For that section of the application, I wrote:
FlyerTalkers need to remember that they were new members once, and not be too quick to put down the current new members when they ask that same question that has been asked 100 times previously. A little courtesy goes a long way in continuing and growing the community.
There seems to be much grumbling lately by the veterans on some forums about new members asking the same questions over and over and over and over and over and over and over. There was even a suggestion to further segregate the program forums into a “beginner” and an “advanced” forum. (Which I do not support, as that would lead to further confusion and perhaps even more of the questioning that seems to frustrate the veterans.)
There will always be new members. New members join FlyerTalk to increase their knowledge about something, which of course means they will be asking repeat questions. I would suggest a twofold approach for handling such questions:
1.Veterans in the program forums should volunteer to create FAQ threads and other informational guides about their program. This has already happened in many forums, and some of my co-candidates even help maintain those threads.
2.When a question is asked that could be answered in the thread, welcome the member (if appropriate) and suggest they refer to the pertinent section in the FAQ/Guide.
I see this as simple courtesy, and it takes the same amount of time to refer a poster to a guide as it does to flame them or tell them to “use the darn search”. Also, by referring the individual to a guide thread, you begin to teach them how to look it up them self.
Yes, we do have a search function on this bulletin board. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that well on occasion, and we members tend to use our own syntax and abbreviations which causes confusion for the virgin posters.
As a TalkBoard member (and even as a general peon), I would advocate the compilation of the vast wealth of knowledge possessed by the FlyerTalk population into stickied reference guides/FAQs/libraries/etc. Is this worthy of an Official TalkBoard Resolution? Perhaps, perhaps not. It seems to me to be more of a voluntary thing. Most forums seem to have members who are dedicated to the community and are willing to give back in this way.
Finally, you can never have too much cowbell.
