have been viewed as a "mess" and drastic action needs to be taken.

as such, i have been in the habit of closing threads that ask questions that have asked several times before, questions that are answered simply through the use of the search button, quoting official faqs/interviews, and questions that have simply been answered.

i close these threads as they no longer require additional posts. if i was to delete them, the original poster would not be able to read the answer. hopefully, closing them will allow them to fall to the wayside and keep the useful topics either on top or stickied.

if you have suggestions on how to approach this better, i am open to them. i hope to promote useful threads and eventually have the answers easier to find. i have read many complaints regarding that and often see people begin the post by mentioning failed search attempts. if you feel that generic answers, ie linking system requirements, is not the answer, what do you propose?

Zai

Zai

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Apr 2005

I agree with the OP. I'm one of those new members, the actions of certain mods are making me feel as if this is not a friendly community, if it continues I may move on to another forum.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bgnome
i close these threads as they no longer require additional posts. They may not "require" additional posts, but the topic starter may want to thank those that gave them the answer or possibly ask for clarification about that answer. Other users may want to add-on to the answer to be more helpful, etc.

Locking a thread is a last resort to stop an inappropriate thread from continuing, it is a disciplinary action.

Bgnome

Bgnome

Elite Guru

Join Date: Feb 2005

i have already received a PM from a new member that i believe i may have scared off. now, as i am a new moderator, i am not offended by your critique of my actions.
of course, Q&A is not representative of the community as a whole. my original impression was that GWG was to be a place where players could get more detailed information about the inner workings of the game. i appreciate that Q&A has devolved from that somewhat as the noob stomping grounds. i do not wish to turn the image of this site into an unwelcome place for neophytes, but the more the same questions are asked, the more it dilutes the actually useful information contained in those forums.

i apologize if yall believe that i have been slack at this new job. i have been juggling many things at the moment and wish to be able to devote more time and effort, although that does not excuse any lack of quality on my part.

Lansing Kai Don

Banned

Join Date: Mar 2005

Kansas

Quote:
Originally Posted by Zai
I agree with the OP. I'm one of those new members, the actions of certain mods are making me feel as if this is not a friendly community, if it continues I may move on to another forum. Yes, you are new. But perhaps instead of quitting on this one, let's work with them to find a better solution than closing threads right after they're posted. Bgnome I wasn't specifically speaking of you, as people have mentioned, it's more than one (it perhaps is evena mentality). Tell me if I'm completely off base on some of these or help them by adding suggestions to improve them...

Instead of 30 stickies at the top of the forums (which some are approaching 15 and therefore a FULL page for the people who set 20 posts per page).. make one sticky with a link to a FAQ. Yes I know, but build up your FAQ with the items already stickied.

Give the user a time limit to respond, say it nicely like. In your forums case, here are the system requirements.. if you have any further questions please ask them in the next 2-3 hours (or even 24 but that'd be hard to track) as we will be deleting this thread shortly. This will only work for the truly generic questions as you stated. And if you could have someone set up a script time to automatically delete the message after a time span that could make it super easy... or just a reminder system.

I notice some threads have been merged (you do have this here right?)... maybe use this more frequently on generic answers since you just plan on closing the threads anyways. Then you could delete the thread and the user will have a place to respond.

Lansing Kai Don

P.S. Like I said, these are suggestions. I'll try to think of some more but I'm really busy at the moment with work and school. Bgnome thanks for taking a constructive path defending yourself... it's always good to see like-minded individuals open to suggestions. And perhaps none of these are implementable, if not maybe some other community members (especially forum goers) will be able to help.

