FAQ Post Mod for OP's. - Vibrant General

So I spend soooo much time just like anyone else searching through the threads of posts such as the new 2.2 builds looking for answers. There should be a way to implement a post right under the OP's post referring to all the Questions and Answers throughout the entire thread. That way it makes it easier for users to get the answers, and you wont have a million post asking the same damn question. Any idea on how to implement something like this? A way users can manage it instead of the op since it would take forever for the op?

Something like what is on Slickdeals you mean? Would be nice I imagine, though I can't see anything like that ever being implemented, since it would take a lot of work on the forum.

dunno but interesting question

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Hi!
I was just wondering if anyone would like to point me and others in the direction of some other useful threads to check out that relate to our Hero. (Not Superman, he's still GSM only)
For example, I've wondered if any subforums other than Hero CDMA in the HTC Hero Forums here on XDA have any useful info or downloads that are relevant. Also, I've been wondering the same thing about the general Android forums here on XDA.
I keep a CDMA Hero bookmark button on top of Firefox, but does anyone have any good suggestions of other sites or subforums/threads that I can add along with it and check about as much as I check Facebook, Gmail and Plentyoffish? Hahaha
The thread list is up at the top.. Under search..
Have fun with it..
http://geekfor.me/
http://forum.androidcentral.com/htc-hero/
http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=519
these are my bookmarks on this install, i have a ton more on my other computer but can't remember them now, these are the ones i've used this week
There is plenty to read and learn both in the G2 section, and in the wider general Android forum. I highly recommend checking it out.
Haha, yeah, thanks. I was about to say thanks, ****, but I saw you're joking so it's cool.
Before anyone tries to use the old "google it" line on me, let me say, yeah - I've googled it before. I know several good sites to check out other than XDA, like android central and so on.
I'm just wondering what other people check religiously like I check this subforum.
I'm also mainly curious to know if there's even any point reading through stuff on in the GSM Hero subforums. It's so lame that we only get one lousy little subforum! There's bound to be a wealth of knowledge, downloads, etc. in the GSM subforums, but I just don't want to waste my time or learn harmful/useless things.
By the way, if I could soapbox for a minute (and this has nothing to do with the post above this one, lol), I've noticed a lot of rudeness in the CDMA Hero posts, and it's a shame.
Of course it gets annoying to see people begging for help with common issues that have been addressed a hundred times. No one denies that, but it's just something that will always be there. Unless there is a quiz on the basics of flashing ROMs and using a device before one can make posts on here, it's always going to happen. Getting annoyed with this is understandable.
However, I've noticed other types of threads posted, which while a bit annoying because we've seen the same thing over and over, really don't deserve the rudeness that they get. Who cares if there are 50 threads on here where people ask what other people prefer to use as a daily ROM, or what their home screen looks like? Does anyone lose any money or time over this? Is there a thread limit here? No. This is a community of people who have the same device and who all want to get the best out of their devices. If a thread is pointless, it will be buried quickly when no one posts in it, and the more popular threads will remain on the first page. A pointless thread will continue to stay on the first page though, when someone takes the time to make a rude post!
Anyway, sorry to rant on and on about it, but it would really be great to see the CDMA Hero community work together a little better and be a little less anal. This is probably the number one site that people with our phone check to learn more and update and generally get more out of the Hero experience. Instead of scaring people away from making new threads and posts to ask people what they like and why they like it, we should really try to encourage this. The more we all come together and explore things together (regardless of how repetitive and in some opinions possibly even trivial some of these things may be), the more we grow as a whole, and I am sure that this kind of atmosphere will encourage more people to make more and more interesting contributions.
The beauty of Android and of XDA Developers Forums is that they were both created with the goal of people coming together and developing, creating, tweaking, designing, and discussing. Before the Hero, I was permanently glued to a Dell Axim x51v, and between these forums and HTCGeeks, and a friendly and open community of users and developers, we've taken the device FAR beyond anything that anyone could have dreamed it could get to when it was made, what, 5 years ago?
thedudejdog said:
http://geekfor.me/
http://forum.androidcentral.com/htc-hero/
http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=519
these are my bookmarks on this install, i have a ton more on my other computer but can't remember them now, these are the ones i've used this week
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Thanks a lot, I'm going to add these into a "Hero" bookmarks folder!
tejasrichard said:
There is plenty to read and learn both in the G2 section, and in the wider general Android forum. I highly recommend checking it out.
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Thanks for the info!
GSM Hero Themes/Apps Thread
Curious - is this thread useful at all to us, or will any themes and apps be useless since we're CDMA?
I already know (I think) that GSM themes won't work because they're probably designed for GSM ROMs, so all kinds of things won't be compatible. (Like trying to use a 1.5 theme on a 2.1 ROM)
Are things like widgets and clocks ROM and/or device specific? I'm on a widget hunt.
I'm new to using Helix and I'd love to find some widgets that compare to the awesome Sense widgets, particularly Sense's beautiful Messaging, Mail, Music, and Friendstream widgets.
raynda said:
However, I've noticed other types of threads posted, which while a bit annoying because we've seen the same thing over and over, really don't deserve the rudeness that they get. Who cares if there are 50 threads on here where people ask what other people prefer to use as a daily ROM, or what their home screen looks like? Does anyone lose any money or time over this? Is there a thread limit here? No. This is a community of people who have the same device and who all want to get the best out of their devices. If a thread is pointless, it will be buried quickly when no one posts in it, and the more popular threads will remain on the first page. A pointless thread will continue to stay on the first page though, when someone takes the time to make a rude post!
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It's not that we care that there is a hundred threads that say the same thing, its that if there are 100 threads of the same topic, it in effect, makes our forum usage a terror, because navigation is almost doomed from the beginning in that situation..
And it is not going to be something that is always there, because with mods actually modding these threads on other forums that I frequent daily, *they are virtually non-existant...
For the "noob" users, they cannot find these answers efficiently because the forum is blasted with the same thing over and over... With different answers in each thread..
