Something to post all those computer questions …they shouldn’t be in General cause Cecil isn’t interested in your Netscape, they aren’t pointless because they are necessary to get to the board to post in the first place…some sort of techy forum.
I would suggest that those could go in “About This Message Board”, if it’s questions related to how to use your software to access the SDMB.
If it’s only general computer questions, why couldn’t they go in GQ?
Also, I don’t think that the SDMB’s purpose is to be a clearinghouse for all possible information. A tech support forum might be outside the SDMB mandate.
Try this site for tech tips.
They have 6 or eight forums for browsers, operating systems, other software, hardware, brand new users, etc.
The number of tech posters per day there is sufficient to get any questions answered.
The toughest part of any good idea is saying it over and over and over to each new group of newbies.
Having PC and Netscape questions in GQ gives me a chance to see what’s going on in the common problems department with out having to wade through the more technical stuff from a dedicated (Pc porblems only or PC info exchange only) board or forum.
I’d like to second Handy’s suggestion. The SDMB is a lot friendlier than most of the other tech sites. The serious techies always want to know “what kind of computer do you have?” before they’ll answer any questions, and it’s embarrassing when the only thing I can them is, “gray”.
I don’t really want to discuss endless technical permutations of Netscape vs. IE5, I just wanna know whether I just received a computer virus from my youth pastor via the church chat loop. It sure would have been “handy” to go directly over to a “Computer Forum” and holler for help, or put “cookie recipe” into Search and see if anybody had already talked about it.
I know just enough to get in trouble and too much for some to help me cause they don’t think they know enough to help me. ::::: sheesh :::::: So, maybe just a steady thread? Searchable? The gaps in my knowledge are only surpassed by me need for VERY simple instructions cause ‘of course’ I don’t know about “THAT” that everyone knows about of course…
Ditto head here, it would be great to have just a techie place, though the questions I’ve asked have usually been in GQ and Louie, JimB, techchick, manhattan and a few others have been terrific and quick too. They answer in such a down to earth way, that it * usually isn’t over my head * when that is greatly appreciated!
I think there should be a forum dedicated entirely to me.
Okay, I’m kidding. But I don’t see why GQ wouldn’t be appropriate for computer-only questions. I mean, that’s why it’s called “General Questions”, right? A forum dedicated to computer questions only wouldn’t get a whole lot of traffic, I think, compared to the others forums… and it’d be a pain in the ass for moderators to constantly be moving threads: “That has absolutely nothing to do with computers, so it’s off to MPSIMS for you!”
Sorry, Spoofe, but I’m having a tough time visualizing the kind of person who would be so clueless as to start a MPSIMS-type thread in a Computer Tech forum. I’d say there would be a pretty distinct forum personality right out of the box–I suppose it’s possible that a troll might start one, just to be difficult, but I think that’s a special case scenario.
Between GQ and ATMB we already have ample resources to deal with tech questions. I’m inclined to resist any further fragmentation of the MB as it works pretty well as is.
Should we have separate fora for questions about pets, history and special relativity, as well?
Nope. You know why? Because people need to get their computer going in order to come to the message board. If they can post about pets, then their computer must be just fine, right? Lots of times people have to use another computer to come here & write a question so they can get their regular computer running to come to the board.
We could put all the computer related questions into one forum, a Computer Tech forum. There aren’t too many questions so I don’t think it would frag things very much.
I hereby nominate Handy as moderator.