Code of Conduct Addition?

[upnorthandpersonal]

Right, though American owned.

And at least partly run/hosted and administered by a Belgian living in Finland.

 

[Steve_S]

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.

Seems like YOU are fishing for a response... tough nuggets. Politics, Religion, Racial & Gender issues are ALL Toxins to a Forum - ANY Forum and it has no place in this particular area of interest. By the way, the turnabout tactic is Old & Exceedingly Tired.

 

[Steve_S]

And at least partly run/hosted and administered by a Belgian living in Finland.

Just got a mental Picture of Hercule Poirot and Reindeer.... Hopefully, you have access to Good Clean Belgian Chocolate without any of that horrendous Palm Oil krap which everyone is shoving into Chocolates.

 

[Hedges]

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.

Sometimes a "thumbs up" for affirmative.

But it would be good advice to wait a little while before following the first recommended course of action.
That gives time for someone else to chime in, "No! Don't do that!"

There are serious hazards, and some aren't immediately apparent even to the trained eye.

 

[svetz]

...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....

What would you suggest to improve the phraseology of #2?

...Wow, this topic took to the Turd Path....

What would you phrase it as for your desired changes?

...Perspective....

I put English in as I rarely see help/advice being given in any other language.... so that's why I believe it would increase one's odds of getting a response. Still do. But I'm just assisting by taking the slings & arrows as the wordsmith. Your forums, we can change it to whatever the consensus is.

...Right, though American owned....

I don't think Will makes a particular distinction for it, AFAIK he considers it the member's forums irrespective of political borders.

 

[DerpsyDoodler]

I don't think Will makes a particular distinction for it, AFAIK he considers it the member's forums irrespective of political borders.

Eh, maybe I was off my proverbial rocker. Anyway, I need to take a step back and make sure I’m prepared for when my cells get here.

 

[DerpsyDoodler]

Seems like YOU are fishing for a response... tough nuggets. Politics, Religion, Racial & Gender issues are ALL Toxins to a Forum - ANY Forum and it has no place in this particular area of interest. By the way, the turnabout tactic is Old & Exceedingly Tired.

Being the first to call out turnabout doesn’t somehow exclude you from being called out on the same thing. Anyway, taking a break.

 

[DerpsyDoodler]

I agree with people thinking for themselves, just trying to add some idiot proofing. I don’t know if that’s a good idea or not, but at least one other person likes the idea in some form.

 

[svetz]

Here's what we have so far.

Remember, if you have a better idea please speak up with how you would change it. Discussion is all well and good, but it's not as helpful as consensus or stating what's wrong with a specific numbered item. At least I couldn't figure out what to do with some of it.

Additions in green, apologies if I've missed anything. Added a working title, suspect some late comers are unsure about the goals.

How to increase the odds of getting a response to your thread​

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 might be there just waiting for you to search the forums. You may get better search results from google's search engine by adding site=http://diysolarforum.com/ on the query. 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.
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 complete sentences, use English, or write in your native language and post both that and the google translation)
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 numbered lists to concisely list facts rather than long sentences, use headings to organize parts within the post
   Please use paragraphs. Posts containing many sentences without a break (walls of text) are difficult to read. Use headings to organize topics within the post. For brevity, isolate complex data as a numbered list of items rather than incorporate into long hard-to-read sentences.
7. Any diagrams should be easily readable. The site compresses images, so use links to high-res images or PDF attachments 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.

Updates since posting....

• English corrections for #1
• Added a working title
• Took a stab at rephrasing #4 using @Rider's idea
• Updated #6 with @Gazoo's suggestion and tweaked it a bit more.

 

[HRTKD]

Quick review. Looks good.

 

[Gazoo]

Break up long posts, use numbered lists to concisely list facts rather than long sentences, use headings to organize parts within the post

Suggested changes:

6: Please use paragraphs. Posts containing many strings of sentences (walls of text) are difficult to read. Use headings to organize topics within the post followed by numbered items to list facts rather than long sentences.

Personally I love the idea and it is part of the forum etiquette rather than enforceable rules. All in all it's geared towards helping posters receive responses to posts:

How to increase the odds of receiving a response to your post or your thread.

 

[svetz]

...
How to increase the odds of receiving a response to your post or your thread.

Thanks! I like #6 a whole lot more now.

I didn't make the second change for two reasons... first, while I agree a better title is desireable, the title was already longish.

Secondly, it's not really about getting a response to a post.... so didn't add the "your post". It's about getting the question in the OP (Original Post) answered. Ideally if someone else has a different question, it's in a different thread. While researching the topic saw a bunch of things on the topic, mostly very scary psychological things so marketers could capture their attention to make sales... Obviously any old post as a response shouldn't be employing those tactics or even seeking a response (other than perhaps to ask a clarifying questions), but could be I was so horrified by it I'm overly sensitive. ?

 

[svetz]

No new changes/suggestions???

Okay! Here it is, revamped edition:

How to increase the odds of getting a response to your thread

Posted a question, but no one has responded... how can I get help? Members typically don't respond to questions for a few reasons, avoiding those pitfalls can greatly increase the odds of getting a response. Did you need to post a Question? If a question is asked frequently readers may be...

diysolarforum.com

Just because it's in the FAQ now doesn't mean it's finished... if you have ideas to improve it then lets hear them!

