Forum reorganization thoughts - Epic 4G Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Forum reorganization thoughts - Epic 4G Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

not trying to be mean or anything and probly will get bashed, but I had a thought about how to organize the forums so the questons asked would get an answer faster and with more accurate information.
what if we were to have a question and answer part in each of the roms instead of asking in the genereal q and a
you know sort of like each dev would be able to see all the problems that their rom is currently having.
and it would also help the people running those roms see all the current questions.
we should also have a section for the people who are on stock roms unrooted
I personally think it would help in diagnosing issues if they arrise.

I agree on a rom q and a but inside the development thread. Have rom thread ie bonsai and then a bonsai q and a thread with the most repeated q and a's on the op. This is more work for the devs and entirely up to them. It will help out in organization instead of cluttering a development thread with the same question. have the main thread for dl link, changelog, install instructions, possibly bug reports (some have a dedicated page for this) and that's it.
Edit: and most importantly feedback.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk

To do that, it would need to be reorganized such that roms would each get their own subforum. Then, they could have a "get the new version here" thread, a "general info" thread, and then all the random individual threads. If you have seen how mod forums are organized at civfanatics, you know what I'm talking about.
Lately, I've been thinking we need a "Guides and FAQs" section. Make everyone post guides being worked on in a "works in progress" subforum and then a mod can move completed guides to the main forum. We might be able to get a nice little knowledge base here if a few people wanted to chip in and write out a lot of what we have learned.

DiGi760 said:
and then a mod can move completed guides to the main forum.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
srsly? we cant even get the one overworked mod to move much around as it is.

Which is why I haven't previously suggested the idea.
But, seriously, we need a couple more good mods who want to help build a community here. I know how tough it is. I've been around a lot of forums, both good and bad. It can be hard to find people who are both willing to do the job and mature enough to do it well.

Related

Why not separate forum for each ROM

Hi all!
I have a suggestion to make to the administrators of this portal.
I believe that each ROM should have it's own forum and not just a single thread. Each ROM is a really big deal. It is a piece of software that requires support, and using just one thread - the one that the creator of the ROM started to show off his work - is not enough. There should be one forum for each ROM, with locked threads on top showing latest releases, patches and known issues etc. Just like a real software product. Currently is it not easy at all for the visitor to find an answer for something already been answered before. Search inside a thread is helpful but not enough. Also, I suppose that it's not easy for the creator of ROM to keep up and know what was answered and what was not.
This forum should be administered by the ROM creator or any other friend that he/she could choose to help him out in this difficult task.

papadi said:
Hi all!
I have a suggestion to make to the administrators of this portal.
I believe that each ROM should have it's own forum and not just a single thread. Each ROM is a really big deal. It is a piece of software that requires support, and using just one thread - the one that the creator of the ROM started to show off his work - is not enough. There should be one forum for each ROM, with locked threads on top showing latest releases, patches and known issues etc. Just like a real software product. Currently is it not easy at all for the visitor to find an answer for something already been answered before. Search inside a thread is helpful but not enough. Also, I suppose that it's not easy for the creator of ROM to keep up and know what was answered and what was not.
This forum should be administered by the ROM creator or any other friend that he/she could choose to help him out in this difficult task.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mate... i think that cant be applied because there may be 10's of roms then we will need 10's of forums. Its ok with topics i think... they just need good cleaning from useless posts.

And what is the problem with having 10s of forums? If the forum framework is flexible this shouldn't be much burden for the administrators.

yup, i am agree with you papaidi, but, we dont have to make a new separated forum, for a new rom, i think we just need a separated forum for the newest rom, then for the rom before, we need to move it to "upgrading" forum,. ;p

Garmin said:
yup, i am agree with you papaidi, but, we dont have to make a new separated forum, for a new rom, i think we just need a separated forum for the newest rom, then for the rom before, we need to move it to "upgrading" forum,. ;p
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would also recommend Tags. Aren't they supported?

