Orientation/welcome thread discussion (drafting the parts of an official thread)

The mods are thinking about stickying a new thread here in General as a "welcome/intro info" thread for people coming onto the forum (especially since newbies have seemed to accept this as the best place for intros). Obviously there are things we assume new members read (FAQs) that they miss for whatever reason. I was curious what info some of you would suggest be included in the initial post for a newbie-welcome thread.

Links to the pages would be appreciated, trick-links to shocksites or whatever will get you banned

If you're a new member yourself, feel free to add to this what you wish was immediately available.

crash course on how to use the search function...

apparently the majority of new people just can't see the button. this would prevent so many repeat threads.

Slot & Cart Cleaning

http://www.hardmvs.com/html/cleaning.htm
http://www.hardmvs.com/html/slotCleaning.htm

NGF
http://www.neostore.com/store/blackbook.html

NGCD Master List
http://www.egameaddiction.com/neogeocd/masterlist.html

topher said:

crash course on how to use the search function...

apparently the majority of new people just can't see the button. this would prevent so many repeat threads.

Click to expand...

Funny thing is, a lot of people don't realize that searching words like "the" (or on a site like this "Neo") can quickly crash a search that isn't using advance search features... i don't think we use Booians.

Bobak said:

Funny thing is, a lot of people don't realize that searching words like "the" (or on a site like this "Neo") can quickly crash a search that isn't using advance search features... i don't think we use Booians.

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It still crashes too easily even if you're careful. I realize that the message board is huge, and I'm probably asking too much, but it's kind of a shame that a board that contains such a wealth of information that you can't always get anywhere else can be cumbersome to search. I've never seen the search on a phpBB crash before, but maybe that's because I haven't been to another board this big and old.

I was a newbie too and I tried to use the search engine and check the FAQs before posting, it’s not a problem of newbies accepting this as the best place for info, is a problem of getting more lousy and maybe idiotic newbies than ever.

Honestly, the quality of some sections is dropping drastically, I have been away from the boards for quite some time and I have noted that many of the old members, those whose posts were worth to read do not post anymore. I think this in part due to the proliferation of redundant posts from lousy newbies.

I myself get very frustrated when I click on a new thread just to find that the content is the same it has been asked a gazillion times before, “I am sorry, I tried to use the search engine but…bla bla bla…so I’ll ask it again…bla bla…sorry again”, and that’s if we are lucky, because many times the posts have nothing to do with the corresponding forum at all.

I remember when asking for too obvious and repetitive subjects granted the newbie some good flaming or sarcasm, when useless and repetitive posts were cancelled and the author was warned for it, many times even from a mod. I seriously believe, without prejudice of this proposal, that this policy of zero tolerance with laziness should be reinstated.

In my opinion there is a perfectly pretty and visible FAQ option already displayed in this site, maybe it would need to be implemented with more info, maybe, but a member already took the time to write it, and the majority of posts we are trying to avoid with this measure show that this already existing FAQ has been blatantly ignored. For that reason I think no more stickys are needed, if the FAQ needs to be improved so be it, but we are reaching a point were it seems as if everything would need to be already chewed up for newbies, this is a neo-geo site, not a FAQ site.

Thanks for the feedback so far.

Anyone else? Any more good links to include?

hey Vegas folks.

Dion Dakis looks local. Why don't we get into some cars and kick some ass?

Bobak said:

The mods are thinking about stickying a new thread here in General as a "welcome/intro info" thread for people coming onto the forum (especially since newbies have seemed to accept this as the best place for intros). Obviously there are things we assume new members read (FAQs) that they miss for whatever reason. I was curious what info some of you would suggest be included in the initial post for a newbie-welcome thread.

Links to the pages would be appreciated, trick-links to shocksites or whatever will get you banned

If you're a new member yourself, feel free to add to this what you wish was immediately available.

Click to expand...

The FAQ needs updating, badly. I wrote a lot of stuff that only applies to when we were on the UBB (such as Moderators uploading custom avatars on the weekend). It also needs to answer some new questions that get asked a lot like stuff about the AW.

Also, the bootleg section should be scrapped entirely, and instead the FAQ encourage people to post about it in the Tech Support section. That section is confusing and by no means comprehensive.

In fact, y'all should make another subforum or a subforum in Tech Support itself in which people can ask if their cart is a boot. This would reduce clutter in the Tech Support forum as well.

If anyone wants to work on revising/overhauling the FAQ (maybe you, Bobak, in between Wikipedia edits? ), be my guest. I'll gladly help, but I don't have the time to do all the work on my own.

DanAdamKOF said:

If anyone wants to work on revising/overhauling the FAQ (maybe you, Bobak, in between Wikipedia edits? ), be my guest. I'll gladly help, but I don't have the time to do all the work on my own.

Click to expand...

...must...earn...barnstars...

Bobak said:

...must...earn...barnstars...

Click to expand...

Bobak, would it be possible to make a "Boot or not?" subforum? Either just beneath Tech Support, or as a subforum inside of Tech Support?
editosting this in Suggestions.

BTW, if you want we can edit the FAQ together over the summer.

DanAdamKOF said:

Bobak, would it be possible to make a "Boot or not?" subforum? Either just beneath Tech Support, or as a subforum inside of Tech Support?
editosting this in Suggestions.

BTW, if you want we can edit the FAQ together over the summer.

Click to expand...

I'm all for this..

DanAdamKOF said:

Bobak, would it be possible to make a "Boot or not?" subforum? Either just beneath Tech Support, or as a subforum inside of Tech Support?
editosting this in Suggestions.

Click to expand...

It would be fun to look through all the pics and tell people whether or not they have boots. I wish that Bootleg Fighters site still took submissions.