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Examples of Good Thread Posts at Windows BBS

Discussion in 'Site Comments & Suggestions' started by mailman, 2007/08/04.

  1. 2007/08/04
    mailman Lifetime Subscription

    mailman Geek Member Thread Starter

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    (Too?) Often we have new threads that don't include a meaningful/descriptive title and/or sufficient details provided in the body of a post.

    Perhaps we could add a handy link in Posting Rules (#3 - Meaningful Subject) that would direct the poster to examples of "good" (and perhaps "bad ") posts with descriptions of the relevant parts of a "good" post (including those that might be missing). Perhaps a link to this thread (or another modified thread after all suggestions have been hammered out in this thread) would be sufficient once the thread is detailed enough to "publish" as a sticky for easy access to link in replies.

    I think several "side-by-side ", easy to read examples in a thread such as this would be ideal for linking to, especially when helpers have to ask several questions to gather details that are helpful in starting our quest to help. It will educate users for their future posts and help minimize the time Arie and the moderators spend posting "please follow the posting rules" directives.

    I anticipate no apparent problem with identifying "good" posters. IMHO, the author deserves credit for excellence. However, if "bad" example posts are included, then they should be generically produced, not copy/pasted (so no particular user unnecessarily feels "ridiculed ").

    Arie, may I have your blessing to embark on creating such a help thread to be used as a sticky?

    =============

    For starters, Example of a Good Thread "First-Post ".
    Why is the (Above) Example Post "Good "?
    ==================================
    • The "Cannot Start ICS Service" title immediately identifies the nature of the problem.
      • A person familiar with "ICS" (Internet Connection Sharing), especially familiar with issues starting the ICS service, will likely click on the post and offer helpful suggestions. (The person might have several possible solutions in mind even before clicking on the post.:))
      • Descriptive titles include several important keywords. Therefore, I suspect they are more likely to be identified and prioritized with search engines. Someone is more likely to discover the thread at a later date when Googling or using the Windows BBS search facility. (I think the thread titles may be higher priority than message bodies when the search engine indexes the results.) Other people with the same or similar problem who discover your thread will be grateful, especially if the thread clearly contains a detailed problem solution.
      • Descriptive titles are also handy for copy/paste/Google search operations (so one is probably more likely to have a helper go through the trouble of searching on Google for you :)).
    • The message body contains exact error messages. Error numbers and spelling/wording are exactly the same as displayed on-screen. This is often very helpful when Googling for possible solutions.
    • The poster's details above are itemized (1, 2, 3, etc.) with white space between them. Very easy to read and comprehend, especially for those readers familiar with the problem and the terminology used.
    • Detailed descriptions like the one above clearly show the effort one had already put into solving the problem. Therefore, questions and time are not wasted about what had already been attempted (that the poster neglected to include in the message). I expect helpers are more likely to reply if given details clearly describe the troubleshooting steps already performed.


    Additional Information that Would Be Helpful:
    =====================================
    • Computer software/hardware configuration details
      • What type of computer (desktop or laptop)?
      • What operating system such as Windows XP (Home, Professional, Media Center Edition), Windows NT, 98, 95, etc.)?
        • What Service Pack (if applicable) is installed?
      • What model number is the computer/motherboard (if applicable)?
      • What hardware is installed (if applicable)?
        • Everest is handy for determining hardware configuration information.
      • What software is installed (if applicable)?
        • Belarc Advisor is handy for determining what software is installed.
          CAUTION: Belarc Advisor output contains many confidential/sensitive details about your computer. Be VERY careful when posting its contents on the Internet.*
    • Statements about any recent software/hardware changes you may have performed immediately before the problem started occurring

    *I'll look around for a better utility that is handy for copy/pasting only software installation information. Copy/pasting with Belarc Advisor is a little messy (because it's formatted in columns with HTML and doesn't display in columns when pasted on Windows BBS).


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    Please feel free to suggest ways I should edit my posts to make them better. Right now, I tend to feel the 3rd section of my post is too wordy and/or lacking whitespace. ;)

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  2. 2007/08/04
    noahdfear

    noahdfear Inactive

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    Awesome writeup, mailman! :)

    [SIZE= "0"]Dave can't wait to see the bad post example[/SIZE] [SIZE= "0"] .... hoping it's not one of his[/SIZE] :p
     

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  4. 2007/08/05
    mailman Lifetime Subscription

    mailman Geek Member Thread Starter

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    Thanks, Dave. :)

    I'll keep an eye on your posts just in case you slip up. ;)
     

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