Take this thread for example:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=270751
How can somebody find in it if there is the answer that he is looking form. This thread has more than 2500 replies! This is not a thread! It's a history book.

i hear what you're sayin but...
that's not even a ROM thread! And he (Ikarus) has taken the trouble to write up FAQs, manuals, etc, so except for troubleshooting IMO you hardly need to look through the whole thread,
This is not a thread! It's a history book.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
but that's a nice line...made me smile at least...
regarding a forum for each ROM, it would be a nice idea, but is there really space, or a real need for this? I mean, I hate looking back at a latest ROM thread and seeing 20 pages to trawl through, but what can you do... I guess I agree with WizeMan. If there is anything that can be done, perhaps harsher moderation (e.g. of newbie's questions) in the ROM threads would help.
...or...if people really did want new forums for ROMs, one for each major cooker? rather than each individual ROM...still don't think that it's worth it/do-able though

I believe seperating ROMS and forum will add more chaos. For example, there is like 100's of ROMS released for each device like hermes, wizard etc. Some of the ROM released might not be good, and hence it might be discontinued. Also with the way people are porting ROM a new OS version is released almost daily, and the chefs, start their job again with the new OS version....so having to seperate ROM forum will add more confusion...(this is my opinion)
Also, use google to search for what you need, I agree you cannot go through the 2500 replies, but some of them do have valuable information.

That's a good idea...

Sorry, but that is probably the craziest thing I have heard. Do you even know how many ROMS are out there? This forum is huge as it is. If they started making new forums for every ROM, then you would have nothing less than 200 forums minimum.
The key is to include a "Thank You" feature for every thread. The biggest problem we have here is noobs and even a lot os senior members posting THANK YOU and I'LL TEST IT OUT messages in the threads. If you actually look at the amount of useful messages in the threads, they are quite minimal as opposed to all this unnecessary chatter.
There are a lot of forums that include this "THANK YOU" feature that I mentioned. If you want to thank the author of the thread, all you do is click on a THANK YOU button and your name gets added to a THANK YOU section in the same thread. That way everything is kept clean and messages are posted only when you have something to contribute, discuss or have a problem.
Check out the thread below... you'll have a much better idea of what i'm talking about. Also, maybe we should make this more visible. If all of us start putting this in our Signatures, then members will take notice and if there is enough of noise, then the admins will take notice and we can move towards a cleaner and more functional XDA-dev.
Thank You Threads

In my oppinion this is a difficult idea to be applied. The most simple way we can wish the moderator give a list of rom and then stick them, so anybody know where is the newer rom, stable rom, or in progress. But actually there is a rule from the rom maker, they use some order of versions which they build, so anybody know when the rom is composed Thank them for the great works.