 

[Rider]

Make the thread a 'sticky' so it's always on top and the first thing seen within that sub forum.

 

[svetz]

Updated the post:

Easy to Read
Make the post easy to read. Please use paragraphs. Posts containing many sentences without a break (walls of text) are difficult to read. Use headings to organize topics within the post. For brevity, isolate complex data as a numbered list of items rather than incorporate into long hard-to-read sentences. Be concise, don't use all upper case, use complete sentences, and use English, or write in your native language and post both that and the google translation.

​

But English isn't my native tongue​

Members are often intrigued in speaking to and learning about far away places. But it can be frustrating. Write the post in your native language and append to the post the google translation.​

Colloquialisms are the bane of translators. Some are so common we don't even realize we're using them and the translations are often very amusing in unintended ways. A common trick when corresponding in a foreign language is to use the translator to convert it, then copy/paste and convert it back. Iterate changing words until the message conveys what you really mean.​

Make the thread a 'sticky' so it's always on top and the first thing seen within that sub forum.

Only a dozen threads in that forum, ideally only FAQ type things are in it and it's always small - not sure it's any more/less important than other stuff there.
I also added the thread to the FAQ Index which is stickied, so it won't get lost.

 

[svetz]

Suggestions on the ordering of the topic? Don't know that what we have is the best sequence.

 

[svetz]

Easy to Read
Make the post easy to read. Please use paragraphs. Posts containing many sentences without a break (walls of text) are difficult to read. Use headings to organize topics within the post. For brevity, isolate complex data as a numbered list of items rather than incorporate into long hard-to-read sentences. Be concise, don't use all upper case, use complete sentences, and use English, or write in your native language and post both that and the google translation.

​

But English isn't my native tongue​

Members are often intrigued in speaking to and learning about far away places. But it can be frustrating. Write the post in your native language and append to the post the google translation.​

Colloquialisms are the bane of translators. Some are so common we don't even realize we're using them and the translations are often very amusing in unintended ways. A common trick when corresponding in a foreign language is to use the translator to convert it, then copy/paste and convert it back. Iterate changing words until the message conveys what you really mean.​

Only a dozen threads in that forum, ideally only FAQ type things are in it and it's always small - not sure it's any more/less important than other stuff there.
I also added the thread to the FAQ Index which is stickied, so it won't get lost.

GAH! So "native tongue" is a great example of a colloquialism... In some language somewhere I'm sure as is it'll translate into something amusing. I'll change it to "native language".

 

[Dzl]

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.

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.

You both make valid points, I think that the correct course lies somewhere in between.

Waiting for consensus may mean you are waiting for eternity, and may not be fruitful. However, we would all acknowledge, bad or misguided advice is an unfortunate reality, and many folks even experienced folks get things wrong from time to time, or project more confidence/certainty than they should. I agree with the spirit of @DerpsyDoodler's comment, consensus may be unrealistic, but a second opinion is worthwhile, particularly for newbies who often struggle to understand all the factors at play.

At the same time I think @smoothJoey is right that whenever possible, its better to give clear 'teach-a-man-to-fish' type answers that help a new member understand the question and the solution, not just spoon feed them or give an unsupported opinion. In reality though, many questions, and many answers are not framed this way. Newbies are often just looking for a quick simple answer "should I buy X or Y?" "Is xx wire size good enough?" And we often see the 'buy first think/research/plan later or never' syndrome, for these folks a warning not to impulsively follow the first bit of advice they get might be worthwhile. On the other hand one could make the argument that that is not our role and they need to learn that on their own. But now I'm rambling as I tend to do

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

Images can be viewed at full resolution, its just a matter of hosting offsite (which is slightly tedious but super simple).
Example, here are Mars and the Moon in 8K (scaled down to a reasonable inline size but available in full res with a left or right click):

 

[Dzl]

One thing I often reccomend (and wish people would do):

Be deliberate, don't just post the first thing that pops into your head, if you have a question, consider what information the reader needs to answer your question and if you don't know, you can always ask what info is needed.

The goal is to provide enough context and detail to help others help you, without providing so much as to flood readers with specifications and unneccessary details or backstory.

There is a middle ground between the two extremes of (1) providing almost zero info/context in your question, and (2) vomitting (copy pasting) the full unformatted amazon descriptions of all your components into one big post and leaving it to readers to sort through it all.

As someone who frequently writes too much, Its quite usual for me to reread a post and take out a few paragraphs or consolidate things (..and yet I still write way too much )

At the same time we need to be empathetic and understanding that when you are new to a subject or a total newbie, its sometimes very hard to know how to properly phrase a question or what info people will need to help you, so over or under sharing is somewhat undestandable.

 

[John Frum]

At the same time I think @smoothJoey is right that whenever possible, its better to give clear 'teach-a-man-to-fish' type answers that help a new member understand the question and the solution, not just spoon feed them or give an unsupported opinion.

Yeah, I often point people to the energy audit....and poof just like Kaiser Soze they vanish.