Sane forum structure

[SamuraiJack1]

Hi

I've posted somewhere in "incorrect docs" the suggestion to improve forums structure. In fact it is not "improving" it is "creating from scratch". For now it is only 3 variants where to post - "help", "bug" or "extension". As a result - forum is totally flooded. Think it should be subforums like "layouts related", "events related", "news", "feature suggestion", "help requests", "newbies questions", "flood" and so on.

My another suggestion is to create an extensions archive, along with extension posting discipline - CPAN-like.

If the extensions archive is the task requiring some programming efforts, then the forum subbranches are just about configuring vbulletin and can be implemented in an hour.

This measures should form the community skeleton from the current amoeba-sis condition.

Well, post your opinions here

[jay@moduscreate.com]

it would be a complete NIGHTMARE for us volunteers to try to manage this. While it seems sane for you, there are N topics that could have forums created per your suggestion. This forum is large enough without further subdividing it. I'm a pee-on, but i say nay.

[SamuraiJack1]

it would be a complete NIGHTMARE for us volunteers to try to manage this. While it seems sane for you, there are N topics that could have forums created per your suggestion. This forum is large enough without further subdividing it. I'm a pee-on, but i say nay.


Think you just have'nt seen a big structured forums. They got branches, each devoted to one specific theme. And if you want to know about this theme you just reads this branch, not the whole forum.

And its requiring no additional efforts to post your topic in appropriate branch, and to communicate with peoples with similar problem.

For now in Open Discussion branch we can find such topics as:
- Most Users ever online has not yet been defeated
- What websites do you read to keep up to date?
.....
How are they related to any discussions about Ext? It seems more like coffe-talks, and it should be "Offtopic" or smth. branch for this

As about "Ext JS Forums > Ext JS Community Forums (2.0) > Ext: Help" branch - just try to find something useful there )

"Ext: User Extensions and Plugins" is the only more or less sane branch, thanks for it rather strictly name.

Well, guys, even cooking forums have better structure..
I'm writing this, and with such emotions - after about week of browsing this forum, just want to see it in better shape.

[jay@moduscreate.com]

I've seen extremely large forums. I am no newb to the internets. Again, i speak from a volunteer support perspective. FYI. You're not the first to bring this up.

Why is it so frustrating to search the forums? 99% of your answers can be found via the API!

[SamuraiJack1]

Dont understand about "volunteer support" - how it is related to several additional subforums?

[mjlecomte]

The problem I see with more sub-forums is more for the noobies. People post stuff anywhere as it is, posting questions in the general discussion forum or even in the user extensions forum. So it adds confusion with "where do I post my thread". Also, may not help with searching, same as previously stated. People sometimes don't even know enough about a topic to even know where it belongs, and sometimes a topic might apply to multiple topics. There's already several "complaints" about information being too spread out, in the forums, tutorials, examples, API docs, community manual, etc. So further subdividing one of these resources may only add to the confusion.

Your opinion is noted, and I can see where you might have such an opinion as I may once would have shared it. But after being around a while and watching how things work, I'm inclined to voice that subdividing would not be an improvement at this moment.

[SamuraiJack1]

Well, my suggestion is based exactly on my experience being noobie.

What do you say about my another suggestion - creating extensions archive, along with extension publishing discipline - CPAN-like?

[mjlecomte]

Well, my suggestion is based exactly on my experience being noobie.
That was my point. It would only confuse most people more, they wouldn't know where to post. Your case appears to be that you want to find information in forum about X. So use the search feature to find it. You have to use google search and forum search, the forum search doesn't find some things, but has the advantage to filter per subforum, replies, by user, etc.



What do you say about my another suggestion - creating extensions archive, along with extension publishing discipline - CPAN-like?I don't know CPAN, but there's already list of extensions in the wiki, it's up to the community to maintain it. Otherwise you need to browse the extensions sub forum.

Many noobies complain about this and that with the forums but do little to contribute or help fix the problems. Many complain about lack of examples but then never bother to post examples of stuff they learned. I have personally helped people that complained about a lack of example of X and then I help them get X working and then they don't bother to post a tutorial to help the next guy.

[jay@moduscreate.com]

we have problems with people even posting in the single help forum. how would this solve that problem? Again, you'll depend Less and less on the forum the more you learn ext, trust me. ;)

[SamuraiJack1]

we have problems with people even posting in the single help forum. how would this solve that problem? Again, you'll depend Less and less on the forum the more you learn ext, trust me. ;)


Yea, already digging the sources )

Actually, I'm rather impressed with Ext, so just wanted to contribute if not code, but some good ideas ) Seems contributing core of the community is rather small and spending much time defending from crowds of noobies ))

Think Ext should really consider to develop own CPAN-like extension arhive - it'll blow the Inet.

[flipthefrog]

Another alternative may be the ability to rate and tag threads. Anyone could add tags like grid, dataStore, treePanel to threads, and rate threads so the most useful threads about grids, for example, come up first

[mystix]

IIRC there was in fact a tagging system in place -- it was up and running for about a week back in 2007 until it sucked system resources dry, following which it was taken offline.

all users (correct me if i'm wrong) are able to rate any thread -- the rating tool can always be found in the first post of any thread:
http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/6842/200806021027af4.png