Anyone else tired of misplaced posts? We can fix that!

[MIDI Life Crisis]

This is directed to the core group, that is, the people who generally are there to answer questions and post opinions, and generally participate in a fairly constructive way here - you know who you are.

If you, like me and a few others, are tired of posts ending up in the wrong section and just placed at the top section of this forum (usually in an effort to "be seen") I propose the following:

Do not respond at all to any post not placed in the correct section. No matter how much you want to answer and contribute, just ask the poster to post in the right place. Period. DO NOT HELP THESE PEOPLE AND DO NOT RESPOND TO THEIR THREADS - EVER - except to say: "put it in the right place, buddy!"

THAT will get their attention and show a little respect to the way James has decided to lay out the forum. If someone is not going to respect that simple request, then their posts should not get the dignity of a helpful response. I would hope this could be a forum rule if for no other reason than to show a little respect for the board's owner and consideration for other board members.

Don't like the idea? This is the right section to start an opposing thread, but as of this moment posts in the wrong section will not be responded to by me except to say "move it!"

[BobK]

+1

Thanks, Mike!

[FMiguelez]

Also, if more users used the View New Posts or View Active Posts links at the bottom of the page, it wouldn't matter, in terms of a posts' chances to be answered, in which forum they are posted in the first place.

With those links you get a list of the newest (or active) threads where you can easily choose the ones that interest you, no matter where they are. I can't think of a more effective way to use this board.

Also, if threads are posted where appropriate, it will be much easier for users who browse one specific forum for specific discussions and not be distracted by unrelated stuff.

... Oh, and BTW, posting where appropriate is one of this board's RULES anyway...

I won't be answering misplaced posts either.

[bayswater]

I'm happy to do this if it helps the moderators, and hope others will too. I once moderated a Cubase forum on Yahoo, so I know it can be time consuming and annoying at times.

As FM points out, if you use a link to go directly to View New Posts, you end up scanning the subject line to decide what to read. I do that, and usually don't even notice which forum a post is in.

I can understand that new members might have trouble deciding whether to use "tips" or "troubleshooting". Sometimes the difference is in how you pose the question.

[James Steele]

As FM points out, if you use a link to go directly to View New Posts, you end up scanning the subject line to decide what to read. I do that, and usually don't even notice which forum a post is in.

This is really the key to using this board. I have mulled over the idea of getting really detailed with categories and subcategories, but in some ways I think that would actually not be a good thing.

[twistedtom]

I will go along with you MIDI. I see tons of posts in the tips section that are really bitches. The big one is people do not know the difference between the usage & tips forum and the troubleshooting/ criticism forum. I think the criticism part of that forum should go and it should be just for troubleshooting, this forum here with gripes covers that.

[BKK-OZ]

As FM points out, if you use a link to go directly to View New Posts, you end up scanning the subject line to decide what to read. I do that, and usually don't even notice which forum a post is in.

This is really the key to using this board. I have mulled over the idea of getting really detailed with categories and subcategories, but in some ways I think that would actually not be a good thing.

+1

I guess that we don't all use the interwebs in the same way.

I never go to a particular forum, I usually just use the new posts thingy (I have it saved as a bookmark). I don't really care what category someone uses, I just look @ the list of new topics, read the title of topics, and if interested, click through...one of the beautiful things about hypertext is that you are only ever a click or two away from what you want.

I reckon that's why they call it the 'world wide web', and not the 'world wide linear', or the 'world wide pre-categorised highly structured information'. That's why I like search engines, metadata, and tags. I don't have the time or interest to sift through categories/forums to find what I want. That seems a bit like the old card file down at the public library, bit over that.

In terms of Motunation, its either the 'new posts' link, the search engine, or sometimes Mr Google helps me find what I want.

but, I promise to never ever (knowingly) violate the sacredness of the categories again

[MIDI Life Crisis]

I agree. The web has dumbed down a lot of folks and reduced their need to actually think about stuff. Personally I prefer the latter.

