Let's Maintain The Quality of the Forum

[TheRecycler]

Ok Fellas & Gals, I'm going to put some things out their that I think must be said before an influx of low quality input ruins a good thing. I have spent the last few days reading a couple of posts that does not contribute to Scrapper's knowledge and betterment, some of you may have spotted them too. For the forum to maintain its quality, I think we need to collectively point newbies, especially those who really don't care about safety, the environment, and others, into the direction of what the forum is about. Which is good scrapper rhetoric we can learn and grow from. I have taken the liberty of responding to a few, so you can check my posting record to see what I mean. I really like coming to this place, it's exceptionally informative, educational, and the respect factor for others, the environment, and the trade is comforting as well. Now, if you think I'm just ranting and you like what some of the newbies are about, then disregard. On the other hand, add your comment to further the message.

[Mick]

Agreed with keeping the forum up. Please report posts and threads using the "!" icon which at the lower left of every post. I don't think anybody expects me or the other mods to read every post, every day. I would ask everybody to read the rules (if you haven't already). They can be found under the "SMF OFFICE" section on the main page.

http://www.scrapmetalforum.com/scrap...s-overall.html

[KzScrapper]

I scan most posts that come thru here TR and I came to the realization that there's just not enough time in the day to respond to all of the lazy, phishing or waste of time posts that come up. Too many "one hit wonders" that just don't care or have the respect for the education that can be gained here.

I respond to some but use the ignore and hope they go away strategy for most.

[mikeinreco]

it seems to me that when there is a good topic and perhaps a heated discussion everyone freaks out posts get eliminated, feathers get ruffled and people take **** personally...........I like a heated debate but it does not seem to happen very often here..............if that's not what the site is for cool but a few more interesting topics would hold my interest..........granted I love all the breakdown pics etc but it seems a bit stale..............we need new action............if I am totally off base here sorry I'll go back to sleep

[Yunkman]

I'm in agreement with keeping a genuine and informative atmosphere. Haven't been here long, but with all the articles and advice in the archives, it's hard to imagine there are new undiscussed topics out there. That might be why the trend is seeming off base at times......it opens up to humor and joshing. I take particular interest in the fact that there are young and old (like me) who make this lifestyle work. Scrapping isn't always a fulltime job as with myself, and I'm glad there is a site to frequent with the ability to rub noses with those longtimers who have a plethera of wisdom to share. Kudos to those who admin this site....it's sure helped me and I know there is good strong advice to be had if I could just think of the questions.

[mudlight2]

The forum is getting more popular. That is gonna happen when more people visit the site. You are gonna get more non-sense question and no research questions. It just what it is.

[Sirscrapalot]

I agree with all three of you, all have excellent points. I do pretty much what KZ does. Try to lead them to the search box, past threads, etc. As I was taught when I first found the forum. Heck I remember worrying about being told to read first! It's a wonderful place, filled will very knowledgeable folks who've come before me, and yes...after me. I see it as a growing pain also. The bigger we get, the more info we add, the more folks find us. At the same time..we lose that ability to tell someone to dig in the archives, cause why all of us "old" folks know the deal, the newer folks don't. They just see the knowledge an want an answer. Sadly a lot don't want to do the digging, etc. I've seen this in several threads recently. Folks post, and right at the bottom is the list of four threads two of them with the question being asked as the title. Or like Board questions. Myself an others lately seem to just be repeating ourselves by telling folks to ask the buyers/their buyer about grading..yet it seems to fall on deaf ears, no matter how many times folks say it,

In the past with intros, I've tried to hint to searching for the answer or even flat out saying it. I make use of the report button, usually for spam. As I tend to keep odd hours, an do see some of those posts the mods might not at first, as its 3, or 4 am. I don't think I've ever reported a thread otherwise to be honest.

On the lively threads. I like them of course. I like discussing other things then scrap at times. I don't like seeing members attacked tho for their views. It's happened to some of us. The majority of us keep it civil, an for that I applaud you all. I notice the mods, not being so quick to close things down with some threads, even when given good reason. Some being closed...like the CL one, boggle me, but I figure the mods saw something I didn't, or decided to for whatever reason, I'm not staff..so I don't expect to have it shared. The ban on political/religion..I understand, seriously. Some folks just can't have that kind of conversation without it leading to a flame fest. I like the ones that aren't so much political but..on general things, like the CO/WA thing, or History, or the news.

There's a lovely internet saying goes something like..."Attack the post and subject, not the poster." Just cause my views differ from yours is no reason to attack me, the person. If you can't have a conversation without calling someone an idiot or worse and/or taking it personal, you shouldn't be in those kind of conversations is the way I see it. If I wanted to be insulted for sharing my views, there are plenty of news sites I can go to for the personal attacks. Hello CNN, Fox, Huffington commentators..haha! Lively discourse is enjoyable, flame fests and insults not so much.

Either way...good topic TR. I have more to share, but...you guys don't need a freaking novel this early in the day. Well..to late for no novel! Ha ha!

Just my .02, use it as you will.

Sirscrapalot - Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured. - Mark Twain

[ryanw]

I had an idea, and it would take some customization, but the "similar threads" function on this forum seems to search pretty well for things. What if there was an option of showing similar threads before posting a question up on the forum? It could just be a confirmation page that shows these threads, and an option to skip this and just post the question anyway...just an idea.

