Can we make it easier for posters to follow the guidelines?

Harry_the_cat said:
I think the problem is that many new members don't read the guidelines at all.
Click to expand...
Agree. I also suspect many of those people don't realize that we have guidelines.
mmm4444bot said:
Therefore, [for the reasons mentioned] we ought to assume that many new members don't know about the guidelines.
Click to expand...

The site owner had subsequently added a guidelines banner that appears at the top of the forum's front page, after a new member clicks the emailed confirmation link, but that banner appears only once. Because that one-time banner is the first and only guidelines indication presented to new members, I'm not surprised that it's ineffective.

I tend to think that moderation is the easiest solution for threads with no effort, but historically it's been impossible to get moderators here on the same page. I've made three attempts to solicit interest from all members in forming a unified response to threads from new members, but those efforts went absolutely nowhere. At this point, I'm interested only in rewriting the guidelines. I suppose that getting people to read them is something that all regular contributors will have to deal with in their own, personal way. (We can't alter the forum software, and the site owner is not interested beyond emergencies.)

So there it is. The world has changed.

?

[imath]\;[/imath]
 
mmm4444bot said:
I would add that the same may be said about administrators and staff members.

:rolleyes:

[imath]\;[/imath]
Click to expand...
When I see a post without ANY effort I "slap" my polite request of reading your admonition. You have to admit that that request is polite - every sentence starts with "please" and I stress what they need to do going forward. But in general, I do not provide mathematical help w/o work. So I not only drink the water - I drank the "kool-aid".
 
If we can't motivate posters to follow guidelines could we approach the problem from the end? I.e., make it easier for tutors to ignore "unmotivated" posters, who are fishing for complete copy-paste answers? For example, user @Raehya started 4 threads in the last week (3 of them with no attempt to follow guidelines), received 27 responses but haven't followed up with a single post yet. If we could dump all threads -- at least the names of the original and follow-up posters -- we could write a script to flag OPs who operate in "OP-only" mode.
 
Seriously, why not just have the student type before being allowed to post "I must show work to receive help"? At least 100% of students will know that they have to show work.
I truly think that would help greatly. What do others think?
 
Steven G said:
why not just have the student type before being allowed to post "I must show work to receive help"?
Click to expand...
Hi Steven. MarkFL told me there is no such blocking feature built into the forum software, and historically the site owner isn't motivated to implement third-party customizations or deal with anything other than emergencies. We're pretty much on our own here, so I think any solution will need to come from how we respond in threads.

Personally, I'd like to see a guidelines link and maybe a hint, description, first step or clarifying question(s) posted as the first reply in all new threads with no effort shown. At least 100% of those OPs (the ones who see such a reply) would then know that we want to see some effort or specific questions up front. I try to do those things when approving new threads in the queue, but I don't always have enough time for adding anything other than a guidelines link. (Investigating and dealing with spammers requires a significant amount of time.)

Whenever a tutor feels frustrated with a new thread or OP, they can simply ignore such posts. Eventually, people who are consistently ignored either adapt or go somewhere else (a win-win solution). And, if a tutor really desires to get involved in such threads, but the OP is not cooperating, then they may return in seven days and post whatever they like.

?
[imath]\;[/imath]
 
I've created a first draft, for the revised "complete posting guidelines". Drafts will be discussed in a private conversation.

All that I've done so far is to delete what I feel was obsolete or redundant content, as well as pruning some overly-wordy statements.

If you would like to participate in the revision process, please send me a private message, and I will add you to the conversation.

?
[imath]\;[/imath]
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top