HELP
another rant.
Monday, August 23, 2010 by Uvah | Discussion: Community
Somethings just need to be said. I was over at another forum whose name shall remain undisclosed because it doesn't matter which one it is. What does matter is that if someone enters a forum and the title is Help and the person asking has a legitimate concern the rule of thumb as far as I understand it is you seek to help that person. Here at WC that is exactly what is done. You listen to the person's concern and do your best to answer it or, if you don't have the answer, it gets bumped up until the right person comes along and lends aid.
My issue is this. Why would anyone, site admin or no, say that the title is not specific enough. That saying...HELP...is unhelpful and locks the thread thus preventing any replies. Not only that but the person asking is in my opinion being turned away. Now it would stand to reason that said person would be discouraged and not return to that site as did happen in this case. I am not that person but...if it was me and that was done I'd not return ever to that forum. What are your thoughts on this?
Reply #2 Monday, August 23, 2010 9:55 PM
Oh boy...I was moderation staff on a very large support forum and I can't tell you how many topics I saw with absolutely useless titles. I think I even wrote a damn tutorial on how to properly title a thread (do love me some tutorials).
The simple fact of the matter is this: the more SPECIFIC you are (both in title and in post), the MORE HELP you will receive. If I have to drag out every little detail just to try to be able to figure out what the problem is before I can even contemplate a solution, then you are not worth my time.
Just using "HELP" as a title doesn't do you any favors in trying to recruit people to read the topic (only did so here because of the hover preview). If you really want to get a knowledgeable reader's attention, you need to *market* your question better.
Reply #3 Monday, August 23, 2010 11:21 PM
I agree with you Bebi, that a title should be descriptive, but I don't think that a crappy title is any reason to lock the post and not help the person. That's just rude.
I would think that a person that makes a post with that title is new to forums and is not aware that it's a bad thing.
Reply #4 Tuesday, August 24, 2010 12:33 AM
What is realy rude is when you ask for help and some want to come along and type BS on your post
and when you tell them after there BS. (if your not going to help please do not comment)
someone eles whats to come along and tell YOU that being rude is not a way to get help..
Reply #5 Tuesday, August 24, 2010 6:37 AM
I read the post and the person was having difficulty understanding part of a tutorial. No matter the title, if the post is in the correct forum thread and pertaining to the subject being discussed then you should at least make the attempt. The poster did explain the problem but got locked out anyway. That is more than just rude in my book.
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Reply #1 Monday, August 23, 2010 9:35 PM
Was this a tech site?