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JohnnyBoy
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Joined: 13 Jul 2007
Posts: 3954
Location: West Sussex, South-East England
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 Posted: Wed May 21, 2008 5:41 am Post subject: A gentle reminder to 123MM members... |
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I've just been to the 'Mac Mini' forum at the top of the index page, and to put it bluntly, it's a bloody mess. It contains:
- a post about Apple TV (despite there being an 'Apple TV' forum)
- posts about ProTools, Cubase, LogicPro, iTunes libraries and home power usage software (which perhaps should be in the 'Software' forum)
- posts about Time Capsule, Bose Companion 2, DVD burners and LCD screens (maybe 'Accessories'?)
- posts asking for help with self-ejecting discs, external FW drives and internal HDs ('Troubleshooting' ?)
- posts about Tiger and Leopard ('OS X' forum?)
- a post about the OpenMac clone ('Mac Desktops' ?)
I'd like to gently remind 123MM members (especially the newer ones) that there is more than one forum on the 123MM website, and they're all well trodden by the membership. A post won't be ignored just because it isn't in the first forum on the site.
I'm not being obsessive-compulsive - I'm sure that you'll all agree that the different forums are there for a practical reason. If we continue to put any posts in any forum, it's gonna be really difficult to track down the information in a thread when you go looking for it. So please refrain from dumping your OPs in the 'Mac Mini' forum because it's the first one on the list.
I'm sorry if I sound like I'm whining or being some interfering grouch - I genuinely don't get any pleasure from nagging people. It's just that the site can't be a useful information resource without the help of the membership.
Right, I'll now go back to telling those kids to get off my lawn.... 
Respectfully,
JohnnyBoy
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Intel Mini 2.0GHz C2D (4GB/120GB/SuperDrive/10.5.8 ), 120GB WD Passport, Logitech ergo k/b
iPod Touch (32GB, 3rd gen), iPod Shuffle (512MB, 1st gen)
Last edited by JohnnyBoy on Wed May 21, 2008 8:56 am; edited 1 time in total |
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hackersmovie
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Joined: 07 Nov 2006
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Location: Maryland, U.S.A
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trustory
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Joined: 15 Jan 2006
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Location: Cornwall/Devon, UK
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| Posted: Wed May 21, 2008 8:45 am Post subject: |
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Good shout JB and not to point fingers but new members are the worst culprits.
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MacBook 1.83Ghz C2D, 2GB Ram, 160GB 7200rpm HDD, OS X 10.6.5
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JohnnyBoy
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Joined: 13 Jul 2007
Posts: 3954
Location: West Sussex, South-East England
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| Posted: Wed May 21, 2008 8:55 am Post subject: |
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| hackersmovie wrote: | | Sir, Yes, Sir! |
At ease, soldier... 
| trustory wrote: | | Good shout JB and not to point fingers but new members are the worst culprits. |
Thanks for the support, Tru. I didn't want to come across as a miserable old fart; there's nothing worse for a new member who's just looking for a bit of friendly help than to have some veteran member ranting on about forum netiquette. But it really is getting out of hand, and I just wanted to say something in the nicest possible way that gets posters to think twice before jumping into the first forum that they find.
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Intel Mini 2.0GHz C2D (4GB/120GB/SuperDrive/10.5.8 ), 120GB WD Passport, Logitech ergo k/b
iPod Touch (32GB, 3rd gen), iPod Shuffle (512MB, 1st gen) |
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Cypher
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Joined: 24 Jan 2007
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Location: North West - UK
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| Posted: Wed May 21, 2008 11:59 am Post subject: |
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you should have posted it in the Mini forum though, they won't see it in here 
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Phil
Mac Mini 2.53GHz - iMac 2.0Ghz - Macbook Pro 2.4GHz - iPad 1 32GB 3G
6TB Netgear Ready NAS NV+ - 6TB Drobo S |
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JohnnyBoy
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Joined: 13 Jul 2007
Posts: 3954
Location: West Sussex, South-East England
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| Posted: Wed May 21, 2008 12:10 pm Post subject: |
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^ That was my dilemma: post it in the most appropriate forum and risk not being read, or post in the "Mac Mini" forum and risk being called a hypocrite. I can't win!
