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I was thinking if its worth creating a flame free area for questions?
What a stupid question? Could you not google the answer? It’s been answered many time before! 😉
yes, precisely to avoid all of those comments
Will it be irony free also?
“Humor is everywhere in that there`s irony in just about anything a human does.” – Bill Nye
It wouldn’t work.
People post where they like even if there are existing threads covering exactly the same topic!
Heck over the weekend for some unknown reason someone asked a question in the chat thread that should have been posted on the main article that they had clearly read!
One of the advantages (ha) of the fora was to try and get people to post in topic based ones and then use existing threads within those fora where knowledge could be more easily seen and avoid repetitious threads.
What also needs to happen is some aggressive closing and merging of threads on the same topic
We’re also in the “silly season’ where there is increased travel by people who don’t follow travel and especially airline flying as an interest, and they get a sudden cancellation or stuck somewhere and don’t know what to do.
Or they are just starting out in frequent flying or credit cards useful for that, and ask a very basic question.
These 2 types of users seem to do a quick google, find Headforpoints, and post on the first random thread (luckily, often the Daily Chat). They don’t invest any time to look at how the site is organised. Where there is often now a huge body of knowledge and answers to the common questions already there for them. eg cards, flight cancellations, hotels.
Like everyone they’re short of time so they just google, go “splat!” with their question anywhere to hand, and move on. The overwhelming majority unlikely to return. As they don’t travel a lot and might not have a problem till next time next year. Some do stick, however. But this time of year it’s more the former not making the effort in the site and posting in a relevant category. Not sure if there’s a solution.
We’re also in the “silly season’ where there is increased travel by people who don’t follow travel and especially airline flying as an interest, and they get a sudden cancellation or stuck somewhere and don’t know what to do.
Or they are just starting out in frequent flying or credit cards useful for that, and ask a very basic question.
These 2 types of users seem to do a quick google, find Headforpoints, and post on the first random thread (luckily, often the Daily Chat). They don’t invest any time to look at how the site is organised. Where there is often now a huge body of knowledge and answers to the common questions already there for them. eg cards, flight cancellations, hotels.
Like everyone they’re short of time so they just google, go “splat!” with their question anywhere to hand, and move on. The overwhelming majority unlikely to return. As they don’t travel a lot and might not have a problem till next time next year. Some do stick, however. But this time of year it’s more the former not making the effort in the site and posting in a relevant category. Not sure if there’s a solution.
The problem is that if all of these small queries go into a daily small chat. By the next year there will be 365 threads and repetitive questions. Whereas a pinned chat flame free is one place albeit many pages but at least searchable. I used the search function the other day and it’s horrendous
I used the search function the other day and it’s horrendous
The search is hopeless, agreed. Commenters requesting that folks not ask repetitive questions need to be aware of this.
Yeah, the search here doesn’t work, though having run several forums for over a decade, I find that most people still don’t seem to use it. I cross referenced repetitively asked questions to search logs over a given period once, it was depressing!
I found a well structured, well signposted FAQ / Wiki really helped. Obviously not perfect, but did save a lot of chaff being asked. Also was search engine friendly. Took a lot of effort (and contributions) to get it up and running, but once I gamified it into forum points, it was soon regularly maintained. The other solution is to more pro-actively moderate posts and threads so they link/merge/close etc.
I like the idea of a flame free area but you’d be relying on people both bothering to use it and someone bothering to go in to answer stuff.
You don’t really need a search function but for people to have a quick look at the relevant airline or Flight disruption fora before posting .
Google search works better as an external search than as an internal search anyway. Plus Rob did say that he’d pretty much disabled the internal search as it slowed the site.
Would be great if search was fixed; alerts / notifications were sent when people quote you or reply to a thread you’ve posted on; more moderators were appointed etc etc – basically like any normal forum should be.
All of which should mean there is no need for ‘flame free’ threads and suchlike.- This reply was modified 55 years, 4 months ago by .
Apologies if it’s obvious to most, but what does “flame free” mean?
I’m actually with Rob on this one. I can’t remember the last time I used a site or forum’s internal search function for anything – why on earth would you want to use or build one when there’s a free one with a trillion times the resources you have already in existence that does the job better and faster than you ever can?
If I want to search HfP, for example, I just google “Headforpoints SUBJECT”. Works great, and searches both articles and forums for relevant content. To be honest, my suggestion to Rob is that HfP search button invites you to input like now, then just displays a frame with google search results for “Headforpoints INPUT”. Eliminates all need for further development but also stops it being bad like currently.
- This reply was modified 55 years, 4 months ago by .
Not a terrible idea.
I need to chat to IT Neil about search and potential upgrades. This bit of software is used on literally tens of thousands of sites so someone, somewhere should have knocked up a bit of code to do a better job than what comes out of the box.
We are considering a new full-time hire which would basically be ‘Community and Site Manager’ to oversee this corner, social media and a lot of back-end stuff that I do. I was slightly shocked the other week when my 14 year old came in for a day and turned out to be perfectly capable of doing some of the stuff I do back end, meaning that I am clearly wasting my time.
Apologies if it’s obvious to most, but what does “flame free” mean?
Where people don’t get abused for asking a question that’s been asked dozens of times before.
Apologies if it’s obvious to most, but what does “flame free” mean?
Not attacking the post author no matter how stupid or inflammatory the post is.
I was slightly shocked the other week when my 14 year old came in for a day and turned out to be perfectly capable of doing some of the stuff I do back end
Sounds like you’ve made your hire… or was she a brutal negotiator on the pay deal 🤣
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