Don't get me wrong, I like this community for what it is, but posts can be a playground for smartarses and jokers, which can probably deter people genuinely looking for help or advice. The meta/in-jokes and non-helpful comments which can dominate can push new users away.
Allow users to tag a comment as helpful/on-topic. Allow users the option to sort by helpful first. Allow users to only get a notification if they get a helpful comment.
grabs popcorn
Well, yes, we do. But I'm talking specifically about new users who wouldn't know about this.
I assume the owners of the site would like to grow this site.
And while I called out forum posts looking for help, it would be more helpful for bargain posts as that's usually the gateway for new users.
That only happens every 5 out of 7 posts.
I thought the forum was a joke section
Yes, but only if it's extended to ALL TV news and newspaper articles, I really can't tell the difference any more between 'serious' articles or whether they are just taking the piss. I guess that's what the world has come to.
SERIOUSLY?
Yeah dude, like, what the…
What if I'm half joking, half serious? Maybe we could have different tags, something like serious-serious and sorta-serious?
Needs quite the opposite - a joke/sarcasm tag. People are seriously getting super offended over the smallest things.
Don't call me offended!
Like that one time I said I thought bananas are disgusting. Wow people got soooooo mad.
Reeeeeeee!
That is a bit weird though. Bananas are tasty and good for you.
@brendanm: I should have said I hate coriander. The soap eaters would hate on me still, but at least a few people would agree.
The meta/in-jokes and non-helpful comments which can dominate can push new users away.
It's like an anti-whirlpool
And it genuinely more helpful. Say you want about WhinePool, any time I've asked a question, I've had nothing but well-thought responses.
I'm not asking for this place to change, just if I actually want useful information from this community, I don't want to wade through noise as an option.
Whirlpool is an overmoderated hell hole. It caters toward hand holding idiots who ask stupid questions that could be answered by a simple Google, and who then never come back or contribute further.
Long term helpful contributors who have a dissenting opinion to the mods get banned. I had a pervasively light aura, banned anyway. Many such cases with others, so many long term users banned, while hand feeding one post wonders.
The majority of new users are either 'find me a deal on x item' with no manners, like people are paid at this site.
Or other questions that are just stupidly easy to google
They deserve every bit of Sass they get
I disagree with the latter. What constitutes “stupidly easy to google” is relative. I for example have essentially made a career for the past 10+ years out of using google to tell me what I need to know on the fly so what stupidly easy for me to find via google is not the same as say my mum who doesn’t even have a Facebook but is slowly learning about the advantages of using the internet. Why punish though who don’t know? I mean if they’re being obnoxious and entitled sure let’s sass but if they’re genuinely seeking help why be a dick about it?
What amazes me is that people are Internet savvy enough to be able to find ozbargain, find the forum section and post a question like "is yyy shop open on 1/2/3" or "where can I buy a fork" , but not savvy enough to type the exact same question into Google?
essentially made a career for the past 10+ years out of using google to tell me what I need to know on the fly
Were they one answer type of questions?
When I say stupidly easy to google, i mean questions that would be resolved immediately on Google, rather than creating a forum post to ask. If you can do that, then you can google.
Switchblade88 below had it right, if they seem genuine and polite then help away.
But crap like 'does anyone know what time the movies close tonight?' etc is just nonsense.
I create every response that is equivalent to the quality of the post.
Genuine query about something I can help with? I'll provide as much useful info as I can.
Ask something stupid? (Insert sarcastic reply)
Allow users to tag a comment as helpful/on-topic. Allow users the option to sort by helpful first. Allow users to only get a notification if they get a helpful comment.
That's what comment voting is for. Funny/helpful comments rise to the top.
Where’s the “serious” tag on the post.
grabs popcorn
This post has PotKettle written on it :)
Internet. Serious business.
I prefer a more refined approach, much like our cousins do. Flinging poop. It’s a direct and efficient way of telling you what we think.
I am here for the jokes and sarcastic replies
I agree. Many times I find some comments are most unnecessary, unkind and most unhelpful especially sarcastic words on one’s silly English grammar or wrong spelling mistakes. After all many users here come from non English speaking background . It is easy to criticise but judge yourself have you ever made mistakes during your life journey. Some just want to make pleasure out of someone’s pain.
English grammar or wrong spelling mistakes. After all many users here come from non English speaking background
This, apparently this makes you lazy and aspire to be that. There should have been an unhelpful tag on that comment.
Why was this post downvoted? Serious?
Eh, probably from the same inconsiderate people who said people who spell wrong are lazy.
@Ughhh: I actually do think people who misspell words/omit relevant information in OP but not edit them after being pointed out are lazy. Nobody is perfect so making initial mistake is not straight away lazy. But then not correcting ambiguity in OP is unhelpful in itself.
As to comments which are unnecessary, unkind and unhelpful - they can be reported to the mods. Removing sarcastic comments seems unnecessary. Unkind comments can be downvoted - although people downvote for all sort of reasons.
Some just want to make pleasure out of someone’s pain.
"It's a fine line between pleasure and pain…"
The site is called OZbargain: You're expecting notorious funposters to not funpost? A serious button might be necessary
The meta/in-jokes and non-helpful comments which can dominate can push new users away.
Are there stats to this, Scotty?
Registered users vs guest lurking users? Do they actually go after reading those comments?
It's just about right as it is.
So much these days gets moderated into a useless oblivion due to whatever the current popular pressure is.
Sometimes the comments are really smart and make me smile.
Sometimes people post little snippets of information that help me work out what I need to learn.
Occasionally a rant/flame develops because someone got too close to someone's threshold.
I'm not offended, I don't feel I have to defend, I just move on.
Very very rarely the mods step in, it's just about right as it is!
Mostly people know what they are getting into when looking for advice on OzBargain. There’ll usually be some helpful comments, along with the critical and the witty/not so witty.