The only way to make the "noob's" life easier, is to format the forum in a efficient and knowledge ready way...
Which by letting noob's overrun your forum, is not possible... We are hateful because you are feeding an endless chain of questions, when it could be handled in a much more effective way, if it wasn't for people flaming people who are actually looking out for the forum....
raynda said:
By the way, if I could soapbox for a minute (and this has nothing to do with the post above this one, lol), I've noticed a lot of rudeness in the CDMA Hero posts, and it's a shame.
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Yeah, it's kinda bad here... It's like that on pretty much any technical forum, but things are really over the top on this one.
It's to the point now that when I do have a question I feel like I need to devote one short paragraph to asking the question, then tack on 5 more long paragraphs explaining that I already DID search, came up empty handed, searched again, explain which keywords I searched on, etc....
Surely there's a happy medium that can be found...
azyouthinkeyeiz said:
We are hateful because you are feeding an endless chain of questions, when it could be handled in a much more effective way, if it wasn't for people flaming people who are actually looking out for the forum....
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Hey, I'm not trying to come off defensive to you in this reply because I appreciate your posts on here, but are you saying that I personally am feeding an endless chain of questions?
Also, maybe I'm wrong, but I think that the problem may be in people looking out for the forum too much, when the point of this whole XDA Developers Forum thing should be to look out for the fellow user. Like I said though, I may be wrong.
And I don't mean that it's perfectly cool to have hundreds of the same thread in here, I agree that is useless clutter. I just think that some threads that get posted do have potential for the good of the community, but they get squashed quickly by posters with bad attitudes, and then the OP in that thread and others who have the same thoughts and questions become too embarrassed or insulted/offended to post again. When that happens, someone who may have eventually provided something amazing to the community will either never get to that point, or will get there and just won't post it here because of the bad experience.
I'm sure that there are all kinds of amazing things that people have tweaked, developed, designed, and created, but they're never going to be publicly released for one reason or another. Let's not let the reason be that they were treated like they were stupid when they were finding their way on these forums.
subliminalurge said:
Yeah, it's kinda bad here... It's like that on pretty much any technical forum, but things are really over the top on this one.
It's to the point now that when I do have a question I feel like I need to devote one short paragraph to asking the question, then tack on 5 more long paragraphs explaining that I already DID search, came up empty handed, searched again, explain which keywords I searched on, etc....
Surely there's a happy medium that can be found...
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That's exactly what I'm talking about. People will get to the point that they just won't post anything when they have an idea or a question because there's no happy medium. And the worse it gets, the less progress we make as a whole.
raynda said:
Hey, I'm not trying to come off defensive to you in this reply because I appreciate your posts on here, but are you saying that I personally am feeding an endless chain of questions?
Also, maybe I'm wrong, but I think that the problem may be in people looking out for the forum too much, when the point of this whole XDA Developers Forum thing should be to look out for the fellow user. Like I said though, I may be wrong.
And I don't mean that it's perfectly cool to have hundreds of the same thread in here, I agree that is useless clutter. I just think that some threads that get posted do have potential for the good of the community, but they get squashed quickly by posters with bad attitudes, and then the OP in that thread and others who have the same thoughts and questions become too embarrassed or insulted/offended to post again. When that happens, someone who may have eventually provided something amazing to the community will either never get to that point, or will get there and just won't post it here because of the bad experience.
I'm sure that there are all kinds of amazing things that people have tweaked, developed, designed, and created, but they're never going to be publicly released for one reason or another. Let's not let the reason be that they were treated like they were stupid when they were finding their way on these forums.
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No not you specifically. Sorry that was an analogous "you".. And I totally agree.. But 95% of the ones get shot down immediately, deserve it, even though you might not think so, from the people with answers, you will know almost immediately if it merits further investigation. Wishful-thinking and impossible sometimes walk a very narrow line. Developers and end-users have entirely different mindsets.. That's never going to change.. But the end-users should have a more thorough understanding of what it is we do for you and *developers should be more compassionate "for the most part (there are alot of caring devs)..
Where this sub-forum was destroyed, was giving it sub-forum status and not its own separate forum, like every other HTC device.. Then, we would get a development sub-forum, themes forum, etc. The development is different than the GSM Hero, so why doesn't it deserve its own?
You will see, that with honest concerns and problems, I will go to the end of the world for you...
But, if you want something from me, (effort to help you) you must at least show some sort of effort to solve the issue, besides "NEW TOPIC< IS MY PHONE BRICKED?"
azyouthinkeyeiz said:
You will see, that with honest concerns and problems, I will go to the end of the world for you...
But, if you want something from me, (effort to help you) you must at least show some sort of effort to solve the issue, besides "NEW TOPIC< IS MY PHONE BRICKED?"
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I can definitely see your point.
But this is where the happy medium needs to be found. I know I'm the exception rather than the rule on this point, but by the time I post asking for help, it's safe to say I've spent at least one day each both trying to figure out an answer on my own (and I'm fairly capable), and searching this forum, other forums, and google to see if anyone else has had and solved the same problem.
That's effort that isn't seen, but it's extremely frustrating to feel obligated to explain it all in detail in exchange for the privilege of asking a question.
Now, don't take this post the wrong way. There's absolutely nothing wrong with expecting people to do a little digging on their own before they come crying for help.
I just think this forum (as a whole, not you specifically) has gone a bit over the top with how much "proof" of that digging is required before someone can feel comfortable asking their question.
(And I'm not really even complaining, just offering my observations on a topic that was already brought up for discussion....)
I get very sarcastic... But only because I think sarcasm is funny...
And you really don't have to explain it yourself *in every post.. Because most of us with a thorough background, can tell how much effort you put in, just by your question... (edit* Yourself is again analogous, not you)
For Example, the 2.1 thread this morning...
I opened it up, thinking to myself "Not again"...
But when I read and see that it was actually about A2DP, mindset about the thread changes, and I go into help mode... That invoked thought and development just from that post..
