I welcome redundant questions

[Ignacio]

Fine.

Entitlement creatures can rejoice at the seeming reprieve, antiestablishmentariasts get to thump their chests at The Man, nostalgia mavens can shed a tear, and control freaks revert back to the mean.

You get it all from me folks, not piecemeal. At the same time some won't agree with my attitude towards encouraging searching you also get a board without SPAMmers. You get a tightwad with a hairtrigger on politics as well as an admin who deletes duplicate threads and helps with the occasional overt spelling error. With the A side comes the B side. Good and bad. You get both.

Having read the sage words of Guideline #6, I personally giggle at the much ado about very little in this thread.

 

[germany]

Can I make two suggestions?

1- Rule # 7 might be better if it read “Respect is mutual. If you flame or dog pile, then the gloves are off; don’t get all butt-hurt if you get it back just as good or worse. With any luck, you might end up on top.”

Whenever I see someone else get flamed or dog piled for asking a question I feel like I’m riding behind someone who just got snubbed by a fellow rider who didn’t wave back.

Also, the part in rule # 7about getting sidelined if you piss off the admins is a bit one-sided.

2 - If it is possible and if perhaps some rules are established, I think it could be useful to be able to mark a post/thread as relevant. More relevant posts/threads would show up first during searches. The more 'marks for relevance' the sooner it shows up.

Protondecay’s post about the Givi part numbers for the '05 is a good example of high relevance (at least for me). It gives you the part numbers and (basically) who to contact.

If you don’t know the tricks, a basic search a noob might do for the terms ‘+Givi+part+numbers’ show up in quite a few places that don’t actually provide any useful information about Givi or the necessary part numbers. Like post #s 22, 29 & 38 here. No offense to any of the posters, but that’s just not the information I was looking for.

For the record Ignacio and ScooterG, this is a well maintained forum. I for one, humbly thank you for keeping religion, politics, philosophy and SPAM out of this forum.

 

[Ignacio]

Since it just so happens all four admins are meeting in person the first time at WFO....there is a planned meeting on various topics including the guidelines. We'll see how it goes.

As far as the technical question about "relevancy" or "ratings" in searches....I'm not aware of an option within the software. There may be some add-in posible, but we've had difficulty with add-ins in the past as the core software gets updated and breaks add-ins. Those that miss the garage module can sympathize.

I would note that an indicator on the searches would be the number of replies and views of a topic. Clearly not exact thing, but building up one's toolkit of search techniques is at the heart of this issue and you clearly are one that tries.

As for the board choice long ago about leaving other forums to certain non-FJR topics.....thanks for saying so. It has not been without controversy, but I still think the right choice to keep this the best forum about FJRs.

 

[one day]

I work in the Department of Redundancy Department.

 

[germany]

Additional thanks to Warchild and Slapnpop. I guess I could have searched the 'Members' to find all of you. :fool:

 

[radman]

Eh, I've seen worse.

Prof Rad

Men of Few Words Dept.

 

[GunMD]

Let me ask you a question - Do you ever post anything that's positive in nature, and not a *****, whine, or gripe?

Let me ask you two questions:

1. Do you ever put anything on the forum that is actually useful?

2. What do you really think this topic is about?

Oh, make that three, what is this esoteric "GUNNY" ****? Last time I heard a "Gunny" was a Marine Gunnery Sergeant, Master Gunnery Sergeant, or a billet in a Marine unit like a company gunny.

How it all got started...

The Declaration that resulted...

And now we're goin' global, baby!

 

[Gary]

For the record Ignacio and ScooterG, this is a well maintained forum. I for one, humbly thank you for keeping religion, politics, philosophy and SPAM out of this forum.

I couldn't agree more, and wouldn't change a thing. When a board turns into a free-for-all, the first people to leave are the ones that had something to offer in the first place.

 

[wpbfjr]

And now we're goin' global, baby!

now that there is some phunny sheit....

congrats bro!!!!!

 

[odot]

FUZZY BALLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[uctofeej]

As a noob here and an admin elsewhere, this has been an interesting discussion. Maybe a technical suggestion would help:

Is it possible to compare topic titles and key words in a new topic message and have an automated search that suggests some related threads before the new topic is submitted? I could see this happening by forcing a preview page for a new topic (not a message) with similar topics highlighted just above the edit box. For example, FNG uctofeej shows up and asks "Hey, how long should my new tires last?" I hit the "post message" button and see a pleasant suggestion: "Hey Genius, did ya even try looking at any of these tire threads first?"

Just a suggestion.

