New forum category suggestion

[jeremy.king]

Hey Mods...I have a suggestion.

Under Mac Discussion add a category called "Networking Discussion and Help" since its sometimes hard to distinguish which forum a thread should go in.

Also, it would help people from asking the same questions that have already been posted a million times..."Problem with wireless router"-like threads come to mind. It may help them find similar networking related posts simply by browsing that section.

 

[janey]

Hey Mods...I have a suggestion.

Under Mac Discussion add a category called "Networking Discussion and Help" since its sometimes hard to distinguish which forum a thread should go in.

Also, it would help people from asking the same questions that have already been posted a million times..."Problem with wireless router"-like threads come to mind. It may help them find similar networking related posts simply by browsing that section.

cant you sort it by what its related to?
Software probs (forwarding ports, networking two computers but one comp refuses to see network, etc.) into Software Discussions
Hardware probs (my wifi router is broken, what's a cat5 cable, etc.) into Hardware Discussions
Mixed Hardware/Software problems into General Apple/Tech Discussions

The prob is most n00bs are too impatient to search, or they dont know how to or some stupid reason like that, so imho my idea of a moderated general help/tutorial forum sounds better

 

[jeremy.king]

Thats exactly my point! There are networking threads scattered throughout the forums making it more difficult for noobs to "see" a similarly posted topic. If we provided one topic, people would better file all of their questions related to networking under that one topic. Also, by visiting that new topic, they could see if other people have similar network related questions simply by visually scanning the posted questions.

My bigger rant is that too many people fail to search the threads whatsoever, and with the version upgrade its not as intuitive because the BIG search box in the top right isn't for the forums. Instead you have to click the search link to bring up the popup. More difficult for the not-so-savvy users to figure out.

 

[jeremy.king]

Sorry I had to rehash this one.

I still think it makes the most sense to create a sub-forum under Hardware dedicated to just Networking...Wired, Wireless, Sharing Files with PCs, Using a router, Hacks,etc...In fact, after creating it so many useful threads could be moved here and stickied...

What do you think Mods? Can we give it a try?

Lets get more organized!

 

[mad jew]

I concur. Especially considering most of the newbies don't know whether it'll be a hardware or software problem in the first place.

 

[andiwm2003]

i'm for it. network security scares me because i'm clueless about it. reading through a networking forum would help on so many levels. finding the scattered threads is difficult.

 

[jeremy.king]

Ooo Ooo, I'm gathering support via a grassroots movement but are the mods listening?

 

[runninmac]

I agree too...

 

[rendezvouscp]

That's a good idea, because some network problems cannot go in just software or just hardware, and Mac Basics and Help is very general. The problem could be with connecting to a different OS too, so I think it'd be better to have a Network forum.
-Chase

 

[edesignuk]

Personally I don't think there is enough network related stuff to warrant an entire forum devoted to it. Sure, problems may not fit perfectly in to existing categories, but you make do. I really don't think there is any need for a new forum for this specific need. Where would it end?

 

[iGav]

Where would it end?

How do I plug my Mac into the power socket?

 

[Doctor Q]

"Networking" was one of the forum candidates the last time we updated the forum categories. So were forums for wireless computing, education, Apple stores, photography, animation, and a dedicated "New to Macintosh" forum.

Having more specific forums helps people find those topics and look for threads of interest, but having too many forums has disadvantages too, including bloating of the main forum page, having forums with very few threads, and making more work for moderators, who move stray threads into the proper forums.

We weighed all of the choices and arn made the final decision on the current set.

No doubt the forum list will be reviewed again now and then, but no changes are planned in the immediate future.

 

[jeremy.king]

Personally I don't think there is enough network related stuff to warrant an entire forum devoted to it.

I disagree.

I say ditch the iPod Gear Forum (a mind boggling 48 threads), and add Networking under Hardware

Oh well, my opinion has been voiced...Perhaps come next iteration of organization it will happen. With that said, I would like to thank all my supporters for the tough battle fought and encourage you all to keep your heads high. We may have lost this battle, but we will win the war!