Do you find yourself replying less and less in the forums?

JazzJackRabbit · Post by **JazzJackRabbit** » Fri Apr 20, 2007 12:28 pm

I've noticed it couple of times now that I usually think of posting but then decide against it. Today while browsing forums I found two topics worth replying to, I've clicked reply button, started typing an answer and then.... just stopped typing and went to the next page because it just wasn't worth posting as the topic has been rehashed so many times that typing an answer would be a waste of time because if the op bothered to search in the first place he would have found an answer already. So instead of posting an answer, or asking him to search for the topic first, I just don't answer. There are still interesting threads, but those mainly concern new products or very specific and subjective topics like noctua fan thread in the fan forum. Anybody else finds himself the same way?

mr. poopyhead · Post by **mr. poopyhead** » Fri Apr 20, 2007 12:45 pm

sometimes i type out replies and give up halfway as well... mostly for the same reason. i feel like a jerk sometimes ignoring threads where people ask for help. but at the same time i can't read ALL the threads here. i'm a slacker at work, but not THAT much of a slacker,

i think part of the problem is the thread title. perhaps the person HAS done a search and maybe has narrowed their decision down to a few parts and needs very specific advice... but then they make their thread title "what PSU should i get?", which sounds very general. i usually skip over those.

is it more helpful to remind them to search or not post at all?

i hate feeling so jaded sometimes (even though i'm relatively new in these forums). i've been on other forums where people just become indifferent and eventually leave. the turnover rate seems to be 3 or 4 years. i definitely don't want that to happen here.

psiu · Post by **psiu** » Fri Apr 20, 2007 1:03 pm

I was going to answer this thread...but I decided not to instead.

nici · Post by **nici** » Fri Apr 20, 2007 1:45 pm

I've noticed that i pretty much only browse the Off-Topic section, and spend a lot less time on the forums as a whole. Most of the threads seem to be "waht should i get..?" threads. the interesting ones get buried somewhere under the avalanche of posts.. if i check daily there's about 60-80 new posts of which maybe 10 is of any interest to me. And often i just can't be bothered to answer questions that are asnwered many times before, and i canÃ¤t even be bothered to point pout that it has been answered before. This used to be a lot more interesting a couple of years ago... Right now im going to have a glass or two of water and go to sleep.

IsaacKuo · Post by **IsaacKuo** » Fri Apr 20, 2007 1:46 pm

I drop in sometimes, and sometimes I drop out of SPCR for weeks or even months. It's cyclic.

kater · Post by **kater** » Fri Apr 20, 2007 1:47 pm

Hmmm, let me think (ouch, hurts, note to self - don't think, stupid) I try to stick to only a few topics of special interest to me (PSU's, cooling) and only to areas where I think (again, ouch) I can be of at least any help. I treat SPCR with its vast article base and even vaster (this word - does it exist?) forum resources as a learning site. I mean I read stuff here and go to other forums bragging and showing off, down on your knees welps know thy master his brain is sooo huge and his synapses so thick they make mooring ropes look like fine silk threads.
But seriously (note to self - ahhhh, forgot, whatever) some topics are best left alone. I hate answering in the manner of "go look it up it's been discussed countless times" and I also don't particularly enjoy writing "yes, 350W will be more than enough for you, go get S12 380, enjoy".
There are zillions ppl around here whose fingernails are smarter than my entire self and so I usually find myself unable to add sth valuable to the thread. Speaking of valuable, I totalled my car recently. Naaah, it wasn't that valuable in the first place. Hmmm, where was I... Oh, well, if there's sth. I know for a fact and to be truth and I believe it will be of use to the OP and it hasn't been mentioned already I just try to share the info.

Good thing (one of maaaany) about SPCR is that the forum is more "quality" than "quantity" and you won't have to wait untile the 50th post to get a decent answer - it only takes a few answers to cover the subject.

mr. poopyhead · Post by **mr. poopyhead** » Fri Apr 20, 2007 8:53 pm

maybe if we updated some of the forum stickies people would find what they needed there.

maybe instead of a "what can you run with 350W PSU" sticky in the PSU section, we can post some average specs for different wattages (350/380/400/420/450 etc.)

some of the stickies are hopelessly out of date or maybe just need some reformatting. such as the "fanless VGA card list"... is there a way we can compile 4 pages of information into a list on the original post? or the "VGA power dissipation list" perhaps could have the most pertinent links added to the first post.

i think little changes like that may make the forums a bit more newbie friendly. get the ball rolling for them a little bit and they may start using the search function. a forum with such a wealth of quality information can be a little overwhelming at first...

i think this thread brings up a good point so let's try to take something positive from this and do something constructive. we should also use this opportunity to maybe point out some very common questions/issues we're seeing and maybe nominate them for a sticky or addition to an existing FAQ.

my nominations/ideas are:

-stickying the "yate loon deals" in the deals section.
it may seem unfair to other brands and vendors. but people are always asking about them, and there seems to be a new thread about them every week. "YL for $3!". maybe we can think of a more brand-neutral name for the thread. i dunno.

