The new forum layout

[bendenfield]

So. I just want to give a short résumé from my point of view:
We are using this layout for more than a month now and during this time I noticed that more help requests are posted in the wrong forum than before.
A few recent examples:

• This (obviously a help request) was posted into the Bugs and Feature Suggestions forum. The original description of this forum is: Request features here. Please check the Sticky post to see if the feature has already been requested.
• This one (one more help request) was posted into the Discussion forum. Again, the description of this forum is: Post Rainmeter related topics which don't belong in the other forums here. It is a help request, so there is an other forum for it.

As you see, when looking at the forums more detailed, the most wrong placed topics are posted into the Bugs & Feature and the discussion forum.
Everyone started somewhere and I assume even my first post was wrong placed (and I am sorry for that), so we don't have to search for the cause of all this by the 'newbies', but by us. We have the responsibility for this and we should try to make it better.

How? I am not very imaginative at this point, but what I've done in the past is moving the topics to the Help forum. Soon, I ended this up, because I saw some other moderators, answering these posts without moving it. So, I thought I should just let it pass. But I am a bit bothered by it, since those wrong placed topics are getting more (in my opinion).
I started thinking about it and came to the conclusion that we have to change.
Here are my suggestions:

• We simply could add a 'NO HELP REQUESTS HERE' line to the forum descriptions.
• The new standard forum style template has that little tip box above the text input field. We could place an additional line there saying that they should think twice before posting it into this forum or generally something like this.
• The moderators and admis could move those posts into the Help forum (wich is situationally a good thing, but probably won't have any long-term results).
• We could ask forum members to include a link to the help forums in their uploads. Of course, they can also link to a topic specifically launched for the upload (for instance the Rainbar topic in the Skin Development forum). See below on how to do this.

So. At least this my opinion. I am hoping for some input.


Here is a little code on how to make a html file linking to the Help forums wich you can include in your upload:

Code: Select all

<meta http-equiv="refresh" content="0; URL=http://forum.rainmeter.net/viewforum.php?f=5">

Create a new text file with this line and save it as a html file.[/size]

[Kaelri]

I don't think this started with the forum restructuring. If anything, I think that helped, since "Rainmeter Help" is now one of the first forums in the list, so new users are guaranteed to see that before the other two you mentioned. In fact, I would say that there are fewer misplaced help requests in Rainmeter Discussion than there were before.

However, there are definitely more of them in Bug Reports, and I think the reason for that is new users' inability to distinguish between the program, Rainmeter, and the default skin, Enigma. It's presented to them as a single unified product, and so, naturally, they treat it like one. And because they don't know the difference between skin and app, there's not a whole lot we can do aside from correcting people on a case-by-case basis.

I think the best policy is to encourage a two-stage approach to seeking support. The first thing everyone should do is post in the Help forum, to eliminate the possibility of a mistake or a misunderstanding. If the problem isn't solved there, it can then be "promoted" to a legitimate bug report.

[jsmorley]

As Kaelri says, we are always going to get some mis-posting due to new users not being sure what it Rainmeter, what is Enigma and what is a hole in the ground. The mods can move things as needed, it's really not that often and to be honest it doesn't have to be "perfect". In general we want things posted in the right place as the answer helps the most people that way, but we don't need to get fanatical about it.

[sgtevmckay]

This is something I have been deeply considering for a while now.

There is the possibility to further simplify the forum, but this would also compile all issues, Core related and otherwise, to a central post.
This creates an issue of finding certain issues, if they need to be revisited in the future.

I am all for making things easier, but we also need a way to keep things properly cataloged as we move forward.

I am at a bit of an impasse.

Yes we could put more to the moderators....Have all issues placed to "Rainmeter Help", and then move them to Bugs if they are determined to be a current issue that needs to be further addressed by the Dev folks, but this will place the work into the hands of the Admin. and Mods.....But as pointed out we are either doing this, or not, already.

We could always go back to the original plane.

Keep the Rainmeter Help.
Eliminate the Bugs and Features forum
Move the Feature requests to Rainmeter Discussion
Or just keep the features forum (Probably better)

Either way: This will require that any core system issues, are then posted to the Code Site by either and Admin or Mod. With documentation of what was tried and the ultimate result.
The issue we found that this created is that the person that brought the issue may not participate directly in possible resolution be discussed and solved at the Code Site.
The Admin and Mods begin third party and the individual with the issue may not participate with further knowledge of the issue.

I guess we could advise the individual with the issue that their issue has been moved to the code site, but then we run the chance of the code site eventually being over run with request of issue that can most likely be solved here.

I think that there will always be, no so much confusion, but folks that will post as they can based on what they believe to be the correct area.
This being the case we will always get postings in an incorrect forum.
Bendenfield is correct is as much that even I am guilty in not moving a posting when I should have. Just answering the question and leaving the post as is.

Being the go along guy is not my intent here, but Anything to simplify the structure is good, and all suggestions should be entertained, and a final resolution of action decided upon. I also submit that maybe no further change is required in the forum, but rather I get off my rear end and start Moving the posts as needed.

[Oldviking]

Hi @ all,
the new favicon from this site resembles piriform-Favicon : http://forum.piriform.com/index.php? :shock: