Code of Conduct Addition?

[HRTKD]

Looool, suddenly this is turning to a politics?

Yeah, try to ignore that and let's stay within the context of the forum.

 

[DerpsyDoodler]

Just for the record, nowhere did I say that I was offended. Note that in that thread I responded with a helpful post without mentioning the all caps issue. Snoobler, thanks for the cleanup on aisle 1.

The problem with blowing off a post because it's hard to read is that the OP doesn't know that he or she is getting blown off for it. In the case of the thread I linked to, while the all caps issue was brought up sarcastically, the OP did get offended that he/she was called out for it. Since the forum rules don't address the issue, anyone pointing out the issue (in a non-sarcastic way) doesn't have a leg to stand on because it's an unwritten rule.

Like I said in the start of the thread, I really don't think we want the rules bloated. But not all posts are equally easy to read.

My response wasn’t directed >at< you, just in general (just saying in case you were responding to my response).

 

[Hedges]

Most of whom? Most of a small subset of the people interacting on the forum? That’s a very generalized statement. Is there supporting evidence? What’s the average number of unique visitors here, per day? Do you have any poll data with a response pool of “most” of that number?

I think that statement is an example of bias. I get that you’re communicating it is troublesome for your eyes, and I think the majority of people don’t do it. When it does happen on occasion is it really that big of a deal?

I believe in my "case", it is because the shape of word outline helps me recognize it without considering all the letters. Perhaps my accommodation for less than perfect focus/vision.

All Caps vs. Mixed Case Type for Readability

I'm seeing numerous Websites (retail, higher education, etc.) display headlines, navigation labels, and calls to action set in all caps.

www.linkedin.com

I read sentences, perform corrections (including grammatical) on the fly without always noticing them. But if I try to read it out loud to someone I find myself stumbling over errors.

 

[DerpsyDoodler]

Anyway, I’m off my soapbox. Opinion expressed. Does that mean my batteries will deliver today?

 

[Hedges]

Just sayin' that trying to legislate use of caps lock key in this forum is following the direction of society in general.
I think it is good to recognize that, take a step back, and consciously consider whether the forum should take the same approach.

I often see a request for OP of a thread to break their wall of words into points more easily read/addressed, and they often do. Sufficient notice given.

 

[HRTKD]

I often see a request for OP of a thread to break their wall of words into points more easily read/addressed, and they often do. Sufficient notice given.

I think that's a good approach. I do try to be polite. I'm a consultant so I get paid to take some amount of abuse. I've developed a thick skin over the years, but not everyone has. As long as we ask politely, and the moderators have our backs, I'm good with that.

Sarcasm can often be misinterpreted on the Internet.

 

[DerpsyDoodler]

I believe in my "case", it is because the shape of word outline helps me recognize it without considering all the letters. Perhaps my accommodation for less than perfect focus/vision.

All Caps vs. Mixed Case Type for Readability

I'm seeing numerous Websites (retail, higher education, etc.) display headlines, navigation labels, and calls to action set in all caps.

www.linkedin.com

I read sentences, perform corrections (including grammatical) on the fly without always noticing them. But if I try to read it out loud to someone I find myself stumbling over errors.

I do not disagree with any of this.

I believe in my "case", it is because the shape of word outline helps me recognize it without considering all the letters. Perhaps my accommodation for less than perfect focus/vision.

All Caps vs. Mixed Case Type for Readability

I'm seeing numerous Websites (retail, higher education, etc.) display headlines, navigation labels, and calls to action set in all caps.

www.linkedin.com

I read sentences, perform corrections (including grammatical) on the fly without always noticing them. But if I try to read it out loud to someone I find myself stumbling over errors.

I know exactly what you’re talking about (but am not going into detail to explain that I know, tldr). Succinctly put, our brain often “fills in the blanks” for us based on what we are expecting. Still, not everyone’s brain operates the same and not everyone is of the forwarding thinking or intellectually progressive mindset. That doesn’t make those people who are “better”, just different. Real humility is a golden trait and may go a long way to closing the gap of societal rifts. A lesson that I have to relearn on an ongoing basis.