Manderlock

Manderlock

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Apr 2005

TX

Crimson ScS

W/N

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bgnome
i have already received a PM from a new member that i believe i may have scared off. now, as i am a new moderator, i am not offended by your critique of my actions.
of course, Q&A is not representative of the community as a whole. my original impression was that GWG was to be a place where players could get more detailed information about the inner workings of the game. i appreciate that Q&A has devolved from that somewhat as the noob stomping grounds. i do not wish to turn the image of this site into an unwelcome place for neophytes, but the more the same questions are asked, the more it dilutes the actually useful information contained in those forums.

i apologize if yall believe that i have been slack at this new job. i have been juggling many things at the moment and wish to be able to devote more time and effort, although that does not excuse any lack of quality on my part.
Bah, your doing what you feel needs to be done. You wouldnt be doing it if the other admins/mods didnt agree. Everyone has a suggestion on how you *need* to do things (including me), but when it comes down to it we dont have the responsibility that you do. Lansing just made a suggestion, as i did in my PM to you. These are not OMFG YOUR RUINING EVERYTHING opinions, just suggestions.

Keep doing what you feel you need to do.

Lansing Kai Don

Banned

Join Date: Mar 2005

Kansas

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bgnome
i have already received a PM from a new member that i believe i may have scared off. now, as i am a new moderator, i am not offended by your critique of my actions.
of course, Q&A is not representative of the community as a whole. my original impression was that GWG was to be a place where players could get more detailed information about the inner workings of the game. i appreciate that Q&A has devolved from that somewhat as the noob stomping grounds. i do not wish to turn the image of this site into an unwelcome place for neophytes, but the more the same questions are asked, the more it dilutes the actually useful information contained in those forums.

i apologize if yall believe that i have been slack at this new job. i have been juggling many things at the moment and wish to be able to devote more time and effort, although that does not excuse any lack of quality on my part. Bgnome, once again it's not only you. And you're doing the only thing you can, we understand busy schedules (trust me) we do. But if you're too busy have the admin assign another moderator to the forum to help out till things get straight. You're not alone in your struggles. I understand the problem, that's why I posted. I'll try my best to help with a solution.. and you'll never satisfy everyone but there is always room for improvement. If you scared off a new member, try to reconcile with them and tell them the reason for your actions. Everyone's been there. Like I said, you'll never appease everyone (especially me ) and yes you'll lose a few in the process of improving but there's nothing that can stop that... you WILL lose members. Because this is not the place for everyone, I believe Sin left here because he posted something about WoW and a moderator/admin not naming names banned him. He was merely trying to change perspectives for some of the people who scoff at other RPG's and wanted to know what the other games are like... but I do believe he went the wrong direction with his post. But yet he left due to being excluded. Sometimes it's inevitable. Sometime's it's not. Back on track, I posted some suggestions that may or may not be implementable (I'm not in your shoes so I don't know everything that is going on). But I do know the feeling of being a new moderator... Oh, this post is for you Bgnome not in general

Lansing Kai Don

Manderlock

Manderlock

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Apr 2005

TX

Crimson ScS

W/N

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lansing Kai Don
Bgnome, once again it's not only you. And you're doing the only thing you can, we understand busy schedules (trust me) we do. But if you're too busy have the admin assign another moderator to the forum to help out till things get straight. You're not alone in your struggles. I understand the problem, that's why I posted. I'll try my best to help with a solution.. and you'll never satisfy everyone but there is always room for improvement. If you scared off a new member, try to reconcile with them and tell them the reason for your actions. Everyone's been there. Like I said, you'll never appease everyone (especially me ) and yes you'll lose a few in the process of improving but there's nothing that can stop that... you WILL lose members. Because this is not the place for everyone, I believe Sin left here because he posted something about WoW and a moderator/admin not naming names banned him. He was merely trying to change perspectives for some of the people who scoff at other RPG's and wanted to know what the other games are like... but I do believe he went the wrong direction with his post. But yet he left due to being excluded. Sometimes it's inevitable. Sometime's it's not. Back on track, I posted some suggestions that may or may not be implementable (I'm not in your shoes so I don't know everything that is going on). But I do know the feeling of being a new moderator... Oh, this post is for you Bgnome not in general

Lansing Kai Don Holy crap Sin was banned? that sucks

Zai

Zai

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Apr 2005

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bgnome
but the more the same questions are asked, the more it dilutes the actually useful information contained in those forums. Again though, locking these posts does not stop the next new member who joins from asking the same question. And if it is such a simple, over-asked question, it will die on its own anyway. There's no reason to lock them.

