"I'm new here"

[Ileia]

I had already made AMVs before I came to the site, (in WMM -_-) and I wasn't aware that there was really more to it (a guide and whatnot). I assumed that everyone just used whatever methods they wanted to, and this site was just used as a catalogue for them. That, and I thought I already knew all I needed to know.

I was more about watching them than making them, at the time. I made a beeline for the VCA's and top 10%, and did nothing but download videos for some time. (Broadband all the way). I wasn't active in the forums until....like....last April or so. Even then, if I had a question, it was usually RIGHT THERE or a search would find it.

[genestarwind21122]

... Surely I can't be the only one who didn't start out like that, right?

And, you know, actually read the appropriate guides without being told to?

Me too I didn't start like that.

x3 One of my first post was about an anime I was trying to create. Actually I'm still writing the stories. Not as often as I use to but they're coming along.

[jubjub2]

I had already made AMVs before I came to the site, (in WMM -_-) and I wasn't aware that there was really more to it (a guide and whatnot).

x2 I do remember being surprised at one point when told there was a deinterlace feature in Premiere...

[JudgeHolden]

Stupid as a stupid does ...... Even I have brain farts ..... What's that smell???? oh I'm trying to think again .... light a match damn it!

[pen-pen2002]

... Surely I can't be the only one who didn't start out like that, right?

And, you know, actually read the appropriate guides without being told to?

I was a hardcore lurker when I first joined. I spent a year or so watching others videos to see what was good and what wasn't. Then I read all the guides and spent a couple of months figuring everything out on my own.

My first post was announcing my first video.

[trythil]

I feel that there needs to be a change in the structure of this forum. Site help or a new section titled "Post here if you're gonna ask a stupid question" or something should probably be placed at a fairly high spot on the forum.

Doom9's "no posting for a week so you can read the FAQs" policy might work, too. Two worst cases:

(1) Nobody posts on the forum anymore. Oh well. Not likely, but possible.
(2) We still get the same questions over and over again. This can be handled with a ban or maybe a warning; the above policy would give a good justification for such an action.

[Pie Row Maniac]

Doom9's "no posting for a week so you can read the FAQs" policy might work, too. Two worst cases:

(1) Nobody posts on the forum anymore. Oh well. Not likely, but possible.
(2) We still get the same questions over and over again. This can be handled with a ban or maybe a warning; the above policy would give a good justification for such an action.

Has it worked well for Doom9? If so, the Org could always try it for a while (say a few months to half a year) then look at the results, see if it benefits the forum or not.

[dj_ultima_the_great]

My first post was...the Side Characters Challenge thread...

I never really asked the basic questions (how do you use the search?, how do I download?, stuff like that). My questions were things like, "what are some non-linear editors?", and "as long as I don't upload the video to the site, can I ask for suggestions for non-anime videos in the forums?" If I had technical questions, I tried to figure it out on my own, or I asked a friend here at home. I did skim the guides when I first came here, though. I didn't even post in the forums until I had been here for quite a while; I spent most of my time just downloading videos. Now, though, if I'm really having trouble, I usually pester the #AMV folks about it. They're generally pretty helpful - if you can catch them between the topics of fighting games and buttsecks, that is. ~_~

As for doing something about the n00b help posting...I'm not sure that there IS much that can be done. I mean, how many times have you seen a thread in Site Help posted JUST below the sticky of the same topic? There are just some folks who won't read before panicking about their problem, no matter how many of those helpful little stickies you put in their path. Making them wait a week to post might be good, but it's still no guarantee.

I think...that this is one of those problems that you just have to let be. It's not getting any better, but it's not getting any worse, either - and there will always be someone around who doesn't mind taking a minute out of his or her day to link to a guide.

Those are my thoughts. I hate to sound like a defeatist, but that's probably the best you're going to get out of this situation.


- Jen

[Infinity Squared]

Well, in reality, having a thread started at least once a day requesting for help in the General section, is hardly that big a deal anyway. It does from time to time encourage flaming particularly sometimes on those threads where the language they used is unintelligible (which has probably earned the reputation of this boards as somewhat intimidating), but in the end of the day, answering and moving the threads to the appropriate section are but few clicks away.

The thing I want to point out though is how big this forum is, as well as the site, and how it is quite overwhelming. You just gotta think that there's some "user-friendliness" issues about this site when you get "help me" threads started everyday. I'm not so much concerned about how it affects us, heck to those of us who have gotten used to this place, all we need do is ignore those threads. I'm probably babying up those noobs and you'll probably say we have enough members as it is, and you're probably right, but that's where I stand. I like trythil's suggestion too actually.

[RolltheStampede]

I already had a video on the first page of the star scale by the time I started posting on the forum. Most of my questions have been technical involving premiere or after effects and most of the time the answer is already there if you bother to look hard enough.