Hey folks.
Recently I've noticed the hordes of people asking different questions. One being "Why, when, or how can I change my avatar." I've found myself lately to having to scrounge around the forum to find "un-written" or "unspoken" rules or establishments about different things to answer people's questions.
That said, it occured to me that for some odd reason, there are thousands of things that aren't specified in any "official" thread. Take the Veterans Group as an example. By now everyone knows what the Veterans Group is, but guess what? There was no Veterans Group thread. When I tried to use some posts to prove or validate what I was saying in a response to someone, I spent like 20 minutes going in and out of threads in the Forum Announcements forum to find out where the discussion about the Veterans Group was held. I finally found it in the "Shoutbox Removed" thread (Found Here).
Another example are the Custom Avatar questions. I've seen several people confused about the current settings for the Custom Avatar. I recently tried to answer and make clear to someone what they were, only to find that there was no official thread on that either. So I spent 10 minutes looking through this section and the Forum Announcements section, but didn't find anything. Finally, I had to make a search on all posts just to find some type of staff reiteration on what the settings/requirements were, just to make sure I got my information right.
In conclusion, this is a problem for me. I (and others) can't help people effectively because I can't remember all of the unspoken rules/settings of AO by memory, and there's no real thread to point people to. So, I propose the idea of having a new "FAQ" section under AO Central. In it, it would include all types of FAQ, like "How do I get a custom avatar," "When do I become a Community/Elite/Veterans member," and so on. I know we have a FAQ section next to UserCP at the top, but that isn't conclusive enough, and I am willing to bet my money that most members don't see it, nor look at it.
Yay or nay on the idea? If not a FAQ section, then is there simply any way to organize some of that kind of stuff a little better? What is everyone's opinion.
I think this is someone the higher ups on the staff will consider, because if Silver's allegations are true, then we should take a look and make such a thread/page/etc. While we all know that no noob is going to read it, dedicated members like Silver can help by referencing to these faster and thus the staff can easily close the thread quickly to avoid any opportunities for spam by other members.
'Cause you give me something / That makes me scared, alright / This could be nothing / But I'm willing to give it a try / Please give me something
'Cause someday I might call you from my heart
I have to agree, most of the active users read enough to know what is going on but then again...I am a busy guy with loads of stuff going on...I just don't remember everything and I think this would help refresh my memory without me "breaking" an un-written rule or asking a dumb@$$ question. Since I have been around a while I know if I have that issue others will too. But like pyoro said...noobies aren't likely to read it...but there is that shimmer of a hope right!?
Hmmm, just editing the rules might not cover the whole package.
You're right. We're going to have to discuss a new way to make the rules/FAQs clear to everyone...
Why don't you guys make a new set of rules instead of re-writting and editing the existing rules?
Wow? Why? That's useless work. FAQ is what it stands for... Frequently Asked Questions. They aren't necessarily "rules." Think of things like, the minimum number of characters that is needed to post (50). Another example could be like, "How do you get into the Veterans Group."Originally Posted by ketaro
Different things like that, and they aren't rules. The rules page doesn't need to be touched, period.
(u_u) I have to say I have encounted some of these questions. Hard to explain at some points. As like, "Why can't I see the Gallery?" As for me I am not sure why he couldn't. >.> Is there a thread about that. So I can point him the right way, or another person in the near future. I went though the rules: Permissions, and restrictions (sp) But It didn't pop up. Corret me if I am wrong.
>.> I just didn't find it, that hard when I was new to put up a Avi.
And don't change the rules. I just got them merozied (sp) Leave them Be!!
I think that is the whole point of Silver's suggestion. It is more of a reference for regular members who are not part of the staff. The faq section allows members like K and Silver to help new members, without some obnoxious member screaming "OMG THEY SEUDOMOD!!" (obviously some members here can't spell)...
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