Start suspending people who blatantly disregard forum rules.

[FrankLZ]

As someone who was a noob just a short while ago (maybe I still am), I definitely think that there could be a better FAQ section that is complete and very visible. When I first joined, my main question was "which cube should I get" because my cube didn't turn at all like those I saw in the videos. After way too much searching and an intense fear of sounding like a noob, I finally found the info I needed. Yes I know that I could point someone to the answer to that very easily now, but I didn't find it at first and that was annoying enough for me to want to write in an annoying question and have someone else answer my question for me.

I now think the most annoying posts are about this exact the same question and I think that instead of it reflecting poorly on the new users, it just means that the forum should step up and give newbies some great initial reading material to allow them to catch up with the learning curve required to post intelligently on this forum. (Admittedly, the blame isn't all on the forum, some people are just dumb). The wiki is great, but it isn't complete yet and I would say that if an annoying question keeps on popping up then someone should add a great answer to that question in the wiki.

I don't think the best answer to the endless barrage of 'which cube should I get?' questions is the facts-oriented description of each cube in the wiki however, I think what people want is a personal endorsement of a cube. Thus the perfect solution for stopping these questions would be to add a section in each person's profile where they display which type of cube they use (2x2x2-5x5x5 plus all the other cubes). They could also add which method(s) they use for each cube. (Yes I realize there are threads that display this info, but they aren't as easy to find for a noob as looking at someone's profile).


Also, I think the main annoyance with stupid questions is the fact that they show up in the 15 newest posts part of the home page. A great way to get rid of that annoyance is to have two 15 newest posts sections. The first would be for all the forum sections except Beginner's Central and the other one would be right below and would display the 15 or so newest noob questions (ones from Beginner's central). This way those who want to deal with the noobs can and those who don't will basically be removed from them. I really think this would go far in eliminating annoyance for the experienced cubers and would actually work because the main thing that is very apparent to the newbies is that they should be posting in the Beginner's Central forum (since it is written in red all over the place).

"We aren't going to stop ignorance or stupidity, we can only work around them" - somebody that was pretty awesome

 

[royzabeast]

I agree with this point.

Maybe a solution to resolve this for new comers:

When they register, the should be shown a page of the rules, and then answer some questions below it. For example they could be:

Q: What should you include in all of your posts?
A: I, a new user, who should have read the rules, should include try to use the best English I can in the forum by using proper _________ and _________. (spelling, grammar)

Q: What should you not do on the forum unless your post relates to the thread?
A: When I find a old thread (more than two weeks or something like that), unless I have important information that relates to the thread to say, I should not ____ anything new in the thread. (post)

Maybe tell them they can find the answers in the rules where the words are underlined or highlighted or bolded in the rules or something.

My examples aren't perfect but that's just a general idea of what you could do. It would force people to learn the rules, and could also be helpful in keeping spammers/bots away.


And for punishment, users could report stuff and moderators could check it, and the could get a warning. On their second warning, the user could be temporarily banned for like 5 days or something. Another two warnings maybe like two weeks, then maybe a month. Something like that, just a general idea.

I agree with this. When somebody signs up, have it so they would get tested with a series of questions. If they don't get x/y (maybe x/x), it will take them back to the page with the forum rules so they can study some more.

Also guys, I have a question...
wat kind of cub3 shud i get?

 

[blade740]

And of course Pochman can alpha-male all over whomever he deems unworthy, because he's senior around here and provides cheap entertainment for the rest of us.

The thing is, he is almost always right. Only one instance comes to mind where he has been wrong, and its arguable that it was not his fault.

The only time Stefan was wrong was when he thought he had made a mistake.

 

[pjk]

qqwref and shelley: If either or both of you are interested, I'd be willing to give you the permissions to enforce this. I agree that something needs to be done. A 48 hour suspension is not enough, more like a 4-7 days would get the word across. However, I can already see that noobs who get suspended will just go register a new account the next day. It is worth a try, nonetheless. Let me know if either of you are interested.

 

[shelley]

Even if they can just turn around and register a new account, the added inconvenience might make them think twice. And if they really become a problem there's always IP banning, right?

 

[pjk]

Even if they can just turn around and register a new account, the added inconvenience might make them think twice. And if they really become a problem there's always IP banning, right?

It would make them think twice, but if a noob really wants to get back on, they will re-register. There is IP-banning, but that could get old pretty quick. I'm willing to give it a try if someone can help me enforce it.

 

[04mucklowd]

I've got a bad feeling about this,
I feel that I may fall into that catorgorie

 

[d4m4s74]

yahoo answers has a function which may be implemented here
If you type the title of a thread a search is automatically run and to the right it displays threads which may be relevant.

useful?

 

[shoot1510]

Even if they can just turn around and register a new account, the added inconvenience might make them think twice. And if they really become a problem there's always IP banning, right?

It would make them think twice, but if a noob really wants to get back on, they will re-register. There is IP-banning, but that could get old pretty quick. I'm willing to give it a try if someone can help me enforce it.

What if they use a proxy site or an anonymous browsing ip? What should you do about that?

 

[JLarsen]

We're hoping that this kind of inconvenience would just prompt them to NOT make dumb posts, which is far easier than creating a new account and running through proxies every time you come to the site.

 

[AvGalen]

Simple idea: Whenever someone creates a new thread that is completely redundant ("Best cube, how to get faster, etc") just use this answer:
1) Scroll all the way down on this page
2) Now do you see this thing called "Similar Threads"?
3) Please realise that all those threads (and many more) have the answer to your question

Also, bumping old threads is better than opening similar ones because it will give better results when you use the search. Having 1 source for a topic is better than having 5.