 

[GunMD]

This topic started off with a very valid point although it was not original, because the point had been brought up numerous times before both in the forum and in PM's. The point was not malicious, whining or bitching. It was a well thought out statement of the situation and it was, IMO, meant for the improvement of the forum.
Let me restate what I said before I have been on MC forums for 4 or 5 years. If you want me to add BBS's which I believe are about as analogous to this type of forum as a horse is to a Ferrari, then I have well over 27 years and if you add in radio networks, morse networks and teletype networks I go back even farther. Over the years I have been a regular participant in these types of forums but this is one of them most unusual that I have ever seen. It has more admin intervention than ALL forums I have been on put together. That's not a *****, whine or gripe, it's a fact. Yes, there are basic personalities, characters and traits on all forums. This forum, like others I have been on, has a group of long time users that definitely have attitude issues. Those issues are the reason for the items I have listed in my signature. They were derived because of attitudes I see on this forum and speak for themselves. I've been riding for over forty years, fixing and modifying my bikes myself the entire time so I can recognize BS when I see it. Since I've been on this forum I've seen some folks dog piled and run off because they disagreed with the aristocracy. If you think that is healthy, fine, but I don't.

Having been in and around the Marine Corps for nearly 20 years now I have come across all types of people. The most notable (or is it "notorious"?) seem to share a lot of your characteristics. Those aren't all positive characteristics, by the way. In fact, most are not. Let me make a wild guess here and say that you're a product of the Marine Corps communications schools in some capacity.

It has been my experience that a fair number of the people that I dislike working with exhibit the same pompous, arrogant, self-absorbed behavior that you exhibit in this (and "the other") thread.

How'd I do?

 

[Firedog]

This topic started off with a very valid point although it was not original, because the point had been brought up numerous times before both in the forum and in PM's. The point was not malicious, whining or bitching. It was a well thought out statement of the situation and it was, IMO, meant for the improvement of the forum.
Let me restate what I said before I have been on MC forums for 4 or 5 years. If you want me to add BBS's which I believe are about as analogous to this type of forum as a horse is to a Ferrari, then I have well over 27 years and if you add in radio networks, morse networks and teletype networks I go back even farther. Over the years I have been a regular participant in these types of forums but this is one of them most unusual that I have ever seen. It has more admin intervention than ALL forums I have been on put together. That's not a *****, whine or gripe, it's a fact. Yes, there are basic personalities, characters and traits on all forums. This forum, like others I have been on, has a group of long time users that definitely have attitude issues. Those issues are the reason for the items I have listed in my signature. They were derived because of attitudes I see on this forum and speak for themselves. I've been riding for over forty years, fixing and modifying my bikes myself the entire time so I can recognize BS when I see it. Since I've been on this forum I've seen some folks dog piled and run off because they disagreed with the aristocracy. If you think that is healthy, fine, but I don't.

Having been in and around the Marine Corps for nearly 20 years now I have come across all types of people. The most notable (or is it "notorious"?) seem to share a lot of your characteristics. Those aren't all positive characteristics, by the way. In fact, most are not. Let me make a wild guess here and say that you're a product of the Marine Corps communications schools in some capacity.

It has been my experience that a fair number of the people that I dislike working with exhibit the same pompous, arrogant, self-absorbed behavior that you exhibit in this (and "the other") thread.

How'd I do?

Okay, as a noob I tried this whole search thing to see if it would work. I typed "pompous" in the search engine, and I found that one thread in the history of this forum popped up. It was this one! WEIRD..... :tomato:

 

[Bounce]

Yes, 22+ years.
I thought about just saying "a long time", but since you pointed out five or six years yourself...I thought it important to note that online forums have been in existence much longer. I dialed into my first BBS with an active discussion forum in 1984 or 1985 at 300 baud.

i was running my second BBS by 1984 and had sold my first one for cash over-and-above the cost of the hw/sw because of its visibility and client base. it was one of the first in the country to support 2400baud and had callers from Alaska and Japan connecting simply to test throughput of their new hardware.

So yes, discussion forums have been around a lot longer than the Web.

 

[Bounce]

Well shoot, my most humble apologies. In all your many years, you have apparently seen it all, and now.........know it all.

except for how to use the search function?

 

[Cyclogenesis]

Let me first say that I think this forum is run pretty well. I realize that it's takes a lot of the admins' free time and I thank them. I've learned quite a bit from this forum.

However, (maybe because I'm a FNG) I don't understand this obsession with the search function and calling out members (new or not) for not using the search functionality, or worse, making them look like they are lazy and/or idiots because they didn't use the "correct" search terms.

Whenever I talk to other riders in person, usually they are only too happy to talk about their bikes, why they think X-brand oil is the best for their bike, who makes the best aftermarket seat, and so on. And no doubt, the guy has probably been asked many of the same questions before.

So, why should it be any different in this forum? If another member (again, new or not) asks a question that's been asked and answered many times over, so what? Who cares as long as it's in the right forum? Seems to me that there are a lot of dead horses around here that have been beat right into the ground and then some, but flogging those dead horses is a reason to talk about the FJR and motorcycling...isn't that the whole point? I think it's ridiculous that when posting a question, a member feels the need to add a disclaimer that he has already run a search, and what he did the search on in hopes of getting a question answered without being made out to be lazy and/or an *****.