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Intel Mini 2.0GHz C2D (4GB/120GB/SuperDrive/10.5.8 ), 120GB WD Passport, Logitech ergo k/b
iPod Touch (32GB, 3rd gen), iPod Shuffle (512MB, 1st gen) |
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Brian
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Joined: 05 Apr 2005
Posts: 543
Location: Charlotte, NC
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| Posted: Wed May 21, 2008 1:27 pm Post subject: |
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Doing a little clean up right now...
We've been really busy with a project this week, so things may have slipped on our part. We're also redoing (painting, carpeting, furniture, network) our small office in Charlotte. This is mostly for our web design and consulting business, but it should also help with our Mac sites going forward. It's going to be nice having a tidy place to work out of.
I also got a new L-shaped desk guys! I'll post a picture once it's all up. 
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Brian
123Macmini.com |
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Bandit Bill
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Joined: 07 Jun 2005
Posts: 5793
Location: Edmonton, AB, Canada
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| Posted: Wed May 21, 2008 4:06 pm Post subject: |
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The Mac mini forum states "The place to discuss everything Mac mini!"
Maybe eliminating such a general forum, will encourage people to select the appropriate forum.
Guaranteed there is no perfect solution. |
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JohnnyBoy
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Joined: 13 Jul 2007
Posts: 3954
Location: West Sussex, South-East England
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| Posted: Wed May 21, 2008 5:23 pm Post subject: |
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| Bandit Bill wrote: | The Mac mini forum states "The place to discuss everything Mac mini!"
Maybe eliminating such a general forum, will encourage people to select the appropriate forum.
Guaranteed there is no perfect solution. |
I completely agree, Bill. A good example is when someone posts a query about AppleCare. I doubt whether the mods would bother to set up a 'Mac Warranty' forum - it would hardly ever be used - but nonetheless, it does leave the poster looking for the most appropriate forum. In this case, it's quite understandable that it would be put into the general 'Mac Mini' forum. But posts that are blatantly concerned with software or troubleshooting are much easier to find a home for.
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Intel Mini 2.0GHz C2D (4GB/120GB/SuperDrive/10.5.8 ), 120GB WD Passport, Logitech ergo k/b
iPod Touch (32GB, 3rd gen), iPod Shuffle (512MB, 1st gen) |
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Bobaloo
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Joined: 11 Mar 2006
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Location: Huntington, New York
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| Posted: Wed May 21, 2008 5:46 pm Post subject: |
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I'm just happy the ebay threads have ended. Thanks Johnny for saying what everyone never thought needed to be said.
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Bandit Bill
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Location: Edmonton, AB, Canada
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| Posted: Wed May 21, 2008 6:28 pm Post subject: |
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on second thought
Perhaps a friendly little note behind Everything Mac mini
such as:
Everything Mac mini - that doesn't seem to fit into any other category
would encourage people to do a little more looking
as mentioned there is no way to make a category for everything. That in itself can sometime make things difficult to look for and manage.
In addition placement of the "Everything" forum is at the top of the list, sort of makes it inviting to use it prior to other forums. Perhaps moving it to the bottom would encourage people to read through the list first. |
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JohnnyBoy
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Joined: 13 Jul 2007
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Location: West Sussex, South-East England
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| Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 9:53 am Post subject: |
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| Bandit Bill wrote: | | In addition placement of the "Everything" forum is at the top of the list, sort of makes it inviting to use it prior to other forums. Perhaps moving it to the bottom would encourage people to read through the list first. |
Now that's not a bad idea at all! It reflects the thought process that I go through: "IF there's no particular forum that suits this post THEN place it in the general forum..."
(For those who are wondering, the answer is yes, my brain's native language is BASIC... )
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Intel Mini 2.0GHz C2D (4GB/120GB/SuperDrive/10.5.8 ), 120GB WD Passport, Logitech ergo k/b
iPod Touch (32GB, 3rd gen), iPod Shuffle (512MB, 1st gen) |
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Sipper
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Joined: 02 Sep 2007
Posts: 61
Location: Poole, United Kingdom
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| Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2008 3:57 pm Post subject: |
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| Bandit Bill wrote: |
Everything Mac mini - that doesn't seem to fit into any other category
would encourage people to do a little more looking
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Bugger, and all this time I thought the 'Search' button at the top really meant 'Search Me'.
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jazzman
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Joined: 09 Dec 2008
Posts: 585
Location: Northeast THAILAND
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| Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2009 11:59 pm Post subject: Re: A gentle reminder to 123MM members... |
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| JohnnyBoy wrote: | | I've just been to the 'Mac Mini' forum at the top of the index page, and to put it bluntly, it's a bloody mess. |
It still is  - and so are many of the other forums to the extent that I have been cross-linking some of my posts. A classic example is with the various topics on using the Mini with multiple monitors, which is not only spread around several topics on a forum, but over several forums on the board.
There will always be people who register, don't read anything anywhere and just plunge in and post a new topic on something that has already been exhaustively discussed. A lot of this is due to new-topic creators who don't choose an appropriate title for their topic - you know, like the ones with 'Hi' or 'hello, I'm new here' or 'I have a problem', or 'Can I do this?. On our fora I always swoop in and edit those titles for something more suitable, and quickly merge topics that are creating redundancy, but I certainly understand perfectly well that there is a limit to the time admins can spend on a forum - particularly on very busy boards, or for mods who are not in front of a computer 24/7, and none can be expected to read every single new post. However, I do think that the 123MM team do their very best .
phpBB is great forum software, I run several, and we install it on our clients' websites. phpBB's own support forum is an excellent example of good board member management - it kinda has to be. They have dozens of tech mods, and others are designated just to the task of keeping things in order.
The forum sw has a nice little feature called 'Forum Rules' that can be put automatically in a highlighted box at the top of every page to serve as a friendly reminder without upsetting anybody. Usually one line will do, and it seems to work.
OFF TOPIC forum: I think this is great !; it helps keep people together on this board as a community and demonstrates a lot of Mac user background.
BTW - maybe it's time to update the 123MM forum soft; several versions later v3.0.3 has just been released.
With the list of It equipment that some members have (and this is interesting), maybe the 255 character signature limit is a tad too short. If it gets out of hand, the mods can always edit it.
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What are MacMini users listening to now?
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Smithcraft
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Joined: 09 Nov 2008
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Location: Seattle
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| Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 2:35 am Post subject: |
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I think it's not a problem for people that are experienced with forums, but to those who are new... Maybe completely new to computing in general, don't grasp the concept that troubleshooting goes better with accurate thread titles. Kinda like that guy that got pissed off and went back to the Apple forums... Or don't quite grasp the concept of searching.
However, I will say it again, the 123MM forums are great! If you wanna see a horrible forum, go and check the Handbrake forums. Mods ridicule people on a regular basis because the users with questions don't understand something, or didn't search, or whatever. It's pretty gruesome, if you ask me.
Anyway, it's the nature of the beast that forums will be messed up unless there is a team to keep every thing corralled where it goes.
SC
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Grumpy old man of computing.
[Desktop] G4 mini - 1.5Ghz 1GB 80GB HDD - Newer miniStack v2 500GB - 10.5.8
[Media System] Intel i5 mini - 2.33Ghz 8GB 500GB HDD - 4 x Hitachi 2TB HDD in a qBOX-SF - 10.7.5 (Thanks Phil!)
Make sure it has pins! |
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