Forum Shuffle

[ixl]

Hi Folks,
In response to some requests and suggestions, the forums will be shuffled some time during the day on Thursday, probably late morning EST. I may need to disable the forums for a few minutes to do this. If it appears that I need to do this, I will post a warning closer to the time that it happens.
I am hoping that you will like the changes. If anyone has any requests regarding the forums, now would be a good time to bring them up (especially, any comments related to the structure of the forums.)

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Charles M. Kozierok
Webslave, The PC Guide (http://www.PCGuide.com)
Comprehensive PC Reference, Troubleshooting, Optimization and Buyer's Guides...
Note: Please reply to my forum postings here on the forums. Thanks.

[This message has been edited by ixl (edited 02-28-2001).]

[spaceAlien]

Greets --

From my perspective, there are too many forums. I end up wandering around, I have not figured out a good way to navigate.

For example, a search on "modem" over the last five days results in 11 matches in 8 different forums.

There is a good search facility, but the I wish the active thread feature would work on the last 24 hours, rather than the current calendar day, I often visit in early AM, and items posted late PM previous day don't show up.

My suggestions:
* Reduce the number of forums
* Collapse the organizational structure down to a single tier instead of 2 tiers

You could try to do some kind of survey to try and decide what users wanted -- that would be a lot of work.

I agree that a Linux specific forum would be useful. Let's be honest, the vast majority of questions in are MS O/S based -- and for that there are 12 hardware and troubleshooting forums.

OK -- here's a list
* Buying and upgrading advice
* How does this work (merge How do I...)
* Application troubleshooting (Software troubleshooting)
* WinTel (MS/x86) troubleshooting (Merge rest of troubleshooting)
* Linux troubleshooting
* Certification
* PC World
* Administrivia (merge suggestion, after hours, testing)
* FAQ (Move off of forums?)

Feel free to criticize, disagree and rearrange.
Grins --

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ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US

[spaceAlien]

Apologies, this got posted twice -- first attempt gave response similar to following...


Internal Server Error
The server encountered an internal error or misconfiguration and was unable to complete your request.
Please contact the server administrator, ixl@pair.com and inform them of the time the error occurred, and anything you might have done that may have caused the error.

Premature end of script headers: /usr/www/users/ixl/cgi-bin/postings.cgi

[This message has been edited by spaceAlien (edited 02-28-2001).]

[tjaymadison]

Hi Charles,

Love that PC Guide! My only suggestion for the forums -- A BIG NOTE at the top of the first page: Please check the categories and their descriptions below. Posting to the appropriate area will get you a quicker response.

Thanks for all your hard work. This place is a true resource.

[bassman]

Hi Charles, I agree with the idea of a Linux section. Not to sure about combineing some of the existing sections. I prefer the more defined topics thus haveing less individual discussions to thumb thru to get to the item I am looking for.?? Along with TJAY's suggestion, I would like to see something asking poeple to please let us know if our ideas worked for them. Maybe within the "New Topic" form. I love this site and will do everything I can to support it. I start Vocational Rehab on March 12 and plan to tell everyone in the school about this site. (with your approval of course) Thanks for all the hard work.
Frank

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If your not living on the edge, your taking up to much space!

[ixl]

Some good ideas here folks -- thanks.
What does everyone else think about the number of forums? I was concerned when we did the expansion a few months ago, but it seems that combining or getting rid of forums will cause a great deal of confusion. Thoughts?

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Charles M. Kozierok
Webslave, The PC Guide (http://www.PCGuide.com)
Comprehensive PC Reference, Troubleshooting, Optimization and Buyer's Guides...
Note: Please reply to my forum postings here on the forums. Thanks.

[Paleo Pete]

Thoughts...OK,

Hardware-Combine them all. System Troubleshooting could probably do it, or just call it hardware troubleshooting, and that would cover Storage, Audio, Video, Periferals. The hardware section actually works fairly well as it is now though, so maybe "It ain't broke, don't fix it" applies...my opinion would be combine them. Leave Notebook as is. And of course leave Certification as is and the PC World, How Do I etc.

Software/Operating System is where the major changes are taking place to begin with, adding separate sections for different versions of Windows would bring the total number of forums back up to about the same, if the hardware section is combined... Software Troubleshooting can probably be dropped, and general problems with software would be handled according to OS. With the exception of ME over half the software problems will probably be with 3rd party applications rather than Windows itself anyway.

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Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines!
Note: Please post your questions on the forums, not in my email.

Computer Information Links (http://www.geocities.com/paleopete/)

[ixl]

Anyone else have any comments on this? Please speak up! http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif
Pete, do you really want to combine all the troubleshooting forums into one lump? Seems like it would create a *very* high-traffic forum and would be difficult to manage.
The software stuff I agree we need to do something on, and I have an idea that is gelling based in part on what you and I discussed earlier in the week.

