Category: Zone BBS Suggestions and Feedback
I have been mowing this over between a couple of friends and we really would like to see the geeks are us split up into different sections. Namely, they could be something like Windows help, Linux help, Mac help, and general beginner newbe help. Another one could be networking/tcp-ip. This would eliminate the posting of garbage, say nothing replies. This would also make it easier for people to answer certain questions more appropriately. Also, I understand that the moving of topics might be a tedious task if it can even be done, but i really would like this to be done soon. Just add these topics in the combo box of topics, not necessarily putting them as a sub category under geeks are us. Thank you!!!!!
this is a good idea, i can see the benifit all round
I can see some possible benifit, but I can also see it growing really large. Where do you stop making different categories?
What do you mean where do you stop. You'd have the following categories
Windows related help
Linux related help
Mac related help
Beginner newbe questions for computers
computer networking
Ssimple as that, this pretty much covers everything. As it is, it is quite hard to fish through a certain area to find one thing and answers to questions would probably be a lot more eficient and better if it was set up this way. I dont' think I'm asking a lot here.
I agree with Singer of songs on this one. First we would divide the geeks are us category in to 4 sub categories, and then people would want us to divide the religion topic in to different demonimations, the jam cession in to different genres of music, the sports bar in to different sports, etc, etc, etc. Bottom line: it would be more work for the cl's. How would this benifit anyone? I don't mean to completely shoot down your idea, but I ask this question to try and understand how it would make things better.
it makes things a whole lot easier when looking for information. Also, it makes things entirely easier to not be so redundant. How many times have people posted is multiple areas about the same damned thing? many many many many times and it gets tedious. I think there are some smart people on here who could offer their knowledge and without a formal set board area then how will they know what to say or if they will take it seriously if you know what I mean. Then, again, you also have those fluf posts that clog up the boards.
I dont' see any reason, personally, to break up any of the other boards, because the geeks are us board has gotten quite big, bulky, and nonsensical over the passed year clogged with simpleminded things that people dont' want to google for. When I am trying to get information from those who read like I do and have valid questions like I do, I want to be able to easily go to a cerain area and be able to get my answer easily as well as look at all related topics within that board. You may not like that idea, but if you are a CL, you obviously are committing to do the work, if you dont' want to do the work why are you a CL? So what if the other boards need to be broken up, I'm not asking for that, but even if others ask for that, big deal, that is what the site admins are for, am I incorrect? Someone designed the site, so someone can make a little modification. May take time, but change don't happen over night.
cody, i don't think you understand what all cls have to do. as for your idea, what would stop people from posting in the wrong catigory like they do already? the idea is ok, but i don't see it happening or working.
I have to agree with rat and fuster cluck. I see the point, but I doubt its going to happen at all.
you and rat would say that. I guess simplicity isn't in our vocabulary...
I see the point, but there could still be more. Programming questions, website design, notetakers, pdas, and on and on and on. If there's one area that gets a lot of attention, we could split that out. For instance, a programming or website design forum would be logical if there was enough interest, IMHO.
note takers would go under accessible electronics as well as pdas. website development could be in windows or linux. it doesn't necessarily mean that you have to make a topic for each post
cody, notetakers are computers if you get right down to it. last time i checked, they can do a little more than a remote control or a phone can do.
and what is your point. i've seen you say that mike and i would say that in two topics. we just think alike.
Apparently, he hates that.
guess so.
if you break up one board into sub boards, there will be people wanting other boards broken into sub boards as well, and in the end that would just be extra work for the CLs extra site bandwith and lead to everyone complaining about one thing or another. I think the boards are fine as they are. unless there is a large demand for a certian board. but yours is the only post I've seen for this, if I saw others and they had good reasons then I might toss my agreenment in, but things are fine as they are.
To post 15. How would this cause more bandwidth useage. This would mean making more people join therefore increasing trhe number of people on the site. So what, that's what the CL's are for. Apparently they are lazy when it comes to these things. Oh well, this is america after all and we like things complex. Rat and mike, fine have it the hard way. I'm trying to make it so it is easier on everyone and less key presses. Oh well. What am I to do. One day these boards will get so flooded and full that someone else will ask to break all of the boards up into subcategories. I say do it now so there is no bitching later. I'd love to educate but I'm not fishing through 1000000 posts to find who needs valid help or not.
Ok, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz bye buye now.
you want them broken up so you can be lazy and not have to look for stuff, but then people will still put stuff where it doesn't belong anyway. and I think the CLs are doing a good job at any rate, look at what they have to put up with.
Yes, completely true shadow.
I thought so. some people just want things handed to them and not have to look for things. if they want one topic split, then there are people who would want every board catigory split into sub catigories, when there are plenty of things as it is.
then there is the if you split too many boards into too many things, then it could get confusing to find out which board has which topic... it could get really bad. I think it would just make more work.
Not only do you have to find the right board to post in then you gotta find the right subcatigory and second level catigory underneith that.
More work than is worth it i think.
John
Good god, JH radio here is thinking I want 50 levels of forums. All I'm asking is to break up geeks are us because it is a pain to find anything, especially when someone really does need help. I have too much to do in one day then to sit here and fish through newbes who don't know jack about what they are posting and you call me lazy? I'm done. It doesn't appear to me as if suggestions are taken very well. I'm not saying they must be taken but look at any other forum on the internet www.afb.org or www.linuxforums.org those are split up and it's much easier to find things in those boards. But, again, we're americans so we like things to be cluttered. And, again, I'm not asking for others to be split up. But if someone asked would you give them bull? Why is it such a hard task? And how would it make things more complex? I'm not even saying put categories under geeks are us, just put them in the main list.
cody, can you not see what others can see? if you split geeks r us, what is to stop others demanding that other boards be split as well. all you care about is your idea, and nothing else. you need to listen to what others are trying to tell you and not say well, you don't agree with me so screw you. that is the atitude you have right now.