[Phil O]

MLC, although I agree with you for the most part, I think a little discretion may be appropriate. Sometimes it's difficult to know where a post should go. This is a post about the Frobus plugin, but a lot of people use it with DP, so should it go in the DP usage/tips forum? If not, then where? It's not off-topic. It's not always easy to get it right is all I'm saying.

Rather than say, "Post in the right section, pal" perhaps a polite, "please move this to the [whatever] forum" would be more effective. It will still get the point across and not tick off the people who made an honest mistake. To tell you the truth, I don't pay much attention to what forum a post is in. Like others have mentioned, I normally just use the view new posts link and read the topics.

I do, however, respect your opinion and your right to disagree.

Phil

[bayswater]

I will go along with you MIDI. I see tons of posts in the tips section that are really bitches. The big one is people do not know the difference between the usage & tips forum and the troubleshooting/ criticism forum. I think the criticism part of that forum should go and it should be just for troubleshooting, this forum here with gripes covers that.

That can be confusing -- troubleshooting and criticism in one forum -- but it can be no more than a difference in approach. E.g. "help me work out how to do _____ in DP" versus "DP sux because it won't do _____". Both can lead to a useful solution, even a great tip. And who's going to ask James to go through that forum and split them up?

[BobK]

This is a post about the Frobus plugin, but a lot of people use it with DP, so should it go in the DP usage/tips forum? If not, then where? It's not off-topic. It's not always easy to get it right is all I'm saying.

This is not rocket surgery*.

The usage/tips forum is for discussing DP. If you're excited about a particular third-party plugin, but don't have any DP-specific tips, then it's clearly off-topic, and the off-topic forum is the place to post. For example, Dave Polich wrote a post praising the Slate VBC. Yes, he uses it with DP, but since there was nothing DP-specific, the off-topic forum was the right place: http://www.motunation.com/forum/viewtop ... =9&t=55441

If you're posting about problems in DP related to a plugin, then post in the troubleshooting forum.

As happens every so often, the usage/tips forum has become a dumping ground for general product announcements, and like MLC, I'm finding the noise/signal ratio annoyingly high, making the forum less useful.

To tell you the truth, I don't pay much attention to what forum a post is in. Like others have mentioned, I normally just use the view new posts link and read the topics.

Of course you can use the forum any way you want, but the point is to respect the way James has organized Motunation.

* = rocket-science/brain-surgery

[Phil O]

I see your point, Bob. If you go to a particular forum and it's cluttered with misplaced posts, that can be annoying. I was just trying to point out that sometimes there IS a grey area (perhaps I gave a poor example) and some folks might make an honest mistake. For those times it's a honey/vinegar scenario.

Phil

[mikehalloran]

I struggled over that issue (ok for 5 seconds) when posting about RX 3 the other day. I finally decided that my post was more about the way that it interacted w/ DP 7 & 8 than the way it fixed my problem. But I did consider before I posted in the DP thread.

I, too, find misplaced posts a bit annoying and intend to follow Michael's lead on this - especially when it's a bitch that belongs off-topic. "Why can't DP...?" isn't troubleshooting - unless the answer is "Actually, it can as you can read on page ... in the manual".

Read the manual...

[bayswater]

If you're excited about a particular plugin, but don't have any DP-specific tips, then it's clearly off-topic, and the off-topic forum is the place to post.

Clearly off topic? I don't know about that. The use of plugins is a big part of using DP or any other DAW. What about a question about a plugin that comes with DP, with no specific mention of DP? That's off topic? How about Stubsonics post on thunder sounds for proverb?

[BobK]

If you're excited about a particular plugin, but don't have any DP-specific tips, then it's clearly off-topic, and the off-topic forum is the place to post.

Clearly off topic? I don't know about that. The use of plugins is a big part of using DP or any other DAW. What about a question about a plugin that comes with DP, with no specific mention of DP? That's off topic? How about Stubsonics post on thunder sounds for proverb?

Of course posts about using DP's included plugins would be on-topic.

I was responding to Phil O's post, which I assume was a theoretical situation involving a fictional third-party plugin ('Frobus'). And the example I gave - Dave Polich's topic - was also a third-party plugin.

I thought it was obvious I was referring to third-party plugins, but I've updated my previous post to specify that, and also added a link to the example topic.