Where vB is going wrong

[Cap'n Steve]

Originally Posted by pcoskat

A good CEO(admin) doesn't handle everything in their company, nor do they need to know how to do it. Among other things, they need to know where the smart, proficient, and courteous experts are.

I run a farily large forum, and I don't know how to upload files - nor do I plan on learning. My focus is on the content and overall experience for the end user.

No offense, but why are you here then? Wouldn't it make more sense to send the guy who does know how to upload files? There must be someone, since vBulletin got installed somehow.

[gavinzac]

Originally Posted by Cap'n Steve

No offense, but why are you here then?

to scope out potential new features? the code is just HOW we get the new features. code for code's sake would be pretty dilly. if he sees ebux or something and thinks, wow that be great for the forum, THEN the code guy comes in.

[CSS59]

Originally Posted by Chris-777

These are the growing pains of a community this big.

More people + More people not using search + More threads posted asking a question that's been answered already = less accurate search results.

agreed!

[pcoskat]

Originally Posted by gavinzac

to scope out potential new features? the code is just HOW we get the new features. code for code's sake would be pretty dilly. if he sees ebux or something and thinks, wow that be great for the forum, THEN the code guy comes in.

Bless you...

[ZombieAndy]

my thoughts on this are pretty much the same as what alot of you have said.

i like to think of myself as a trainee coder. im no PHP expert and i do get stuck on things. but im learning by playing with code

i do occassionally ask questions, but i always use search before i ask anything, as i know how annoying it is to have hundreds of topics asking about stuff which could be answered by searching, but anyway. even when i have a genuine question, which i cant answer by searching it often gets ignored. this really annoys me and to be honest does put me off this community guys.

[Freesteyelz]

On the flipside the unanswered threads could also mean that whoever dropped by may not know the solution.

[Smitty]

Originally Posted by imported_infitech

VB can assign a team of moderators or admins to look at unanswered posts and if these posts have been answered in another thread, direct the member to that thread. This would be that moderators sole purpose as a moderator.

I don't know about every unanswered post, but for 0 Reply threads I use

http://xxx.com/forum/search.php?do=process&replyless=1&replylimit=0&dontcache=1

It's a quick search.

Originally Posted by Freesteyelz

On the flipside the unanswered threads could also mean that whoever dropped by may not know the solution.

Unanswered threads are a turnoff to visitors. If you want people coming back, and RECOMMENDING your forum to others, at least SOME response, even to say "Sorry no one has replied, let's give it a day or two. I apologise in advance, but sometimes no one has an answer for your question. We do our best." I bump threads that get no response. Sometimes the thread is dead because no one does have an answer, but at least the person who asked (started the thread) doesn't feel 'abandoned', or worse, ignored.

Just my opinion.

[southernlady]

I've installed codes where the coder was very helpful in answering my questions. Even when it was MY screwup in following his directions. And not just once but several times.

And then there is the flip side where I read the entire thread of a coder's install trying to find the answer, not once but 5 times, making sure I didn't miss it. Posted a question about why part of the code didn't work the way it was suppose to work and have yet to get an answer. My post is still being ignored over 3 months later. Yet, at the same time, that coder has answered over 10 more pages since.

Coders come in all flavors. The ones that help and the ones that don't...you eventually learn who is who and avoid the hacks of the ones who don't help. Liz

[Tyegurl]

sometimes i think they answer the more serious questions first and then forget about the others because they get so invloved in the others. i have seen about 3 coders who go through and quote every single new question in a new post and answer...i thought that was very personal on their part. that way you weren't stuck in the middle. but even then i saw some people had gotten left out with their answers....i don't know but i don't take it personally. i figure if i had the problem and i posted about it then most likely someone else will eventually have the same problem or it will be fixed and i will wait.

[Smitty]

Originally Posted by southernlady

And then there is the flip side where I read the entire thread of a coder's install trying to find the answer, not once but 5 times, making sure I didn't miss it. Posted a question about why part of the code didn't work the way it was suppose to work and have yet to get an answer. My post is still being ignored over 3 months later.

Yes. I 'feel your pain'. I take it as a factor that most of everything here is essentially donated so there is not much incentive for a 'hack' developer to respond. Now and again I have even offered to pay. I have paid for several hacks to be updated by a 'third party' because I used them a lot and the person who posted the hack here had abandoned them.

If you don't get reply for 3 months, that should tell you not to depend upon that hack's originator. I'm not a coder, but usually a hack upgrade costs me about US$50 to US$100.

I make pretty good money on my forum so the two 'critical' hacks I need which were abandoned are important to me because my visitors are important to me.

Personally, I'm waiting for a good statistics hack. I would like it if VBStatExtended: advanced statistics for your board was debugged and current. I'd pay. If pcfreak would finish (or whatever) I'd pay US$1000 for vB Statistic version 3.0.0 (directors Cut *g*). But - both are, while not totally abandoned, 'static'.

But like I say, for many people who submit hacks, since it's essentially a donation to the community, I can understand why they 'abandon' them and/or do not respond. I can't complain when they're free.

Just a few thoughts.