Just point them to the sticky posts or the search function in a polite manor, and hope they learn to check those features themselves.

Bgnome

Bgnome

Elite Guru

Join Date: Feb 2005

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lansing Kai Don
Instead of 30 stickies at the top of the forums (which some are approaching 15 and therefore a FULL page for the people who set 20 posts per page).. make one sticky with a link to a FAQ. Yes I know, but build up your FAQ with the items already stickied.
this is a good idea and is something that i hope to accomplish. quite a few things are in the works on this site and hopefully will make this job somewhat easier.

Quote: Give the user a time limit to respond, say it nicely like. In your forums case, here are the system requirements.. if you have any further questions please ask them in the next 2-3 hours (or even 24 but that'd be hard to track) as we will be deleting this thread shortly. This will only work for the truly generic questions as you stated. And if you could have someone set up a script time to automatically delete the message after a time span that could make it super easy... or just a reminder system. it would be nice to have a script to do that. unfortunately, it is not in my power to do so. as it stands, i think i would need to "babysit" each such thread for whatever given period of time. as i understand it, many of the preorder posts have been routed to discussions in pre-existing stickies. perhaps there is a better way to go about this?

Quote: I notice some threads have been merged (you do have this here right?)... maybe use this more frequently on generic answers since you just plan on closing the threads anyways. Then you could delete the thread and the user will have a place to respond. i have been experimenting with this feature more today and have understood it as more appealing and less stand-offish than closing a thread. i will try to use this more, although i would need a decent thread to merge it into. many of those discussion stickies have become long and drawn out with people not bothering to read earlier posts in the thread, (including me ). i wonder if i should go through and prune out those threads so each post actually adds useful information.

Quote:
P.S. Like I said, these are suggestions. I'll try to think of some more but I'm really busy at the moment with work and school. tell me about it my schedule is insane right about now with finals next week, preliminary exams, and buying/closing/moving into a new house within the timespan of a month..

Quote:
Bgnome thanks for taking a constructive path defending yourself... it's always good to see like-minded individuals open to suggestions. And perhaps none of these are implementable, if not maybe some other community members (especially forum goers) will be able to help. i appreciate everyone's help as it is. i would like to keep it so that educated members can answer questions accurately in Q&A and Tech, so i would not need to do so myself. (on the flipside, i would also like to be more active in discouaging members in spreading misinformation, as per the sig). i am always open to constructive opinions..

Lansing Kai Don

Banned

Join Date: Mar 2005

Kansas

Quote:
Originally Posted by Manderlock
Holy crap Sin was banned? that sucks Yes, but that's not the topic on hand Manderlock. Besides, I didn't get to read the post and therefore I have no opinion on it. From some of the problems in getting his point across with some of us (including myself), I fear it may have been a bit emotional on the frustration side. But his heart was in the right place.. it was titled How to Make Guild Wars like WoW or something like that, and it asked what you could do to make Guild Wars like WoW or other RPG's..... he's very goot at analyzing things.. but I don't think he's very good at showing other people the item's he analyzed or why he asks some of the questions he does. This was to get a better feel for the other games and therefore know why people think Guild Wars is lacking (and for him to have more knowledge on it).

Lansing Kai Don

Spooky

Spooky

Bokusatsu Tenshi

Join Date: Dec 2004

Bellevue, WA

KEA

E/Mo

No, he had asked several times by PM for his account to be deleted, and then started making destructive threads (most of which were wiped out) which lead to his banning. He was, quite literally, 'asking for it.' When people put us in a position where we don't have any choice, what else is there to do?

We don't terminate people on the spot unless they do something really wrong... give us a little more credit, eh?

Inde

Site Contributor

Join Date: Dec 2004

Quote:
Originally Posted by Zai
Again though, locking these posts does not stop the next new member who joins from asking the same question. And if it is such a simple, over-asked question, it will die on its own anyway. There's no reason to lock them.

Just point them to the sticky posts or the search function in a polite manor, and hope they learn to check those features themselves. But then unlocking doesn't make a difference. Furthermore, if a member cannot even try searching for something, then we can do without them.

