What Happened to SMF Forums?

[Gilgimech]

I wasn't going to post this but (name edited out by Kill Em All) pushed me over the edge.

This forum used to as great place to get support and help for the SMF, but anymore I find it to be unhelpful, and the upper level members.. Not outwardly rude, but it feels like they feel that posting is a wast of time for them.

If you get a reply at all (which I still have posts out there with no replies) it just something like "Search the forum". Well have you ever searched the forum without knowing exactly what answer you need? You get hundreds of post with nothing to do with your problem. It's like trying to find a needle with a haystack. It would be different if there was a knowledge database, but there isn't.  I don't know about you but I don't always have the time to search through every post to find an answer.

If you new to this forum, don't let this scare you away. You still might find some help out there. 

Edited because a user didn't want their name in the topic.

[flapjack]

Let's see: you are using software provided by SMF without any charge and other obligations apart from keeping the footer untouched. Then, every time you have a problem you are posting on a forum expecting an answer. You signet up about 6 months ago, yet you complain the forum changed over that time so you have a problem with it.
Most of the people answering your questions are volounteers and share their time and resources with you, for free (again). Any chance you are russian or from any other communist country, where people still believe communism is the ideal system? Sounds to me like it.

Can you tell me how had you expressed your gratitude to those people you complain about? For thousands nights with no sleep, hundred thousands posts where people require the same answers over and over. With 1500-3000 posts every day, I am sure at least 90% has been answered already, but you and many more just were too lazy to first try to find required answer yourself.

I do moderation services for last 15 years, some of them are paid, most of them are support forums like this one here, where users help users. And believe me, I wouldn't allow on any of my forum 100's questions "This mod is not working!" topics, I'd lock it and send a nice warning to the poster. Yet, have you ever seen this happening here?

You complain you get free software and free service, which sometimes doesn't fill your expectations. Why don't you invest into Charter Membership and get priority support and designated helpdesk team then?

[Adish - (F.L.A.M.E.R)]

What exactly did I do.. ? I just marked your topic solved from the last comment. It wasn't anything harsh..?

[Forum Guy]

yep, looks like SMF on its way out..

[Kindred]

So, your time is more important than ours?

We're supposed to answer and reanswer every little question, despite the fact that the same question has already been answered 20 or even 200 times already?

I actually responded to one person a few years ago "RTFM" which was seriously the ONLY response I could think of to a question which is CLEARLY answered in the documentation and several times on that very forum page.

So...   I am sorry if you have better things to do than try to search for an answer to your questions. Many of us also have better things to do (like fix bugs and answer questions which have not already been answered) [and there is a knowledge base, called the online manual... and a search function for the forum as well]

yes, my post is a little harsh, but seriously, we are volunteers here. Yes, there is a fair backlog of support posts waiting for answers.

[Bigguy]

Wow....

[Adish - (F.L.A.M.E.R)]

I just cant figure out what did I do that he just took it to the greatest level...?

WTH!

[RagingHippieHost]

http://raginghippie.com/?p=57

[Arantor]

http://raginghippie.com/?p=57

Interesting that. If you're going to point the big stick at someone, at least name and shame. You wanna point it at me, great, go for it.

[RagingHippieHost]

http://raginghippie.com/?p=57

Interesting that. If you're going to point the big stick at someone, at least name and shame. You wanna point it at me, great, go for it.

Why would I do that? That would just cause more problems.

And what if I wasn't talking about you? .-.

[Arantor]

Because you've called me out as one of those trolls here, including calling me a d*ck (your word, not mine). Your commentator definitely is referring to me as I currently have the second highest post count here, which I would point out is mostly in the support boards actually trying to help people.

So, if you're going to call people out as trolls, do it to their face, not behind their back.

* Arantor acknowledges he probably sounds like a troll at this point, and it's probably not entirely untrue, just gets very annoyed with people who will badmouth him and people like him behind their backs but won't do it to their face.

I stepped back out of the team due to burnout. I have been asked by more than one current team member to reconsider and rejoin the team as a Support or Customizer member, which I refused because I knew I would only end up insulting people and make SMF look bad, and I'm more fond of having the freedom to say what I feel is true on a semi public forum.

[catfished]

Getting back to the original subject, I don't agree with Gilgimech's post except about the search feature on here. Unless you happen to use the exact search term of the problem you're having, you will get mostly unrelated results. I guess if someone starts a thread titled "getting error when using package manager" but you later search using "package manager problems" you will get many, many pages of results before the "getting error when using package manager" thread shows up and if the original thread has any part of the subject misspelled, it will never show up. I imagine those that are experienced in using forum search engines can get better results but for the newbie it's very frustrating and time consuming. JMHO

[RagingHippieHost]

Because you've called me out as one of those trolls here, including calling me a d*ck (your word, not mine). Your commentator definitely is referring to me as I currently have the second highest post count here, which I would point out is mostly in the support boards actually trying to help people.

So, if you're going to call people out as trolls, do it to their face, not behind their back.

* Arantor acknowledges he probably sounds like a troll at this point, and it's probably not entirely untrue, just gets very annoyed with people who will badmouth him and people like him behind their backs but won't do it to their face.

