yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] JohnCorleone:
I generally follow the vibe that the dev creates for the thread. Some don't mind general conversation in between updates especially if ROM is fairly issue free. Others prefer a stricter format. I know I have answered the same questions dozens of times in the same thread. When I am in a bad mood I generally try not to rip into someone. When people start a question or general thread in development I do have some fun at there expense but try not to be too harsh. I know when I was new I had some posts with questions that were already answered and such and I got flamed pretty bad and it kind of pushed me away from XDA for a bit. If the answer to the question is in the OP or first few posts its one thing but some people's lives don't allow them to read through a 400 page thread. That is compounded when new releases are added to same thread so I take repeat questions a lot lighter than starting a whole new thread. I have like 50,000 posts and I have only started 3 threads...Tegrak for this phone, the HP $99 sale and one thanking devs for all letting me test when I changed devices. I haven't really gone near the CM9 development thread because its like the wild west in there! Lol
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] ungovernable1977:
I always wished the Devs would post 'version 31, discussion begins on post XXX', so it was easier to search gigantic threads that the earliest posts may even be misleading or cause problems... at least this way we would know where to look for an issue that say came up on the newest build... ya know? but yah, the thread above... thats the way it should be... but theres little clowns out there trying to look for anyone to flame just because they have nothing else to do/nothing else to offer. Some people just dont have social skills and cannot adapt to different crowds... imagine that they are on the internet ;) I love the users that have to make snide little smartass remarks all the time... really positive for the community. This isnt your little clubhouse for cool kids... people just wanna hack their phones, get over yourself.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] kobridge:
John, I like your words always and it totally make sense! Thanks for your good words!
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] dcowboys2184:
Personally this wouldn't be a issue if nobody complained about it! ... That's where maturity sets in.. U not gonna stop ppl from asking over and over u just ain't.. Banning infractions actually hurt the community more than help! ..think about it i notice these same issues from most of the same users from the epic 4g .. at the end of the day there's new ppl joining everyday some don't have time to read rather asks questions u can't do nothing about that.. Just answer it and move on damn.. And matty stop going out your way .. You wasting your time.. Just enjoy the development i hate devs leaving over nonsense! Especially this kind!
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] iSaint:
This.

Answer it or ignore it. :)
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] JohnCorleone:
That would make a good sig! Lol

Edit..I think the spirit of XDA is of development, learning, and having fun. If people aren't having fun (devs included) it becomes more like a job you aren't getting paid for. That's when we start losing people which doesn't help anyone
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] garwynn:
For regulars here I would say that's true. The problem that I think the "regulars" are having are the people that only get into the community because they're already in trouble - often which could have been avoided by joining the community, reading up on what has already happened and then participating in current discussion. And if I'm frustrated at a certain situation I'll often defer my post to try and allow someone (hopefully calmer) to respond. I'm certainly far from perfect but this is the model that I have been trying to follow.

Just my 2 cents on the topic.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] JohnCorleone:
I totally agree. If repeat questions bother you that much, good luck not losing your sanity if you have multiple devices and try to help in more than one forum!
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] swamp goblin:
I personally like having discussion in the development thread.. I would hate to have to read through 2-3 different threads just to see users post issues they are having, most of them usually being the same. Having all of the discussion in one thread is nice, and with a few posts reserved by me on the first page, users can be directed to read a changelog to inform them of issues, or I'm usually just nice and answer questions no matter how many times they are asked. I agree this site should be more about having fun. I would enjoy my threads to be looked at as "big parties" as long as users enjoy my work :) no point in being stingy about stuff like this, for most of us its a little hobby ( or addiction ), so lets have fun with it.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] mattykinsx:
No, its not in anyway related to maturity that is just complete nonsense.

The fact is that answering the question "real quick" just causes more questions of that nature.

Why do any research if other people will for me?

Ignoring it would work if

everyone

participated in ignoring it but that doesn't happen.

I believe XDA's biggest issue is confusion about the rules and how they truly want the forums handled.

On many different occasions mods have posted that the community should take care of itself and reporting should only be done in extreme cases.

But yet every time the "community takes care of itself" two things tend to happen.

1) People that tend to break rules come out attacking

2) Mods make comments about how you should "ignore it or report it"

So which is it?

