[Nook Color General] bachon:
Is there a sticky for nubes?

Forum Moderator: please feel free to route this to the appropriate place or to the appropriate people.

I've been a participant on many computer discussion sites. They share many things with this one. There are nubes (freshmen), sophmores, juniors and seniors. There are polite people, and there are people who aren't so polite.

Many experienced people have answered nube questions - some hundreds of times. Understandably, some grow tired of answering the same questions over and over again. The intollerance is especially apparant when the 'old pros' are having a serious discussion about some upper level aspect of programing or methods of doing something. Then some nube - who doesn't know the site well - drops into the wrong forum and asks a very basic question which has nothing to do with the ongoing discussion. Often, the old pros start to view this with contempt.

But, this is a huge site with hundreds of forums. The major focus has been on the topics of each forum. Far less attention has been paid to educating nubes - both new to the site and new to the subject. Instead, there is a general command to - "search for the answer before asking a question." I used to teach teachers how to use search sites. And I found many did not know how to do searches.

The administrators of this site can have the forum moderators serve as policeman. The focus is to slap nubes into line.

A second approach is to have ALL the forum moderators include simple educational materials to answer nube questions. Nubes can be pointed to these materials. I've known people who did not know how to read. They grew up in circumstances where they didn't get to go to school. They were illiterate. Few were ignorant.

Therefore, IMHO, each forum should have a READ ME FIRST posting. On many forums at other sites this is called a sticky. Nubes can be commanded to read these materials before posting. This would not only explain the rules of the forum, but it should contain information on some or all of the following:

What forums are for nubes,

What forums are not for nubes,

Definitions of frequently used terms,

An organized alphabetical list of acronymns (and what they mean) used within the forum,

A detailed 'how to' on searching - how to search within the correct forum,

This file would be closed - BUT there should be a thread right after it where nubes can begin asking their inevitable nube questions.

Frankly, people who are part of a site when it begins and evolves and develops, can become impatient with nubes. But nubes are not all dumb - they may simply be overwhelmed by the size and scope of this wonderful resource.

I got my first desk top computer in 1983. Only a handful of people knew anything about such computers. And we struggled - as many on this site have done to learn about the machines, the languages, etc. We helped each other like many on this site do.

Most Nubes aren't stupid. They are just confused. Take the steps to Educate us and you won't have to slap us around as much. Of course if part of your joy in life comes from slapping nubes around, keep on keeping on.

Respectfully,

bachon

Nook Color NUBE :confused: