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I use the XDA app on my Incredible way more than I actually come online these days, which recently imposed a problem for me.
I never knew this Incredible Q&A sub-forum existed. I ended up getting flamed in the Incredible General sub-forum for posting all of my questions in there. When I click HTC Droid Incredible in the Forums (XDA app) all that comes up is General, Development, Accessories, and Themes and Apps.
Is this Q&A sub-forum new?
What is actually supposed to be posted in the General topics forum? Looks like all random questions to me, that's why I've always posted mine there.
Sorry, I know this isn't actually about the Incredible itself and please don't flame if this doesn't belong in this sub-forum. I'm just trying to keep the peace with the rest of the contributors in here. Thanks
The Q&A sub-forum is a new feature as of the last 24-hours as I did not see it yesterday when checking or any time before that. Some people flame because they see the same questions being asked a lot. That is not a valid reason to flame someone, but if you are running into an issue or have a question about something, it's likely someone else has as well =p.
A stick quote from a mod at the top of this thread, describing the difference between it and "General" would be helpful, but I am going to guess that the Q&A is for exactly that and General would almost be where you go when you have something to say about the phone that doesn't fit any place else (i.e., if Verizon announced a release date for an OTA, that should probably go under "General"). I hope I was able to help.
P.S. - Also if you feel you are being unfairly flamed in any way, don't be hesitate to flag the flamer's post so the mods can take a look at it. Not something to be abused, however if mods notice a pattern of a specific user making a lot of heated comments, they are more likely to be temp-banned sooner than if not flagged.
At least one post in 90% of threads here have a question in them, so why aren't they all moved to the Q And A threads? Forums are discussions of opinions and questions for each other to talk about.
If one thread is going to be moved that (imo) is not a question, then why aren't all the others? tbh, it annoys me, and i think the moderation here is a little too heavy handed.
Agreed... and to add another question why do some devices have a Q&A sub-section and some not? Seems inconsistent. Anyway the forums are hard to navigate anyway (too many sub-sections, outdated stickies, too many "READ THIS BEFORE YOU POST"-threads etc..). I guess at least the Q&A part could be merged with 'General' of every forum. Also Accessoires & Wallpapers/Themes get an extra sub-section? I'd lump everything together and make just two per device (General/Dev).
Oh and don't take this as "This is how you run a forum " - just my humble opinion
Ok. When a device general forum gets over 10,000 posts, or 1000 threads, it gets a Q&A section.
General vs dev only would result in even more junk in both to be fair...
I reckon at present there is a good balance as almost everything is consistent across the site. Go to HTC G1. It has, by and large, the same layout as all other sections.regarding outdated stickies, contact the mod for the relevant section by pm and point it out.
Regarding questions being moved, we can only move what we know about or see... So drop the mod for the section a PM with the threads.
MarkusPO said:
At least one post in 90% of threads here have a question in them, so why aren't they all moved to the Q And A threads? Forums are discussions of opinions and questions for each other to talk about.
If one thread is going to be moved that (imo) is not a question, then why aren't all the others? tbh, it annoys me, and i think the moderation here is a little too heavy handed.
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Heavy handed? Howso??? Feel free to PM if you want.
Typically, the original post in a thread defines the rest of the thread. If it is a question, then evidently the correct place is Q&A. I don't really see any way to argue with that to be fair.
Regarding a question that emerges later on in a thread, perhaps a move is not needed. For example, are you suggesting a ROM thread should be moved because someone asked a question?
As before, the reason some things get moved and others don't is because we are not aware of them. The report post feature, and pm to the section mod, are both essential in letting us know what is going on.
Finally, XDA is a development site first and foremost, so keeping questions clear of development areas is a pretty high priority. People spamming the dev areas with pointless and basic questions annoy everyone, and just bury the content we are all here to see (ROMs and tweaks)
pulser_g2 said:
Heavy handed? Howso??? Feel free to PM if you want.
Typically, the original post in a thread defines the rest of the thread. If it is a question, then evidently the correct place is Q&A. I don't really see any way to argue with that to be fair.
Regarding a question that emerges later on in a thread, perhaps a move is not needed. For example, are you suggesting a ROM thread should be moved because someone asked a question?