We are not here for quantity. The focus is on quality.

As for the actual Q&A forum - you ask a question, you get an answer. There are two reasons to lock - 1. If you want to ask a further question, make a new post and 2. More importantly, its to stop people chipping in with wrong answers. Too many time people do not know what they are saying and give people the wrong answer. Locking the thread makes sure that once the user has the correct answer, they won't get confused by further (and incorrect) clarifications.

PS. Sin was not 'banned' on our end. But just like Spooky gets his jollies kicking puppies, banning people feeds my fragile ego.

Darkmane

Darkmane

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Feb 2005

Hi there!

I moderated one forum in my life, I don't think I'd ever want to do it again.

I have mixed feelings about whats happening on this site as a whole. As an official site, you WILL tend to scare away people asking questions by
answering and then closing the thread. Sometimes the answer spawns more questions... You'd rather have them start a new thread? Anyway .. here is a suggestion... because I do not mind at all ' uncluttering a forum by deleting the thread entirely if it is a duplicated or inappropriate post. Delete the post, and send the poster a PM.

Code:
Thank you for your post and welcome to our forums!

I am Moderator <insert name here>, of <insert section here>

In an effort to keep the forums free from multiple posts of duplicate questions, 
and or innapropriate posts;  I have removed your post.  
Below, you will find a link that will either answer your question, or
inform you of why your question was removed.  

Understand that the removal of your post is by no means a punishment,
it is simply the result of our effort to keep the forums clean, concise,
and informative.

You are welcome to post again after reading the below information if
you feel the information did not fully answer your question.

Please keep in mind we are an official GuildWars site, and as such we hope 
to offer vast amounts of player information;  And not full of duplicated or 
inappropriate comments/questions.

I think something like this would be better than going around closing threads, your going to make people upset, scare people away, and clutter up the board just by having one full of closed threads.

Manderlock

Manderlock

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Apr 2005

TX

Crimson ScS

W/N

Quote:
Originally Posted by Spooky
No, he had asked several times by PM for his account to be deleted, and then started making destructive threads (most of which were wiped out) which lead to his banning. He was, quite literally, 'asking for it.' When people put us in a position where we don't have any choice, what else is there to do?

We don't terminate people on the spot unless they do something really wrong... give us a little more credit, eh?
Hehe, I know Ive spent a little time in the "joint."

Lansing Kai Don

Banned

Join Date: Mar 2005

Kansas

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bgnome
this is a good idea and is something that i hope to accomplish. quite a few things are in the works on this site and hopefully will make this job somewhat easier.


it would be nice to have a script to do that. unfortunately, it is not in my power to do so. as it stands, i think i would need to "babysit" each such thread for whatever given period of time. as i understand it, many of the preorder posts have been routed to discussions in pre-existing stickies. perhaps there is a better way to go about this?


i have been experimenting with this feature more today and have understood it as more appealing and less stand-offish than closing a thread. i will try to use this more, although i would need a decent thread to merge it into. many of those discussion stickies have become long and drawn out with people not bothering to read earlier posts in the thread, (including me ). i wonder if i should go through and prune out those threads so each post actually adds useful information.


tell me about it my schedule is insane right about now with finals next week, preliminary exams, and buying/closing/moving into a new house within the timespan of a month..


i appreciate everyone's help as it is. i would like to keep it so that educated members can answer questions accurately in Q&A and Tech, so i would not need to do so myself. (on the flipside, i would also like to be more active in discouaging members in spreading misinformation, as per the sig). i am always open to constructive opinions.. Ok, I understand the babysitting technique... that's why I suggested a script. Maybe have someone help you, I also have final exams, working full time etc... So I will be unavailable till summer. I know the merging could be stand-offish, especially without explanation... it was the ability for the user to continue discussion that appealed to me. And of course, some threads are insanely long and even myself only read the last 10 or so to get an update... so merging there would be impossible and expecting new users to read it by directing there is laughable. Here's a very good suggestion I think.

