Send out a welcome PM that explains this kind of stuff and points to all the announcements. I think you should be able to do it automatically.
Send out a welcome PM that explains this kind of stuff and points to all the announcements. I think you should be able to do it automatically.
That's a sensible solution. Of course you'd also have to have a more direct way of telling a new user that they have a new private message along with a link to the said private message. A lot of forums do a pop-up either in a new window or just and overlay over the forum window when a new PM is received. You have to assume people that have trouble sending PMs or accessing their account is also going to have trouble realizing they have a PM and checking it. That little notification at the top might seem obvious to most of us, but then the people asking these questions aren't really most of us.
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Not everyone's sense is as well evolved, refined, and superior as your own, o' master of humor.
The problem is there are _countless_ forums that send you a greeting PM when you sign up. As such, I think they would be ignored for the most part, considering I've learned to ignore them myself. But that could just be me, dunno.
Last edited by Yarin; 10-19-2011 at 04:01 PM.
I don't care about that. The point is mods can quickly close threads about getting one on one help, their lack of ability to have an avatar or a signature, closing their accounts, deleting their posts or code. If anyone has a problem the mods just say did you read the welcome PM. No? Sucks to be you.
Last edited by whiteflags; 10-19-2011 at 05:06 PM.
Is it really such a problem? What is it, twice a month? It's hardly something to twist any knickers over. It's a cliche, but if you're sick of answering the question why enter the thread? It's not like these types of threads are ever titled obtusely. Besides, none of the people who ask PM/avatar/signature questions ever post again anyway, so if it goes unanswered, who's to care?
Then again, the moderators would be able to do those if instructions concerning them were in a stickied announcement too. That said, SlyMaelstrom's point makes sense: a seasoned forum user, or someone so desperate for help that he/she ignores everything else, would not read the message, whether as a PM or a stickied post, but a new forum user otherwise is more likely to read a PM than a stickied post.Originally Posted by whiteflags
Look up a C++ Reference and learn How To Ask Questions The Smart WayOriginally Posted by Bjarne Stroustrup (2000-10-14)
So ... now you got this thread... Ask... What's your small question?
Couldn't you guys take this to PMs or something?
Quzah.
Hope is the first step on the road to disappointment.
Adding notes on this to the user welcome messaging is a very good suggestion!
I already have the forum send a welcome email to new users, but I'd never taken the time to edit it. I've updated it to include a link to the forum guidelines and a special note about the PM system. I also added the welcome PM as whiteflags suggested, with links to several resources as well as a second explanation of the PM system.