Forum etiquette

D

Dav the wheel nut

Veteran
 Somerset
When someone asks for advice or help on the forum I don't understand why people reply with 'use the search' or something similar.

I'm sure the majority of people asking are aware of the facility and have been unsuccessful in their search.

If the answer is so easy to find why not just post the link instead of stating the obvious.

It seems even more ridiculous when more than one person replies with the same statement :headbang:
This is not aimed at anyone in particular just a general observation. :|
 
i suppose for some members it must become tiresome answering the same old questions time after time

i often use the search facility without success
 
I disagree - the forum has been going for some years now, longer than I have been here.

This coupled with the 'limited' number of mods available, most if not every mod and 'problem' has been covered in great detail (except for the rarer E89) In some cases by people who have moved on and so their knowledge is only available in old threads.

I am not saying the admins should be more proactive, as managing duplicate posts would be unsustainable. However, I do think we should all use the search feature more and keep relevant information under a few, instead of many threads.

*TIP
Use the + symbol on searches as this will cut down results considerably



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Im only too happy to offer help or advice where possible to new, or existing members.
But when a subject is raised that has been done to death, they either dont know, or more likely too lazy to use the search function to find the relative information.
Do agree posting a link of a past thread is better than just saying "use the search function"
 
Zed_Steve said:
Im only too happy to offer help or advice where possible to new, or existing members.
But when a subject is raised that has been done to death, they either dont know, or more likely too lazy to use the search function to find the relative information.
Do agree posting a link of a past thread is better than just saying "use the search function"
Click to expand...

x2
 
As a 'newbie' to the forum (but not forums in general), first impressions do count. A polite "did you try using the search facility" or "try this link" works far better than an abrupt "use the search" - just in any walk of life, gentle coaching brings dividends, abrupt direction breeds discontent.

As my (and I'm sure, other) mothers say, "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything"
 
Imo the search function is s**t and if you don't have anything useful to post other than use the search page then don't post..simples. rant over!
 
doofus4000 said:
Imo the search function is s**t and if you don't have anything useful to post other than use the search page then don't post..simples. rant over!
Click to expand...

Its all about how you use it..

An Example which always pops up - Wipers that stop half way up the window from grease build up on the sensor

Now if I just put in wipers into the search box it will bring back over 68 pages with 938 posts :thumbsdown:

If I enter wipers + stop I get back 34 posts with the fix being post number 4 :thumbsup:
 
perhaps the mods could post a thread on how to get the best out of the search facility and make it sticky.
 
ranski said:
I disagree - the forum has been going for some years now, longer than I have been here.

This coupled with the 'limited' number of mods available, most if not every mod and 'problem' has been covered in great detail (except for the rarer E89) In some cases by people who have moved on and so their knowledge is only available in old threads.

I am not saying the admins should be more proactive, as managing duplicate posts would be unsustainable. However, I do think we should all use the search feature more and keep relevant information under a few, instead of many threads.

*TIP
Use the + symbol on searches as this will cut down results considerably



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I agree - not just for this forum but all forums on the tinternet
 
I remember my first posts on here, after my usual newbie posting, I errantly asked someone who had just posted that his roof motor failed what the symptoms of a failing motor were? to be met with a sarcastic answer from another long standing member that it 'doesn't go up or down'.
Then later in the thread to be 'bollocked' by him about not using the search function.
Firstly as a newbie, I didn't know what to do to search, and so I was asking someone who had just had the problem,
but the other member still had to but in with his unnecessary comments.

I just thought that is too often the attitude of some on here, and that also sadly sets this forum apart from some others.

All to often is posted "use the search" but frankly I have spent hours searching fruitlessly on here, for example, try searching for 'wind deflector' when the post you remember seeing was about a 'windbreak'.
Posting "use the search" is not helpful, but I think there are some people that just enjoy being able to write it.
 
I've never told anyone to use the search but I've thought it plenty of times. There are very few topics which haven't already been covered on here and they can be found pretty easily with a bit of patience. That said, a bit of tolerance has to be given and if I can find the information that someone's looking for easily then I'll always post a link.

I think what would assist is a more comprehenive list of stickies covering each of the most commonly asked subjects. The pulling together of all the disparate threads on one topic e.g. Intravee installation, CSL wheels, Eibach springs, non run flat tyres etc, into one thread for each subject with all the relevant information included and superfluous posts removed, would be a great idea IMO. It is, however, a lot of work for someone if they were prepared to take it on.
 
Most of us would usually direct the forum member to the thread in question but it is easy to understand the frustration of others sometimes.

Dav the wheel nut said:
I'm sure the majority of people asking are aware of the facility and have been unsuccessful in their search.
Click to expand...
Would have to disagree there, because although the forum search function isn't brilliant and doesn't deal with words of three letters or less, for the majority of the time it will come up with the answer - but there may be many threads to read through.

Presuming that the thread which prompted this one was the Eibach suspension one then searching for "eibach" in the ///M forum brings up 18 pages of results.

srhutch said:
perhaps the mods could post a thread on how to get the best out of the search facility and make it sticky.
Click to expand...
Good idea Steve :thumbsup:
 
Probably easier for people just to say they have tried a search without result - bowls out (hopefully) the lame and lazy :)
 
A guide on how to use search :thumbsup:

I use it, mostly successfully now, but it's taken a while. You need to use the + symbol as ranski says, and if you have no luck first time you simply need to play with the selections on the main search page, rather than just typing a term in the search box at the top. You can also change the way it displays - individual posts or by thread for example.

Agree that just posting 'use the search function' is unhelpful, and wouldn't do it myself (hope I haven't :? ) without some guidance of what to search for, and if I have time I'll have a bash at searching, especially if I've looked for the same thing for ages before. There are occasions when someone comes on with their first or low numbers of posts asking a question that's easy to find with a search... Which I am ashamed to say I'll ignore, unless I know the answer - that's just a bit lazy IMO, but perhaps I should leave more of my judgement at the door :D
 
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