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One of the problems I've seen on this forum is the fact that there are a lot of useless posts being made that ask the same questions over and over, which tends to irritate staff and experienced member alike. While offenders are told to "use the search" to help them with their queries, often times without at least a basic knowledge of nerfing and its materials or at least the basic semantics and jargon that are used to describe the modding process, the search can prove quite useless to a n00b.
I understand that this isn't exactly a n00b-friendly forum, and that the moderation has no intention of changing that, but my idea (which I've seen successfully implemented on other forums) is this:
A FAQ thread. New and old members alike can post legitimate questions (like, "what's the 'crayola barrel mod?'" and "what are stefan darts, and how do I get them?" and "what do I need to start modding my guns?" -- not "what's your favorite gun?" or any B.S. like that), and then those questions can be answered by anyone who's bored, feels like being helpful, and has the knowledge. And once a question has been answered sufficiently, both the question and answer are edited into the first post in a clear, indexed fashion. This would require a bit of moderation to maintain, as any time someone posted a question and answer, those would have to be edited into the first post, but I ultimately think it would be worth it. Not only would it provide a one-stop solution to the majority of n00b questions that are asked, thus cutting down on threads and posts that are deemed repetitive and useless (most forum n00bs are drawn to the word "FAQ" like moths to a flame), but it would provide a place where anyone can be directed before the thread is closed if they ask a repetitive question.
And paramount to this idea is that once a question has been asked, answered, and included in the first post, it shouldn't be asked again in the thread with the expectation of a friendly or helpful response. Also paramount is that any question about nerfing and modding, no matter how basic or foolish it may seem, would be allowed and would be allowed to be answered. But perhaps the most controversial stipulation to this thread idea (at least with a forum so vehemently against necro-posting), if a person posts a legitimate question that hasn't already been answered, no matter how long it has been since the last post, the thread should be readily revived and the answer given.
A potential argument I can see against this idea is that all of the information is already out there, members just have to use the search to find it. I already addressed this by saying that without a basic understanding (which isn't exactly readily available), the search doesn't have much use. Another is that the information is already available mostly in sticky threads, but in having read through most of those, the information is incomplete and is scattered through more than a dozen of them: this is a one-stop place for the n00b to get basic knowledge.
Ultimately what I see is a broken system. Mods tell the n00bs to use the search, but the majority of them don't (it's easier to post a new thread and ask someone else to do the research for you than it is to do the research yourself). Usually, if a n00b has a question, he'll skim a few sticky threads, and then if his question isn't answered, either post a late reply in one of those, or post a new thread, asking the question that's been asked probably dozens of times before. The other problem with telling a n00b to use the search is that if he finds an old thread about what he was talking about, and he's got a question about it, he'll resurrect the thread and get yelled at simply for doing what he thought was good and proper. This thread eliminates that. The FAQ would stand out in this n00b's eye, because it is a list of the frequently-asked questions that people getting into nerf modding have. If he's got any kind of a brain, he'll check there, and likely have his question answered without bothering the rest of the community.
Here is an example of what I'm talking about (albeit a little outdated, but still).
And I apologize if it's against this forum's etiquette to post an idea like this if it's already been rejected by one of the forum leaders. While it's no excuse, I am new here...
Thoughts?
Edited by Jpec07, 14 October 2009 - 03:09 AM.