[TEMP STICKIE] Let's clean up the dev. section

It seems to be getting a mess in the dev. section lately.
Put your idea on this thread and we'll look into it.
1. create sticky for official (samsung) firmware as easy downloads
2. create sticky for some basic guides
3. create sticky with pointers to roms for the in-house cooks (rotohammer etc.)
this is a start.
MOD EDIT: BEFORE POSTING ANY THREAD IN THE DEVELOPMENT SECTION, PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING:
If you have developed a ROM, or are working with others to do so, the development forum is somewhere to discuss and share ideas, post useful feedback and logs or crash dumps, and to discuss a common goal developers are trying to achieve.
It is NOT the place to post your question because it gets higher traffic, or because more experienced users frequent it. Doing this just annoys those who are working on the device, and drives them away. Developers don't want to wade through 20 threads of "Help me urgently" to find their threads for porting and fixing camera issues etc. Similarly, if a thread is designated as discussion for developers say, porting a camera fix, please do not post in there asking "When will it be ready?", "Can I flash this yet?" etc. This is both completely disrespectful to those working on the project (you evidently haven't read the important posts in the thread), and also is making it harder for developers to find comments from other developers or testers when required.
Similarly, don't make loads of "Thanks for your work here" posts in an active development thread. It's just as annoying to developers as asking when something will be ready. If a ROM is complete, then go ahead and thank the developer if you wish, but don't go into threads for devs only, and interrupt it to post "thanks". It's basically spamming, and is treated as such.
If you are posting in development, you should have read every sticky and notice there, and should be actively developing or helping in the development of something. Developing isn't installing a ROM, or using a tweak, it's creating a ROM or other hack or tweak. If you haven't read for several days before starting out on XDA, you are likely about to ask something already solved. I registered on XDA when I first wanted to post, and that was to join in a discussion on something. Sure, join up and ask a question, but read the information available in General and Q&A first, as your question will have been asked before. Search is your friend here, become familiar with it.
Regarding when to post in development if you are not actually developing something, there is one occasion where it's acceptable. If you find a leak of a new ROM, which isn't already posted, and you verify it's legitimacy via either running it, or based on the source you obtained it from, then this is assisting in development, and should be posted in development. If you want to ask when a leak will be available use search first, then if not already in discussion, open a thread in general or Q&A.
If you have a problem flashing a ROM, this is NOT related to development. It's up to you to determine if it is specific to a particular ROM, and post useful information in that developer's existing thread for the ROM. If it happens on more than one ROM, and isn't a known issue (remember you should read several times more words than you post), then find out what you are doing wrong. Check guides written by others, try to repeat the problem and see if it happens every time. Something needs to be reproducible to be fixed effectively.
Once you have identified what you need help with go to the device Q&A forum (general if device lacks one), and make a clear, informative thread that explains the issue, and what you have tried doing to fix it. Did you re-download the ROM? Did you ask a friend to flash it for you, to reduce chance of user error? What steps (exactly) did you follow? What errors did you see (exact wording)? Did you double check all the steps? Did you do a wipe or hard reset?
If you make a clear, concise, yet detailed post, you will find help forthcoming, and should get the problem sorted very quickly. If someone suggests you try something, report back on what happened, did it work etc. Then, next time someone has this issue and searches, they will find this and have a verified and tested solution.
So remember... before you start a thread in development, ask yourself what you are developing. If you can't answer, then stop, step away from the post button, and think about where you are posting. Would it be better in General or Q&A, or is some more time with your best friend, search, required?

I'd have a set of stickies including:
Flashing Guide http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=895827
Unlocking Guide http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=843323
Rooting Guide http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=859712
A *HUGE OBNOXIOUS BLINKING* Readme http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=888071
I'm by no means a Dev myself, but I'd love to see y'know... development posts when I lurk here.

Ok, now that i'm un-retired, i'll ask some major cleanup on the dev section.
Starting today/tomorrow between flashing my dev Tab

Several people posted dumped stock firmwares, maybe this should be consolidated into one "Get back to stock" sticky?
T-Mobile stock firmware! http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=855851
[FIRMWARE] - AT&T stock firmware http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=847609
AT&T Production Stock Firmware (I987UCJK1) http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=857608
Also, rotobackup instructions http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=850359&highlight=rotobackup
Links to Open Source archives http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=844981
Good instructions on building cifs module http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=9470152&postcount=53
Also can be used to build tun.ko module for VPN.

I would recommend having tags for the different models of tablets. ( [VZW] [TMO] [AT&T] [SPNT] [EURO] etc...)
Just my .02

We really need to have them separated... This is getting bad. Take a vote and and promise everyone would be on board!!
Galaxy Tab Android Development (CDMA)
Galaxy Tab Android Development (GSM)
Galaxy Tab Android Development (...)
Please!!! lol

I agree that the Tab development needs to be split amongst compatibility.
GSM/EUR
CDMA
etc.
That will make the issues with possible flashing mistakes lower and also enable people to find the best build for them.

A third vote for at least something like a top level and sub forums for GSM and CDMA. There might be things that apply to both, but it seems like real development would be at least specific to one or the other, if not down to the carrier level (and I'm not suggesting per carrier forums).

A sticky for my directory(bible). This will be updated frequently. And will be useful for all noobs and pros alike.
Sent from my GT-P1000 using Tapatalk

What happened to this idea? The development forum is CRAP. I've spent the last three hours seaching for a stock ROM. Can we please, please get some mod action in here?

Sprint only section please! +100 to the splitting up compatible models.

williams37 said:
Sprint only section please! +100 to the splitting up compatible models.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1000000 more for spliting up!

