Suggestions

Tooty ... :-)

Hi SueCar

Capitals are tantamount to shouting and are also more difficult to read

Glad GR are sorting things out on this matter. Just a thought: would it be better not to type helpful suggestions in capital letters? I have always been told that using caps in emails is the e-equivalent of shouting. ;-)

I couldn't possibly do that Ginny

Tis a whole thread....with chit chat as well as my dilemma.....Plus I have trouble keeping up with one thread let alone two maybe three :-)

Susan

Sue, why not post your thread on here...it will get Phils attention

x

Hi Susan

Why would that be against the 'what ever'....just post your questions on here as Phil cant keep abreast with every thread

x

hello Phil

Would you mind popping across to chat and giving a butchers to my thread.....'What I miss is'

The reason I ask is that I have a dilemma about posting on boards but to c&p it and post it on here seems as if it may be against the rules.

:-)

It doenst matter how a poster responds to advise,,,,,,,they have been answered in a polite and civil manner,walk away and offer help to someone else,no one is under any obligation or endorsed to help others.......

Sorry Jax, I didnt have you (or anyone in particular) in mind when I posted about how to tell someone they need so change something

I meant it in general, sometimes I see very 'curt' messages about the rules!

Good point Kay..........I use the old adage....

It's not what you say, it's the way that you say it!


Thanks to Phil for keeping us informed and involved. Cx.

I agree there are ways and means of helping people.

The thread I was talking about was not by a newbie and it was said I told her to delete the thread ???

When I said" is this going to be deleted" ? because the sticky says any look ups would be removed.

I pointed out the sticky...anyone would have thought I put it there :-D

So I will not bother anymore

Newbies you can point them in the right direction but if someone has always posted there they may take umbridge to being asked not to, and I dont think it should be down to other members to do that job

jax

Yep Kay....thats a very good point, there are ways and means of helping someone

I think there is a more standard way to advise where a thread ought to be posted for better results,,,,,,and stop the quoting of RULES.......



Hi xyz ==If you post this on the xyz board you will get lots of help.....but you must return and delete this posting which you can do by just clicking on the message you posted.

hey YOU you are posting on the wrong board and its not allowed its written in the RULES and you are NOT allowed to do it.

I know which is more pleasant reading to the eye and know that many newer members flee and feel they wont post again because they belive its GR staff giving a 3rd degree.....

Jax,

It is not really down to GR members to do this, indeed it is not their responsibility, it is just that in the current absence of an official GR message board moderator that some members such as yourself choose to do it voluntarily.

Unfortunately whilst some GR members welcome the advice given there is always the possibility that others may view it differently seeing it as interference, resulting in situations such as you describe.

Other sites such as Rootschat do have message board moderators who, if they see a post is in the wrong location or which contains anything contrary to that site's rules, either move it to the correct board or modify the post so that its content no longer breaches the site's rules. If such action is taken the originator of the post is notified by email of the action taken and of the reason for the action.

From Phil's comment it sounds as if GR may at some point in time consider employing a similar method.

I think it all depends on how the advice is worded. I've seen posts 'advising' new people to post on another more appropriate board that comes across as ... well suffice to say ... somewhat bossy. There is a big difference between (and I'm not quoting anybody here ) 'You've posted this on the wrong board, go post on xxxx board and you'll get some help, this board is not for these kind of queries' and 'you might get a little more help with your question if you posted again on xxxx board, though do keep an eye on this too, helpful people are on all boards here.'

I want to stress I'm not having a go and anyone in particular here, just stating that I have seen for myself the 'advice' given to various people which has come across as aggressive and would make them feel 'policed' rather than advised.

I agree with what you are saying Phil about mentioning that a post is on the wrong board ect.....but there are some people that dont take kindly to people advising them.

When that sticky appeared on Genealogy chat the first look up that was posted I mentioned it....well I must say that did'nt go down too well and turned into a nasty thread on general chat where I and another member were called the board police ect.

I do not see why it should be down to other members to do this

Also as people are having problems getting on all the boards because of maintenance we do not know if that is the reason they have posted there

jax

Phil,

Once again your proposals make good sense.

P.S. I love your disclaimer. Rough translation: My employer does not necessarily agree with everything I say but I am working at it. ;-)

Very sensible Phil. :-)

Just so you're aware I still keeping track of this (and the few duplicate threads that seem to have been spawned), yes I agree with Ginny's comments that a new member making their first post looking for Ancestors or Living Relatives or whatever, might put their post on the wrong board. To then have it reported for being in the wrong board when at this point we (GR) don't provide an easy method to switch the thread to another board is not helpful. I would therefore suggest that reporting something because it is in the wrong board should be discouraged by the community until we can implement some of the changes previously discussed. What would be more helpful is to add a reply stating:

"I have noticed that you have created a new thread in board x. To get the best response from the members of the community, I would suggest re-posting your request in board y. When you have done that, it would helpful to return to the original post and delete it. This helps keeps the boards organised, and allows you to get the best out of the GR community and its members."

or something along those lines.

A similar approach could be used to deal with a number of potential reporting issues. The Report feature should be used sparingly.

Thanks
Phil

Aha! Excellent, good to know, Ginny!

I guess my theory of accidental reporting goes out the window then! :-)