Now if I had opened it up, and it was a brand new "Can I change back to a rooted rom after the OTA update" question... I would have went into sarcasm mode... And I don't want to help that guy be lazy.. Why should we give him the benefit of spouting off verbatim what has been answered 1000 times before, just because he can't take the 20 mins to peruse over a couple threads??
I am all about the education of every single member of this forum, into all of the ways of Android... But its like what my papaw used to tell me, "You get what you put in."
And to ray...
Download GMOB chat, from the market...
Go to the rooted users chat, and there is usually alot of good info there, you just have to sort of wade through some of it, since you only get to see like the 50 most recent posts.. So it takes a little more effort to find anything... Also the apps room is pretty cool...
I have found technorati.com is getting alot better...
androidfreeware.com is good for apps.
OK, now to take the completely opposite side....
I was just reading another topic and in 5 minutes I saw 3 different questions posted that had been answered ON THAT SAME PAGE!!!
The proper profanity has not yet been invented to describe people like that.
See subliminal...
It's not that I don't wanna see those questions asked, I just want people to understand the nature of a forum, and alot* here do not...
If people read, before they start looking for answers, we would be alot better..
The issue is, that all of these people look to have a very limited understanding of Android, and just want a phone to use.. And this is not the forum for those.. Android-central, sprintusers.com, etc are more appropriate..
This forum is for development, not for chatting about the evo, or why your 1.5 is better than 2.1.. or how android is the iphone killer..
This forum is to bring ideas to our platform, and to build upon them... And to release mods and hacks..
Not for people to rant about how sprint sucks, and I want a nexus one..
Or to rant about how developers are stealing our donations....
It is to make our phone better, and with people feeding this nonsense, we are hindering the forum from where it should be...
azyouthinkeyeiz said:
Not for people to rant about how sprint sucks, and I want a nexus one..
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But what if Sprint sucks, the Nexus One is a POS...
AND....
Why can't I get a Nexus One on Sprint?
(I really do understand both sides of the issue. I just kinda agree that some on this forum are a bit quick on the draw with the "Use the search you ****in' noob!" gun....)
azyouthinkeyeiz said:
And to ray...
Download GMOB chat, from the market...
Go to the rooted users chat, and there is usually alot of good info there, you just have to sort of wade through some of it, since you only get to see like the 50 most recent posts.. So it takes a little more effort to find anything... Also the apps room is pretty cool...
I have found technorati.com is getting alot better...
androidfreeware.com is good for apps.
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Hey thanks, I'll check that out! By the way, after thinking about it today and catching up on this thread's replies, I think we're thinking on the same page.
It would be handy, I think, if we could get some extremely well written and dummy-proof How-To's stickied for the main page. I know there is already a sticky wicky for guides, but I remember still being a bit lost even having read them when I was new to the Hero. I wrote some extremely detailed step by step how-to's for the x51v over at htcgeeks, and though it might be my own vanity speaking, I think that it slowed down the constant repetitive questions. I'd volunteer to help out with this if we could get some Mod help to reorganize the stickies. I think we should have individual ones for...
- How To Setup an SD Card for A2SD
- How To Install Recovery and How To Use It (Nandroids, what they are, wipes, which ones to use for what, Fix UID's explanation, etc.)
- How To Flash a Custom ROM
- How To Flash a Custom Theme
- Troubleshooting PC Sync Issues
- How To Setup and Use ADB Shell with a list of ADB functions
I know we have this stuff now, but I remember it took a while to find all the info I needed to learn all these things when I was new to the Hero, and the current Guides sticky wasn't as helpful as it could have been. And I'm a pretty resourceful and intelligent guy who can search, read, and follow instructions! (Or at least I like to think so, lol)
Oh, and to make a preventative strike against hundreds of future bug reports on new ROMs, giant bold text on every page of every thread that says "WIPE DATA, DALVIK CACHE, AND SD EXT BEFORE FLASHING A DIFFERENT ROM!!!

Post minimum before posting new topic in development forum

There definitely needs to be at least a 20 post limit before making a new topic in the dev forum. I have seen many useless threads about issues that dont really exist and questions that should be in the Q&A section by people with 1-3 posts. I doubt anyone below 20 posts is going to contribute anything useful(hell i say 100, but im being nice) to the dev section, and even if they do, who is going to trust flashing something from a new user? Posting in currently open threads should not be limited, just creating new topics. Any opposed?
I think the developer section should be read only unless you're approved.
Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk
Coming from a guy with less than 20 posts I agree. I don't post a lot as you can tell but when I want to look to see if there is anything new out on the development side I get tired of seeing useless post that should be here or in Q&A. I think a post requirement would lower the useless threads
Sent via the Sprint HTC EVO
same here.
deleted because I didn't read the title properly.
I agree
10 char
Just look at how better organized the dev section is for the nexus. Im not saying they shouldnt be able to post at all, just not create new topics.
Nexus dev forum: http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=559
I disagree, I think that posting a new topic in the development forum should be restricted somehow. Maybe by invite that is easy to apply for and easier to lose. If it were restricted by post count, we could be alienating new devs from other sites or phones. I think that topic starters in the development forum should be able to lock out non-developers from commenting if they want also. Its very frustrating to me (not a developer) when I am trying to read a development thread and its full of people making dumb comments or 300 posts thanking the developer while I'm trying to read the thread for something useful.
k2snowboards88 said:
I disagree, I think that posting a new topic in the development forum should be restricted somehow. Maybe by invite that is easy to apply for and easier to lose. If it were restricted by post count, we could be alienating new devs from other sites or phones.
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Valid point...
Sent via the Sprint HTC EVO
k2snowboards88 said:
I disagree, I think that posting a new topic in the development forum should be restricted somehow. Maybe by invite that is easy to apply for and easier to lose. If it were restricted by post count, we could be alienating new devs from other sites or phones. I think that topic starters in the development forum should be able to lock out non-developers from commenting if they want also. Its very frustrating to me (not a developer) when I am trying to read a development thread and its full of people making dumb comments or 300 posts thanking the developer while I'm trying to read the thread for something useful.