In my opinion, the search tool should be just that...a tool. Using it should not be a requirement. If someone wants to drive a nail with their forehead instead of a hammer, I say let 'em do it. Likewise, responding to a question that has been asked 50x before is not a requirement either. So, if you see one of those questions and have neither the time, nor the inclination to respond, then just move on. Either someone who likes to talk about the subject (repeatedly) will come along and respond, or the poster will learn to use the search functionality when he gets tired of waiting for a response. As I said though, that's just my opinion. I'm not an administrator, nor have I ever been one, nor do I want to be one.

Rich

 

[Bounce]

From my observations and perspective:

Most of the time it's because some VERY detailed and lengthy responses have been tortuously posted to help someone on a topic. When that question comes up again, it's painful to repost all that information (some times from many different people). How much more informative for the asker to get all those wonderful details via a search instead of a tired, worn-out 50th reply from someone who finally gives up and sends a direct, but very clipped yes r no answer?

 

[Fencer]

Yes, 22+ years.
I thought about just saying "a long time", but since you pointed out five or six years yourself...I thought it important to note that online forums have been in existence much longer. I dialed into my first BBS with an active discussion forum in 1984 or 1985 at 300 baud.

i was running my second BBS by 1984 and had sold my first one for cash over-and-above the cost of the hw/sw because of its visibility and client base. it was one of the first in the country to support 2400baud and had callers from Alaska and Japan connecting simply to test throughput of their new hardware.

So yes, discussion forums have been around a lot longer than the Web.

Ah yes 1984, George Orwell, and a Commodore 64, Yep, I was on some BBS back then

 

[trmn8er]

This is my response in another thread where the writer asked a question and was warned to use the search funtion before he got flamed. I got a couple pm's and thought I'd spread my view about new members with old ?'s. My view is that's what we're here for. If it bugs you move on, don't bother to waste your time reading it and don't waste more time being negative and cynical.We all love our bikes and need various levels of help to get the farkle thing right. Our friends and family sure don't want to talk about bikes so that's what this forum is here for right?

Go ahead ask me which oil I use, I'll answer if it will make you feel better.

I've been to all sorts of bike forums and though this one is very helpful its also the worst with telling posters to try a search. Geesh if you think you're too smart to answer the same question twice then don't but don't tell the poster how to post and discourage others from answering his/her question.

This forum is also the worst at sending threads to the pompous "Never-Ending Pointless Recurring Threads "

The fact that somebody wasted the time to create that thread speaks volumes to me.

There is only so much info one can ask about in a motorcycle specific forum and newcomers are a constant as are the ?'s about farkles and such. When I buy a new bike I always go to that forum and ask the same ?'s, only this forum tells me that's a boring question.

O.k. how do you feel about abortion?

What about ending the war?

When is the housing market going to improve?

I tried the search function but couldn't find the answer.

Ooops did I hijack this thread? sorry carry on.

Oh yeah, the search function can be useful but its more fun if we all try to be useful.

Thanks to those that have answered my posts and replied to my pm's, I have my bike set up quite nicely thank you.

I've even seen in other forums where each member will list in their signature what farkles they have on their bikes. At first I thought that was lame and tacky (being a cynic myself) but then found it handy when I read stuff that I wanted I would just pm that member. No "dumb, boring, repetitive" questions to bore the entire fourm with and always got a good response.

Steve

I gotta tell you I could not agree more. I have called out the Admins here for having a crappy attitude, and I get placed in "50% warn" status. Sounds like control to me. I'm still in this status months and months after my alleged attack on an admin. Funny, but his attacks were ok right? It would be far better if the admins acted like riders and not a group of pretentious cops here to police and correct one's every move. And here I was thinking asking questions was the whole point of a forum. And if the almighty search function was that intuitive, I suspect more members would use it. So after hearing member after member have a similar viewpoint, perhaps change can happen. I will agree this is a cool site. Very well run in many ways. I can only hope the admins can learn to mellow out learn to be a bit more patient. Rant off.

 

[GunMD]

I gotta tell you I could not agree more. I have called out the Admins here for having a crappy attitude, and I get places in "warn" status. I'm still in this status months and months after my alleged attack on an admin. Funny, but his attacks were ok right? What is that crap? It would be far better if the admins acted like riders and not a group of cocky cops here to police and correct one's every move. And here I was thinking asking questions was the whole point of a forum. And if the almighty search function was that intuitive, I suspect more members would use it. Hmmmmmmm....

In an effort to be as helpful to you as possible, please review these links in order to improve your searching skills.

How to search the Forum, an FAQ sorta thingy

Given that the Forum's built in search feature has some limitations, feel free to read up on the Alternate Search Method.

In addition, while I certainly don't speak for the Admins, you may be able to get that warn meter reset by sending a PM (easy on the "crappy attitude", there Skippy) to one or more of them. Just a thought.

Oh, and for those of you who have forgotten (as well as those that simply haven't had the pleasure) if you want to know what a REALLY crappy search feature is all about I encourage you to try and find something of value over here. Bitching about the search feature must be universal on all forums. :dntknw: