Quake3World

I posted this in one of the threads as there
seems to be an ongoing problem with new
members missing the stickies. What do you
think? Also, how about the FAQ image linking
directly into this announcement thread when
it's clicked on?

http://www.quake3world.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=13903

DRuM wrote:Btw, here is an idea that I think could be worth trying, to encourage reading stickies. In an ipod forum I sometimes go to, they've incorporated a line right above where you post a topic telling you to read the FAQ, and also, where you actually type, there is another line of info which disappears as soon as you start typing.
How about something like that here? And in big capital letters?

I think the stickies just don't stand out enough for Q3 noobs, especially if they register to a forum for the first time as well. They probably just see a long list of topic titles that they don't even want to skim. I guess it's just the limited possiblilities of phpBB to add layout to the topic listings... The announcement info thread is where the Q3 noobies should be attracted to first. Maybe the title should be changed to: "Problems or questions? Read this before you post"

The additional info in the post window like in DruM's screenshot would be good too.

This should be stickied.

Foo wrote:This should be stickied.

Nobody will see it.

Please choose the appropriate forum for this topic. Thank you.

ok, welcome to five years ago.

and shouldn't this be in A&M? :icon26:

+JuggerNaut+ wrote:Please choose the appropriate forum for this topic. Thank you.

what?

menkent wrote:ok, welcome to five years ago.

and shouldn't this be in A&M? :icon26:

Was this actually implemented before and didn't work or something then? I wasn't here 5 years ago

I'm positive" READ THE STICKIES BEFORE POSTING" in upper case in the typing area would work, surely?

Why would you read that any more than 3 to 5 lines at the top of the forum itself?

It, like the stickies, would fade into the background of the forum just as easily, just as all the other text on the posting page does.

A far more effective but involved method would be contextual highlighting (like adLinks) where common troubleshooting terms are used in a first post.

Make the stickies a different color. Bold is ok, but having it red or something like that could be a bit more 'in your face'.

If you click the 'Post Topic' button with a new account, before reading any stickies, your PC shuts down and emits smoke, only adding to your 'QUAEK PROBLM plz HELP'

Lol. But foo, if the wording was just in the actual box where you type, there's no way it can't be seen. That's kind of the way I'm thinking. Like, it would be right under their noses. Or in my case, right under my schnoz.

It's already under their noses. It's not like it asks you to open a box or something to unveil it's contents.

I'd say, if the people are competent enough to find a proper forum to post their thread, then they should be competent enough to glance their retinas at the top of the page where usually IMPORTANT INFORMATION is posted. So it's either they are just too lazy to read stickies, they are very new to internet bboards and don't understand the sticky concept, or they are retarded/have add.

yer, i doubt people post retarded topics because they don't see the FAQ. they just figure it's faster to ask than bother looking for something. same reason people ask retarded questions about everything else in GD - too lazy to google.

Ok, it was just a suggestion worth trying. Let's just keep things the way they are so that people can continue to moan about people not reading stickies and everyone will be happy. Cool.

I'm not bothered, most people tend to post really newbish questions which are really easy to answer.

btw, if you wanted a better response I guess it would make more sense to involve one of the admins, like raw or dave, even if it seems like a good idea there's nothing we can do about it here.

Well I posted here as a spontaneous idea based on the other thread where people were saying that noobs don't read stickies. From here, riddla or prince are the ones that can suggest it in A&M.

edit: and julios, forgot he was mod here too. :icon31:

this is hardly a new problem though, much less something the admins aren't already well aware of. in fact, it's one of the main reasons i was against merging BD and CE back when i was a mod (BD having been a forum made entirely of "how do i play online" reposts).

anyone dumb enough to not know how to connect to a server on a 7 year old game likely wouldn't understand the faq even if they did read it, so why bother making the rest of us click through useless disclaimers whenever we want to post a topic?

You don't have to click through anything. See where it says

"Please choose the appropriate forum for this topic. Thank you."

That sentence disappears the moment the mouse cursor is clicked in the typing area. That's all that's needed, one sentence in there. It doesn't link to anything.

How about this: that example picture links to a FAQ, but what could be helpful in the case of Q3W would be something like:

"If you're not sure where to post your questions or remarks, read the Quake III Arena Info thread first for descriptions of all forums.

For answers to many common questions, please read the Quake III Arena Frequently Asked Questions."