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Charles M. Kozierok
Webslave, The PC Guide (http://www.PCGuide.com)
Comprehensive PC Reference, Troubleshooting, Optimization and Buyer's Guides...
Note: Please reply to my forum postings here on the forums. Thanks.

[4thandgoal]

I would love to see the FAQ forum updated on a regular basis with questions that appear most often. Maybe a top ten most asked questions updated weekly or bi-weekly.

[This message has been edited by 4thandgoal (edited 03-02-2001).]

[kenja]

At first, I thought Pete was kidding when he suggested combining all the hardware (except notebooks) into one forum. After thinking about it, I rather like the idea. It's often difficult to "pre-diagnose" a problem as to what subsystem is at fault (especially for a "newbie").

Software: Since there is going to be a Linux forum ( http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif ), I'd say divide WinNT/2000/XP from Win9x/ME/DOS. Mmm...I guess the goal is to reduce the number of forums, but it seems there could be one dedicated to applications. (Although that could lead to the quandry of whether to post in the "OS" or "Applications" forum. http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/rolleyes.gif )

I'd say lump these into a single forum: The PC World, How Does This Work..., How Do I..., Buy and Upgrading Advice. (This is the area where I've had the worst time finding threads.)

[tjaymadison]

Charles, you asked for more input -- here goes. Boy, I sure would NOT agree with combining everything under System Troubleshooting. There's a lot of stuff in there now that should be somewhere else. I'd make "Storage" more explicit -- maybe "Drives - Hard Disks, CD and DVD-ROM's". Then maybe "Video - Cards and Monitors". I'd take Sound out of the current Video category and put it with other hardware - Modems, Sound Cards, NIC's, Printers, etc. I really think System Troubleshooting is kind of turning into a catch-all, especially for newbies; they see that category and say "Well, I'm having trouble with my system, so ...". I'd like to see a section for "Motherboards, CPU & RAM", and then maybe an "I'm not sure what's causing this, but..." section. Although that might also become a bit of a dumping ground, I think the moderator's or administrator's job might be a little easier with a lot of the "should be in a different area" posts ending up here. One more thing -- I've become a big-time fan of the PC Guide, and I'd like to see more links in the moderator's responses that refer to the applicable Guide section. Many of the posts are already covered or answered there, so why re-invent the wheel? Could a link be put in the forum section title to take the user to the Guide's applicable area, or maybe a parenthetical note after the title (Click here to see what the PC Guide has to say)? If this isn't a good idea, then could something like it be put in the FAQ's? This section seems to be pretty empty and under-used now. If so, then I'd expand the FAQ to include hints about posting, a suggestion to visit a forum or two to get a feel for the questions and answers, a reminder about including other relevant info like OS version, etc., and a hint about the rewards and knowledge to be gained by searching the Guide and the forums before asking a question that has (probably) been answered already. If you think expanding the FAQ is a good idea, then maybe "How Can I" and "How Does it Work" could be moved there. Then a note on the first page to "See the FAQ for hints and tips get a quicker response to your questions".

My list

FAQ's (if expanded)
MB, CPU & RAM
Drives
Video Cards & Monitors
Other Hardware (and its HW-specific SW -- drivers, install programs, etc.)
"I'm not sure"

Windows
Specific Application Programs
Linux (Everything - SW & HW, dual-boot, etc)

You SAID speak up! Thanks for the opportunity. http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif

Added:

WOW!!! I just visited PC World, How Does It Work, and How Do I. Despite the "except troubleshooting" disclaimer, they are overrun with TS questions. This reinforces my opinion that the "theory stuff" would be better off in the FAQ, with links to the Guide. Suggestions/examples:

I want to find out HOW --
My monitor works link to Guide
My keyboard works link to Guide

I want to find out HOW TO --
Install a new video card link to Video Forum

I'm having trouble with --
My monitor resolution link to Video Forum
Sound in games link to Other Hardware Forum

Or something like that. http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/wink.gif http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif

[This message has been edited by tjaymadison (edited 03-02-2001).]

[Paleo Pete]

Keeping the How Do I and Buying and Upgrading cleaned out has been near impossible, How Do I especially has always been a catch all. Often I don't move a topic when by the time I get there the next morning I see several replies already, or sometimes don't really realize it until the next day. Some are also borderline, I often let those stay.

