Open discussion: Community Guidelines

[Marjo]

Hi guys,

I hope you're all doing well!

Towards the end of 2014, the community team mentioned that we intend to hold a few discussions based on some of the actions and programmes we conduct on the community. One of these topics is the community guidelines themselves, which you can read here.

These guidelines have been used since this team took over management on the community and while a few minor amendments have been made, they have remained mostly consistent for a long period. It's often difficult to cover all bases in detail in community guidelines, as while a thorough set of rules helps to govern a community, too many rules and regulations can also provide a very inhibitive atmosphere - something our team wants to avoid for your benefit.

However, we’d love to hear your thoughts on the guidelines. What aspects do you think are very important? Which parts need more explanation in your view? Is there anything you would add or remove?

While we want to hear your thoughts, below are a few points from our perspective that need to be taken into account when posting your views:

• • Guidelines must apply to regular members and brand new members alike.
  • We do not want to provide guidelines that make new members feel inhibited or apprehensive about posting for the first time, as this can be a nerve-wracking experience for some.
  • This discussion has not been created for members to post their thoughts on how other members behave on the community in conjunction with the current guidelines. Please avoid referencing other members’ behaviours or their moderation instances when you post your views.
  • There will be many great points and opinions posted by your good selves, but please bear in mind that we will not be able to cater to every single point. We’ve always tried to ensure that any guidelines have been as fair to a large group as possible.
  • The community team always wants to embrace everyone’s uniqueness on the community, allowing each member to have the freedom to express themselves in terms of discussions and advice (as long as it is not disruptive to others of course). The last thing that any community needs is for everyone to post in the same tone, style and structure. 

We're really excited to hear your thoughts and I hope you will enjoy posting your views on this!

[Anonymous]

I like to slip one in every now and again!!

[Cleoriff]

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@Marjo wrote:

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@Cleoriff Not sure if that's guidelines-specific really, but interesting comment anyway - what aspect of the Search function in your opinion would need to change? Happy to receive feedback on that too at some point.

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@Marjo  I am equally sure my comment was guideline specific? If you check in section 2 of the link you provided, it states this quite clearly......

2.    Search first: Use the search function before posting a question. It is very likely that you will find the answer to your question from previously posted threads.

So, my point was, as we are encouraging people to use the search function in the guidelines, it needs to be fit for purpose

I rarely find anything I am searching for when I type in the relevant key words.

This isn't just a problem for me. Many have said before that it is next to useless....

[Beenherebefore]

@Marjo ....I have to agree, the Lithium Search function on here is probably one of the least usable that I've come across.

[Marjo]

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@Cleoriff wrote:

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@Marjo  I am equally sure my comment was guideline specific? If you check in section 2 of the link you provided, it states this quite clearly......

2.    Search first: Use the search function before posting a question. It is very likely that you will find the answer to your question from previously posted threads.

So, my point was, as we are encouraging people to use the search function in the guidelines, it needs to be fit for purpose

I rarely find anything I am searching for when I type in the relevant key words.

This isn't just a problem for me. Many have said before that it is next to useless....

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Ah yes, I see your point now @Cleoriff - cheers for that! We'll have a think. Perhaps we can look into clarifying a bit more on the search function itself, i.e. some suggestions on how to best get results out of it while searching. Feel free to let me know if you have anything specific in mind that you think might help.

[Cleoriff]

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@Marjo wrote:

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Ah yes, I see your point now @Cleoriff - cheers for that! We'll have a think. Perhaps we can look into clarifying a bit more on the search function itself, i.e. some suggestions on how to best get results out of it while searching. Feel free to let me know if you have anything specific in mind that you think might help

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Hi @Marjo  How to improve the search engine? In terms of a technical answer, I am not the right person to ask...

I would leave that to people such as @Beenherebefore (and others) who obviously have a lot more technical knowledge than me ...particularly with Lithium forums etc etc

I use lots of search engines on other websites (not forums as such) and they seem to get me what I want with very little problem.

This forum..... if I type in a couple of key words I am presented with pages and pages of info with every key word I may have used. I probably wont find anything specific.to my needs. I may even find info from 2008 which has since been updated...and is 'hiding' somewhere else....

[Marjo]

Hi guys, thought I’d post an update for this as it’s been a while since the discussion was held.

Main points revolved around off-topic content and its relevance and frequency, accuracy and relevancy of replies given in help-related threads, and general clarity of the guidelines e.g. language and terminology used. Some valid points there.

We do not want to stifle anyone's desires for posting what they think interests them on the off-topic side though, as anyone is welcome and encouraged to discuss what they like; the guidelines themselves are not meant to get into that either apart from our high-level instruction. I can understand some frustrations might arise in a big community like ours with such different interests. Here's a tip: when you're typing a post and happen to remember a previous similar thread having elicited no discussion whatsoever, then have a think before you press submit on whether or not that topic is actually something you are yourself interested in discussing. Another tip: be mindful also about the frequency of your posting, especially if you intend to post a lot of threads in one morning for example - will it create discussion?

Please don't hesitate to ask me, @Anonymous or @Toby if you ever feel you'd like some advice on posting in any of the different sections here. Happy to give some tips for best practises, instead of detailing too much into the guidelines about this one as everyone essentially has the right to post what they want. Also happy to post a helpful guide thread with some tips that you can refer to.

It was interesting to see some debate as well on whether some older off-topic threads are accessible for newer members wanting to take part. I can see e.g. Wanty’s New Place is still going strong with older members especially, and I hope that everyone there will be accommodating towards newer memebers who'd like to enter into those discussions, so no-one will feel like a "lone ranger". This goes for every other part of the forum as well. Remember that everyone has been new here at some point.

Forum search was mentioned. We are not doing any development on the search side at the moment but in the meantime while we think about that, some instructions on search might be beneficial. There are some functions that can help narrow down the results and make it easier to find topics – something that we’ll be detailing into a guide.

I’m editing the guidelines now and while not everything can be taken into account, I hope that members will find them a bit clearer. Cheers all! 

[jonsie]

Looking forward to the edited version....

[Anonymous]

@Marjo    May I suggest, please, that when the new Guidelines are ready they be posted in a "message-free" place and suitably signposted (like T&Cs for example).  Discussion, if any, about the Guidelines should be in separate, properly managed threads that are tightly constrained to avoid wandering off-topic. 

[Cleoriff]

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@jonsie wrote:

Looking forward to the edited version....

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I am as well @jonsie . A little sad that nothing is being to improve the search function though.

For someone like me who frequently uses this function if I am unsure of the correct answer...it is worse than useless.

I find it much easier to search for an answer (relating to O2) using Google. I think that is very poor...as well as being time consuming

[Marjo]

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@Cleoriff wrote:

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@jonsie wrote:

Looking forward to the edited version....

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I am as well @jonsie . A little sad that nothing is being to improve the search function though.

For someone like me who frequently uses this function if I am unsure of the correct answer...it is worse than useless.

I find it much easier to search for an answer (relating to O2) using Google. I think that is very poor...as well as being time consuming

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I'll keep this in mind guys. Definitely good to have this feedback for when we do get a moment to investigate if there's something we can do to improve the Search.