(Rhetorical question)
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] Esoteric68:
Okay, contrary to the oft stated "if you search for your problem you'll find the answer" this isn't always the case, majority of the time .. maybe, but always .. no. I know this for a fact because I've done a lot of searching on different subjects but often didn't find an answer until I made the bold move to just ask again. Sometimes it comes down to a simple issue of having difficulty in wording your search. Sometimes it comes down to threads being 10,000 posts long and over half of those being general chit chat. Reading through comment after comment hoping to find an answer can, at times, result in information overload leaving you more confused than when you started. Also, some of us work full-time and therefore don't have hour upon hour to read through lengthy threads for a simple answer.

Yes, I do understand the frustration of seeing the same questions asked repeatedly but honestly, answering the question usually takes less energy than the flame wars that generally erupt in lieu of answers.

I've learned a lot since becoming more active in the community and most of what I've learned has come through reading as much as possible as often as I can, but some of the most important stuff I've learned came from asking directly to be on the safe side rather than going forward without a clear understanding and bricking my phone in the process.

An ounce of kindness goes a long way in making any community (online or IRL) stronger.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] mattykinsx:
You just proved the point though.

1) Development threads are not for Q&A

2) By people flooding them with Q&A we enter a vicious cycle of rehashing the same questions because they cannot find an answer in a thread with 50,000 posts
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] Esoteric68:
Hah! And that goes to show what happens when one doesn't read thoroughly before responding. I thought we were talking repeat questions in general, regardless of the forum.

I agree on keeping the Development threads as neat and tidy as possible. I guess that would, in effect, necessitate at least two separate threads for each ROM release and that would, in effect, come down to whether or not the Dev wanted to try and keep up with more than one thread.

Okay I'm going to focus on work now that I've successfully wedged my foot into my mouth. :D
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] mattykinsx:
Well, I'm really referring to development threads.

Others' may be talking about general and Q&A as well.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] im0rtalz:
If someone posts something thats been asked a million times, either ignore them, link them to the proper post, or give them the terms to search to help them out a bit. Be polite when you do respond and refer them to the rules (in a polite way), most often than not that person will appreciate your help and say sorry lesson learned. If you can't respond or want to deal with it, I recommend you try to quickly click out of the thread before you start bursting the troll flames.

I believe more wasteful posts comes from the actual "flame/troll" type of responses & rebuttal.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] Esoteric68:
Agreed on all points.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] barnacles10:
This topic has been talked about over and over throughout the threads so I'd like to add an opinion on the matter.

Yes, people should search before posting. Always. Lots of people, including myself, have learned everything they know not by starting a thread for every questions they have, but instead by searching and doing lots and lots of reading. Many of you are right, XDA is a place for development, not necessarily customer support.

HOWEVER, that being said, when you people bash/flame people who ask these questions, the one response you're referring to which shouldn't be there turns into 10+ posts of people bashing and complaining about one single post.

Think of it this way, as many others have said, the above poster as well.. If someone asks a question that's been answered you ultimately have 3 options in my opinion. If the post truly offends you, or you find it to violate the forum rules, then report it. If it doesn't necessarily offend you then don't respond. Not only will this cut down on these numerous posts people claim they have to search through, it will start a trend of people understanding that maybe their question has been answered, or maybe they should be asking else ware. Third, answer the question. If one person takes initiative, answers a question with one response, whether it be referring them to a thread, a website, or simple expressing politely that it is requested that you search for your answers before asking, then people will respect that and slowly learn.

I guarantee there are more flaming posts clogging threads then the posts which initiate the flaming in the first place.

People asking questions over and over are certainly a cause of clutter, however, the people who respond in disrespectful ways contribute just as equally to the problem.

My .02.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] rossm1873:
there really is no need for the flaming at all, a bit of manners go a long way, ive seen people getting told they deserve to die because they didnt use the search bar, and ive seen plenty more arguements with things being said that are just as bad as being told to die, and personally i think under no circumstances should telling someone they deserve to to die should be acceptable, its actually disgusting to see people on here talk to other members like that, especially when 9 times out of ten the search bar is useless. if you dont like the question thats been asked, ignore it, simple as that, we were all noobs at some point. no one deserves the abuse that happens on xda, no matter how stupid the question. most them only act like that cos there behind a computer screen or phone! a thought a main point of a forum was to discuss and help each other.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] azyouthinkeyeiz:
To be fair, the "kill yourself" jokes come from a certain comedian, and are meant to be highly sarcastic.

That's one thing that gets ignored, the possibility of something being a thinly veiled effort at humor. I see a lot of people go immediately over the top defending themselves or others, totally missing the point.