As before, the reason some things get moved and others don't is because we are not aware of them. The report post feature, and pm to the section mod, are both essential in letting us know what is going on.
Finally, XDA is a development site first and foremost, so keeping questions clear of development areas is a pretty high priority. People spamming the dev areas with pointless and basic questions annoy everyone, and just bury the content we are all here to see (ROMs and tweaks)
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Thanks for the response. My time here has been fairly short I know, but I'm not new to forums of course, and this is my experience thus far:
a thread that wasn't a question, but was about speculation for a nexus tablet was merged into the 'what phone / tablet should i buy next' thread. wtf.
other threads have been merged into semi-related, but not completely related threads. wtf.
i see sticky threads for newbies about development in - for example - the nexus s general on how to root / mod etc. wtf.
i know it's a fine balance between heavy-handedness to try to enforce an overall tidy forum vs user intuition and the chaoticness that is the weird and wacky thoughts of people.
imho this processing of my threads annoys me, and i'm sure it does other people too. if it drives people away, then that's bad for advertisement revenue. as long as threads are in the sort-of-right forum, then so-what. i for one tend to browse all the forums for a particular phone. so i'm going to reply if something catches my attention.
though, i do like the concept of having an accessories forum, dev forum, and general forum. i don't think a q+a forum is needed, ie. if i were to ask "does the otterbox commuter have this feature as a thread starter" where should it go? naturally the accessories forum, but it's a question... if i were after information about accessories, i'd head to the accessories forum as i may have the same question.
forums thrive on questions and answers. moving some questions to a q+a forum, and appearing to turn a blind eye to others just doesn't make sense. yes, so you miss some, but visitors don't know what you miss, and what you leave.
i'm thinking maybe test out a slightly looser mod regime for a while and allow related questions in the forums.
MarkusPO said:
Thanks for the response. My time here has been fairly short I know, but I'm not new to forums of course, and this is my experience thus far:
a thread that wasn't a question, but was about speculation for a nexus tablet was merged into the 'what phone / tablet should i buy next' thread. wtf.
I will look into this. Sounds strange.
other threads have been merged into semi-related, but not completely related threads. wtf.
i see sticky threads for newbies about development in - for example - the nexus s general on how to root / mod etc. wtf.
Those threads are pertaining to development, as without a way to root/hack the device, nobody can really develop for it. That's basically the way it's been for ages, so that's unlikely to change.
i know it's a fine balance between heavy-handedness to try to enforce an overall tidy forum vs user intuition and the chaoticness that is the weird and wacky thoughts of people.
You are right, it's hard on occasion to strike a balance, but to be honest, you have no idea what kinds of trolls we get here Most of the time we can sweep away the awful stuff before people see it...
imho this processing of my threads annoys me, and i'm sure it does other people too. if it drives people away, then that's bad for advertisement revenue. as long as threads are in the sort-of-right forum, then so-what. i for one tend to browse all the forums for a particular phone. so i'm going to reply if something catches my attention.
Fair point, but we have about 600,000 threads I can assure you we won't be cutting the number of forums per device, as that would make things unmanageable. Regarding the "right sort of forum", will address next. The trouble is that when I want to find some hack or tweak, I go to development. I don't expect to hunt through 200 pages of "I NEED HALLLLLLLLLLLP PLEEEEEEEEEEEZ NAOOOOOOOOOOOOOO KTHX" just to find a buried "[Mod] Trackball Wake source edit" or whatever...
though, i do like the concept of having an accessories forum, dev forum, and general forum. i don't think a q+a forum is needed, ie. if i were to ask "does the otterbox commuter have this feature as a thread starter" where should it go?
That would go in accessories. To be honest the Q&A is actually for beginner device questions moreso than that. I do see your point here, but I think you are misunderstanding the idea for the Device Q&A forum. If you want to ask "how do I flash a ROM on SPL v0.1", then Q&A is the place to go If you are more asking about a theme, then themes & apps is the place to ask it (provided it's about one of the existing themes and you can post in the existing thread). Regarding development forum, the idea there is that ONLY roms and other hacks go there, or discussions about achieving them. Essentially, anything not development related should be in general ("I like this device, do you?", "Is your screen darker at the bottom than top"? etc...), and the questions about ROMs etc in Q&A...
naturally the accessories forum, but it's a question... if i were after information about accessories, i'd head to the accessories forum as i may have the same question.