[Julie]

Hi everyone! I'm back from whatever it was that I was doing for so long and I'm trying to catch up on everything that's happened and/or changed here - now I'm exhausted and my eyes are going buggy from staring at the screen for too long - In such a short time it seems like the forum has grown 50x times the size I remember. I agree with keeping the quality of the forum intact and that as we grow we attract an undesirable handful of pseudo-scrappers but they always end up falling away as time goes by. I'm a prime example of a person who had/has a genuine interest in the industry and who is willing to put a little effort into my own knowledge gathering.

I don't know if it's been suggested or not but what about possibly having a small amount of time after you join that a user is unable to post and/or start their own thread? This may encourage newbies to utilize the search feature and actually indirectly weed out the individuals that just want the quick fix? It could be explained when you join or something.... I dunno just an idea -

It wouldn't have chased me off when I joined

[Sirscrapalot]

Nor me, but I read a lot of the old guards posts.."Search or we will eat your soul an like it!" was the message I got from the older fellas. lol

Sirscrapalot - They'd eat your soul, but they were a nice bunch of folks in reality!

[hobo finds]

How I look at it is, when you start out with scrap it is kinda fun, exciting, looks to be "money for nothing". No boss, no rules. The new person is on the learning curve. Just remember the first few times you went to a scrap yard. What could you have done different to get paid more? Same thing here, if you are new, first few posts should not count against you, as you are again on a learning curve. After all we do have a section called "scrap metal questions and answers". Lots of great information has been shared here in order to make this the place the way it has turned out to be. Lets all continue to share our knowledge about scrap.

[blacksteel]

Wow. So is my continued mentioning of God a no no ? I had no idea. Also any pointers I'll accept. Criticism is good. I welcome it. I strive to do better. That's how I grow. 1scrap.

[jord0690]

Great topic. I've got a few ideas myself.

First, I've noticed there are many fly by night scrappers. Here one minute gone the next. Whether they lose interest or realize it's not quick money and quit. One idea is, when a member is inactive for (insert time here) they are sent a warning or reminder that they have not shown any activity or updates on the forum. And if there is still none after (insert time here) the account is disabled or flat out removed. Take myself for example. I took a long hiatus for certain reasons. If this idea was implemented and I was sent a warning, I would have made it clear I wanted to remain a member. Other fly by night guys that called it quits may and probably would just ignore it.

Second, what if there was a certain amount of time you have to spend reading posts before you could actually make your own? If it's possible to keep track of this, it would weed out all those who are fly by night wanna be's who aren't truly into scrapping, As well as educate the new members before they even get to make a post, potentially keeping repeat questions off the forum. Again, personally I would 110% spend the time reading required to post. I'm in this because I enjoy it and money is a great side effect.

Lastly, I think that writing a sentence during registration to prove potential members can use proper punctuation would be huge. It's really REALLY frustrating reading posts that have no commas or periods. Whether it's possible to have it monitored automatically or if a mod would need to approve it.

These are just ideas from deep inside my brain, whether or not they are possible, I don't know!

[NHscrapman]

I have no complaints about the quality of the forum. seems to run very well even with repetitive questions from time to time. tools are there and mods do a great job cleaning up trolls and spam/ads.
I did a search on another forum looking for an answer but ended up looking through page after page of trolling,spam,flaming,fighting,advertising trying to find an answer... useless, funny but useless.

Keep up the great work SMF

[Sirscrapalot]

NH hit one reason I love this forum so much, not just the members, wisdom, banter, etc. But the lack of drama for the most part. Yes it rears it's ugly head now an then, but it's usually dealt with quickly an quietly.

Far an away one of the best forums out there in my opinion. I frequent a couple others for other things that interest me, an none do as a good of a job as this one at keeping, spam, trolls, an drama to a minimum.

Sirscrapalot - Just keep doing what your doing o'great forum staff an members.

[doyousmellit]

i enjoy the repetitive questions to an extent because it allows me to share what i know. i spent (no joke) around a year lurking here before i made an account and now that ive soaked up all this information i jump at any chance to share it even if its a "no-brainer" to us vets or a commonly asked question. I will gladly share my teardown techniques for any item any time i get a chance.

[FLimits]

NH hit one reason I love this forum so much, not just the members, wisdom, banter, etc. But the lack of drama for the most part. Yes it rears it's ugly head now an then, but it's usually dealt with quickly an quietly.

Far an away one of the best forums out there in my opinion. I frequent a couple others for other things that interest me, an none do as a good of a job as this one at keeping, spam, trolls, an drama to a minimum.

Sirscrapalot - Just keep doing what your doing o'great forum staff an members.

SMF really is one of the best-run forums I've seen. The moderators here do a fantastic job. In a lot of other forums, either they seem to be on permanent vacation, so anarchy reigns, or they're so obtrusive and picky that they kind of suffocate free speech. At SMF, I think the moderators stay in the sweet spot between those extremes, and they deserve a lot of credit for making this such a nice place to visit. Thanks, mods, for a job well done.

[TheRecycler]

Will do Mick.

[TheRecycler]

it seems to me that when there is a good topic and perhaps a heated discussion everyone freaks out posts get eliminated, feathers get ruffled and people take **** personally...........I like a heated debate but it does not seem to happen very often here..............if that's not what the site is for cool but a few more interesting topics would hold my interest..........granted I love all the breakdown pics etc but it seems a bit stale..............we need new action............if I am totally off base here sorry I'll go back to sleep

Mike, you're on point, I like the way you think.

[TheRecycler]

I had an idea, and it would take some customization, but the "similar threads" function on this forum seems to search pretty well for things. What if there was an option of showing similar threads before posting a question up on the forum? It could just be a confirmation page that shows these threads, and an option to skip this and just post the question anyway...just an idea.

That's a darn good idea Ryan. I like it.