'Tech Support' sub-forum for the Computers and Games forum.

[Mink]

So, I was looking at the 'Computer and Games' forum and it made me think that maybe we should have a support sub-forum specifically for computer help.

We have a lot of people on the site who are very well versed in computers, and in my opinion this would be a great addition to the Computers board.


What do you guys think?

 

[baby_mike]

I think it would be a great idea. It seems like people are always needing help with a computer. *Points at himself*

 

[Jeremiah]

That sounds like a good idea.

 

[Martin]

Why not just put that into the computers and games subforum? Do we really need it?

 

[ShippoFox]

Why not just put that into the computers and games subforum? Do we really need it?

My thoughts exactly. It doesn't need a completely specific section.

 

[chevre]

Does the current software even support sub-sub forums?

 

[Mink]

Why not just put that into the computers and games subforum? Do we really need it?

Because instead of having all the help threads in the computers and games forums, you could have them in their own forum with stickies for common problems and solutions, and where other problems can be quickly referenced while not taking up space in the main forum.

At least that was my thinking when I came up with the idea...

 

[Charlie]

Add a poll?

Also (as Cherve pointed out), this would mean that the Computer and Games forum would become an actual forum outside of the off-topic forum, and the 'Tech support' would have to be a subforum of that.

I don't know what I think, although I'm generally against adding more forums.

Can't we just have a 'common tech problems and solutions' sticky instead? And have the questions asked as they are now, in the computer and games subforum. Then the questions might start to die down, once the common ones all get answered.

 

[Martin]

I think you can make sub-sub-forums in vB. I can check for 3.6.8

EDIT: Yep it's possible

 

[recovery]

I'm against it, as its not necessary. What is wrong with the general computer sub forum anyway? Keep it the way it is, there wasn't any problems with it. So if it ain't broke then why fix it?

 

[Woollyneck]

I don't really think it's neccessary. We have enough forums as it is; I don't think we need to make it any more cluttered. Plus, would people even use it that much?

I prefer Charlie F's idea of a sticky in the Computer and Games Forum.

 

[Vladimir]

I agree. It seems that help threads aren't visited enough compared to ones about games. Putting help threads in the Computers and Games sub-forum is annoying, and a sub-forum specifically for computer help would be cool, since humans like to help others in nature. So maybe it would attract more people and I could get some answers about my QBasic problems.

A sticky in the Computers and Games sub-forum would be even worse! Everyone would be confused because a few people would ask different questions at once and it would be very very confusing. If you don't like a sub-forum, you don't have to look at it! And think about the VIP Forum, it's almost never used, but it's there. Because it has a point, which is allowing VIPs to create threads specifically for experienced and mature members. The Technical Help sub-forum would have the point of helping people who need answers about software or hardware. A Donor forum, however, was proposed recently and was refused (I think) because it has no point. What would Donors want to show to fellow Donors only anyways?

 

[Mink]

I agree. It seems that help threads aren't visited enough compared to ones about games. Putting help threads in the Computers and Games sub-forum is annoying, and a sub-forum specifically for computer help would be cool, since humans like to help others in nature. So maybe it would attract more people and I could get some answers about my QBasic problems.

A sticky in the Computers and Games sub-forum would be even worse! Everyone would be confused because a few people would ask different questions at once and it would be very very confusing. If you don't like a sub-forum, you don't have to look at it! And think about the VIP Forum, it's almost never used, but it's there. Because it has a point, which is allowing VIPs to create threads specifically for experienced and mature members. The Technical Help sub-forum would have the point of helping people who need answers about software or hardware. A Donor forum, however, was proposed recently and was refused (I think) because it has no point. What would Donors want to show to fellow Donors only anyways?

This was basically what I was thinking when suggesting it.

I have a few more things to add into this later, but I'll hold off.

 

[betagame]

Stickys:
Operating system help
Media help
Application help
Portables help

 

[mm3]

hahah, well yeah, then make me and danny moderators of that forum ^.^

 

[Kip]

I like this idea. I think it would be cool to have a computer help forum.

