Same old questions

MalcolmInN · January 18, 2015, 12:57:31 AM

On the matter of "same old questions" upsetting the oldies elsewhere, in DCC :

In another forum (astronomy), recently, a whole new section was added " Beginners , , " and various subsections.
where it was made plain by the 'owners' that anyone could post any question and not be made to feel stupid or intimidated that it might already be known or have been asked.
A roaring success ! Peeps who had never before posted (or not often) poped up, in fact such a success that 'old timers' who previously only posted to 'advise' in other parts started asking their own 'newbie' questions as well ! ie. questions in fields they had not previously addressed.

Just a thort.

Griffo · January 18, 2015, 01:27:38 AM

I agree. This is the "real time" internet. Is the clever answer " go look it up in the library"?

The forum should represent a clubhouse environment. no question is silly or daft.

We have all have been asked the same question several times. We would have appeared pompous if we had refused to answer because we had answered the same question already.

Any question is relevant if you don't know the answer.

sparky · January 18, 2015, 08:17:52 AM

I totally agree...while the search function is great,it does no harm to ask the same old questions again and again..I would bet that very few posts are really brand new never discussed topics and the forum would be too quiet without repeats !.....just like the telly...

Bealman · January 18, 2015, 08:32:09 AM

When I first encountered this forum, I jumped straight in and asked a question about a Peco scissors crossover that had probably been asked before.

I didn't even see the welcome section to introduce myself!

My point is that often, new members are, well, not only new to the forum, but also new to the hobby fullstop. I see nothing wrong with these folk recycling old questions, as they are not to know at that stage.

I do however, have an issue with relatively long standing members getting hot under the collar about something which is relatively innocuous.

New members are free to ask whatever question they need answered. That is the premise of this forum.

cornish yorkie · January 18, 2015, 08:44:09 AM

Good Morning as a newbi who has lots of ideas but nothing set in stone or wood i am happy to know help will always available. This forum is the best inspiration i need to kickstart the layout i have always wanted. Just thanks for being there.
regards Derek.

Geoff · January 18, 2015, 09:18:16 AM

I am always for people asking questions how big or small, model railways has a lot of different subjects and not one of them is less important than the other, all of us does not matter if you know N Gauge inside out or you know next to nothing has the right to ask any question.

Powering our model railway is the biggest question as which way to go DC or DCC, and questions about this will always come, and why oh why does it matter how many times the question is asked.

When you are new to model railways all you want to know is what is important to you so please members new and old just ask away.

Happy Modelling.

Malc · January 18, 2015, 09:32:22 AM

There is no such thing as a stupid question, although you may get stupid replies on occasions. Never be afraid to ask - we all had to start at sometime or another.

Sprintex · January 18, 2015, 10:18:39 AM

Quote from: MalcolmAL on January 18, 2015, 12:57:31 AM
In another forum (astronomy), recently, a whole new section was added " Beginners , , " and various subsections.
where it was made plain by the 'owners' that anyone could post any question and not be made to feel stupid or intimidated that it might already be known or have been asked.

The whole ethos of NGF is already based on that belief, and is partly the reason why Tank set it up in the first place. Whilst it may be tiresome for long-standing members to see the same old questions again and again, and there is no harm in pointing the enquirer in the direction of the Search facility first as a prompt to using the vast library of information that already exists, the forum is here to help all without bias or elitism towards those that have less experience. This ethos is enforced by the Moderation Team across the whole forum, so a separate section is not really necessary and could actually be counterproductive in not encouraging new members to use the whole of NGF

Paul

NeMo · January 18, 2015, 11:17:10 AM

Well said. The problem with "beginners" sections is that experienced forum members tend to avoid them. So you get beginners asking other beginners, which is fine in itself, but limits the range of answers they get.

Forums start dying when people simply reply "just use the search facility, for gosh sakes!". For one thing, the answers giving in 2008 may not be relevant in 2015. For another, the people on the forum will be different now compared to then, so the possible answers you can get will be different as well.

So while questions about ballasting or whatever might seem to come up again and again, each time they come up, there's fresh content added to the forum that goes beyond whatever was there before.