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Its all about trying to get your post count higher in order to make yourself look good.haha.......
I do agree on some kind of restriction, but how is one supose to get a post count of 20 if you cant post.
lostinroot:) said:
Its all about trying to get your post count higher in order to make yourself look good.haha.......
I do agree on some kind of restriction, but how is one supose to get a post count of 20 if you cant post.
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Thing is, the board is able to do builtin post minimum blocking i believe. It cant do the other fancy application things and what not.
And you can always post everywhere else.
k2snowboards88 said:
If it were restricted by post count, we could be alienating new devs from other sites or phones.
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I really agree with this. There are plenty of people with good ideas who only bother to register when they have something interesting to share.
It might also be worthwhile to create a few sub-forums under the development forum. For example: one for ROMs, one for known fixes and one for fixes under development.
Richard
Mast3rpyr0 said:
And you can always post everywhere else.
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So are you suggesting that a new member with a worthwhile development idea should post in the General forum?
donatom3 said:
I think the developer section should be read only unless you're approved.
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I agree under one condition... If I'm approved.
I agree.
I would also suggest that there be a panel established for "Jr. Members" to prove themselves worthy of posting in the dev section. That would enable devs new to the forum to have a voice and post worthwhile thoughts. The rest of us can just sit back and read!
ramiss said:
So are you suggesting that a new member with a worthwhile development idea should post in the General forum?
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I mean if you want to flash something made by someone with 2 posts then go head, but i most certainly will not. 20 posts was not hard at all, even without just posting crap. All you gotta do is find a few threads your interested in and post a few things in them and you got em.
k2snowboards88 said:
I disagree, I think that posting a new topic in the development forum should be restricted somehow. Maybe by invite that is easy to apply for and easier to lose. If it were restricted by post count, we could be alienating new devs from other sites or phones. I think that topic starters in the development forum should be able to lock out non-developers from commenting if they want also. Its very frustrating to me (not a developer) when I am trying to read a development thread and its full of people making dumb comments or 300 posts thanking the developer while I'm trying to read the thread for something useful.
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i agree the op should have mini admin powers to basically lock out people who are offering no help or productivity to the thread. of course it has to be approved by a real admin, you know like if i started a development thread and someone posted something stupid i could flag that user and ask an admin to basically make it so i have to approve their posts...it wouldn't create more work for admins it would make more work for the original poster, BUT if the original poster felt that these people are actually doing a disservice to their thread then i would imagine they would put in the time to edit out the dumb posts.
Mast3rpyr0 said:
I mean if you want to flash something made by someone with 2 posts then go head, but i most certainly will not. 20 posts was not hard at all, even without just posting crap. All you gotta do is find a few threads your interested in and post a few things in them and you got em.
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As you said, 20 posts is not hard to reach... yet that somehow would qualify a poster to then be able to post in the Dev area??? Fuzzy logic there. I don't think post count should matter one way or another, it's just another way to discriminate against people for no reason. What says that the more posts you have, the more important your contributions to the community? Nothing.
I do agree that I most likely would not flash a rom that was posted up by a new member, unless I really just wanted to test and had nothing to lose. Many people here have more than one device and can flash without worrying about interrupting their phone service.
Bottom line, someone could have 500 posts, with nothing real to contribue inside of those posts, and later, post a lame rom that isn't worth the time it takes to flash it. Whereas, another user could only have 1 post to say hello, and be very savvy in the dev arena, who happens to post up a kickass rom that everyone wants. Post count shouldn't be a determining factor.
Jye75 said:
As you said, 20 posts is not hard to reach... yet that somehow would qualify a poster to then be able to post in the Dev area??? Fuzzy logic there. I don't think post count should matter one way or another, it's just another way to discriminate against people for no reason. What says that the more posts you have, the more important your contributions to the community? Nothing.
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Not true.
The implication is that since you have more posts, (200 +, IMO), one should be familiar with what questions to ask, the manner in which to ask them, and be able to understand the answer given. That said; I know there *some* people with high post counts that may not be as "technical" or knowledgeable, though there input is just as valid as anyone else's (if you really don't want to discriminate). Conversely, I've seen people with 20 posts who have made great contributions as well, technical or not.
In regards to this thread, I think the way XDA does its moderation is fine. Though it would be nice to have have restrictions on new users, one of the major reasons why we shouldn't is because, you can't gauge a new user's level of skill/knowledge via there post count, but rather what they contribute.
Sure the majority of new users may not know anything about Android or be technical, but often, when a new phone comes out (like the EVO) there have been "new users" who come from other Android forums (SDX, AC, PPG, etc) and contribute right off the bat (first post even -- e.g. Calkulin, Joeykrim, etc) because they were top developers in there respective previous forums; however not many people would know that and right away asssume that there initial posts may not be as credible as someone with 200+ posts. My point is gauging the level of "knowledge, technical skill, etc" based on ones post count isn't really reliable, rather people should focus there attention on what the OP's has to say about the topic at hand and his/her contributions overall.
I see no reason to limit new users, especially with a forum such as this one, where a new users curiosity is thriving to get answers and ask questions because they want to see what his/her new Android phone is capable of. We were all in the same boat at one point, we probably Googled "How to root the "X" and XDA was the first on the list, thus the reason for us being here now.
Open Source means contribution by whomever (technical user or non-technical user) it shouldn't matter. Whatever can better this community to allow each individual to get the best experience out of his/her device, is what the aim should be. Ultimately however, it would be nice if the person who has received something also contribute back to the community in some way or another, creating an endless cycle of new and ever changing questions, answers, ideas, and contributions for us all.
pseudoremora said:
Not true.
Really? Your post contradicts you.