 

[svetz]

My thoughts on this is that readers who don't like all caps, walls-o-txt, posts with italics, or images with unreadable elements should skip over/ignore them and we shouldn't try to censor it. (rudeness is different, if a poster is rude that should be reported). Responding and helping isn't mandatory, members should not subject themselves to things that go against their grain or they find irritating.

To @snoobler 's point, the poster may not realize why they're not getting responses. I've seen attempts at requests to make them easier to read/understand back-fire as Nazi censorship alarmingly frequently.

I don't think it would hurt to have something saying that up-front as the OP suggests, but I suspect most people don't even read it... they're just clicking though as they have a burning desire to ask a question. So, ultimately I doubt it would do any good.

How about responding with a link to a wiki entry on how to increase the chances of getting a response? This way we're not criticizing their all caps, dialect, use of italics, etc. Perhaps the entry goes something like:

Not getting a response to your question?
Most readers try to quickly skim posts to see if they know the answer or not. You can increase the chances of getting a response by....

If that's a good approach happy to brain-storm/wordsmith help on it, after all... you guys help me a lot.

 

[HRTKD]

My thoughts on this is that readers who don't like all caps, walls-o-txt, posts with italics, or images with unreadable elements should skip over/ignore them and we shouldn't try to censor it. (rudeness is different, if a poster is rude that should be reported). Responding and helping isn't mandatory, members should not subject themselves to things that go against their grain or they find irritating.

To @snoobler 's point, the poster may not realize why they're not getting responses. I've seen attempts at requests to make them easier to read/understand back-fire as Nazi censorship alarmingly frequently.

I don't think it would hurt to have something saying that up-front as the OP suggests, but I suspect most people don't even read it... they're just clicking though as they have a burning desire to ask a question. So, ultimately I doubt it would do any good.

How about responding with a link to a wiki entry on how to increase the chances of getting a response? This way we're not criticizing their all caps, dialect, use of italics, etc. Perhaps the entry goes something like:


If that's a good approach happy to brain-storm/wordsmith help on it, after all... you guys help me a lot.

I think that would be helpful. I know there have been times that not enough information was provided for some obscure device and I didn't have the time to track it down. Something along the lines of:

Provide as much technical information about the device you're asking about. If you don't know what specifications are relevant, provide a link to the product page on the manufacturer's website.

 

[svetz]

Okay, so what are the things that can help in a post to get a response? I'll kick it off with some thoughts... please hack away at it... doesn't have to be perfect out the gate, we can always add/change later.

1. Did you even need to post?
   If a question is asked frequently readers may be burned out by it ... but the answer you need is probably there just waiting for you to search the forums. Also check the FAQ section. Even if it doesn't have the exact answer, you might learn enough about the math or vernacular to phrase a question so readers can respond more precisely. You may get better search results from google's search engine by adding site=http://diysolarforum.com/ on the query.
2. Use a title that states the problem nature in as few words as possible, "How to get stuck bolt out of a Battery?", "What is Magnum Error code 112?", "Please review my Beer Brewery Solar schematic"
3. Post in the correct sub-forum. A wind question in the newcomers sub-forum probably won't get a response.
4. Make the post easy to read (e.g., be concise, don't use all upper case, use English, use complete sentences)
5. Don't get insulted by responses or tell responders they are wrong/stupid - most likely they just didn't understand what you were asking. Readers frequently ignore those that are rude or unkind. If someone doesn't treat you with respect, then report the post rather than try to deal with it. If it's something that sounds wrong/crazy, it might be - but don't tell them they're crazy and off their meds. Instead, succinctly repeat what you think you read and ask for clarification or a reference link... if something is bogus/wrong, usually other members will point it out.... but sometimes what we know to be true is also no longer correct.
6. Break up long posts, use bullets to concisely list facts rather than long sentences, use headings to organize parts within the post
7. Any diagrams should be easily readable. The site compresses images, so use links to high-res images if possible.
8. It's okay to be social - people enjoy reading about real-life experiences, why you're doing what you're doing, pictures of your DIY.