Finally, refer to the Wiki more often!

 

[Ton]

Even if they can just turn around and register a new account, the added inconvenience might make them think twice. And if they really become a problem there's always IP banning, right?

It would make them think twice, but if a noob really wants to get back on, they will re-register. There is IP-banning, but that could get old pretty quick. I'm willing to give it a try if someone can help me enforce it.

I would prefer: new thread will be posted and active after a moderator check it. Lot of work, I guess, if needed you would need a team of moderator with a "follow the sun" schedule

 

[qqwref]

I would prefer: new thread will be posted and active after a moderator check it. Lot of work, I guess, if needed you would need a team of moderator with a "follow the sun" schedule

That's a good idea, although of course new threads aren't the only problem. I don't think the userbase will be much affected by this unless there isn't a mod around for hours, since I rarely see an urgent topic (and speedsolving usually isn't busy enough for people to give a useful response quickly anyway). It might be too much work for the moderators though.

 

[Stefan]

I did ban this guy for three days. He had been a nuisance before this unbelievable "wow this is old" bump already:

- "I think my palm just hit my face" bump (which I deleted maybe before anyone else saw it).
- Thread title "how do they????" (to which I added sense).
- His "sub for sub" insult.

The new "wow this is old" just pushed it too far. Clearly shows that he needs a serious wake-up call, which I hope he'll get from a bit of actual punishment rather than just others lamenting.

qqwref and shelley: If either or both of you are interested, I'd be willing to give you the permissions to enforce this.

This is the second time I've banned someone for three days for such unbelievable behaviour. First one was rUnEsCaPeR (or similar name) after his many nuisance posts that continued even after a warning. I do hope these bans are for the better for everybody, including the banned guys. Hope they'll learn from it and become better people, I know I did when I was banned somewhere else many years ago. I only do it in utterly extreme cases, but if I don't have permission and shall stop, let me know.

And of course Pochman can alpha-male all over whomever he deems unworthy, because he's senior around here and provides cheap entertainment for the rest of us.

The thing is, he is almost always right. Only one instance comes to mind where he has been wrong, and its arguable that it was not his fault.

Only one? Wow. Which one?

I've got a bad feeling about this,
I feel that I may fall into that catorgorie

You're indeed a constant supply of nuisance with many of your posts. I'm even honestly considering the theory that you do it on purpose "for the lulz" because it's hard to believe someone can be like you unintentionally. But for some reason you're not quite in the same league as crosman boy and rUnEsCaPeR.

 

[(X)]

Simple idea: Whenever someone creates a new thread that is completely redundant ("Best cube, how to get faster, etc") just use this answer:
1) Scroll all the way down on this page
2) Now do you see this thing called "Similar Threads"?
3) Please realise that all those threads (and many more) have the answer to your question

Also, bumping old threads is better than opening similar ones because it will give better results when you use the search. Having 1 source for a topic is better than having 5.

Finally, refer to the Wiki more often!

I agree, I think a part of the problem is that someone is always helping those who creates such threads. So people will continue to make these threads because they know they will get a clear answer.

 

[04mucklowd]

I've got a bad feeling about this,
I feel that I may fall into that catorgorie

You're indeed a constant supply of nuisance with many of your posts. I'm even honestly considering the theory that you do it on purpose "for the lulz" because it's hard to believe someone can be like you unintentionally. But for some reason you're not quite in the same league as crosman boy and rUnEsCaPeR.

could that be that my posts are not completely idiotic

 

[CharlieCooper]

I've got a bad feeling about this,
I feel that I may fall into that catorgorie

You're indeed a constant supply of nuisance with many of your posts. I'm even honestly considering the theory that you do it on purpose "for the lulz" because it's hard to believe someone can be like you unintentionally. But for some reason you're not quite in the same league as crosman boy and rUnEsCaPeR.

could that be that my post are not completely idiotic

a lot of them are. your attitude is also somewhat unpleasant, i think the post on hadley's video about nobody caring was probably the worst. i would have banned you for a while because of that alone. from what i can see though you did improve a bit since then, so good for you.

 

[Nukoca]

yahoo answers has a function which may be implemented here
If you type the title of a thread a search is automatically run and to the right it displays threads which may be relevant.

useful?

I actually think that's a good idea. I was actually about to post that myself (probably without the picture, though).

"I think my palm just hit my face" bump (which I deleted maybe before anyone else saw it).

No, I think I caught a glimpse of it. Which thread was it in?

 

[Stefan]

"I think my palm just hit my face" bump (which I deleted maybe before anyone else saw it).

No, I think I caught a glimpse of it. Which thread was it in?

One that had been dead for a week. Does it matter which one? You don't bump a dead thread just to facepalm. Period.

 

[Deleted member 2864]

I've got a bad feeling about this,
I feel that I may fall into that catorgorie

You're indeed a constant supply of nuisance with many of your posts. I'm even honestly considering the theory that you do it on purpose "for the lulz" because it's hard to believe someone can be like you unintentionally. But for some reason you're not quite in the same league as crosman boy and rUnEsCaPeR.

could that be that my post are not completely idiotic

a lot of them are. your attitude is also somewhat unpleasant, i think the post on hadley's video about nobody caring was probably the worst. i would have banned you for a while because of that alone. from what i can see though you did improve a bit since then, so good for you.

If you mean the average of 12 (this one), that was mine Unless both of us posted videos with similar responses.