The implication is that since you have more posts, (200 +, IMO), one should be familiar with what questions to ask, the manner in which to ask them, and be able to understand the answer given. That said; I know there *some* people with high post counts that may not be as "technical" or knowledgeable, though there input is just as valid as anyone else's (if you really don't want to discriminate). Conversely, I've seen people with 20 posts who have made great contributions as well, technical or not.
In regards to this thread, I think the way XDA does its moderation is fine. Though it would be nice to have have restrictions on new users, one of the major reasons why we shouldn't is because, you can't gauge a new user's level of skill/knowledge via there post count, but rather what they contribute.
Sure the majority of new users may not know anything about Android or be technical, but often, when a new phone comes out (like the EVO) there have been "new users" who come from other Android forums (SDX, AC, PPG, etc) and contribute right off the bat (first post even -- e.g. Calkulin, Joeykrim, etc) because they were top developers in there respective previous forums; however not many people would know that and right away asssume that there initial posts may not be as credible as someone with 200+ posts. My point is gauging the level of "knowledge, technical skill, etc" based on ones post count isn't really reliable, rather people should focus there attention on what the OP's has to say about the topic at hand and his/her contributions overall.
I see no reason to limit new users, especially with a forum such as this one, where a new users curiosity is thriving to get answers and ask questions because they want to see what his/her new Android phone is capable of. We were all in the same boat at one point, we probably Googled "How to root the "X" and XDA was the first on the list, thus the reason for us being here now.
Open Source means contribution by whomever (technical user or non-technical user) it shouldn't matter. Whatever can better this community to allow each individual to get the best experience out of his/her device, is what the aim should be. Ultimately however, it would be nice if the person who has received something also contribute back to the community in some way or another, creating an endless cycle of new and ever changing questions, answers, ideas, and contributions for us all.
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Yes, one would HOPE that this implication holds true, however, since it's not a guaranteed truth, it doesn't stand to reason that post count should be the qualifying factor in deciding if one could post or not. As far as the rest of your post goes, you and I are on the same page.

Suggestions for cleaning up and moderating the Forums

1. A FAQ listed on each section. I know we have Wiki, but its usually outdated and hard to navigate. There really is no need for gigantic lists, but simple things like how to root, use odin, use clockwork, install roms/themes, etc... can be put there along with a warning on asking questions which have already been posted on the FAQ.
2. More Mods! I think just one or two more mods can help the forums a lot and clean things up.
3. Warnings for people who post questions that have already been answered on the front page of a thread or faq followed by a temp ban if they continue.
I'm really tired of the cycle of
- Dumb question posted
- Followed by "read the damn thread or use the damn search button"
- Followed by "Hey you were a noob once and theres no harm in answering the question you ass along with lengthy answer on the question that will inevitable be asked 10 more times in the near future"
- Continue flame war that now has nothing to do with the thread anymore
You enable people by holding their hands. Don't be an enabler. If you managed to find out how to do all this crap on your own, they can too. At most you should point them to the right thread and let them read up on it on their own so they can further their own education.
4. Don't PM the Devs for requests. They have enough work on their hands and don't need to be flooded. Remember the rule of think before you speak? Try thinking before you PM.
Anyhoo, there was a bunch more, but I'm sure you guys/gals have other ideas.
riceknight said:
1. A FAQ listed on each section. I know we have Wiki, but its usually outdated and hard to navigate. There really is no need for gigantic lists, but simple things like how to root, use odin, use clockwork, install roms/themes, etc... can be put there along with a warning on asking questions which have already been posted on the FAQ.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't understand why the "[How To] Return to Stock / Fix Bricked Epic" thread is not sticked.
If someone posts they bricked their phone and needs help you post the link to that thread and lock it.
I like the sentiment of this thread but fear it might be taken the wrong way. Whosdaman is really a wonderful guy and has been very helpful to me but it seems like he is very busy (and who can blame him for dealing with things outside of the interwebs?) so I support this I would also like to issue a blanket "Thank you for your hard work" to Whosdaman.
Seeing as this is a collection of developers I don't see why we don't customize the forum itself.
I don't see any reason we can't flag the development and Q/A threads for every phone. Then, if "is this a question" is set to yes, automatically put it in that phone's Q/A forum. On top of which we could add a "You are posting in the development forum, this is reserved for people developing for [insert phone]. Please check the box below to confirm that you are developing something you wish to share." anytime people posted in the development forum.
Obviously people can still screw it up, if nothing else on purpose, but we can expect people who have never been on the forums to know how the forums are laid out, usually by reading the rules, which never happens, to sort their own, or we can make it as self sorting as possible.
Sounds like whosedaman just needs some support. Perhaps another mod added to help out. We all have to keep in mind that these guys don't get paid for this and real life always trumps forums life. Just my thought on this.
Sent from my Epic while i should be working
I was wondering why there was so much confusion in this forum, as I really liked the forums I used for the month I had a Moment before the Epic dropped. Was there ever a forum on here for the moment??? I couldnt find one, so I checked sdx, which I remember lurking back then and found my answer. Why can't Xda have 'child forums', with descriptions of where and why to post things?? They have a 'market' forum section for ROMs, etc, which we here are using development exclusively. I understand why, but it seems its this way here because of limited tools for organizing, can this sites software not do that? It is completely logical and intuitive to post questions directly regarding development or roms in the development section if you are new... I would have expected a sub-forum for roms only, or at least some direction other than after the fact... usually unless its horribly out of order, whosdaman is pretty polite about it, and given the feelings regarding this device, things get silly in here. Anyways, yes, at least sticky all roms and things 'coolguy' or whatever dont warrant flaming, and then politely notify the new people that questions regarding development actually get booted over to general, where intuitively people would assume GENERAL questions like 'do you like gmail or the stock app better?'.
More mods? Better structure? Who has control over this? Are there any experienced volunteers that can help whosdaman out with his daunting task?