I agree and count my vote, this forum should be easier to find and read the info im searching for it took me days to find a rom and another day to find out how to mod my device using google we should also hav more dev's more porting

wingtytn said:
I agree and count my vote, this forum should be easier to find and read the info im searching for it took me days to find a rom and another day to find out how to mod my device using google we should also hav more dev's more porting
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What we really need is a bigger community. The larger the user base, the larger the dev base. Especially in the states, it seems like no one is developing for our Tabs specifically. And from what I've found, ours are, just like the Galaxy S, different from the international version.

So do we even have a Mod ? Can they do this for us ? Its been like weeks since we asked to split it up.....
+1beeeeeeelion to split and have a CMDA and GSM and Intl section added....and then under those when people list just say [Sprint] or [VZW] in the title of the thread....

aal1 said:
So do we even have a Mod ? Can they do this for us ? Its been like weeks since we asked to split it up.....
+1beeeeeeelion to split and have a CMDA and GSM and Intl section added....and then under those when people list just say [Sprint] or [VZW] in the title of the thread....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your official mod is taking a break, just busy with life lately. I'll be taking over until he comes back.
I've forwarded this thread on to the admins, being that after being here for 2 days I can already see how bad it is. Hopefully we can get the sections split up and I can start moving posts around.

Can we please also have teh same tagging as HD2 section has, ie the date at beginning of title..
example...
[19.MAR.2011][ROM] Rom Title Rom Version [KERNEL]

is it possible to get this "stickie" out of the developers section?
it would be more helpfull to get serious content into there. also the actual official thread is sticky and dead.
a sticky should be something important or something must read. this thread is not a "must read"
sorry, constructive critics

I agree we need some reorg. PLEASE look at my sig, and follow the HD2 url,
Seems the HD2 overall section has recently had a makeover. It is much easier to navigate, and the people whe are not devs can op in on the thread.
The devs, on the other hand, have their own section, that requires you be a dev in order to get into it and exchange ideas. This keeps the riff raff from convelouting the threads.
So, can you please look it over. What ever work is needed to be done, I will offer my assistance to reorg the threads and topics.
Thanks

StarLog said:
I agree we need some reorg. PLEASE look at my sig, and follow the HD2 url,
Seems the HD2 overall section has recently had a makeover. It is much easier to navigate, and the people whe are not devs can op in on the thread.
The devs, on the other hand, have their own section, that requires you be a dev in order to get into it and exchange ideas. This keeps the riff raff from convelouting the threads.
So, can you please look it over. What ever work is needed to be done, I will offer my assistance to reorg the threads and topics.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just looked at HD2 section, and theres nothing new there.
They have a section for NAND dev, and for SD Dev, thats it.
There are some plans in the works for the site in general that may do what you're referring to, but nothing is done yet for any of the fora.
If they give you guys the new sections, It will take me a day or so to move everything around. And I dont know tis section as well as I'd like so it may take a little longer as I'd have to go through every thread, but it would get done.
/IF/ that happens, it should clean up the sections a lot and make it easier to find everything. If not, I'm open to suggestions.