-adding "passive coolers" as a sticky, or merging it with the "fanless VGA card" list.
a lot of questions about passive coolers. and i just saw a post where someone was lamenting that the only aftermarket cooler he could find for his 7900GT was a thermaltake. that individual and other like him could surely benefit from a list of passive coolers.

i know the mods have real lives and are just as busy as everyone else. but i'm sure we can find a few volunteers to do a little cut n' paste. count me in....

Trip · Post by **Trip** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 12:19 am

IsaacKuo wrote:I drop in sometimes, and sometimes I drop out of SPCR for weeks or even months. It's cyclic.

ditto

Though I've cut way down on posting as well.

nutball · Post by **nutball** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 12:39 am

JazzJackRabbit wrote:Anybody else finds himself the same way?

Yes.

Personally speaking I think that one of the reasons that topics get thrashed over and over is that the answers people get aren't the ones they want to hear. No, they aren't going to buy a P180, they're going to buy a Lian-Li with a window and WTF do you mean you can't tell them how to make it silent?

I think there's a growing constituency here who aren't interested in silent computing, but rather are interested in quiet computing. If you're in to the latter then there's a lot of ... how can I put it ... anality here which is somewhat overboard.

It's OK saying "search the forums" but if the forums are full of too much information folks will just switch off (the youth of today

). In the end, for a lot of people the difference between a Yate-Loon or a Noctua or a <whataver> is too much detail. Any of the quiet fans here will do, any of the quiet PSUs here will do, any of the quiet HSFs will do, ... and so on.

IsaacKuo · Post by **IsaacKuo** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 1:23 am

For as long as I've been reading SPCR, there have always been far more "quiet" computing enthusiasts than "silent" computing enthusiasts.

Hardly anyone comes into SPCR asking for a "silent" computer. No, they ask for a computer "quiet" enough to sleep with, or a "whisper quiet" computer. Usually, it's simply a story of someone's noisy computer finally driving them nuts and they just want some relief. That's my story.

jaganath · Post by **jaganath** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 1:38 am

Usually, it's simply a story of someone's noisy computer finally driving them nuts and they just want some relief. That's my story.

Ditto.

To be honest, once you've silenced your own computer there really is no reason to come to SPCR apart from reviews of new stuff and to help other silence-seekers, and most people's questions have been answered already. SPCR is basically just an historical archive now.

Bluefront · Post by **Bluefront** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 1:42 am

Due to the very nature of this forum-format, I really think there is no way to avoid the same sort of questions popping up again and again. People these days are into quick fixes.....and it's much easier to ask a question than to actually take the time to search for the answer. And I don't think any amount of "stickies" will change things. I also don't answer generic posts very often, but try to add things of which I have had experience. I still think this is the best forum for hardware information, information of which I have any interest anyway.....

klankymen · Post by **klankymen** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 3:32 am

Yes, I do find myself in that situation more and more often.

And like nici, I stick to the Off-Topic forum, and at the moment also to the VGA section, cause I need a new DX10 vid card...

BrianE · Post by **BrianE** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 10:03 am

Yes, I find myself doing the same thing recently. I didn't join that long ago compared to some of the members here, but most of my post count was accumulated early on.

I lurk more than anything else these days just to keep up on new developments and products, but once in a while feel I need to reply to something that I find interesting or if something is badly needed. Of course once I do that I tend to read through a few days worth of threads and post a few more things.

Devonavar · Post by **Devonavar** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 11:44 am

Absolutely. I burned myself out on these forums. If you're wondering why the number of reviews on SPCR have dropped so much, it's because I can't bring myself to find something new and exciting to say about the nth power supply I've looked at.

I agree that the stickies are a mess, and I've been meaning to look at them for months now, but I've been busy doing other things, and reorganizing the forums isn't exactly my idea of a good time.

I do think we need some more mods. I'll suggest it to Mike.

Do you find yourself replying less and less in the forums?

Do you find yourself replying less and less in the forums?

Re: Do you find yourself replying less and less in the forum