Newbie/Newb board

[Spaz Monkey]

Can we have a "Answer the newbie questions" and/or "Control Panel" board?  I'm getting tired of seeing the old 6 button vs 7 button questions, what do I need for my panel, what's the best joystick, "I've searched the board but couldn't find the other 50 posts to find my answer", and other questions.

I am not directing this at any one post, or any one author. It is only a suggestion.

Before people start getting on my case about my post, I want to issue a disclaimer. 
1) I just woke up after a lousy night's sleep and have not had any caffeine or food yet.
2) We were all newbies once, with the exception of Ken layton.  He must have been born with most of the information he shares.
3) I consider myself an experienced newb.  Once I start rewiring my cab, I'll be experienced intermediate newb.
4)The tone of this message isn't a  , or  newbies, or  newbies, but more like how can we answer some of the first time posters or people who just want to stick their toe in the water.  Those people have all valid questions, but sometimes older members may be getting tired of those types of questions.



(PS, why do I curse slower on the soap box?)

[FrizzleFried]

I think maybe a tutorial on how to use the SEARCH engine is in order?!?  I mean,  I consider myself a pretty experienced guy who has no troubles finding things with Google, etc... but even I can't find crap with the search engine here.

Example:  I'd figure that to find posts on what 7 buttons are for,  you'd type in "7 button" in the search engine and you get such wonderful non-helping responses as:

* Ok we have lightgun support, now what?

* How to solve Power On/Off Problem?

* Left/Right-handed control panel?

* Custom Driving Controls

* Mouse Hack to Happ Trackball

* Be careful with your I-pac shift key setup

* combine coin and start... any problems?

* Playing Tron with Happs 8-way trigger stick

* Trackballs

* hacking a PS2/XBOX gamepad, HOW?

...etc.    What am I doing wrong?   Why can't I find crap with the search engine?  TUTORIAL PLEASE!

[saint]

Put it in quotes. What you searched for by entering 7 button was threads with the character "7" and the word "button" in them. Lots of hits, including any thread with the word button in it that has a timestamp including a 7 in it (your first hit, for instance)..  Search for "7 button" including the quotes and you're searching now for the single phrase "7 button" instead of two separate words in the same message. Doing it as a quoted phrase this way returns:

Possible solution to Frankenpanel confusion

Simple 2-Player Control Panel

Guide: Button & Joy requirements/game specific layouts - formally "MAWS stinks"

CP layout. Any comments ?

OK, I've gotta ask...

Looking for Curved 7-button template

-------------------

All of which discuss 7 button layouts in some fashion

--- saint

[saint]

I've mulled over a newbie forum by the way, interested in what people think.

[FrizzleFried]

Thank you Saint.   It's official.  I'm a dumbass!

 

PS:  Newb board is a good idea

[ChadTower]

There is one.

It's right in the help section of the forum that you get to by following the link called "help".

[missioncontrol]

really the main forum is good enough for noob questions...

if we have a whole other section for it, are veterans going to go there as often as they do the main forum?

[saint]

The only reason I've considered a newbie board is a growing intolerance I've seen for newbies in the main areas. The tone has gone from mostly friendly to occasionally hostile and suspicious of new people. I'd like to find a way to stop that without alienating established members....

[FrizzleFried]

There is one.

It's right in the help section of the forum that you get to by following the link called "help".

Thanks Chad...

...more evidence of my being a dumbass...

...great!

Pfft.

 

[Spaz Monkey]

The only reason I've considered a newbie board is a growing intolerance I've seen for newbies in the main areas. The tone has gone from mostly friendly to occasionally hostile and suspicious of new people. I'd like to find a way to stop that without alienating established members....

Which is exactly why I suggested it and why I put disclaimers on when I posted the message.  I still consider myself a newb.  I'm the guy that kinda knows stuff, but I've never done it.  In fact, all the work that I've done to my cab, I've paid for.  I paid for someone to wire up my cab to be a multi-board cab.  The guy who did it, didn't do it the way I wanted to, but I let him do it.  I've had my cab for about a year, and about half of that time was at the shop getting upgraded.  If it wasn't for the guy who put me on the back burner for so long, I wouldn't be here.  Long story short, I'm still the guy that's anal about his cabinet, but I'm improving.