There's nothing wrong with linking to a previous thread of course, but dismissing regular questions as "just for beginners" misses the point to having a forum for all N-gauge modellers at all levels of the hobby. Indeed, often beginners come to the hobby with amazing talents of their own, and the experienced hobbyists learn from them!

Cheers, NeMo

Quote from: Sprintex on January 18, 2015, 10:18:39 AM
The whole ethos of NGF is already based on that belief, and is partly the reason why Tank set it up in the first place. Whilst it may be tiresome for long-standing members to see the same old questions again and again, and there is no harm in pointing the enquirer in the direction of the Search facility first as a prompt to using the vast library of information that already exists, the forum is here to help all without bias or elitism towards those that have less experience. This ethos is enforced by the Moderation Team across the whole forum, so a separate section is not really necessary and could actually be counterproductive in not encouraging new members to use the whole of NGF

Tom U · January 18, 2015, 11:31:36 AM

NeMo, that is a superb reply. One response I have come to detest is "google is your friend".
We are here to interact person to person (albeit electronically)....what an awful fate for humanity if we only ever talk to "the cloud".
Tom.

ChrisWV10 · January 18, 2015, 11:33:17 AM

NeMo has already touched on the fact that old questions can have new answers but don't forget that some people are simply not as familiar with techy stuff they may have tried searching but didn't get the specific answer they were looking for because their search parameter doesn't match or are unsure what to enter. They may be new to internet forums and don't even know there is a search facility.

Maybe the search returned a long forgotten thread they didn't want to resurrect or they don't understand the jargon.

If someone is fed up with answering the same question, don't respond at all! Go and look for it is not a helpful or friendly response imho and will deter future members who will view the forum as cliquey and elitist.

*group hug*

C.

PS perhaps as a start get rid of this smiley ....

MalcolmInN · January 18, 2015, 11:41:27 AM

Quote from: NeMo on January 18, 2015, 11:17:10 AM
Well said. The problem with "beginners" sections is that experienced forum members tend to avoid them. So you get beginners asking other beginners, which is fine in itself, but limits the range of answers they get.

Yes, that was my concern also, but it didnt happen like that in fact the reverse happened, 'old timers' took part with enthsiasm.
Paul didnt quote that bit of me

I would not have posted about it / suggested it / if it had gone that way obviously !

So, I am pleased to hear of the ethos of the forum.
Perhaps next time moderation can take place when a dismissive "go search" post is made and not when us newbies let off umbridge at it ! ? So that we are not left with the feeling "oh why did we bother" thus adding to the sound of silence (/Garfunkel)

Agrippa · January 18, 2015, 11:48:34 AM

I agree with quite a lot of the posts here,if someone asks what is the difference
between X & Y track or how do I do such and such it's not helpful if someone snaps
back see post from fred from 2009. Perhaps if the subject titles were expanded to FAQs
about track, power, rolling stock etc.

The point about the search facility is that if a newcomer wants to know about
DCC for example and enters that in the search there will be hundreds of posts some
merely stating something like "I don't like DCC" or " My mate has DCC".

PS I often talk to the cloud, especially after a few pints of Spitfire....

Sprintex · January 18, 2015, 11:48:59 AM

Quote from: Tom U on January 18, 2015, 11:31:36 AM
One response I have come to detest is "google is your friend".

I use this expression myself but never as a standalone comment. Usually it is posted as a link to a list of helpful Google results I have obtained by searching, which may prompt the user into further searching

Paul

Sprintex · January 18, 2015, 11:51:48 AM

Quote from: MalcolmAL on January 18, 2015, 11:41:27 AM
Perhaps next time moderation can take place when a dismissive "go search" post is made and not when us newbies let off umbridge at it ! ? So that we are not left with the feeling "oh why did we bother" thus adding to the sound of silence (/Garfunkel)

That of course depends if a Mod sees it at the time

We cannot read every post in every thread even between the lot of us, and there is always the 'Report to Moderator' button for anyone to use if they feel a post needs bringing to the attention of the team.

If such dismissive posts are made it's probably best to just ignore it and wait for a much more helpful reply to arrive, which it no doubt will sooner or later.

Paul