Guideline Changes

It makes perfect sense. If there are 100 new topics all with the same reported error in a very short space of time, it is blindingly obvious that there may be a bug here. We will also start cross-referencing such topic pretty quickly. It’s part of what the mods & forum regulars do. One topic with 100 posts, on the other hand, is far more likely to be completely ignored. In my experience, the probability of a successful resolution in a topic is inversely proportional to the number of “Me too” posters.

For starters, a topic that has a number of replies has much lower priority than a topic with only 1 post. Have you seen the No Replies list? It’s checked by forum regulars multiple times a day. There’s no such filter for “topics with huge numbers of posters”. Then there’s the problems that arise when trying to help in topics with 4 or 5 people all trying to chime in with their own problems and getting confused as to who you are replying to etc etc. It’s nigh on impossible. Trust me – I’ve tried it.

Secondly, let’s look at CF7 as an example. Were you aware that a common issue such as not receiving mail even though the form submitted successful may boil down to which physical server you are on? Yes – server. Not hosts. Place two people with the same host and one will have a mail problem whilst the other does not. Been there. Seen that. Got the t-shirt. Quite a few times, in fact.

Finally, when we ask you to do something like post a new topic, do you think we are doing so purely to annoy you? Or could we be trying to help for the same reasons I’ve mentioned above? Why not give us the benefit of the doubt and start a new topic which takes all of 2 minutes. Why waste valuable time & energy arguing about whether a new topic should be posted? I don’t know about you but I have better things to do with my time.

Let me rephrase:

I see your point, but I pointed out to you (very correctly) that this support forums posting for STILL tells us to look for a similar topic.

Posting to an existing thread makes sense to people who have used WP for a long time as many times it’s users and not mods or programmers who solve problems.

Farlane, I’m at a ball park at the moment so my reply will be brief (probably). Also I’m using a phone and I’m sure I’ll have typos…

Your first post was deleted because you resorted to name calling. It’s alright to disagree with the moderators. Calling them names? Not so much.

Your second post was released from the queue just now by me. Your third post is being deleted as a duplicate.

Back to this topic:

What Esmi posted above is spot on. Too often people pile onto a topic and take over someone else’s problem. No one ever intends to but it happens almost every time.

That’s rude and amazingly inconsiderate to the original postwr. If you want to assist someone then that’s cool. I’d you’re going to start making the other person’s topic about your problem then yes, please start your own topic.

this support forums posting for STILL tells us to look for a similar topic.

… to see if someone has already posted the answer to your question. Not so you can pile in and add your questions to theirs.

And linking back to other threads helps too ??

Example:

I’m having problem XYZ. When I go to do ACTION I expect THIS to happen, but instead THAT happens. I searched and found similar issues

LINK 1
LINK 2

But those were related to plugins and theme’s I’m not using, and on older versions of WP.

LINK 3

That looks very much like my problem.

I’ve already tried turning off all my plugins and changing to the default theme. What can I do next?

That tells us you did the leg work (love it when you do!), you tried some debugging basics, and you recognized what was different and similar.

Also by you making your own post, the best thing in the world happens: We’re going to pay attention to YOU! That other post? We want to pay attention to the person who posted that. if we have to go back and forth in the same thread, chances are we’re going to get wires crossed and think you said something the other person said. But now you have your own sanctum where we can look at you, and you alone. And that’s really cool.

Could be clearer.

In any case, I didn’t call names in my first post. I pointed out that www.remarpro.com was clearly (in my opinion of course) saying to look for posts that were regarding the same problem.

He had the same problem as me, same version of wordpress and had just upgraded to the same version of the plugin, precipitating the problem. To me, it made a ton of sense.

Regarding my second post, I apologize. In my book it’s not OK to delete someone’s well-reasoned post without comment. I got upset and said things about esmi – who I do not know and who is clearly doing yeo(wo)man’s service in these forums – that I should not have.

I had no intention of hijacking mackaltman’s topic. Rather, I was trying to back him up in the face of what I saw as discourteous behavior from a moderator who I had experienced to be discourteous and whose philosophy of tech support I didn’t share. Like mackaltman, I have been in these forums for a while, and often as not it is a fellow user who solves problems that I have, or at least points me in the right direction.

I agree that your philosophy of support has a lot of merit. I would ask that WordPress institute a method to follow open support posts without commenting to facilitate and also to make the Before posting a new topic, be sure to search to see if one has been started already text clearer.

Again, I apologize – thanks for all that all of you do.

Sorry Mike – didn’t see your post. I very much understand what you’re saying and will post in the manner requested.

Mika ??

Pete? It happens to her allll the tiimmmmeee… ??

I’ve actually given up unless you post a long rant about me ?? Or say it wrong at a WordCamp presentation ??