It would belong to the accessories forum. As above, Q&A is for device/ROM questions.
forums thrive on questions and answers. moving some questions to a q+a forum, and appearing to turn a blind eye to others just doesn't make sense. yes, so you miss some, but visitors don't know what you miss, and what you leave.
Interesting... You got any such examples? It would not be normal to move a question thread from a forum other than development, in my experience, so if there's an example, I'd love to see it. If you mean moving questions from development, that's not something we're likely to change, as it drives away the developers and hackers who make the ROMs you use
There shouldn't be any "blind eye turning", though if something is borderline or in doubt, it wouldn't usually be moved.
i'm thinking maybe test out a slightly looser mod regime for a while and allow related questions in the forums.
Other than the development forums (they're not going to change- we're having to add restrictions in there as well like postcount to stop spam and junk), that should be the way it is... Please PM me any examples you see, as I'd be keen to follow them up.
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Answers inline.
P
Hello, i wonder if you can grant with moderation priviledges to Recognized devs???
I come from LG Optimus One forum, and as im reading here theres not even a moderator for our forum...
(I wont apply to become a moderator since i dont have time and i've never been a moderator before, so, next...)
Anyway, devs threads are flooded with spam and users askin the same questions again and again and spamming again and again... Old moderator "Zecanilis" performance wasnt good as well (forum was the same with/ without him)...
So i wanted to know if you can grant recognized devs from my forum (like francisco.franco, ciaox, mik_os, andy...) the power to moderate at least his threads...
thx in advance
PS: crap posts are increasing!! --> http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1231440
There was recently a recruitment drive for new mods and if that forum currently does not have an fsm assigned then I'm sure one will be shortly.
Check the link in my sig for a comprehensive list of forum mods to see whether one is assigned to your devices forum.
Sent From My Fingers To Your Face......
And spam strikes back..
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=16949645&postcount=5921
They keep spamming spamming all day, and theres no one there to put order ,, whats the problem on giving some power to recognized devs??
A hero???
Hello??? someone reads this??? is conantroutman the only one there?? hello????
In the meantime:
Striking news: SPAM BEAST TOOK OUR FORUM AND THREATENS WITH EATING IT!!!... Wheres is the hero when we need one (or a bunch [i.e Recognized Devs])
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1233991
Please, we need an active moderator . It is becoming unbearable amount of post about questions that were answered many times, other fights and other spam among other things is in the section of the P500
There is a discussion about that between recognized devs and xda staff... However, conclusion is that RDs can't have these permissions because the abuse is possible - e.g. devs removing bad comments and leave only the glorifying comments and make his work a masterpiece. I can't speak in name of xda staff but I hope it'll be solved somehow, but the problem is that it's hard to find acceptable solution for everyone.
Blagus said:
conclusion is that RDs can't have these permissions because the abuse is possible - e.g. devs removing bad comments and leave only the glorifying comments and make his work a masterpiece.
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Well, its that or spamming... and certainly not all RD's have this glorifying attitude...
Also if they r granted w/ powers just to manage their threads that would not be an issue since general forum exist, reports functions exist, and it would be easy to track a bad developer and bring his work down...
Also the fact that spam users are in a much bigger proportion than RD's...
IMHO...
Garuxa said:
Please, we need an active moderator . It is becoming unbearable amount of post about questions that were answered many times, other fights and other spam among other things is in the section of the P500
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I agree. The lack of an active moderator is the real problem. Giving the RD this responsibility would cause more harm than good.
I found out in the Mods list that we can PM the Senior Mods for reporting for problems, as there is no one assigned. Let´s do so then.
kbzona said:
Well, its that or spamming... and certainly not all RD's have this glorifying attitude...
Also if they r granted w/ powers just to manage their threads that would not be an issue since general forum exist, reports functions exist, and it would be easy to track a bad developer and bring his work down...
Also the fact that spam users are in a much bigger proportion than RD's...
IMHO...
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It has always been the case that moderators who are also developers are not allowed to moderate their own threads.
This is a clear cut conflict of interest.
