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Why bother having a “basics” forum?
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[Alan Okey] “Why bother having the “Final Cut Pro Basics” forum if no one really uses it or polices the regular forum? How about having a “Final Cut Pro Advanced” forum instead?”
We police plenty of posts, but we’d have a near fulltime job in our two most popular forums just reading and dividing posts if we tried to do them all.
I don’t know if you have noticed but we do a lot of free stuff around here for our members, Alan. We are a little bit busy and work 12+ hours a day as it is.
Most noobs won’t use the Basics forum and when they are shifted there, many get pissed and write us cranking on us and adding that they want the experts in the main forum. If we were to add an Advanced, that is where they would want to go — even to ask stupid questions like can a 8 year old iMac run FCS2.
If I had an answer, I’d love to employ it but I think that overcoming human nature is going to take far more than even a fulltime job and focus.
Best,
Ron Lindeboom
creativecow.net -
[Ron Lindeboom] “I don’t know if you have noticed but we do a lot of free stuff around here for our members, Alan. We are a little bit busy and work 12+ hours a day as it is. “
There’s no need to get snotty, Ron. I’m merely questioning the logic behind having two separate forums if it’s pretty obvious that most people who should use the Basics forum don’t.
In my opinion, if a separate forum is required, it makes more sense to have an Advanced forum than a Basics forum. It seems that others on this forum share my opinion. If you disagree, that’s fine, but don’t be condescending about it.
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[Ron Lindeboom] “f we were to add an Advanced, that is where they would want to go — even to ask stupid questions like can a 8 year old iMac run FCS2. “
I’d have to agree with you here.
Where’s the FAQ? All I can find is Shane’s FAQ.
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You thought that was snotty? It was just an explanation.
This is snotty: Excuse me but I think this question has been asked in your eyeview more then once and I (and others) have explained it. The logic? You and others wanted it broken out and we did it. Many people use the Basics forum. Many others don’t. The many who do use it help to keep a bunch of the basics stuff off this forum. Apparently, that is not appreciated by you. We can’t help it that many newbies feel that they have to post on the main board and ask here feeling that the people in the basics forum aren’t experts or something — though nothing could be farther from the truth.
If you want to volunteer to read and filter the posts, please do. If not, then I don’t know what to tell you.
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Nevermind. Found it.
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[Ron Lindeboom]“If we were to add an Advanced, that is where they would want to go — even to ask stupid questions like can a 8 year old iMac run FCS2.”
[Jeremy Garchow] “I’d have to agree with you here.”
And, I agree with you both.
David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los AngelesPOST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™
A forum host of Creative COW’s Apple Final Cut Pro, Business & Marketing, and Indie Film & Documentary forums.
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I’ve been trying the “tough love” approach for a while since noticing the big increase in “I don’t have time to RTFM, so someone tell me how to do this”
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with answering those lame questions (“Why won’t my G3 run FCP” or “How do I get rid of the jagged stairstepping? Yes, I’m viewing it on my computer monitor. No one told me I needed a video monitor.”) with a “do a search, it’s been answered a hundred times” or “read the manual first!”
And this is a business for Ron, he doesn’t want to find a way for customers to go away. Regardless of their dumb questions those folks represent a revenue stream.
I think there are 2 approaches that might work:
1- Ignore them. Don’t be an enabler. No answer, no problem (admittedly this may not be the best way to ensure a return visit)
2- Reply with a “Do a search first” or “RTM first” Then when/if they return, answer the question (this may have a higher return rate)
3- Post a “do a search” notice for new members when they sign up, send a reminder to existing members, make that FAQ link more noticeable, allow the moderators to move posts to the Basics forum (like other video forums I’m on do) maybe with a notice “this post moved to the basics forum because it was…..well, basic”
Just a thought, as Ron and others have said, make a new FAQ they won’t use it, make a new forum, the same people will ask the same questions in the new “Advanced” forum. Tough love doesn’t mean I don’t care (after all, it has the word ‘love’ in the phrase) 🙂
Ed -
Since the headings are FAQ ADD A NEW POST SEARCH and CHANGE FORUM, perhaps users assume that this is a forum use FAQ, and not application specific.
Perhaps changing the name to FINAL CUT PRO FAQ might get a few more hits.
It’s not surprising that people that don’t have any perspective on Final Cut Pro would also not have any perspective on which forum to post onto. Consider beginner posts a chance to practice patience.
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Don’t know if it’s possible but perhaps the mods could flip a message or thread to the basic forum. There’s one higher up today, now to flop an image. This is 101 stuff, if we could move the thread to the right the forum it might clear up some of the noise from this forum. If the mods could move out threads then perhaps others quite leave the basic questions unanswered for a bit till a mod can flip it to the right forum. Just a thought.
All the best,
Tom
Class on Demand DVDs “Complete Training for FCP6,” “Basic Training for FCS2” and “Final Cut Express Made Easy”
Author: “Final Cut Pro 5 Editing Essentials” and “Final Cut Express 4 Editing Workshop” -
[Tom Wolsky] “if we could move the thread to the right the forum it might clear up some of the noise from this forum.”
I believe Ron answered this question earlier in this thread:
“We police plenty of posts, but we’d have a near fulltime job in our two most popular forums just reading and dividing posts if we tried to do them all. ”
In short, don’t criticize unless you’re volunteering to help move the posts.
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