[25/7/11] New Rules For The Dev SectionThread Deleted/Locked Please Read

I'll get straight to the point....
Despite stickys and forum announcements most of us are still finding ourselves becoming terribly, terribly vexed at the amount of [Q]'s cluttering the dev section...
Therefore, from now on, if you do not follow the rules outlined below, you will be infracted. Break them again and you may find yourself unable to post anything at all on any forum!!
[Q]Surely thats a bit harsh aint it??
[A]Not really....
We've tried to be nice about it but that clearly doesnt work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you cannot read and abide by the simple rules in this sticky then I dont know how you're going to manage to hack your device without running into trouble.
The Dev section is NOT for asking questions.....
The Dev section is NOT for general topics..........
All threads posted MUST be prefixed with a description of the thread, [ROM] / [Kernel] etc etc.....*
*(Not planning on being particuarly strict on this. You guys (the devs), know how to title a thread.... just a pointer for new devs.)
Basically, unless your thread is to actually release something or discuss something of a very technical and n00b unfriendly nature, it doesnt belong here!
Pretty simple really.....
If you see something that shouldnt be here then PM me....
I will try to check in as reguarly as I can but I have a few sections to keep an eye on and believe it or not, a life outside XDA
Yes thats right, there is life outside XDA
Post What Where:
General - general technical discussion items, news, anything else that does not fit into the other fora categories.
Accessories - any items to do with components and/or accessories relating to your device.
Rom Development - only meant for very advanced technical discussion directly related to ROM development activity and the delivery of actual ROMs and ROM components ONLY. Nothing else goes in here.
Themes & Apps - anything to do directly with the development of themes and/or applications. Nothing else goes in here.
MOD EDIT: BEFORE POSTING ANY THREAD IN THE DEVELOPMENT SECTION, PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING:
If you have developed a ROM, or are working with others to do so, the development forum is somewhere to discuss and share ideas, post useful feedback and logs or crash dumps, and to discuss a common goal developers are trying to achieve.
It is NOT the place to post your question because it gets higher traffic, or because more experienced users frequent it. Doing this just annoys those who are working on the device, and drives them away. Developers don't want to wade through 20 threads of "Help me urgently" to find their threads for porting and fixing camera issues etc. Similarly, if a thread is designated as discussion for developers say, porting a camera fix, please do not post in there asking "When will it be ready?", "Can I flash this yet?" etc. This is both completely disrespectful to those working on the project (you evidently haven't read the important posts in the thread), and also is making it harder for developers to find comments from other developers or testers when required.
Similarly, don't make loads of "Thanks for your work here" posts in an active development thread. It's just as annoying to developers as asking when something will be ready. If a ROM is complete, then go ahead and thank the developer if you wish, but don't go into threads for devs only, and interrupt it to post "thanks". It's basically spamming, and is treated as such.
If you are posting in development, you should have read every sticky and notice there, and should be actively developing or helping in the development of something. Developing isn't installing a ROM, or using a tweak, it's creating a ROM or other hack or tweak. If you haven't read for several days before starting out on XDA, you are likely about to ask something already solved. I registered on XDA when I first wanted to post, and that was to join in a discussion on something. Sure, join up and ask a question, but read the information available in General and Q&A first, as your question will have been asked before. Search is your friend here, become familiar with it.
Regarding when to post in development if you are not actually developing something, there is one occasion where it's acceptable. If you find a leak of a new ROM, which isn't already posted, and you verify it's legitimacy via either running it, or based on the source you obtained it from, then this is assisting in development, and should be posted in development. If you want to ask when a leak will be available use search first, then if not already in discussion, open a thread in general or Q&A.
If you have a problem flashing a ROM, this is NOT related to development. It's up to you to determine if it is specific to a particular ROM, and post useful information in that developer's existing thread for the ROM. If it happens on more than one ROM, and isn't a known issue (remember you should read several times more words than you post), then find out what you are doing wrong. Check guides written by others, try to repeat the problem and see if it happens every time. Something needs to be reproducible to be fixed effectively.
Once you have identified what you need help with go to the device Q&A forum (general if device lacks one), and make a clear, informative thread that explains the issue, and what you have tried doing to fix it. Did you re-download the ROM? Did you ask a friend to flash it for you, to reduce chance of user error? What steps (exactly) did you follow? What errors did you see (exact wording)? Did you double check all the steps? Did you do a wipe or hard reset?
If you make a clear, concise, yet detailed post, you will find help forthcoming, and should get the problem sorted very quickly. If someone suggests you try something, report back on what happened, did it work etc. Then, next time someone has this issue and searches, they will find this and have a verified and tested solution.
So remember... before you start a thread in development, ask yourself what you are developing. If you can't answer, then stop, step away from the post button, and think about where you are posting. Would it be better in General or Q&A, or is some more time with your best friend, search, required?

Hopefully this brings some change to the forum, this site is a great place to learn and develop for everyone no matter what stage of the game your in. There are quite a few people here that really put forth the effort to help others no matter how fundamental the question is and it would be a shame to see XDA take a turn like other forums have in the past.