Bottom line is that RD's will probably never be given such priviledges as that would contradict long standing forum rules.
In other news.....
I'm going to PM MikeChannon (forum admin extraordinaire) and volunteer to help you guys out.
Watch this space.
Thank you Conan, yes, we are hoping to fill Moderator vacancies in a week, maybe two. The Committee that sifts through Moderator Applicants has had an unprecedented number to look through in the last round. Normally we get maybe 20 applicants, but in the last round we got 270 and it's not surprising it's taking longer to process.
Each applicant's posting history, helpfulness and other more general abilities have to be examined carefully and although we know some forums are having to be watched by Senior Mods at present, we think this is better than rushing in Mods who have not been checked thoroughly.
In addition some improvements to help Users report problems more easily will be rolled out soon, so please don't feel we aren't interested or don't care. In the meantime, you can still use the existing reporting system and it will still be seen by Senior Mods even if no Forum Mod is allocated.
Guys please don't post your personal problems or questions in GENERAL Forum..u have completely ruined it..
General forum is for discussion on general topics and general or common issues..
It's not for a personal problem or just one guy having a problem..Such things should be posted in Q&A ..there are numerous threads with a personal problem or a question ..
So please our HOX General Forum is completely spoiled..its a mess..
So for PERSONAL problems - Q&A
And for General n fruitful discussion - General
Sent from my Stunning White HTC One X
attention whore
and... if you have a at&t HTC One X(L) with a snapdragon prozessor go to the at&t One X Forum.
LakshayX said:
Guys please don't post your personal problems or questions in GENERAL Forum..u have completely ruined it..
General forum is for discussion on general topics and general or common issues..
It's not for a personal problem or just one guy having a problem..Such things should be posted in Q&A ..there are numerous threads with a personal problem or a question ..
So please our HOX General Forum is completely spoiled..its a mess..
So for PERSONAL problems - Q&A
And for General n fruitful discussion - General
Sent from my Stunning White HTC One X
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So you have a personal problem (general thread not to your liking), and you are posting about it here in General. Oh the irony...
Also, what gave you the (d)illusion that you are a moderator?
He's got a point though!!! Q&A is for problems with peeps' devices and this forum is for any other stuff such as that HOX is better than Iphone thread which i find quite amusing!
Naa I am not trying to be a mod..its just that its so annoying every time I check into the General forum and its full of questions or individual problems..
If u wanna post all the questions here than what's the point of having a separate Q&A forum..
It's your wish guys I am just trying to help in uncluttering this forum so that we can see some healthy n fruitful discussion..
Sent from my Stunning White HTC One X
LakshayX said:
Naa I am not trying to be a mod..its just that its so annoying every time I check into the General forum and its full of questions or individual problems..
If u wanna post all the questions here than what's the point of having a separate Q&A forum..
It's your wish guys I am just trying to help in uncluttering this forum so that we can see some healthy n fruitful discussion..
Sent from my Stunning White HTC One X
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whats wrong with helping those in need
80% of them are people who ran into trouble and registered here just to solve their woes.
and it's the fasting month. we should be doing some good biddings
Report the thread(s) in question to the Mods, they can then move them to Q&A
...says someone who just recently joined xda.
Seriously, there's no real need for a general forum if only the most "general" issues can be discussed. I only have to look at the first few pages of this forum to see that plenty of people's individual problems' threads have sparked lively discussion with dozens if not hundreds of responses. A "how do I change the volume" question certainly does not belong here. A "my display shows yellow spots when I press on it" one most certainly does.
Why is it that Q&A is listed first? Also how come it doesn't say "Discussion,Blank,Blank." instead of "Guides,News, oh and discussions! we can't forget discussions"
Browsing the Galaxy S7 forum it felt like the Q&A section is the new General discussions sub.
I feel like there should be a poll on this. Am i the only one who thinks so?
We changed these only recently. The forum owners made this decision in order to simplify things, as well as ensure the Q&A forum is listed first, as that's where most activity takes place.
A lot of thought went into it, and it won't be changed again soon I'm afraid. To be honest, we've never had any other complaint or issue with it.
Why did it feel like the Q&A forum is the new discussion forum? I'm curious why you say this.