We need to expect more 'joined in Dec 2010' and later members as every idiot with a blog and engadget included seem to think this site and forum are the authority, even over Sprint and Samsung (if XDA says 2.2 is dropping, it must be true, head over there and complain about it). NOTHING against new members, just that there is little direction other than the 'rules' that most people think are just 'dont flame, no kiddie porn... etc...' Dont get all elitist because people couldnt figure out your simple, non-intuitive structure because its their first 5 mins here.
Love this forum, but its like people are baited into getting flamed by assuming this forum runs like most any other... I thought I saw the end of this when I refused to go to another BBC chat... guess not.
If you feel that you must deputize yourself, please, copy the link to the wiki, rules, etc and paste them in misplaced, repeat threads and leave it at that.
since this is a fluff post, BigJim, whats the 1488 stand for??? Just curious...
ungovernable1977 said:
since this is a fluff post, BigJim, whats the 1488 stand for??? Just curious...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pardon? I'm not sure I understand what you mean by 'a fluff post'. I sincerely hope Whosdaman reads this thread and takes into account that there are some of us who would genuinely like to help him make our forums a more manageable place to browse and share ideas/roms/themes/etc. I am in no way asking for myself to be made a mod but rather I believe there are people here who would make good mods and I hope that WDM sees that we support him and want to help him make our community more accessible!
I'm willing to be a mod here I have experience and would know and how to handle things here...
Admins or mods pm me
sent from my Epic 4G
riceknight said:
1. A FAQ listed on each section. I know we have Wiki, but its usually outdated and hard to navigate. There really is no need for gigantic lists, but simple things like how to root, use odin, use clockwork, install roms/themes, etc... can be put there along with a warning on asking questions which have already been posted on the FAQ.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you do a search before posting this? There's already a thread on it, learn how to use the search.
Ok, that was my attempt at humor
ungovernable1977 said:
since this is a fluff post, BigJim, whats the 1488 stand for??? Just curious...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think this is fluff at all and whosdaman does deserve to be thanked for his, well, thankless work.
1488 is a race thing. They usually won't tell you what the ideology of it is in public. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourteen_Words
Although I don't agree with the sentiment of the belief structure, I support their right to peacefully observe their beliefs.
Yeah I know that meaning its generally a tattooed target, was just hoping it was just some retarded interweb speak. Sorry to hear. Almost forgot what it was though... not many Boneheads around here, not anymore.
BTW, I respect Lady Gaga's work, although I dont like it, therefore I see no reason to put it in my username.... its ok, you have a right to be a Nazi in this country...
Regrettably, I do read almost every thread in this forum, and forums I maintain...
<--------- Look here, I have 8 forums to maintain full time, but 6 are dead lol
Yeah I do have a life outside this for sure. Not only am I a senior in High School, I am on the Mock Trial team, the Robotics Team, a Sales Representative for Sprint, and a Writer for BriefMobile.com
So yeah I would say I'm busy, but I look over the entire forum as much as I can. Shep211 has been extremely busy in his personal life, that's why I started helping.
It is a thankless job, it's a volunteer job. All free, I don't get paid. The only thanks comes from the owner of the site when I say "if you fix this the site will be better."
Besides all that I can single handedly control this entire forum. I know it sometimes looks cluttered and in a mess, but then again...the Development section is spotless, which is truely the only thing that matters. The General section is meant to be a mess because it's where everyone posts their questions and complaints.
There are applications to become a moderator here on XDA, you have to meet certain requirements to be considered and then be approved. No one of this forum knows my experience as a moderator unless you used GameBattles.com for PS3.
If you want to help me out the most, please please please, use the "Report Post" feature. Every reported post goes straight to my inbox, and I see every single one. Normally RP's get extra attention as they obviously have bothered someone enough to have it reported. 90% of the RP's are either Ghost or Kenvan.
The search feature would do alot of people good, it's nice to tell people to do something, but Report the post/thread and I'll take care of it. You clutter up the forum and threads by posting in threads saying to post in General, just report it. That's all.
Sure, I wish everyone searched because there are at least 5 can't root threads. I would rather merge them all but it too much work to find them. Like I said, let the noobs make their mistake. The members report the post, don't tell them they were wrong. I'll move it, shoot them a PM, and then post in their thread telling them where they should have posted. Then hopefully they will learn.
Thanks again,
WDM
kenvan19 said:
Pardon? I'm not sure I understand what you mean by 'a fluff post'. I sincerely hope Whosdaman reads this thread and takes into account that there are some of us who would genuinely like to help him make our forums a more manageable place to browse and share ideas/roms/themes/etc. I am in no way asking for myself to be made a mod but rather I believe there are people here who would make good mods and I hope that WDM sees that we support him and want to help him make our community more accessible!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, fluff may have been a wrong choice of words, I was implying that as this has been talked about before, and ignored by the powers that be, I saw it was going to end up an off topic post eventually, or at least until the elitist post Nazis (no offense bigjim) came in and said how we are cluttering their precious first page of posts, because as most have trouble with the AMAZING search function, a lot here have a lot of trouble with 'next page', you dont even have to pick which page, it takes you right to the next one!
Sorry, this is just getting really retarded around here, oh and BigJim,apologies, last comment on your beliefs, if off topic, but being an anarcho-punk, its hard not to at least ask if that is REALLY what you are talking about.
hehe *blush* I've tried to resort to reporting posts lately as opposed to trying to deal with problems on my own. Hope its not too much of a burden.
THANK YOU whosdaman! that is a very simple way to deal with the clutter issue... didnt even realise what the report button was till i looked around for it. I agree that not replying, positive or negative is good, if its easier for you to redirect them (you could probably easily make a form letter, just sub in 'froyo', 'GPS', or 'search' and the rest is pretty much the same!)
So what of the ability to make sub forums??? to be able to have a section under Dev that is for general DEV RELATED questions would be cool... most people assume that General is for stock, non rooted phone discussion, and Development is for anything to do with development. I think I remember one called 'all things root'?? Idunno, but you get the idea. So what is the plausability of this?? not possible with site software? Too much work??? Just curious, I have asked in similar threads and I think you were too busy with other stuff... I tend to avoid PM especially if it is something someone else may be able to answer, as we all know, mods are busy, especially in this forum. Thanks for all your hard work!
