Why are there so many repeat topics?

THAWA · Post by **THAWA** » Sat Mar 26, 2005 8:23 am

Seriously. How hard is it to search? There's like 30 freakin topics about exchanging suspension and shit, and they just keep coming. What the damn?

entirelyturbo · Post by **entirelyturbo** » Sat Mar 26, 2005 9:05 am

Just the other day, you were bitching at me for bumping an old thread instead of starting a new one...

jamal · Post by **jamal** » Sat Mar 26, 2005 9:12 am

Because if it weren't for them, all we'd do is sit around posting dumb shit in the ashtray?

Seriously, though,
I'd suggest maybe that the compatibility issues be added to the Suspension Information Compendium. So yeah, get on that Scott. Jeez.

I'd say it's mostly people who just joined, don't know jack about forums or their car or searching, and are just out to get a quick answer without doing any work. Maybe some sort of a limitation on starting threads in certain forums for a week or something could help.

J-MoNeY · Post by **J-MoNeY** » Sat Mar 26, 2005 9:22 am

Shut up, Quazi Mod O! J/K. You really gota take into account how lazy people are. Me, being one of those people can relate. However I've learned to search more. It just takes time.

BAC5.2 · Post by **BAC5.2** » Sat Mar 26, 2005 9:34 am

Sometimes, only sometimes, it's often better to start a new discussion on a topic, than to add onto another one.

But that doesn't go for something like the WRX suspension.

kastrix · Post by **kastrix** » Sat Mar 26, 2005 9:51 am

I often ask a question in a new thread simply because i need a short answer. I have searched my fair share of topics and i realize that if you are searaching for something general it might give you hundreds of posts. Not to offend anyone, but Lots of the Thread names are not descriptive of the content at all.

Tleg93 · Post by **Tleg93** » Sat Mar 26, 2005 4:24 pm

I think it's because it's a lot easier to start a new thread than it is to use the search function which often turns up all kinds of bunk.

scottzg · Post by **scottzg** » Sun Mar 27, 2005 12:39 am

I think that we should take everything we've learned, have some quasi-mod compile it all into a book, and post it, closing the bbs forever. Surely by now we've covered every aspect of this car.

There are several reasons for the new topics, the first being that there was more misinformation being distributed on this board back when we were young than now. There are only so many things to be really discussed, and we like (admit it, you do) discussing them. Stuff is covered, but the search terms may not be obvious; some of us are more E-savvy than others.

Just because you've been around a while, read every thread, and happen to be rather knowlegable doesnt mean that all these newbs we pick up are familiar with what has been covered.

Jamal- I actually wrote up a chart outlining what was needed for just about every swap, but i didnt get it posted and lost it. It killed my enthusiasm. I'll get around to retyping it in the future, but until then ill just tell people who ask and look like i know my shit. Little do they know!! Muahahaha!!!@!!111one!

92 Le-Turbo-SS · Post by **92 Le-Turbo-SS** » Sun Mar 27, 2005 1:27 am

well for one thing the search function on this board simply sucks.

THAWA · Post by **THAWA** » Sun Mar 27, 2005 2:01 am

The search function doesn't suck. It's very good. It doesn't have as many features as a vbulletin search engine but it's still very good.

I'm not saying noone should ever make a new topic ever, but damn, when there's like 10 threads asking, "What's the coffee mug mod?", I want to hurt someone.

I myself do quite a bit of searching. I could have made tons of new topics for the same old crap but why?

vrg3 · Post by **vrg3** » Sun Mar 27, 2005 2:41 am

Yeah, the search feature is powerful if you learn to exploit it properly...

The problem is that it's not immediately obvious to someone that it's not in their best interest to just post asking what the coffee mug mod is. Sometimes you even see people explicitly say things like "I don't feel like searching so I'm making this post instead."

Behavioral science has shown that in order to condition against an undesired behavior, correction has to be swift, severe, and certain.

Hmm, so maybe when someone posts a redundant question we should always immediately drive over to their house and cut them on the arm.

Or maybe it would help a little to have a page pop up before you're allowed to post that makes you type in something like "I have searched for threads about this already" or something. And make the wording a little different each time.