To: conantroutman
You are my Freakin Hero, Thank You!!! LOL

The annoying thing is, people are STILL not following the rules -_-

GazaIan said:
The annoying thing is, people are STILL not following the rules -_-
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They probably never will but at least now they are being punished so that they either learn from their mistakes or leave...
Sent From My Fingers To Your Face.....

I understand where you are coming from but...yes a bit harsh, so many people come he now and then etc, Just my thoughts. I will post what I deem necessary in what I think the proper thread is. Obviously not going to ask how to flash rom, (which is in developers section) Maybe you should move those topics out to faq or general, it only draws more attention to the dev. section
---------- Post added at 09:40 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:35 PM ----------
conantroutman said:
They probably never will but at least now they are being punished so that they either learn from their mistakes or leave...
Sent From My Fingers To Your Face.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This will only drive people away, ban me and I surely will look for another forum and recomend it to my friends, thats the mentallity, because what you have on these forums is also on 3 others, please dont tick off ppl. I personally dont think this is the right approach. Educate people first. I have been admin for several forums, very hostile ones at that, please take some advice.

[25/7/11] Updated Rules Of The Development Section Please Read, Then Read Again

Can this be posted on all dev boards please? It is sorely missed...

Dr.Romca said:
Can this be posted on all dev boards please? It is sorely missed...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Truely ! I read them , cuz i am making other improved and detailed versions of other people's tutorials , more like the Arabic for the Jxmatteo 1.2 , and the storage thing , and other stuff ... so i don''t want to mess up with the rules since i am enjoying helping people ...

hm

The spirit of XDA
Read this from the beginning till the end

Henry_01 said:
Read this from the beginning till the end
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good read
Sent from my Wildfire S A510e using xda premium

[Q] Should each 'Cook/ROM' have its own section

I think each ROM should have its own section not just a thread. I find searching through 1000+ posts for one bit of info very hard work, and I bet others do as well. Search is good but unless you know the exact wording its not always the best option.
With each ROM having its own section each question will be in its own thread, making finding the answers to repeated questions much easier.
What say the masses ?
Thanks

interesting idea...but think not possible or..?

You know requesting new sections every day would be pain in the arse for moderators?
It's good as it is now.

When you have one sub-forum for each rom then you have a loooooooong list ... and thats not better then so
Questions shouldnt be in dev section - so there are only dev threads -> done
Question about an spezific rom can be posted in the rom thread.

I think this can be achieved through "Related Threads" (With some modification). So that once u open a thread from one developer all this threads in the same section apear at the bottom.
Just a wild idea

Maybe the mods can make the most useful/best roms sticky...

agree! very hard and sometimes slow to search through 10,000 posts .. it 's often a nightmare to follow the thread

yeahman45 said:
agree! very hard and sometimes slow to search through 10,000 posts .. it 's often a nightmare to follow the thread
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
search button ftw?

howdid said:
search button ftw?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
even with search button.. e.g. you search for an issue on battery.. you see someone who asked the question... then i must scroll down(or move next page) to search if someone actually replied and gave a solution to the issue (assuming a there's a reply or solution to the question)... in between you have tons of other unrelated questions/replies/opinions/thanks etc... lol i think you know what i mean

BorgCymru said:
What say the masses ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The masses say no. We like asking the same questions all over again, or even better opening the new threads for every query we have.
Your idea is good but what you propose can't be done. It can't be avoided as it would be a forum utopia sort off. Google is more powerful than forum search. Good info doesn't necessarily have to come from XDA.
And for starters this thread is in totally wrong section.

How about a section for roms with sense and a section for roms without sense? or maybe section for ports from other devices and a section for "almost" stock roms. Mabye 2 - 4 subcategories would be a good idea. Another good idea would be that the cooks would use a specific format for the thread names like "Update/Date - Rom name - Version - Cook".
just my two cents in some bad english ^^

Questions or Problems Should Not Be Posted in the Development Forum
Please Post in the Correct Forums and Read THIS
Moving to Q&A

Develop Bugs

welcome