I certainly appreciate all the hard work Whosdaman has been doing with these forums, but unless he enjoys handling all this, wouldn't an extra mod or two be helpful?
My biggest thing is the FAQ post. Someone asks questions, you can point and say you should have read that first. Like I said before, the Wiki is great, but its a little cluttered and outdated as well as being hard to edit. Having one person willing to just moderate that one thread would be so helpful.
It bugs me when the whole community seems to be represented by the lazy people who just spam post. There are plenty of helpful, polite and very well informed that get lost among the clutter. In fact, they probably outnumber the newbies but don't feel the need to post nonsense. For every idiot that asks a dumb question, there are probably 10 that actually do research and figure it out for themselves.
kenvan19 said:
hehe *blush* I've tried to resort to reporting posts lately as opposed to trying to deal with problems on my own. Hope its not too much of a burden.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, I love you and ghost for reporting post. I always look forward to waking up and seeing 10 new PMs lol
ungovernable1977 said:
THANK YOU whosdaman! that is a very simple way to deal with the clutter issue... didnt even realise what the report button was till i looked around for it. I agree that not replying, positive or negative is good, if its easier for you to redirect them (you could probably easily make a form letter, just sub in 'froyo', 'GPS', or 'search' and the rest is pretty much the same!)
So what of the ability to make sub forums??? to be able to have a section under Dev that is for general DEV RELATED questions would be cool... most people assume that General is for stock, non rooted phone discussion, and Development is for anything to do with development. I think I remember one called 'all things root'?? Idunno, but you get the idea. So what is the plausability of this?? not possible with site software? Too much work??? Just curious, I have asked in similar threads and I think you were too busy with other stuff... I tend to avoid PM especially if it is something someone else may be able to answer, as we all know, mods are busy, especially in this forum. Thanks for all your hard work!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have no control over sub-forums. And right now it is only me working on the entire Epic forum. Like I said shep211 is gone atm.
svetius is in charge of the entire site, and I've talked to him about improvements that can be made. I wouldn't bother him too much or he'll just ignore ya. Most of the time the only things he is interested is fixing errors with the site itself. Right now I don't think we are in the area of reorganizing the entire site.
ok, so adding a subforum is not possible? Or is it a decision to make the structure uniform across the whole site? Just thinking, because this forum is like maximum security, different from the rest... or so it would seem...
I'm not so sure making more areas, and thus more chances to be wrong, is a good way to combat posting in the wrong area.
If you have a rom question, ask it in the rom thread. All that would happen if there were subforums for things in development, and discussion of things in development is we'd have 37 threads about how "I just discovered ___ doesn't work in [rom]" instead of 50 posts about it in the rom thread.
(Not to mention you'd then be blurring the line of when it is or isn't ok to post in the DEV forum, where as now, if the person bothers to read, there's a pretty clear cut "If you aren't about to post about the thing you just developed, GTFO" rule.)

General Rant

A plea to all users.
There are two things that are annoying in this forum:
People who can't use the search box....
But even more annoying, replies telling others to use it!
The idea is to keep a forum to the point. A question is asked and hopefully answered, and therefore doesn't have to be asked again. Hence the use of search.
A post asking the same question later is a useless post.
*However*, a post saying "Use the search button" is just a complete waste of time, space and energy.
Even though the former is annoying, it would be much easier instead of wasting a post on "Use the search function" with an appropriate answer, or even better, just don't post at all.
Both are forms of forum clogging, so don't think you're helping by being blatantly unhelpful.
Rant over.
This has already been posted about and discussed before, USE THE SEARCH!
PS. I understand what your saying but the only way to get through to these ignorant/lazy people is to be straight to teh point and tell them to use search and read stickies or to simply delete/close their topic and message why.
I agree. New people aren't going to search alot of the time, and even once they get scolded for it once or twice and learn their lesson, they don't know what keywords to use in their searches alot.
Then along comes some jackass who doesn't want to take the time to explain what the person should be searching for, or what way to go about it. Usually like you said telling the person in a rude way to use the search function.
In the end, it takes roughly the same amount of time and energy to help someone and show them how to do something for themself, as it would take to be a smart ass and be of no assistance.
Part of being a decent human being is to help others, even if it takes a little of your time, or is annoyingly repetitive. I would rather be a patient, helpful person than an impatient ass who doesn't have the self control to be kind and help others who are in a position I was once in, instead becoming annoyed and spewing snotty comments in an attempt to feel clever and superior.
So uhhh, yeahh... I guess I agree with your rant lol
But next time use the search function you damn noob theres already like 100 or so rants just like this one. lol
how can i go about putting adroid on my hd2
and can it be dual booted with winmo
and what is cwm and magdlr
Joking lol
well, i dont really agree. people dont get mad here because someone asks questions, its because they resist to read the first page of any thread (carefully) and then opening a new one, because they were to lazy or impatient to read. almost every issue can be solved, just by reading the first thread page. they look for the download link, download, do something and come back opening useless threads. i was also a noob, then like i allways do in any forum, i went thru the stickies. you get everything explained there (i dont mean the specific stuff, like memory mapings or kernel compiling).
cheers
here's the problem i often see on forums
you use search, you get an interesting old thread about your problem. You post on this thread with new questions... everyone just shouts: Don't revive an old thread create a new one... and when you create a new one, they shout : Use the damn search, it has been answered before etc... etc...
And most of the time when you use search, you get old threads and the latter may contain outdated irrelevant info.. hence sometimes i think it's better to just create a new fresh thread so that you can get the fresh info. just my opinion.
@ yeahman
I find your point on how members of xda will shout at another member for "reviving" an old thread to be ridiculous.
I'm sorry, but I've never encountered such before, if you could refer me to a thread with such then I'll come to accept your point, but for now, it's utterly ridiculous to me.