 

[Spirit]

Absolutely not necessary at all. I know this all sounds ironic with my previous moans, but I don't see the words "Tech Support" in the acronym "ADISC". I'm not saying that we shouldn't have a tech forum full-stop. I'm saying that we don't need a sub-forum as the existing forum already covers everything and is sufficient.

I just don't think that the sub-forum would get enough posts to be viable. If it did, it would certainly sound the death knell for the parent forum.

That's my bit.

 

[starshine]

It's good to have a whole bunch of forum topics to keep threads in a more specified area... but it gets to a point where too many forum topics is even more confusing then what we began with.

 

[Vladimir]

Stickys:
Operating system help
Media help
Application help
Portables help

Where's programming in that?
And hardware, for that matter?

Absolutely not necessary at all. I know this all sounds ironic with my previous moans, but I don't see the words "Tech Support" in the acronym "ADISC". I'm not saying that we shouldn't have a tech forum full-stop. I'm saying that we don't need a sub-forum as the existing forum already covers everything and is sufficient.

I just don't think that the sub-forum would get enough posts to be viable. If it did, it would certainly sound the death knell for the parent forum.

That's my bit.

Again, the VIP forum has very, very few posts, but it IS there. Because it has a point.

Also, perhaps it isn't a Tech Support forum, but on specialized ones, I can never find a good answer to my questions, because it's full of noobs and people who don't know anything about what I ask, so they say stuff like 're-install [application]', 'restart your computer', 'buy a new [computer part]' or whatever. At least I know there are geeky people who can help me here. A lot of people have good knowledge in computers and programming on ADISC, that's why we have so many help threads to begin with.

"It would certainly sound the death knell for the parent forum."?
Computers and Games. That's the name of that parent forum, and there are plenty of things that one could say about computers and games, excluding technical help.
People bragging about getting new hardware, people asking about good games or computer parts (that's not technical help if they know what the problem is and how to fix it), talk about specific games, programming languages, software, hardware, new technologies...

It's good to have a whole bunch of forum topics to keep threads in a more specified area... but it gets to a point where too many forum topics is even more confusing then what we began with.

True, but the forum is already confusing, especially with the ranks and rights thing, VIP requirements, donor sub-ranks... That's MUCH more annoying than another sub-forum.

 

[Martin]

Again, the VIP forum has very, very few posts, but it IS there. Because it has a point.

Those points are totally different. Without a VIP forum there wouldn't be a place where only VIPs can posts. Without this "tech support" forum you still have a place to post tech questions. Why split up a forum that is active enough to have a (sub-)forum but not nearly active enough to split that up. That'll only turn them into two underused forums.

Also, perhaps it isn't a Tech Support forum, but on specialized ones, I can never find a good answer to my questions, because it's full of noobs and people who don't know anything about what I ask, so they say stuff like 're-install [application]', 'restart your computer', 'buy a new [computer part]' or whatever. At least I know there are geeky people who can help me here. A lot of people have good knowledge in computers and programming on ADISC, that's why we have so many help threads to begin with.

Why can't you do that in the computer and games sub-forum we have now?

Computers and Games. That's the name of that parent forum, and there are plenty of things that one could say about computers and games, excluding technical help.
People bragging about getting new hardware, people asking about good games or computer parts (that's not technical help if they know what the problem is and how to fix it), talk about specific games, programming languages, software, hardware, new technologies...

But not enough is being said there at the moment to make a sub-sub-forum needed It'll turn both the computers and games forum and the "tech Support" sub-sub-forum into two underused forums

True, but the forum is already confusing, especially with the ranks and rights thing, VIP requirements, donor sub-ranks... That's MUCH more annoying than another sub-forum.

Those are two totally different thing. And I don't see how the ranks are confusing. You don't know what's the VIP requirement and take a look here for info on donor stuff. Simple as that.