Make a mini-FAQ called the "10 MOST POPULAR QUESTIONS ASKED"
With all the answers, and limit it to a small number and not make it a long read, i.e. make a link to system requirements instead of listing them. People will more than likely go to something like this instead of reading through it all. Oh and close this thread after you post it, so it appears as a mini-faq and not an on-going one.

Lansing Kai Don

Lansing Kai Don

Banned

Join Date: Mar 2005

Kansas

Quote:
Originally Posted by Spooky
No, he had asked several times by PM for his account to be deleted, and then started making destructive threads (most of which were wiped out) which lead to his banning. He was, quite literally, 'asking for it.' When people put us in a position where we don't have any choice, what else is there to do?

We don't terminate people on the spot unless they do something really wrong... give us a little more credit, eh?
As I said, I didn't read it. Sorry Spooky, I have no opinion on it and I give noone credit. I just posted what he told me. I'd have to have both sides and the material in front of me to make a judgement. I did say he was emotional and I feared what he wrote. But I refuse to give credit until I know both sides of the story and I've only got one (the other one is in a trash can) .

Lansing Kai Don

Inde

Site Contributor

Join Date: Dec 2004

Speaking of FAQ, we are working on populating it so we can send people there.

On a serious note though - if people cannot expand any energy to even look up an answer, they do not deserve one from the forums.

Bgnome

Bgnome

Elite Guru

Join Date: Feb 2005

Quote:
Originally Posted by Zai
Locking a thread is a last resort to stop an inappropriate thread from continuing, it is a disciplinary action. i understand your point of view, but as inde mentioned, it is a necessary evil regarding Q&A. unfortunately, if it is really putting people off, and even seeking other sources of aid, i am willing to try alternate methods, ie merging into an offcial specific question thread.

something has been brought up in a previous discussion where threads needed to be qualified in order to be able to be posted. perhaps if we reformed Q&A and Tech as such, where each thread was an official "How do I..." thread, people would be able to find answers more efficiently and these forums would reflect the "living FAQ" ideal that they were originally intended for..

Lansing Kai Don

Banned

Join Date: Mar 2005

Kansas

Quote:
Originally Posted by Inde
But then unlocking doesn't make a difference. Furthermore, if a member cannot even try searching for something, then we can do without them.

We are not here for quantity. The focus is on quality.

As for the actual Q&A forum - you ask a question, you get an answer. There are two reasons to lock - 1. If you want to ask a further question, make a new post and 2. More importantly, its to stop people chipping in with wrong answers. Too many time people do not know what they are saying and give people the wrong answer. Locking the thread makes sure that once the user has the correct answer, they won't get confused by further (and incorrect) clarifications.

PS. Sin was not 'banned' on our end. But just like Spooky gets his jollies kicking puppies, banning people feeds my fragile ego. I bet since ArenaNet depends on their community site.. they'd disagree with you in terms of sales. They'd prefer you to appease everybody (especially with no monthly charge). And Nascent was right with sometimes other questions reveal themselves that leads to more questions... this is an exponential increase in threads instead of lessening. But what if the question wasn't as generic as it seems, now your quality argument is off... because you fed them some answer they didn't need and now you look horrible in quality. It's better to have 3 people agree on a solution than one generic answer that may not fit the solution (if you ever had to contact customer support you'd know this and why people come to forums). They're not necessarily looking for a generic answer they read off of the customer support site, they want USERS opinions.

Lansing Kai Don

Lansing Kai Don

Banned

Join Date: Mar 2005

Kansas

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bgnome
i understand your point of view, but as inde mentioned, it is a necessary evil regarding Q&A. unfortunately, if it is really putting people off, and even seeking other sources of aid, i am willing to try alternate methods, ie merging into an offcial specific question thread.

something has been brought up in a previous discussion where threads needed to be qualified in order to be able to be posted. perhaps if we reformed Q&A and Tech as such, where each thread was an official "How do I..." thread, people would be able to find answers more efficiently and these forums would reflect the "living FAQ" ideal that they were originally intended for.. Yes subcategories (as the How do I....) would be a great item. But not necessarily suited for forums, as some people are looking for users opinions/answers not a generic one. That's why I thought the mini-FAQ of top 10 was a good idea. IF it's not a generic answer and they want users opinions let them have it... and if it is exactly the same as another post. Then work out a solution like Nascent posted (as deleting the post to remove clutter), merge the thread to a similar one again with another Nascent premade post, or the timer thing (which w/o a script would be hard to implement if you're going through the same things I am).

