Originally Posted by Entropy

Oh God, Reddit's thread structure is a disaster and a half. I prefer linearity-- nested structures tend to lead to too many off-topic discussions and comments, which I suppose works well for something like Reddit, but aren't as easy on the eyes (to me, at least).

At Chad: Have you considered setting up an FAQ/sticky thread to answer common questions? A lot of things could probably be answered with "We can't help you, refer to your academic advisor" or "You can submit your MSAF anytime within five days of your missed assignments"-- maybe even gather all faculties' contact info and have it there for reference.

Also, on a completely unrelated note: can we have the option to

a) turn off PMs every time someone beats our Arcade high scores, and b) have a link to the game where our score was beaten in them in the PMs?

I think a common Faq is a fantastic idea. I would need help putting it together though. Any volunteers?

I will look into the arcade PM feature. I think it will probably be an all or nothing type of thing. Not a user option unless it already exists.

Left the thread up to garner feedback from the community and to prove a point that I have nothing to hide and am proud of the community we have built here. One user wants to try and bring us down and say the community is dead. Well, I think this thread shows otherwise. Thanks.

*popcorn*

I think the real problem here is the two groups of people that will visit this forum. One set being 'forum dwellers' who are familiar with what trolling is, flamebaiting etc, and the other whom are completely inexperienced and are here for professional and academic reasons (usually asking questions). I would imagine it becomes very hard to appease both parties as both want polar opposite directions for the forum to be heading down

This can all be remedied by the implementation of some sort of casual off-topic forum. One that clearly and explicitly notes it doesn't reflect the views of McMaster, and moderation will be lax/non-existent like a regular forum.

Forums thrive only when there is a dedicated community, and i most certainly agree that moderation stifles "interesting" conversation

i like the FAQ idea i think that would be great !

Originally Posted by Chad

Thanks for the feedback Chris23. I agree, removing posts for pointing out other's mistakes or ignorance shouldn't be deleted, you're pointing out something to make a point. I suppose it all comes down to how it's worded. Just as an example, replying to someone saying "You're a dumb crying bitch... go search on Google" doesn't necessarily help add to the discussion nor is a funny joke making the post 'fun' in my opinion. Would you agree with that? What would you like to see happen if a user posts things like that?

Im glad you agree with my point on that matter. And in regards to the example you have provided, i will openly admit to having my fair share of troll posts, many of which have been in response to a scenario just like this. The example you have made should by all means be moderated if it appears on this forum. From my past posts of this manner, i never go as far in terms of verbal harassment as this example does. I find that you can make a funny joke out of it, without using that much vulgarity. Glad you addressed the issue though

Thanks for all the feedback everyone. Ponyo, I appreciate the kind words and I'm glad you're enjoying the MacInsiders community (great to see you got your coloured username to work too!). Your positive attitude really made me smile.

With regards to an open-topic forum, that's what the general discussion forum is meant to be. I'm ok with easing on the moderation of that forum compared to the others. I'm also really interested in setting up an FAQ section with common questions, but won't be able to do it on my own. Anyone wanting to help please let me know so we can make this happen. Thanks!

Yes, I do like to use this forum for asking general questions I'm a little embarrassed to ask my friends...(i.e. where is T28 when I've been here for how many years? Or what to do if I want to appeal a mark?)

Originally Posted by Zebedee

Yes, I do like to use this forum for asking general questions I'm a little embarrassed to ask my friends...(i.e. where is T28 when I've been here for how many years? Or what to do if I want to appeal a mark?)

Which can all be found with a simple click or two on either Google or the McMaster website >.>

It's these sort of pointlessly obvious things repeated X1000 everyday that chase people away.

Originally Posted by Goran

Which can all be found with a simple click or two on either Google or the McMaster website >.>

It's these sort of pointlessly obvious things repeated X1000 everyday that chase people away.

that's why is great idea to have FAQ makes it easy for ppl who don't want to google ^_^ !

Originally Posted by Ponyo

that's why is great idea to have FAQ makes it easy for ppl who don't want to google ^_^ !

or we could just provide a link to google and instructions on how to use the very confusing search feature like for the where is T28 question, its common knowledge that there is a campus map on the school website

Well, it's easy to confuse T28 and T29...
I know I walked into the wrong exam a few weeks ago...

Originally Posted by Zebedee

Well, it's easy to confuse T28 and T29...
I know I walked into the wrong exam a few weeks ago...

No it isn't. Well, at least not for me.

Originally Posted by Zebedee

Well, it's easy to confuse T28 and T29...
I know I walked into the wrong exam a few weeks ago...

again, a google search for the campus map would clear that up for you... dont see how your statement counters my point at all

I don't think a single person would be able to write an FAQ-- we'd probably need at least someone from each faculty helping out, along with people to answer the general Mac questions. Another issue is trying to phrase "We can't help you, ask your academic advisor" (the answer to about half of the questions we get here) in such a way that doesn't seem too condescending.

Also, what's going on with the ads on this site lately? I get that server space costs money and stuff but they're getting a bit out of hand, especially with the popups. It's unfortunate that Adblock users hinder your income, but the intrusiveness of some of the ads only encourages Adblock use. It's especially annoying in the Arcade where a Flash ad loading will cause the game to lag and stop you from getting that high score. :l

You can even see the dozens of ad servers that have to load on every page on MI ("waiting www.cpmfun.com...", etc.) and it's pretty bothersome.

Originally Posted by Entropy

I don't think a single person would be able to write an FAQ-- we'd probably need at least someone from each faculty helping out, along with people to answer the general Mac questions. Another issue is trying to phrase "We can't help you, ask your academic advisor" (the answer to about half of the questions we get here) in such a way that doesn't seem too condescending.

Also, what's going on with the ads on this site lately? I get that server space costs money and stuff but they're getting a bit out of hand, especially with the popups. It's unfortunate that Adblock users hinder your income, but the intrusiveness of some of the ads only encourages Adblock use. It's especially annoying in the Arcade where a Flash ad loading will cause the game to lag and stop you from getting that high score. :l

You can even see the dozens of ad servers that have to load on every page on MI ("waiting www.cpmfun.com...", etc.) and it's pretty bothersome.

I actually got adblock yesterday because of this site. I couldn't stand the pop-ups, especially, since I open threads in new tabs, I get a bunch of pop-ups and it is extremely irritating.