As you doubtless have noticed, traffic in General Questions has increased recently, seemingly exponentially.
The traffic comes from a combination of a crush of new members and from increased posting activity from our more seasoned members. These are both very good things – for the Board, for the Fight Against Ignorance, and for each other.
But I fear that we’re in danger of having too much of a good thing. Right now, a good but difficult question that does not get a response disappears from the first page in less than 3 hours during the peak afternoon weekday period, and in less than 12 hours regardless.
I’d like to ask the members’ cooperation in keeping General Questions the best place on the internet for finding information. You can help by doing several things.
First, before opening a new thread, search the archives! There are thousands of threads in GQ, and over 2,000 questions (with answers) in the archives of Cecil’s columns and Staff Reports. Many threads in GQ never need to have been opened, and the OP could have received a complete answer more quickly by spending a little time in the archives. Remember to reset the “search by date” indicator to "any date” before you check the board archives.
Second, please take some time to consider if your proposed thread is really a General Question. There are two categories here. Many threads are really seeking opinions (IMHO is the place) or seeking to advocate a position (Great Debates). Perhaps more importantly, many queries can be solved with a simple web search. Please do not clog General Questions with simple definition/pronunciation questions, “where can I find this product” questions or similar things until you have run a search through Google.com or another quality search engine. This applies especially to “what are the lyrics” threads, since reproducing them on the boards without scholarly context is illegal in the first place.
Also, try to limit the “me, too” posts. If a member has asked a question about a legal matter, for instance, there is no need for everyone who ever got a ticket to post a story. A certain amount is worthwhile to make a point (and we are a community of shared interests, after all), but too many thread live beyond their useful lives because someone wanted to share a story which is only slightly on-topic. Please exercise discretion.
This is not to discourage threads or posts! The SDMB and this forum in particular rely on a constant stream of high-quality questions, accurate answers and witty wisecracks to stay alive. In particular, if you have a good joke that fits in an existing thread, go right ahead and post it.
I simply hope that folks will exercise some judgment when opening a new thread or prolonging a dying one. I don’t want GQ to collapse under its own weight.
Thank you for your cooperation, and I hope you continue to enjoy General Questions for many years to come.