But, you can't decipher tone in such a literal medium. I've said it before, sarcasm needs a hash tag or something of the sort. That would, in itself, stop a lot of the berating and madness.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] mattykinsx:
I believe its more subsequent posts attacking the person that called out the OP than it is the two original parties.

In fact, I don't believe it. I know it is.

The XDA community has changed drastically in the last two years.

People are now okay with, and even go to the extents of defending, those that don't read the rules.

It wasn't even this bad a year ago.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] rossm1873:
yeah it may be humour to the clown posting it but the noob has no idea that its humour, it looks like hes being pretty serious to me. theres loads of things that get said that shouldnt be from all different people, it is totally unacceptable in my eyes, people with no social skills what so ever, they flame people calling them all sorts, there the ones who look ignorant at the end of the day. in my eyes manners really do go a long way. when somone helps me and is really polite i cant thank them enough. we are all different though and the world would be a pretty boring place if we were all the same :)
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] barnacles10:
What I wrote is supposed to be completely general. Xda as a whole and what the trend is throughout every single thread.

My point being that multiple users attacking the same person over and over is just as counter productive as the original post itself, no?

Xda members breed these type of people. People see others bashing and trolling and say hey I wanna be part of that team. I want to bash noobs and criticize people because that's the trend.

So how do we fix this problem? Read above.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] Khilbron:
Here are the general rules the I follow when replying to a thread, that alot of people could benefit from.

So a user new/old posts makes a new thread, whether it be in the correct section or not.

You should reply If:

1. You know the answer and can explain it in such a manner that makes sense to the poster.

2. You don't know the answer but are willing to help if they provide more details as to what happened leading up to the post.

3. You can politely point out which forum the post should be posted in.

4. You are in a good mood

You should not reply if:

1. You did not read the entire post

2. You read the entire post and it has upset/offended you in some way

3. You have typed up your reply in regards to a question, and your answer makes you laugh.

4. You don't know the answer, and don't know where to find it, but feel like you must reply, because everyone else is.

5. You know the answer, and have answered it hundreds of times, and feel like telling them that you have answered it hundreds of times and they should search.

6. You just don't give a damn
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] JohnCorleone:
Its sad when I read a post from someone who has a question but they are obviously not wanting to get flamed so they preface the question with "I read the last 30 pages, tried the search option, etc, etc " just because they think they will be attacked for answering a question.

Put it this way, if anyone needs help or has a question, you can PM me any time. If I don't get back to you right away, I will within a few hours. If you need more real time help, let me know via PM and I will add you on GTalk so I can walk you through what you need. I get as much satisfaction helping those that need it as I do flashing my phone so don't hesitate to ask me any questions
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] scarmon25:
The above two post are so true. And as John said. I am always willing to help anyone. PM me anytime. I can attest to John. I honestly can't think of one time I have seen him flame anyone for asking a question. Its sad when someone truly in need of help is scared to post because they automatically assume they are going to get flamed off the boards.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] rossm1873:
its great to see such helpful and polite people on here, there few and far between on xda
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] cds0699:
You earned a thanks for my new lock screen wallpaper.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] JohnCorleone:
That's about perfect although I do break #3 under the don't post with some of these...
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] azyouthinkeyeiz:
A little humor is ok. As long as it is also attached to some sort of guidance. And you get a pass because you are very helpful.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] Esoteric68:
Coming to a new forum and asking questions can be extremely intimidating, even to an extrovert like myself. I can't tell you how many times I typed, deleted, typed, deleted, typed, covered my eyes and hit send when I made my first post here. Now I don't sweat it. If I need to ask, I do so. If I can answer someone's question or provide a link, I do so. I've learned from people here who are very giving of their time and knowledge and I want to return the favor as often as possible.

A little humor goes a long way towards easing people through rough situations. It helps those of us who do stupid stuff laugh at ourselves and get over it.

Hell I laugh at myself all the time, it's either the only thing keeping me sane or proof that I've gone around the bend completely.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] JohnCorleone:
Same here. I know I have made mistakes while posting. I have but up some ridiculous posts that I could only laugh at and that got quoted before I could fix them...lol. People definitely shouldn't feel gun shy about posting. Its better to ask if you are unsure about something especially now where the wrong move could brick your phone
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] Nuenjin:
At my last job, I worked for a few supervisors who would react with indignation and ridicule to say the least. From their point of view, I should have known the answers but I have not yet developed the ability to read minds or become omniscient so sometimes I ask questions.

Asking questions shouldn't be vilified as flame-worthy. Being an ass should.

It would be nice to be able to flag 'important questions' and 'helpful answers' for a FAQ post that specifically pertains to the E4GT.