The search button may or may not answer your needs, it's impossible for all cases. However, what I've noticed, is a majority of new threads opened nowadays in the HD2 forum concern how to install MAGLDR, HSPL, radio, a Build, Cwm, or something in relation. Now first of all, none of those topics even require one to use the search button. All are referred to in the stickies of their respective forums.
So it all boils down to users being downright lazy.
I had a rant about this in the "About xda" section a while back....
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=920113
I did title it HD2 specific, but it's obviously not specific to the HD2. It just happens here a lot more than other forums because of the popularity of the device. I've seen it in other device forums (when I've had other devices) but never to the extent I've seen it here, especially since the introduction of Android.
People need to stop thinking about how their reaction relates to a specific user and how it makes them look. It's all about the forum, as that's 100% the reason why we're here.
Incidentally, as you'll see from that thread, the majority of posters agreed with our mutual point. It's nice to know we're not all shrivelled with envy and trying to prove something.
Kailkti said:
@ yeahman
I find your point on how members of xda will shout at another member for "reviving" an old thread to be ridiculous.
I'm sorry, but I've never encountered such before, if you could refer me to a thread with such then I'll come to accept your point, but for now, it's utterly ridiculous to me.
The search button may or may not answer your needs, it's impossible for all cases. However, what I've noticed, is a majority of new threads opened nowadays in the HD2 forum concern how to install MAGLDR, HSPL, radio, a Build, Cwm, or something in relation. Now first of all, none of those topics even require one to use the search button. All are referred to in the stickies of their respective forums.
So it all boils down to users being downright lazy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i was talking about forums in general.. not xda in particular (probably i was a bit out of subject by saying that, srry about that).
yup i agree for threads like how to install MAGLDR, etc.., creating a new thread each time is not right as you say (it makes search results so difficult too as you get tons of redundant threads about it), there are so many stickies and faqs for that.

I need to vent about needing a minimum of 10 posts

I have been here since March and have read well over 100 hours of material here on XDA and just because I have not posted crap on the non development threads I can't post quality help and rom feedback in the rom development threads? That doesn't make any sense. There needs to be another way. For example, if a user has actively read/searched for a set amount of time that should count for something as well. I am not sure what that amount should be but I strongly feel it would be a good Idea. I think it might also reduce the amount of nonsense posts that people put up just so they can get their 10 posts, one reason I am posting this one.
Rant over (for now)
waspvl1
hey
I totally agree I am very knowlegable of flashing roms and been having trouble lately with these newer builds but I dent have the posts eaither haha BS for sure
i have a feeling its to force people/newbs ( no offense) to actually spend the time reading and hopefully find the answers on their own instead of flooding the forums with questions that have been asked and answered hundreds of times before.
said newbs might ( as i have in the past) find additional answers to questions they dont even yet have.
I have no problem with looking for answers. I am venting because there are many times I know the answers to others' questions and because I don't have 10 post I can't help them out and possibly others at the same time. I end up answering there question threw instant messages instead of in the thread where it might be useful to others. I am also venting because I can't report bugs on a new release of a rom that I just flashed. A bug that as of yet has not been mentioned and I want to see if I am the only one with the bug, Also I have read the entire thread and up to this point this bug has not been in any of the previous releases for me or for others.
WaspVL1
I cant report bugs on a new release of a rom that I just flashed cause im a newb.
i have been flashing different roms for a year now...........
I also find this thing not useful. I have less then 10 posts, but i use every new edition of SD build cm7 ACA, and i have a lot of suggestions. I find every new edition better then the other before!
This thread should be in Off Topic, which is a good place to make your first 10 posts quickly and easily.
10 posts isn't really that much.
well guys my best advice is ... hop on over the a non dev forum and get to answering questions for the TRUE newb, help someone truly lost and in need. you know as well as i do its something we do almost every time out and take for granted ... (remember your VERY first time you flashed anything!?!?!) how nervous you were that you were going to turn this marvelous beauty into a ugly paper weight, how many times you read yet still missed that ONE little step!
its been so long since i joined id but forgotten about the non dev posting limitations ... ahhhhh well reach out, help someone, and happy posting :-D
Well firstly 10 posts isn't much and secondly you are in the wrong forum. There are loads of threads about this in the OT forum.
ravi.sagar641 said:
I cant report bugs on a new release of a rom that I just flashed cause im a newb.
i have been flashing different roms for a year now...........
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not like that, but like this:
You (and maybe 10 other people) do have knowledge and aren't newbies, but are not able to report bugs, help others or contribute because of the limit.
But on the other hand, There are over 100 members that are purely newbies and won't mind (maybe also enjoy?) posting (already answered) questions in the development sub-forums, that had to be restricted from cluttering the dev forum.
The idea of limiting dev sub-forums to over 10 posts may has its cons, but it also has it pros.
And as mentioned earlier, getting 10 posts (e.g. from answering in Q&A sub-forums) shouldn't be that hard.
I have no problem with the 10 ost limit. Just post something on a random thread like this and you will quickly get 10. Just like me, I hated my old user name and now I made a new account, I'm not a developer but I have read many many hours and can suggest something worth while also. But in reading those many hours I have seen countless post just reasking a question thats been answered already. 10 posts isn't that bad you will have it in no time!
I know that if I wanted to just go and wright pointless stuff I would have the posts I need in no time but I don't feel right about doing that just for the sake of doing it. However to get my point across I have no problem doing it.
Agreed, I'm still working on my 10post requirement so I can post feedback on ROMs and bugs.
You finally got your 10 post requirement.... nice!
Sent from my Hyperdroid HD2 using xda app
It should be time to read/search in forum! You learn more reading one day than posting ten messages. When new member is learn how to use search they are ready to start posting
Sent from my HD2 using XDA App
i concur with the original post, i've spent many many countless hours reading and watching tuorial vids and such and can usually get through the majoirty of it all with some trial and error...
---------- Post added at 11:51 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:41 AM ----------
sweet, 10 posts!

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