a request

[jasonfromIKILLYA]

Is there a way that we can automaticly block the "there's already a thread about this" and "try the search button" posts.  I find them not only rude but idiotic as well.  There are a few guys on this board that seem to have nothing better to do but talk down to others because they have no lives and spend all their time here.  I don't think there is anything wrong with having more than one thread about something. If you don't like it, you don't have to read.  It's just rude.

[69bronzeT5]

Is there a way that we can automaticly block the "there's already a thread about this" and "try the search button" posts.  I find them not only rude but idiotic as well.  There are a few guys on this board that seem to have nothing better to do but talk down to others because they have no lives and spend all their time here.  I don't think there is anything wrong with having more than one thread about something. If you don't like it, you don't have to read.  It's just rude.

Ive wanted to do this numerious times and Im pretty sure people have wanted to do it to one or two of my threads but I doubt Troy will allow it. If he allows it, people might take their powers abit too far and start blocking threads that they feel arent interesting enough or whatever. Am I right Troy?

[Troy]

Uh, I think it's rude not to search before posting.

On the other hand, some topics deserve to be recycled every so often because our membership is always changing and some of the new members may have different points of view or different approaches to solving problems (especially when it comes to the tech sections). I'm always up for learning about new techniques or products to help make out cars better.

If you spend enough time on internet forums you'll find that there is a "proper" way to respond - it's usually an answer or a link to the answer with a gentle reminder to "search the forum first in the future". The improper response is "use the search dummy" or something along those lines with no help whatsoever. The reason some people get bent out of shape is because they get tired of seeing the same basic questions asked repeatedly (especially when a recent similar topic exists only a couple of items down on the topic list). HOWEVER, you'll see this many times when a person has a habit of spamming the board with commonly asked/answered questions because they are too lazy to look them up. Some people are just rude though - no matter who they are responding to.

More importantly (to me), many of the members who spend their time in the tech sections end up answering the same thing many times while a new question gets bumped to the bottom of the pile or overlooked completely. I'm all for getting the most from our more knowledgeable members so I'd rather see less repeat topics and more new topics. The plan right now is to convert common topics in the tech section into something like a FAQ. Of course, then the response will be "read the FAQ". Good examples are questions related to factory paint and interior colors, VIN and fender tag decoding, tire sizes, component weights, and specifications for items like bulbs, bolts, and clips. Once these questions are answered properly there isn't a whole lot of discussion necessary.

To answer your question, no, there's no simple way to block them.

No Cody, no one (except mods) will have any power to affect anything relating to other members (except the PM blocking feature).

Troy

[jasonfromIKILLYA]

Thanks for replying.  I agree that it is proper to search first.  I even understand it in the tech forums, but I'm refering to the general forum.  I'm not asking for a "block", maybe just a "gentle" reminder to some of these guys.

[Troy]

Yeah, the General and Off Topic sections are harder because you'll end up with several threads all on the same topic but not really questions. The big annoyance there is the information is all over the place like when someone is discussing a particular rare car that's up for sale and multiple members have information about it but post in different places. Other popular subjects that spawn multiple threads are movies, tv shows, gas prices, and the latest celebrity goof. I don't mind pictures from the same car show in several threads though. You'll find that many of our more obnoxious members post primarily in OT so that's where you're likely to see a lot of the rude responses. Just a reminder - there is a "Report to moderator" link on every post if someone gets out of line. Believe me, I spend more time than I should sending "gentle reminders" to people.

A bigger problem is people posting the exact same thing in multiple sections because they think more people will see it. It shows complete disregard for the "rules" and inconveniences everyone else. That's a completely different issue of course but you will often see responses like "multiple topics aren't necessary" or "your question was answered in your other thread".

Troy

[Ghoste]

Not that it helps of course, but it's far better here than doing the same thing at Moparts.  It's likely to be the mods as much as anyone else who jump down your throat over there.