I stepped back out of the team due to burnout. I have been asked by more than one current team member to reconsider and rejoin the team as a Support or Customizer member, which I refused because I knew I would only end up insulting people and make SMF look bad, and I'm more fond of having the freedom to say what I feel is true on a semi public forum.

Do you not see my signature? I have a link pointing straight at my main site, which has this article on it. So..

MY QUESTION IS..

How is this calling people out behind their backs? Also, if you are getting so upset about this article I have written, then perhaps you have some apologies to give?

Time and time again, I have tried to post multiple, different threads asking for either opinions about my site or for members that are interested in becoming a staff member of my forums. No matter what I post on http://simplemachines.org, I get my thread trolled and talked down about. I don't ever get a real, genuine answer unless someone feels bad for me because of how badly members troll my threads. It's not just me they attack, either. They've attacked fellow staff members of mine, even some of the people that post the most on the forum!

Forums are not meant to be run by spammers, trolls, etc. They are meant to be run by the active members, the people that are dedicated to the community and are going to stick by it no matter what. Some forum owners think that they should run the whole show and be the biggest posters of the forum, but that is not the case. Regular, active members should be the ones that set the mood for the site, the forum staff members are just there to help keep things running smoothly.

The SMF Support Forum is very resourceful and their staff members are quick to respond and know what they're doing. So, even though I despise the fact that the trolls attack my forum improvement and staff requests threads, I have to remember that the SMF support forum does not need to accept those threads, and that I should only post there if I have an error with one of my SMF forums or if I am helping someone else out with their SMF errors.

I hope this post helps those of us that the trolls of the forum have targeted. SMF is a great forum software and deserves all the praise it gets. Letting a few members of the forum bring you down isn't worth ending your visits to http://simplemachines.org.

And why do I get targeted as the one that is calling people out, when my commentator was the one that posted the bit about highest post count?

April 9, 2010 at 5:59 pm

Interesting point. I've found the same. Yes, I will eventually find a response, usually when I offer to
pay someone, but there is an AWFUL lot of trolling at the SMF forums. A lot. And this is by
members with high numbers of posts.

Also? Many responses are genic put downs: RTFM... Use the search... when these things have
been done, as evidenced by reading the question.

Very interesting observation you make here. Thanks for speaking up.

[RagingHippieHost]

Getting back to the original subject, I don't agree with Gilgimech's post except about the search feature on here. Unless you happen to use the exact search term of the problem you're having, you will get mostly unrelated results. I guess if someone starts a thread titled "getting error when using package manager" but you later search using "package manager problems" you will get many, many pages of results before the "getting error when using package manager" thread shows up and if the original thread has any part of the subject misspelled, it will never show up. I imagine those that are experienced in using forum search engines can get better results but for the newbie it's very frustrating and time consuming. JMHO

I agree. Use different synonyms for your search results, that's what I do.

[Arantor]

The quote in relevance to what I was saying:

So, even though I despise the fact that the trolls attack my forum improvement and staff requests threads,

Are you saying that I'm not one of those trolls?

It's relevant what we're getting at here because I'm one of the people that seem to be the cause of this trouble.

[RagingHippieHost]

The quote in relevance to what I was saying:

So, even though I despise the fact that the trolls attack my forum improvement and staff requests threads,

Are you saying that I'm not one of those trolls?

It's relevant what we're getting at here because I'm one of the people that seem to be the cause of this trouble.

To be quite frank, no.

When you post, you're not trolling, you're simply stating the obvious (or what seems to be the obvious) and most people don't like that.

[Bigguy]

Use google for searches. it's much better. the reason I said wow is no new member should be treated the way this guy is being treated. He has 45 posts and he's being told to use the damn search. Can no one take the time and even point him in the right damn direction, huh.

[sAce]

@ Arantor

Can i say some thing to you, which might offend you ? but i will only say it if you allow me to about this whole YOU thing going on.

[RagingHippieHost]

Use google for searches. it's much better. the reason I said wow is no new member should be treated the way this guy is being treated. He has 45 posts and he's being told to use the damn search. Can no one take the time and even point him in the right damn direction, huh.

That is pretty terrible. But, members of this community (some of them) lack compassion.

[Arantor]

Regarding the whole search thing. In almost every one of the support boards, there is a post entitled "READ ME FIRST: How to help us help you" which details lots of things people can do to get help.

Most importantly it details things people should provide. There is nothing more frustrating than trying to support someone who doesn't tell you nearly enough to be able to help. Have a read through the support topics and see how often "what version are you using" comes up, yet it's presumably an absolutely basic requirement.

There's an online manual chock full of things, yet the majority of people who request support haven't looked through it at all. That's why you get people who are fed up of trying to help because after they do it day in, day out, for months on end with the perception that no-one wants to try and help themselves, it becomes so frustrating (and I'm speaking here as a former member of the Support team)

@ Arantor

Can i say some thing to you, which might offend you ? but i will only say it if you allow me to about this whole YOU thing going on.

Sure. I respect people who can say things to my face.