Putting some sort of link to the appropriate PC Guide section sounds like a nice idea on the surface, but do you have any idea how much time you're talking about having me spend searching through the topic list for a specific page for every post? I post links to the PC Guide quite often, as well as links I have stored in favorites, and things I search for occasionally. Due to time restraints I don't spend nearly as much time searching for info on any particular question as I did before, and to be realistic I don't really have to after learning from what I've looked up in the past. Unless some sort of link could be set up to run on automatic, that would keep me here most of the day.

The variety of problems that wind up in System Troubleshooting is half the reason for combining it. Since the hardware is an integral part of the system, many hardware related questions end up there, and often I can see no good reason to move them, since it very well could be an overall system problem, rather than something confined to a specific component. You have a conflict between your CD ROM and modem, do you go to Storage, Audio Video, or Periferals? Not a very likely scenario, but that's the basic idea.

Adding subsections to hardware I think would defeat the purpose, which is streamlining things, not adding more. At least that's what I would like to see...

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Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines!
Note: Please post your questions on the forums, not in my email.

Computer Information Links (http://www.geocities.com/paleopete/)

[mjc]

I think that tjay was thinking of a link in each section to that particular section of the guide. I think that that would be a good idea.

Something like this:Buying and Upgrading Advice PcGuide Buyer's Guide (http://www.pcguide.com/buy/index.htm)

Also combining some of the hardware sections may not be bad and I think breaking the OS section up a little bit may be very helpful.

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mjc
To ME or NOT to ME....

[sleddog]

* Announcements
* Buying & Upgrading Advice
* Certification
* The PC World - News & Views
* Understanding Computer Technology
* After Hours Club (Off Topic Conversations)
* FAQ (read-only)
* Computer Help:
-- Hardware Components
-- Windows 95/98 Systems
-- Windows ME Systems
-- Windows NT/2000 Systems
-- Linux Systems


[This message has been edited by sleddog (edited 03-07-2001).]

[Paleo Pete]

I like that. Very close to what I had in mind, and with names!



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Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines!
Note: Please post your questions on the forums, not in my email.

Computer Information Links (http://www.geocities.com/paleopete/)

[ixl]

Hi guys,
Still trying to figure this out. Don't seem to be any perfect options.
I see what you're after sleddog, and it's reasonable, but it will still probably result in lots of "lumped in" troubleshooting posts. My concern is that the subtopic headings you suggested are a bit vague, so it's hard to know where to post.
I don't really have a good solution right now. http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/frown.gif

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Charles M. Kozierok
Webslave, The PC Guide (http://www.PCGuide.com)
Comprehensive PC Reference, Troubleshooting, Optimization and Buyer's Guides...
Note: Please reply to my forum postings here on the forums. Thanks.

[sleddog]

Originally posted by ixl:
Hi guys,
Still trying to figure this out. Don't seem to be any perfect options.
I see what you're after sleddog, and it's reasonable, but it will still probably result in lots of "lumped in" troubleshooting posts. My concern is that the subtopic headings you suggested are a bit vague, so it's hard to know where to post.
I don't really have a good solution right now. http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/frown.gif


I think 'lumping in' is inevitable. Persons with limited technical experience easily recognize a problem but frequently cannot pinpoint (and hence classify) the source of the problem. One thing they *can* easily do is identify their operating system. Therefore one fairly effective way of classifying troubleshooting posts is by OS. The more specific the forum titles (e.g., Windows 98 Video Drivers) the more difficult it is (IMHO) to decide which forum is the appropriate one *when you're not sure what the problem is*.



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sleddog
[sleddog.f2s.com] (http://www.sleddog.f2s.com)

[Paleo Pete]

Minor change in sleddogg's subcategories:

Computer Help:
-- Hardware Components
-- Windows 95/98 Systems
-- Windows ME Systems
-- Windows NT/2000 Systems
-- Linux Systems

to


-- Hardware Troubleshooting (Where to put it?)
Software:
-- DOS/Win3.x (Should be in there somewhere)
-- Windows 95/98
-- Windows ME
-- Windows NT/2000
-- Linux

Much more specific, same basic groups, rearranged a bit.




------------------
Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines!
Note: Please post your questions on the forums, not in my email.

Computer Information Links (http://www.geocities.com/paleopete/)

[Technochic]

I know that "lumping in" will always happen (due to newbies and others that are just unfamiliar) because of the nature of this forum. I mean people are here because they want to learn stuff, right? http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif
Maybe, Pete, you might have an easier time moving topics if you create a space for people to put topics if they don't know where they belong? A general questions category or something. I know it's gotta be confusing as PCs are pretty integrated and when something goes wrong you don't know if it's one thing or another.
Also, I like the idea of linking to specific places in the PC Guide. I think that would make FAQs obsolete and allow Pete (and Charles) time to do other things. http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif

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When in doubt... reboot!