THAWA · Post by **THAWA** » Sun Mar 27, 2005 2:48 am

I don't like the pop up page idea. That would get real annoying, real fast. I'd rather weed through 20 new topics of the same thing than have a pop up page.

vrg3 · Post by **vrg3** » Sun Mar 27, 2005 2:52 am

I'm sorry, that was a bad choice of words... I didn't mean a pop-up; I just meant that a page would come up before showing the "compose a post" page.

isotopeman · Post by **isotopeman** » Sun Mar 27, 2005 3:06 am

Then there are those of us at the other end. I've got a question about swapping a trans with one at a local salvage yard, but can't find the applicable info. I'm sure it's been mentioned, so I haven't gone through the embarrassment of posting another thread on it.

THAWA · Post by **THAWA** » Sun Mar 27, 2005 3:14 am

Allow me to help you search.

What general ideas do you have questions about?

isotopeman · Post by **isotopeman** » Sun Mar 27, 2005 3:50 am

OK, sure.
I have a FWD 4EAT. The one in the salvage yard is a FWD 5MT. My tranny is nearly shot with ??? over 200000 miles. The MT has <100,000. I've searched, but I kept getting results for AWD (and one where a guy wanted to convert his fwd to awd)

Posting pages about recurring procedures with contributed photos, specs etc. would be a step above sticky threads. I know nothing about the funding for the upkeep/space for this forum, but I like some of the ideas mentioned above. ...the legacycentral members' manual.
But gee, people like me would miss out on all the fun random (unrelated) stuff we find searching.

206er · Post by **206er** » Sun Mar 27, 2005 5:01 am

maybe the search button needs to be bigger, and people need to start flaming the non-searching newbs more.

THAWA · Post by **THAWA** » Sun Mar 27, 2005 5:03 am

Okay cool, so what are you having a problem with?

scottzg · Post by **scottzg** » Sun Mar 27, 2005 5:15 am

It's not the newbs that bother me, they have so much new stuff that has been dumped on them. They don't know where to begin and im sure a lot of what's already said doesnt make sense, it's not in easy-to-digest terms.

Its the idiots that post about something that has just been explained just an hour, or 3 posts down- ago. It might make sense that god gave you 2 ears to listen and 1 mouth to talk, but that equasion doesn't extend to your 10 fingers.

azn2nr · Post by **azn2nr** » Sun Mar 27, 2005 10:13 am

the search function only gives me one gripe and thats that after the results come up and you click on one and you try to go back it wont let you and you have to start all over again

jamal · Post by **jamal** » Sun Mar 27, 2005 12:00 pm

Get a browser with tabs, like firefox. Just open each thread in a new tab then go through them.

Tleg93 · Post by **Tleg93** » Sun Mar 27, 2005 3:39 pm

vrg3 wrote:Yeah, the search feature is powerful if you learn to exploit it properly...

The problem is that it's not immediately obvious to someone that it's not in their best interest to just post asking what the coffee mug mod is. Sometimes you even see people explicitly say things like "I don't feel like searching so I'm making this post instead."

Behavioral science has shown that in order to condition against an undesired behavior, correction has to be swift, severe, and certain.

Hmm, so maybe when someone posts a redundant question we should always immediately drive over to their house and cut them on the arm.

Or maybe it would help a little to have a page pop up before you're allowed to post that makes you type in something like "I have searched for threads about this already" or something. And make the wording a little different each time.

I've been on boards where the mods will post a message that has a rooster (cock) in it or someting in a redundant thread to indicate a duplicate thread. Maybe a good idea would be to do something like this so people are aware they are duplicating threads. Either that or maybe a down cycle to filter out some older threads that have been updated or proven wrong etc.

vrg3 · Post by **vrg3** » Sun Mar 27, 2005 4:26 pm

Yeah, a system whereby threads could be flagged "redundant" or something, and then a search option to omit results so flagged, could be interesting.

It'd kind of be pandering to the problem instead of fixing it, but I think 206er is right that the only way to actually stop the problem is to become total jerks to people who abuse the board that way. But it's not nice to be jerky.

evolutionmovement · Post by **evolutionmovement** » Sun Mar 27, 2005 4:48 pm

Depending on my mood (generally aggravated with people in general, especially lately, as I listen to the news too much) I won't bother answering duplicate threads even if it's a quick answer.

Steve

magicmike · Post by **magicmike** » Sun Mar 27, 2005 5:52 pm

How about a "friendly reminder" to people with less than say 20 posts would get when they start a new thread. The reminder would be a little pop up saying "have you tried a search? with a link to the search page. Nothing rude, nothing condecending, just a reminder. After 20 posts it goes away. That might be easy to do and might cut down on at leaste a percentage of repeat posts. I'm basing this on the fact that noobs are probably the lazy reposters

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Why are there so many repeat topics?

Why are there so many repeat topics?