For example, how many times have we addressed the question of a text message instead of a voicemail-? I know I asked it once and answered it once :)
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] ungovernable1977:
First off... Matty... why you so angry all the time?! Settle down! Hug? I get wading through what you are not looking for is frustrating, but no public forum will be perfect for everyone. I wish it was like the old Epic4g days where everyone helped each other, and if someone obviously needed to just search or read the second newest page in a thread, they were politely reminded... didnt make reading this stuff so annoying, and then if we cannot take this childishness anymore, and reply to such a post saying so, we are the criminal.

Also, lets clear this up, I dont think anyone on my 'side' of this is defending creating a THREAD in Dev with a question etc... some seem to think thats what this is about... this isnt... its about asking a question pertaining to said ROM, then getting flamed because A) its a question, and not an update from the Dev with treats for the angry members, or B) It may have been asked already. The problem is the rules are pretty clear about what to create THREADS about, and where to post them, but not individual posts within a thread. So people are running rampant making their own interpretations of the rules to suit themselves.

And heres some rarely followed/enforced rules for ya...

2.3 Flaming: XDA was founded as a group of people sharing information about certain mobile phones. Sharing does not involve virtual yelling (flaming) it does involve working together to solve problems in an environment of mutual respect and understanding. Losing your temper and flaming another member, or group of members, is not acceptable behavior.

2.5 Courtesy towards other Members: Treat new members the way you would like to have been treated when you were a new member. When dealing with any member, provide them with guidance, advice and instruction when you can and always with respect and courtesy. Never post in a demanding, argumentative, disrespectful or self-righteous manner.

10. Help others if you can.

If you see posts from others where you can help out, please do. This place exists because people are helping each other, and even if you are relatively new to the matter, there's probably already quite a few people newer than you that would benefit from what you've learned. Don't be shy.

15. Keep posts/threads on-topic

Whilst a minor amount of off-topic posting may be overlooked, the general rule is your posts / threads must be relevant to the Forum / thread in which you are posting.

Why no iron fist for these rules??
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] JohnCorleone:
Good stuff ungovernable! I must admit, I am humbled by all of the thanks I have received from everyone here on XDA but I don't think I was ever given one for telling someone to read or use the search button. I say kill 'em with kindness. There are enough a-holes in real life. Its nice to be able to come here and not have to deal with someone putting you down for something as trivial as a post
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] *Luke*:
I've said it before, I'll say it again... For the life of me, I don't know how rule number 1 could be more crystal clear.

When someone has a legitimate question, that's one thing; Im all for asking questions. However, it becomes an entirely different animal when its a redundant one.

The same question... "do I just flash the el26 recovery and flash the rom and wipe data/cache?" or the "how's battery life even though it was dropped about 15 minutes ago?" every 2 pages gets old.

Read....Take the time to read. It really is as simple as that. People that can't afford a few minutes to read the OP and scan through a few pages of the thread are ASKING for a brick IMO, on top of the fact that its just plain lazy.

Your phone is a $600 piece of technology... shouldn't acquiring as much knowledge as possible be common sense before you start f***ing around with it?

/end rant
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] agat63:
I would like to add couple of words as well to this topic/discussion.

First a short introduction:

1. I'm not as young as most of the members of this forum.

2. English is not, by far, my first language. I start learning English when I was about 40.

3. It's still hard for me to do right search because of wording.

4. Everything I know about android I've learned in forums, google, books and BY ASKING QUESTIONS. Lots of questions..

As it has been mentioned before to get a right answer you should be able to ask right question. And if you do a search with wrong/not precise wording you won't find right answer. In general to ask a right question mean that you know about half of the answer and if you don't you won't be able to.

And also as it has been already mentioned sometimes you get a list of 50 threads with few hundred if not few thousand post in them for and simple question you need answer for.

Now, why would you wish someone spending hours upon hours reading thru all those threads and posts for an answer that will take you about 30 sec to type.

I understand the frustration of answering same question over and over again but let us give a little understanding to people who get lost and overwhelmed in all this threads and posts.

It's easier to help than to flame.

It's easier to be polite than flame.

It's easier to be friendly than harsh.

And it's feel better helping other people too.

In some point of time we all were noobs and we all needed help and answers and there where people who new more about subject and helped us then.

Now is our turn to help. Why not?

And last but not least. I learned long time ago that:

There is no shame not to know but there's shame not to want to know and not to ask.

Sorry for any grammar or other mistakes. I'm still learning English and still learning android.