There's quite a few reasons against further splitting:
1. Newbies wouldn't post in the right category and there's no clarity on exactly who can help and what category a question should go in. If I am posting a board I'm not going to figure out what board and sub category to use, the volume of posts on this site does not require this and if you have a question that specific a programmers mailing list of discussion board is more suitable to yield answers.
2. You can simply see topics by dates, someone who posted 8 months ago is very likely to check if there's an answer to his/her post by now, most people need solutions within a week and the volume of posts in the last week in the geeks are us board is managable I assure you, in any case you'd probably just tell them to get a Mac.
3. This site is designed as a chat site, not a tech help site, as such it should remain generalized so anyone can browse through any type of discussion. The sites you mentioned are already limited in scope and more oriented towards problems and solutions, this is more of a social site and designed as such and it'd take away from it if you split it too much into newsgroup style site, other sites are much more suitable for such things, as I already said.
So there's certainl no reason to shoot the idea down but I fail to see the benefit, how many networking tcp/ip problems have you come cross on this site for instance, if a networked drive is not vissible on your PC, is it a networking problem or is it a windows problem?
Knowing him, he'd say its a windows problem. Rat, your absolutely right, that is the attitude he has towards this, and that's gonna get him no where.
yeah, he would dump on windows how he thinks it's a worthless piece of crap. clearly taken from his other boards. as for his atatude, if someone can't see how he's coming across they're like him or they can't tell his mood from his typing.
To post 24. I understand this is a social site, however I think if there have been certain areas implemented that they should be stuck to as far as what they are meant to do. If an area is not meant to be what it is for why is it even there. For example, I understand, that if we go with your statement, which is true, that this is just a social site, why do we even have a geeks are us board in the first place? Then from my point of view. If we have this board section, why not implement it? Think about this for a moment. If we split this up into different sections, regardless of what type of problem it is, people will value more the help of others, therefore making more contacts for people. So in the end, it works out both ways. The more helpful one is, the more likely that someone will want to keep in contact with that person do you not see my point here. Same goes for any other topic. I am willing 100% to help those who are serious. I've made many friends with the same interests as I do on here, however having a loose hold on things is not the appropriate way in my opinion to handle this. I and others have stated reasons for things with regards to geeks are us in some of the topics so claiming all I do is force people to purchase a certain brand is ludicrus.
Rat and mike. I know, I know, I'm a terrible person because all I do is bash windows. Yup, uh huh. Next. Why does this even need to be brought up? Is this the only ammo people have against me? How about we try to reason things out rather than have a hate mongering nazi crew against me? Come on, I'm not that terrible of a person I know you think I am. This is a flaw of online socializing.
I realize you don't expect 50 levels of forums, but think about it. if geeks are us is split up, what's next? religion? jamm session? broadcasters lounge could then be split up in to what. top 100 markits, satelite radio, then satelite radio gets what, XM, Serious. and in broadcasters lounge what's next. show prep, jingles, voicetracking, voiceover work, see my point? its not that your idea is sutch a bad one, its just if geeks are us gets split up, what's not to stop other people from askin all the other boards to get split up to level 1 then level 2 an so force catigories? In my opinion, it makes more work for the CL's who'd be moving topics because newbies posted in the wrong catigory, and people would have to jump through even more hoops rather than just finding one board to post the right thing in the right topic. If this site were something like PCPitstop and it was all about computers, then yeah i could see your idea. but not on a site like this ware there are so many different things. I think the boards are plenty fine the way they are set up at the moment. if this were a site pertaining to one topic then yes, i could see your idea might be more excepted by the comunity as a hole, including myself.
John
Ok. But my bottom line is that splitting things up would, imho, make like people find similar people. This would result in good networking for similar people. This is part of why it is such a good idea.
Not for a site like this, no it isn't.
John
Well, firstly I was kidding about the Mac purchase advice (at least mostly kidding *grin*).
Secondly I think your idea presumes way more users than we currently have. I don't know what one would consider active but if we define active as, say, posting at least one board topic a month and logging in more than once a week I think you're not looking at more than a hundred users (I may be wrong, but not vastly so) and for such a volume all this category splitting wouldn't yield the benefit of finding like minded people. I think you've already seen everyone who's into tech programming and geeky stuff just by reading the first 10 topics in geeks are us. Being tech savy is a personality trade and it's nice to have a place to seek information, even on a social site, hence the geeks are us board. Like I said, look at the 10 most recent topics and you'll have seen anyone who's looking for help and still needs it. Being tech is a part of life but I'd hate to see this site turning into a geek zone, there are an infinite number of mailing lists and newsgroups that deal with such things and I am a member of a few of them. I think the organization is fine the way it is, I even think there are too many categories. What I think might be an idea would be to create a grafitti section more dedicated to more specific topics but, honestly, I think too many different areas would not yield any benefits firstly because users wouldn't post to the correct board to begin with and secondly because discussions tend to wear off topic (and I think it's fun), that's where you can find some of the more interesting discussions on completely unrelated things. So you have to do the work and read the posts.
Bottomline, I see your point but I don't agree with it.
Then if this site is not directed towards just boards, my statement there was braud not just for geeks are us, but any board, then why have the boards at all. Why not just then make it one big mosh pit. Adults and teens or something? It is apparent that these boards are not meant for as many categories as we have now, going with your point of view, considering the traffic levels. So then, why have the boards at all?
cody, the system now is fine. what we're saying is not to have hundreds of boards, which would happen if we split geeks r us. the boards are a main part of the site anyways
the boards are there so you don't have to talk about everything in quick notes or in private male. that's why we have them.