There's a place for teachers, grads, undergrads, and freshmen.  Most people here I would place in the teachers and grad category.  I'm an undergrad and on my way to graduating.  I've answered some of the newbie questions on layout, and name this part.  But when on the main board, I'm not thinking that the people who post there are newbies.  If the freshmen had their own area, I think the answers they get will be more patient, and possibly more helpful, then elsewhere.

I *know* I'm not getting my point accross correctly in this post, and I'm sorry about it.

[sirwoogie]

I agree that sometimes "Main" can become a little short on new people. My opinion is that while Main does take a little bit to get through, putting even more stuff on another board will just make things harder to find.

What we have difficulty with is the organization of all three sites. That's the whole reason John wrote the book; to sort through the cruft and find the good gooey center. Perhaps a better way to handle this is to have a "Welcome" board instead that has stickies to most things. I realize this sounds like a noob board, but we won't allow posting there unless it is for the purpose of pointers. Examples:

• How to use the forum, wiki, etc.
• How to use the search function more appropriately.
• Notable links to most topics that a newbie needs (this could even be a wiki link... which I believe there is one already published)

Most things are pulled together pretty well, but just no TOC/Index to find it. I think if we could concentrate on that first, we might be better off. FYI, I am implementing a new search engine with the upgrade of the forum that might help somewhat with the "smartness" of phrase searches. Just like all search engines, it's only as good as the syntax as you enter. Even Google doesn't get it right every time.

Opinions?

[ChadTower]

There should be a little more emphasis on the book.  I've seen a lot of people come in that may actually be willing to pick up a copy but just didn't know about it.  You don't have to hard sell it or anything but a sticky with a link to the Amazon listing would probably help.  A bit more obvious linking to the Wiki would be good too.  Some of the newbies might poke through those things on their own if they didn't appear to be as much of an "already in" thing as they currently do.

[somunny]

I agree that sometimes "Main" can become a little short on new people.

This is generally true unless there's indication that the new member is possibly female.  Then it's "roll out the red carpet BYOAC style!" time.

[ChadTower]

It usually is more like roll out the pink pointer.  It gets creepy in there when a woman shows up.

[saint]

That *almost* became your custom title

roll out the pink pointer.  It gets creepy

[ChadTower]

Damn.  I like being Chief Kicker.   

[shardian]

With the titles being handed out lately, I am glad I don't have a title.

[shmokes]

I think the Newbie board is a bad idea.  For one thing, I hate the term.  It seems to exist almost exclusively to discourage people from getting help from others with more experience, which is ironic at a place like this.

More importantly, though, I think that a newbie board will really encourage the hostility toward Newbies.  For example, when does a Newbie earn the privilege of posting in Main?  I can just see the, "You don't belong here."  "Go play on the bunny forum."  "Go ---fudgesicle--- yourself you --manually censored by saint-- ---maternal-smurf---" "Build a couple cabs and come back." responses people will give.

Currently all of the forums are separated by subjects.  This would be the first forum that would be set up to segregate based on the visitor.  What's next, a whites only forum?  Just kidding.  But, really, I think Main is fine.  If people don't want to be polite to the new guy, frankly, we should be considering an ---uvula--- forum, rather than a newbie forum.


edit:  erm, I suppose we already have PnR   

[ChadTower]

I agree on that... I don't like the concept of user classes, formal or informal, and that's how a newbie board would end up.

[BobA]

I think that a separate newbie board would just cause more friction and intolerance.  Some of us should not post until we have had our morning caffene or protein. On the postive side the info is all here but newbies obviously cannot or will not put in the effort to find it.   Can it be made easier?   Searching is great if you know how and the wikki is a very well organized source but newbies probably have not found out how to obtain their info.   Sometimes the problem is that you know so little that you cannot ask the proper question.  Maybe a very well positioned link to the 100 most asked newbie questions.  Many people seem to be unaware of the website and only enter the forum. 

[shmokes]

FWIW, I think the message board is adequately hidden.  I had read practically the whole site before I stumbled on the forum and it took over my life.

[grantspain]

some questions from newb's are quite refreshing compared to the "look at my great cabinet" 

[Kremmit]

I, umm, <cough> agree with schmokes.

Uggh.

[shmokes]

Hey . . . it's easy to see good reason when your head isn't being clouded by political dogma