Problems Getting Help in This Forum

I see a lot of people asking for help in these forums that didn't seem to use the search function to find a similar thread already dedicated toward that topic, instead they just create a new thread. This makes it very hard to help people, because within 5 mins of posting a new thread it is already on the 2nd page and most people don't ever see it. This is probably why I see a lot of people complaining that their threads go unanswered. Anyway not much I can do about it, but just felt like saying something about it.

Well, if they can't be arsed to search or read stickys, nobody owes them any help. I actually saw a thread where a respondent suggested a solution, the poster asked for a link, the respondent asked him to google it, and he replied "ah, I was hoping not to have to do the work".

Of course, not all, not even the majority, do that. Community is still community though, so cheers ):P

the3dman said: Anyway not much I can do about it, but just felt like saying something about it.

Oh but you can. You can help answer the unanswered post just as the UnansweredPostsTeam And I do agree that some new users just want a answer now and are not willing to search. :)

the3dman said: I see a lot of people asking for help in these forums that didn't seem to use the search function to find a similar thread already dedicated toward that topic, instead they just create a new thread. This makes it very hard to help people, because within 5 mins of posting a new thread it is already on the 2nd page and most people don't ever see it. This is probably why I see a lot of people complaining that their threads go unanswered. Anyway not much I can do about it, but just felt like saying something about it.

While people should search before posting, there is not that much the admins can do about it.

It however is a problem that most posts on ABT don't stay on the first page long enough.

Have you guys (admin and staff) considered making the ABT front page bigger, so more posts can fit into or have any other solution for this problem?

overdrank said: Oh but you can. You can help answer the unanswered post just as the

UnansweredPostsTeam And I do agree that some new users just want a answer now and are not willing to search. :)

I like to help out in ABT, but I never go hunting for unanswered posts, if it isn't on the frontpage then I'm not seeing it.

billgoldberg said: While people should search before posting, there is not that much the admins can do about it.

It however is a problem that most posts on ABT don't stay on the first page long enough.

Have you guys (admin and staff) considered making the ABT front page bigger, so more posts can fit into or have any other solution for this problem? Would that help much? I mean what happens if you have 50 instead of 20(?) new threads on the first page? I believe it makes little different honestly. Just thinking aloud here...

billgoldberg said: I like to help out in ABT, but I never go hunting for unanswered posts, if it isn't on the frontpage then I'm not seeing it.

The unanswered post link is in each sub-forum, for said sub-forum only. A global search kills the forums..

I have difficulty when doing any search via the forum search function. It tends to give many irrelevant results. For instance, any search will bring up the same threads ie: The bump thread, the whos below you thread, etc. I find the best way is to google "ubuntu forums (my specific problem)" brings up much more relevant results. Is there a way to redefine the ubuntu forum search program to search for terms in the thread title only??

gettinoriginal said: ...Is there a way to redefine the ubuntu forum search program to search for terms in the thread title only??

Yes, in the advanced search, under the keywords, you can choose titles only :KS

Well it seems the only people reading this have some experience on these forums, which I am glad it is being read, but I was just hoping more newbs would read it so if their post gets overlooked they know why.

the3dman said: Well it seems the only people reading this have some experience on these forums, which I am glad it is being read, but I was just hoping more newbs would read it so if their post gets overlooked they know why.

You know, when something unexpected happens to someone with little experience, the first reflex is often to ask rather than search. A detailed explanation tailored to their own situation is probably more reassuring than reading fixes that do not exactly fit their own situation.

I am not saying it is normal not to search, and usually a google search brings up many UF threads, doc and wiki pages, blog posts etc. But to use the info, you have to be able to understand it, apply it to your own setup and this can be difficult for someone already puzzled by a cryptic error message.

The main idea is to help them, and maybe hook them in helping in return once they feel more comfortable :)

Searching first is often a great way to find answers, but you can easily run across two alternate scenarios, both of which I've fallen victim to on these forums:

1) You run a search and get 20 pages worth of results.

2) You run a search and get 0 results, at which point you widen the search and end up back at 1 above.

I am constantly puzzled by how I can use search keywords that yield zero relevant results, only to be linked to a thread whose first post contains all of my keywords.

gettinoriginal said: Is there a way to redefine the ubuntu forum search program to search for terms in the thread title only??

best way to search the forum is through google I'd say:

"keyword site:ubuntuforums.org"

Well, after doing some checking, there are 126 1/2 pages of no replies under Absolute Beginner. So I have started to check some of these to see if I can help, but many of them are application or system related to which I have no knowledge of. And yes, Maaaaaaaaany are repeats, but I can see the possibility of that many posts with no response causing linux beginners to not pursue help here. I think that search thread title should be default, it would possibly cut down on those repeat and redundant threads. Although that's just my opinion.