How to help first-time posters

[MrKowz]

Again - just throwing out ideas, but what about being able to use the report-post button to help single out some posts that don't seem to be getting many replies due to poor information/format. That way a mod can take a cookie-cut explanation of "Tips on how to get more replies" and PM it to the person, reminding the poster that you "noticed that a recent posting did not get many replies, possibly because it lacked key information or logic."

I know that I tend to read messages sent to me through a PM from a user on whatever forums I am on rather than the "read this before posting" thread.

I can definitely see faults in this idea, but it might be a seed for more ideas

 

[JamesW]

Good idea MrKowz, but what stops a user spamming the button after waiting 2 minutes for a reply. I'm sure this would be rare, but I can see the mods getting rather pissed off with it!

 

[MrKowz]

Good idea MrKowz, but what stops a user spamming the button after waiting 2 minutes for a reply. I'm sure this would be rare, but I can see the mods getting rather pissed off with it!

It would be something that more regular posters would tend to do, i'd imagine. It wouldn't be explicitly pointed out to people, especially new users. Heck, how many times do you think a new user reports a post for it being duplicate?

 

[Jaafar Tribak]

I think posters are more likely to read the posting guidelines when they click the Submit Reply button.

A warning popup window (Just a couple of lines & maybe a link to the Posting guidelines- people can be too lazy ) that informs new posters about their slim chances of getting an answer if their question is not clear & logic and give them a chance to revise their question is more likely to get noticed and acted on.

Having a popup window appear each time a new question is posted can be annoying but this functionality could be eliminated after a number of posts ( ex: first 10 posts) by which time the new user should hopefully be educated.

 

[Joe4]

Again - just throwing out ideas, but what about being able to use the report-post button to help single out some posts that don't seem to be getting many replies due to poor information/format. That way a mod can take a cookie-cut explanation of "Tips on how to get more replies" and PM it to the person, reminding the poster that you "noticed that a recent posting did not get many replies, possibly because it lacked key information or logic."

Umm, you do realize that we Moderators do not get paid for this, it is a volunteer position, right?

Quite frankly, I think the volume would be so large, that it would become overwhelming. We would probably need a lot more Moderators (and some to replace the ones who burn out doing the same repititive tasks over and over again).

I often search out unanswered posts that require more information and post back asking the person for more information. I think anyone can do this (not just Moderators) if it appears to be on a topic that you think you may be able to help with.

 

[MrKowz]

Umm, you do realize that we Moderators do not get paid for this, it is a volunteer position, right?

I'd volunteer to give a helping hand

But as I said, tossing ideas out there... even if it is an unrealistic one.

 

[Joe4]

Yes, there's a fine line. We don't want to become an over-moderated forum, and we try very hard not to become this.

I see a common thread in a lot of these posts. A lot of them can be summed up by saying "how to you make someone do something that they do not want to do?" (whether that be reading something, using better titles, being more descriptive in posts, acknowledging acceptable solutions, etc). On top of that, how do you do it without badgering or harassing them?

If I had the answer to that, I would be a very rich man!

 

[MrKowz]

I see a common thread in a lot of these posts. A lot of them can be summed up by saying "how to you make someone do something that they do not want to do?" (whether that be reading something, using better titles, being more descriptive in posts, acknowledging acceptable solutions, etc). On top of that, how do you do it without badgering or harassing them?

If I had the answer to that, I would be a very rich man!

Candy... lots and lots of candy...

Or become a dictator... I don't reccomend that path though, because we all know what happens then.

 

[Colin Legg]

I totally understand the sentiment of the thread.

One of the great things about MrExcel is that it is pretty relaxed for a moderated forum. It's moderated enough to protect its members from unpleasantries but not so much that everyone has to watch their p's and q's. That sort of balance is extremely difficult to find but the current moderating team has it pretty much nailed and they should be commended for it. I think that many of the proposals on this thread would compromise that delicate balance. IMO there isn't a magic solution to getting people to write good posts from the outset: as Rory said, it comes with experience.

 

[MrKowz]

What about an Excel-Questions FAQ? I can't count how many "multiple criteria count/sum" questions I come across, or how many "delete rows that meet x criteria". Perhaps in there, we can provide scenario-like examples. That way we can kill two birds with one stone; reduce the number of redundant posts and also, for those who read it, provide decent examples that they can choose to follow (if they wish).

Also, in browsing the FORUM FAQ, I noticed that there is something there that we have been talking about this whole time...

Direct people to this link:

http://www.mrexcel.com/forum/faq.php?faq=mrexcel_faq#faq_faq_0102