Lansing Kai Don

Inde

Site Contributor

Join Date: Dec 2004

Q&A Forum - questions with black and white answers. Basic Questions.
Riverside - where other opinions matter.

Locking makes sense. You have a question, it is answered. Sure you might have a related question and you post again - fine. When people search [that is part of the endgoal] then it will be even easier to find the answer they are looking for. One topic deals with one question.

Our mission here is not to be a sales machine for ArenaNet [the other networks do an ample job of that]. Our job is to provide intelligent information, and like I said, the bigger problem is people chiming in with wrong answers. You get an answer to your question - ding. Next up.

Lansing Kai Don

Banned

Join Date: Mar 2005

Kansas

Quote:
Originally Posted by Inde
Q&A Forum - questions with black and white answers. Basic Questions.
Riverside - where other opinions matter.

Locking makes sense. You have a question, it is answered. Sure you might have a related question and you post again - fine. When people search [that is part of the endgoal] then it will be even easier to find the answer they are looking for. One topic deals with one question.

Our mission here is not to be a sales machine for ArenaNet [the other networks do an ample job of that]. Our job is to provide intelligent information, and like I said, the bigger problem is people chiming in with wrong answers. You get an answer to your question - ding. Next up. Sorry that I disagree with you Inde. Your own website says
"Do not be scared of asking for knowledge, for it is often the only difference between the townspeople and the village idiot"
How are they not going to be scared if they ask a question, get a generic answer that doesn't fit perfectly? They will. Period. Many will get upset and scared and leave. And are you saying that ANet should not have you as an elite fansite. The fansite to go to where members know what their talking about but you can't ask because your thread was closed after a generic response? And it is impossible to give intelligent information when you don't know the whole question which is rarely given in the initial post. I understand the methodology behind your reasoning, but I don't agree with it. If any business/fansite treated their customers like that... they'd be asking to run themselves out (short of restaraunts and queue type businesses).

Lansing Kai Don

P.S. I'm sorry, I got dragged into this. I merely wanted to post information and offer suggestions, not turn this into a defending/attacking position. Sorry Inde, I disagree with you, but this thread was for improvement not debating the current setup... as it is already evident your community doesn't like it.

Bgnome

Bgnome

Elite Guru

Join Date: Feb 2005

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lansing Kai Don
I bet since ArenaNet depends on their community site.. they'd disagree with you in terms of sales. They'd prefer you to appease everybody (especially with no monthly charge). i do not think this website was formed with that ideal in mind. remember, most of the admins here came from such forums and wished to develop a deeper community in which the ideals differed from what everyone else believed, not unlike a particular upstart set of developers i will not name..

my problem with stickied faqs is that new posters tend to ignore them. perhaps a mini-FAQ that is a compilation of links to helpful threads? maybe that way, we could eliminate the stickies..

Loviatar

Underworld Spelunker

Join Date: Feb 2005

one small point on the sales part

nobody can please everybody
if you let everybody talk something to dearh the serious people the site is trying to attract will go elsewhere

that is why there are different sites to cater to different tastes

Inde

Site Contributor

Join Date: Dec 2004

Lansing, the key word is 'basic' questions. To me, the fine-line between basic and non-basic is that basic has one definitive answer.

Dreamsmith

Dreamsmith

Elite Guru

Join Date: Feb 2005

Minnesota

Beguine Guild [BGN]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Darkmane
Sometimes the answer spawns more questions... You'd rather have them start a new thread?
If it's a new question, yes! Bloody heck yes! Personally, I get really frustrated when I do a search and I get a bunch of threads, none of which are titled in a way that gives me a hint whether the question is answered there or not. It should be obvious from the title of the thread what question is answered there, particularly in Q&A. If the question's been answered, please, close the thread. If there are more questions, please, open new threads titled with the new question. That would be very helpful for those of us who actually use the search function!

