Hmm...
Question for "regulars"...
What to do when a new member signs on, and asks a question that you know has been talked about, rehashed, and "decided" some time ago.
The new question or comment is legitimate and germaine to those who haven't been around for any length of time. In some cases, our great moderators have either merged threads or referred the new member to an older thread.
What to do?
- Refer to the older thread?... This may discourage new blood. No one wants to read through thousands of posts, but if the subject is treated as "new", then those who have the best info, get bored with saying the same thing over and over...
- Link to the old thread, with a brief synopsis of the content, but not redo what has already been done?
- Ignore the question, and let those who haven't put in their 2 cents worth discuss the issue to explore new and different ideas?
Am not trying to start a controversy, but know it must be hard for anyone who has been around for more than a few years to choke back (OMG, not again!).
Personally, I believe the appeal of the forum is the great variety of subjects, and the continuous change of the "current topics". Some of the other forums that I visit become stagnant and dull because the "oldtimers" become blase and snobbish about their knowledge. I don't think anything should change at all, but sometimes worry that I can't remember my own lies when I've made previous comment.
Sheesh... imagine:
Threads: 54,323, Posts: 1,151,924, Members: 25,043
gotta be doin' somethin' right!
Question for "regulars"...
What to do when a new member signs on, and asks a question that you know has been talked about, rehashed, and "decided" some time ago.
The new question or comment is legitimate and germaine to those who haven't been around for any length of time. In some cases, our great moderators have either merged threads or referred the new member to an older thread.
What to do?
- Refer to the older thread?... This may discourage new blood. No one wants to read through thousands of posts, but if the subject is treated as "new", then those who have the best info, get bored with saying the same thing over and over...
- Link to the old thread, with a brief synopsis of the content, but not redo what has already been done?
- Ignore the question, and let those who haven't put in their 2 cents worth discuss the issue to explore new and different ideas?
Am not trying to start a controversy, but know it must be hard for anyone who has been around for more than a few years to choke back (OMG, not again!).
Personally, I believe the appeal of the forum is the great variety of subjects, and the continuous change of the "current topics". Some of the other forums that I visit become stagnant and dull because the "oldtimers" become blase and snobbish about their knowledge. I don't think anything should change at all, but sometimes worry that I can't remember my own lies when I've made previous comment.
Sheesh... imagine:
Threads: 54,323, Posts: 1,151,924, Members: 25,043
gotta be doin' somethin' right!
Last edited: