it works fine for ignorant PC uses like me , and i suppose we see less of the older posters perhaps due to the questions asked again and again, like , hi i want to get into property where should i start, or my value was too low what should i do, or the bank said no , where to go now !
this drains on you a bit and those with the answers , have typed these soloutions a hundred times , so they get a little bored with it , just a guess?
what are your thoughts??
Very true. But such is life. Maybe you could flag these types of post in a orderly and less intensive fashion. My solution to that would be this...
When a new poster comes on and asks the obvious, We as long term users can tag said user with a title / color/ exclamation mark or all of the above. The tag would be instructions to the user to do a quick search by themselves and then come back and seek the finer details that make a great thread. Its the same premise as automated answering service like banking has.
As we all know the purpose of an automated answering services is to point people in the right direction or department without going through the banter of intial meet and greets. They cut the fat of a conversation and get you were you need to go quicker and efficently....sometimes
I often see people be nice and say kindly to do a search. Maybe we can invent a acronym that kindly but bluntly tells a user to do a search first?? such as
STFF & TCBU - Search The Forums First & Then Come Back To Us
UTFL - Use The Force Luke.
I believe it would be a comedic relief to tag someone with this Acronym. It uses humor to suggest that a user try hard and look for the answer So you keep it light and be firmly instructive without offending. You can even ad a star wars cartoon pic to nail home the idea so there can be no mistake what is being implied