And, BTW, closing a thread is not a disciplinary action. Threads don't misbehave, there's really nothing you can do to them to discipline them.

P.S. Bgnome, boy I don't envy you your job. I got the sweet end of this deal, hehehe...

Lansing Kai Don

Banned

Join Date: Mar 2005

Kansas

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bgnome
i do not think this website was formed with that ideal in mind. remember, most of the admins here came from such forums and wished to develop a deeper community in which the ideals differed from what everyone else believed, not unlike a particular upstart set of developers i will not name..

my problem with stickied faqs is that new posters tend to ignore them. perhaps a mini-FAQ that is a compilation of links to helpful threads? maybe that way, we could eliminate the stickies.. I agree, sorry for using sticky. I rarely post in stickies as I find them long and tedious to read (200+ posts). And I'll bet you my savings account ANet does care. I bet you couldn't imagine the risk they put in for this game. If it doesn't succeed... I wouldn't want to contemplate it. EVERY company cares about sales.... so they care about the community... this company relies on it. So I took a logical guess that they'd want the largest amount of people to be happy with their product than a sample few. They don't need 1000 of us to buy the game or even 10,000 they need it be a success. A big success, one to know off other companies and change the RPG industry to no montly fee etc... This is why they care. And why we need to care. If you believe in their positions, you have to care that even those intellectually challenged get something from this game... especially purchase it.

Lansing Kai Don

Zai

Zai

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Apr 2005

This is the kind of thing we should be talking about here.

http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/s...ead.php?t=4502

Question answered, ok. Lock? Fine. But what reason did you have for saying what you did?

Lansing Kai Don

Banned

Join Date: Mar 2005

Kansas

Quote:
Originally Posted by Inde
Lansing, the key word is 'basic' questions. To me, the fine-line between basic and non-basic is that basic has one definitive answer. Then I've never met one basic question in my entire life. Remember, there is even a proof to show that 2 added to 2 is not always 4.

Lansing Kai Don

Darkmane

Darkmane

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Feb 2005

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dreamsmith
If it's a new question, yes! Bloody heck yes! Personally, I get really frustrated when I do a search and I get a bunch of threads, none of which are titled in a way that gives me a hint whether the question is answered there or not. It should be obvious from the title of the thread what question is answered there, particularly
in Q&A. If the question's been answered, please, close the thread. If there are more questions, please, open new threads titled with the new question. That would be very helpful for those of us who actually use the search function!

And, BTW, closing a thread is not a disciplinary action. Threads don't misbehave, there's really nothing you can do to them to discipline them. My suggestion was simply a suggestion. Your cluttering up your own forums by simply closing a post. If cleaning up is what your trying to do, then I see nothing wrong with deleting the post entirely and providing a link to the answer.

I know closing a thread isn't disciplinary, but others may not, and others may find it more like a **smak** for posting. Which will tend to upset the newcomers.

Not everyone is 'forum literate', and we still have to try to help them along.

ps. I am using 'your' as a general term for the moderators... not you in particular.

Bgnome

Bgnome

Elite Guru

Join Date: Feb 2005

Quote:
Originally Posted by Zai
This is the kind of thing we should be talking about here.

http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/s...ead.php?t=4502

Question answered, ok. Lock? Fine. But what reason did you have for saying what you did?
that is fairly simple. i have already reported this particular user. if you check his post history, he had already posted a similar thread here that i felt was directly dealt with. this particular user decided to press the issue. i do not enjoy such things.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Darkmane
My suggestion was simply a suggestion. Your cluttering up your own forums by simply closing a post. If cleaning up is what your trying to do, then I see nothing wrong with deleting the post entirely and providing a link to the answer. one would not be able to view the link if posted in a deleted thread. i could possibly PM such information, but there is a good chance that many will not read PMs as well. when i administrated on another board, i had manually turned on the PM popup to try to make them more noticeable but have not seen such a feature on these boards.