 

[DerpsyDoodler]

For most people this probably goes without saying, but what about encouraging folks to wait for a consensus on the answer to their question before they immediately jump to action? Just to make sure the info or advice they received is accurate and not dangerous.

 

[HRTKD]

To your point #6, sometimes it is easier to reference a numerical point than a bullet point. After all, you used numbers, not bullet points.

#7. Many issues with this. Inline images cannot be zoomed into. Attached PDF documents are, in my opinion, the best.

 

[svetz]

For most people this probably goes without saying, but what about encouraging folks to wait for a consensus on the answer to their question before they immediately jump to action? Just to make sure the info or advice they received is accurate and not dangerous.

Someone want to take a crack at rewriting this into a "suggestion" for more discussion?

 

[Steve_S]

This is not a USA only Site, it is a Global Site and do remember, the USA only makes up 4.5% of the Global Population.
Perspective.

 

[Rider]

Make the post easy to read (e.g., be concise, don't use all upper case, use English, use complete sentences)

There are those who speak other languages, and their English is poor or non-existent. Their issue may be lost in their attempt to write in English. If they post in their native language, it can be worked out, online translators make it easy enough. There was a German fellow that posted in German, no one made any comments about it, and we responded in translated German.

Of course, if they can write in English, it is easier all around.

Use a title that states the problem nature in as few words as possible, "How to get stuck bolt out of a Battery?", "What is Magnum Error code 112?", "Please review my Beer Brewery Solar schematic"

This has been a pet peeve of mine, titles that run on and contain info that should be in the body of the post, not in the title.

But overall, there have been very few hiccups with the forum, and it gets worked out. Not really seeing a need to make it more stringent, other than pointing out resources to lessen redundant posting.

 

[John Frum]

For most people this probably goes without saying, but what about encouraging folks to wait for a consensus on the answer to their question before they immediately jump to action? Just to make sure the info or advice they received is accurate and not dangerous.

I would not encourage folks to wait for consensus.

 

[Hedges]

#7. Many issues with this. Inline images cannot be zoomed into. Attached PDF documents are, in my opinion, the best.

Usually inline images work well for me.

I browse with Chrome.
Usually when I try to open a .pdf, it will only offer to save to a file (although some .pdf do open)
I have to right-click, copy link, use Firefox, paste link.

In-line Images I can glance at in the post. If selected, there is limited zooming.
But if I right-click open in new tab, I can zoom in with ^<shift>+ or scroll wheel.

When posting, I find that if I copy a section of bitmap in paint, it is slow to paste in the forum and unless cropped or stretched smaller in paint, it is too large to paste.
If I save paint image as .jpg to a file, it is compressed (lossless) and uploads to forum faster.

Of course, a good .pdf that has actual portable document format and not bitmap provides zoom-able text. Some .pdf writer don't produce that. Some .pdf has windowing bugs.

 

[DerpsyDoodler]

I would not encourage folks to wait for consensus.

What if someone immediately jumps to action on bad advice?

 

[DerpsyDoodler]

Wow, this topic took to the Turd Path.
FYI, This is NOT a USA ONLY Site, it is a Global Site and do remember, the USA only makes up 4.5% of the Global Population.
Perspective.

Right, though American owned. If it were Canadian-owned, perhaps you would also expect Canadian values prioritized? If you don’t that is fine, but I don’t feel bad or guilty for wanting that.

 

[John Frum]

What if someone immediately jumps to action on bad advice?

They get screwed.
In my experience after a question is answered its unusual to get the peanut gallery pile on in the affirmative.

I encourage people to think for themselves and take responsibility for their actions.
That includes not giving folks bad advice.
I think its evidently useful to weigh in to contrary when necessary.