Is there an acceptable way to signal to specific members / contributers to ASP.net about questions, or is the very purpose of the forum to be randomly answered?
For example - I had a high level user answer a recent question I posted easily regarding the Music Store Tutorial. I have a current question that is in the same vein and I know he would be able to answer easily, but I don't want to be presumptuous or invade
his privacy by trying to contact him directly.
The reason I offer the following observation is not to be argumentative, but to offer feedback about the forum question process that might (I stress might) be used to help make it better in future versions.
Observation:
Under certain conditions more answers don't equal better answers; in some cases the fact that there is a number higher than two or three in the number of replies column seems to dissuade further real consideration of the question.
I wonder if the fact that a question is not marked by the person posing the question as answered does not do an adequate job of signalling that there is still an answer needed. I wonder if people see that someone, or a number of people, have replied to a question
a couple of times and assumes the question is in the process of being addressed and moves on.
Not sure how you would improve the design of the forum interface...perhaps some sort of flag that the questioner can activate - perhaps only after a few replies have faild to answer question - when answers are still needed for a question.
Yep, good points. But a forums is a forums, so it's hit or miss. I do think sending a direct message to someone asking them to answer a post is a tad invasive, so that's why I was trying to steer away from that. I tend to get many of those and I usually
just delete them. *shrug*
It's definately desireable for technical questions to be posted in the public forums for all to see. Private Messages (PMs) have their usage here but they are not intended to be used as an alternative to the public technical discussions.
3v3rhart
I wonder if people see that someone, or a number of people, have replied to a question a couple of times and assumes the question is in the process of being addressed and moves on.
3v3rhart
Not sure how you would improve the design of the forum interface...perhaps some sort of flag that the questioner can activate
If the replies you've received so far are not addressing your question adequately, i'd not think that any additional flag would help. Members are apt to wonder... did you set that flag before some of those replies or after. So i don't think it adds clarity.
What i think does add clarity to your threads current status is to reply to your own thread as you receive replies to indicate where those replies may have helped and where those replies may have fallen short. So when you thread is flagged as unanswered
(using the existing answered/unanswered flag) and you have made your own replies in that thread indicating what's still not resolved on your issue, then other members will more readily know if/how they can offer help.
I do think sending a direct message to someone asking them to answer a post is a tad invasive, so that's why I was trying to steer away from that. I tend to get many of those and I usually just delete them.
I also think it is invasive. If I get PMs prompting me to look at specific threads, I delete them too. I also delete questions sent as private messages if they could just as well have been posted to a forum.
3v3rhart
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317 Posts
Contacting or Signaling specific ASP.net members about questions
Nov 08, 2012 08:27 PM|LINK
Is there an acceptable way to signal to specific members / contributers to ASP.net about questions, or is the very purpose of the forum to be randomly answered?
For example - I had a high level user answer a recent question I posted easily regarding the Music Store Tutorial. I have a current question that is in the same vein and I know he would be able to answer easily, but I don't want to be presumptuous or invade his privacy by trying to contact him directly.
What's the best way of doing this?
Thanks.
BrockAllen
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Re: Contacting or Signaling specific ASP.net members about questions
Nov 08, 2012 08:28 PM|LINK
I'd suggest posting in the forums, that way you get the most number of people looking at the question and thus more people that could answer.
DevelopMentor | http://www.develop.com
thinktecture | http://www.thinktecture.com/
3v3rhart
Member
159 Points
317 Posts
Re: Contacting or Signaling specific ASP.net members about questions
Nov 08, 2012 08:44 PM|LINK
The reason I offer the following observation is not to be argumentative, but to offer feedback about the forum question process that might (I stress might) be used to help make it better in future versions.
Observation:
Under certain conditions more answers don't equal better answers; in some cases the fact that there is a number higher than two or three in the number of replies column seems to dissuade further real consideration of the question.
I wonder if the fact that a question is not marked by the person posing the question as answered does not do an adequate job of signalling that there is still an answer needed. I wonder if people see that someone, or a number of people, have replied to a question a couple of times and assumes the question is in the process of being addressed and moves on.
Not sure how you would improve the design of the forum interface...perhaps some sort of flag that the questioner can activate - perhaps only after a few replies have faild to answer question - when answers are still needed for a question.
Just thinking out loud.
Thanks, as always, for feedback.
BrockAllen
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Re: Contacting or Signaling specific ASP.net members about questions
Nov 08, 2012 08:59 PM|LINK
Yep, good points. But a forums is a forums, so it's hit or miss. I do think sending a direct message to someone asking them to answer a post is a tad invasive, so that's why I was trying to steer away from that. I tend to get many of those and I usually just delete them. *shrug*
DevelopMentor | http://www.develop.com
thinktecture | http://www.thinktecture.com/
3v3rhart
Member
159 Points
317 Posts
Re: Contacting or Signaling specific ASP.net members about questions
Nov 08, 2012 09:57 PM|LINK
No - I appreciate your honest answer. That was exactly what I was getting at with the original question.
I realize it is an imperfect process - just trying to figure out how to build a better mousetrap.
Thanks again for the answer.
mbanavige
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Re: Contacting or Signaling specific ASP.net members about questions
Nov 08, 2012 10:30 PM|LINK
It's definately desireable for technical questions to be posted in the public forums for all to see. Private Messages (PMs) have their usage here but they are not intended to be used as an alternative to the public technical discussions.
If the replies you've received so far are not addressing your question adequately, i'd not think that any additional flag would help. Members are apt to wonder... did you set that flag before some of those replies or after. So i don't think it adds clarity.
What i think does add clarity to your threads current status is to reply to your own thread as you receive replies to indicate where those replies may have helped and where those replies may have fallen short. So when you thread is flagged as unanswered (using the existing answered/unanswered flag) and you have made your own replies in that thread indicating what's still not resolved on your issue, then other members will more readily know if/how they can offer help.
Mikesdotnett...
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Re: Contacting or Signaling specific ASP.net members about questions
Nov 09, 2012 09:24 AM|LINK
I also think it is invasive. If I get PMs prompting me to look at specific threads, I delete them too. I also delete questions sent as private messages if they could just as well have been posted to a forum.
I even wrote an article about this: http://www.mikesdotnetting.com/Article/124/Please-Help-URGENT!!!
:o)
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