[wp-testers] Forum questions on testers lists ??

[Debra Scott]

It may also be an issue of all problems being included in one board,
everything from how do I make a post to how do I write this complex bit of
code.

And it can be frustrating to see ALL CAP whiners getting responded to while
good questions respectfully asked can sit forever and not be answered.

I see nothing wrong with expecting some developer response to the boards.
Not necessarily in the day to day answering of questions but in reading. A
topic that is repeatedly brought up may indicate that an aspect should be
changed in order to create a more user friendly experience.

And yes many questions could be answered with a simple google search but
again those questions are often answered even if it is only to snark.

On Tue, Dec 23, 2008 at 11:50 AM, mrmist <listswptesters at mist.org.uk> wrote:

> In message <161617690812230806r5c03532ctd6e0dc84aa6ca8bc at mail.gmail.com>,
> Otto <otto at ottodestruct.com> writes
>
>> Unfortunately, the questions asked on the wp.org forums are, 7 out of
>> 10 times, the first result in a really obvious Google search. People
>> simply don't search for their answers. They just don't even try.
>>
>> Also, the search function on the forums really sucks (a problem with
>> searching wp.org in general), so people can't search the forums
>> easily. Google gets better results.
>>
>>
> Yep. Whilst I'm running fairly OT for this list, the main issues with the
> forum are its poor (internal) search and the shear volume of posts combined
> with a relatively immature boards UI (compared to say vbulletin or similar).
>
> The poor  search means that the same questions get asked over and over [1]
>
> The volume of posts means that people asking questions can get poor quality
> or no responses.
>
> The UI just means that the forum is not quite as accessible as it should
> be.  For example, I find it really odd not having the "latest post" details
> on the front (forum index) page.
>
> Plus then of course you get the odd flame-war, but that's inevitable on the
> internet. (Though in some cases it's fuelled by the above.)
>
> Then you've got the whole thing where there's an expectation amongst the
> wider community that people (core devs normally) should be there to answer
> their really important question RIGHT NOW.[2]  That's a whole other story,
> and probably wouldn't be solved by a mailing list, as it's primarily an
> attitude issue.
>
> [1] And the same questions being asked over and over leads to abrupt
> responses which hit nerves with some posters.
>
> [2] And if they don't, then WordPress is rubbish, etc.
> --
> mrmist
>
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