Temporary-note concerning Thread-page openings

[DewCatTea-Bob]

____ It has occurred to me that there must be some members here (or perhaps just visitors), who may-not be aware of exactly how to open a thread directly to it's NEWEST page & posts...
I've figured this must be happening with at-least somebody visiting our w.site, because the thread & page hit-counters indicate that the thread which is topic-titled: 'Troubleshooting Alternator Wiring' has been hit-on/opened 16 separate times (within the past day) without ANY of those 16 hits landing-on the last/newest-page of that thread !
So for whoever has opened that thread (with it's particularly extensive number of pages, [currently at '24'] ), and failed to discover it's last-page (with it's latest/new-posts),, please be advised that in order to get directly-to a last-page, then rather than click-on the title-name of the listed thread, you should instead choose to particularly* click-on the last-listed white-colored square that's lastly located to the lower-right of the title-line, (* with the highest indicated page-number displayed within). _ As that-way, you'd then go directly to the latest-page with the newest-posts !
__ I hope this direction-note helps some of you, whoever you were !
____ BTW, that particular thread has now been opened 60-times (not counting my-own times), since I brought it back to the front-page (of listed threads), back on the 19th of April. _ And only about 2/3rds of those 60-hits landed-on the last-page -(#24).

____ Note - If anyone-else happens to submit a post to this-thread,, please expect that your post will soon-after become lost, once I get-around to deleting this temp.thread.

Hopeful-Cheers,
-Bob

[JimF]

Bob et al,

It seems to me that we could benefit from some "sticky notes" at the top of the main forum, which are topics that are frequently discussed.

In this way the most common of topics would always be at the top. New members most frequent first questions would more easily and quickly be answered by existing topics that are stuck to the top of the main discussion page. No searching is necessary (something new members and even old members are loathe to do.)

Clearly at least one topic dealing with alternator wiring would make a worthy sticky note. My question is which one or ones should we stick to the top of the forum?

What other topics would be worthy of deserving sticky note status?

Jim

[DewCatTea-Bob]

____ Note - If anyone-else happens to submit a post to this-thread,, please expect that your post will soon-after become lost, once I get-around to deleting this temp.thread.

____ Well now that Jim has expanded this-thread to include his somewhat related topic, I guess this now makes all this thread-posting worth keeping un-deleted (at-least until it falls-off from the front-page).

It seems to me that we could benefit from some "sticky notes" at the top of the main forum, which are topics that are frequently discussed.
In this way the most common of topics would always be at the top. New members most frequent first questions would more easily and quickly be answered by existing topics that are stuck to the top of the main discussion page. No searching is necessary

My question is which one or ones should we stick to the top of the forum?

____ Jim, the idea of adding a third*section permanently 'stuck' to the top of the first-page of the forum's list of thread/topic-discussions,
(* within the 'ANNOUNCEMENTS' box, [under the How to Join & Forum Rules and Report Button: Read Before Posting sections] ), is a matter which I've LONG been meaning to bring-up with you ! ...
__ You ought recall from 4-years back (within this past thread... viewtopic.php?f=3&t=94&p=565&#p565 ), my conceived-thought of listing forum-thread/topics very similarly to the common 'tree-structure' (as laid-out like within Windows-OS.folder-systems), so as to rather logically address all the various Duc.single topics in consecutively-connected 'branches' . ...
WELL, the idea of actually doing that rearrangement with all the actual thread-topics THEMSELVES, was understandably much scoffed-at (by a number of well-established members) !
However, I've since thought-of an alternative-method which may possibly let us have our cake & yet be able to eat it as well ! ...
__ Rather than trying-to rearrange all the various threads into a tree-branch grouping, we may instead possibly create a boxed-section where there are only provided LINKS to just long-established thread-posts which mainly-concern the rather MAJOR-subjects of Duc.singles !
However the question is, whether we can neatly list all the related thread/post-titles along-with their corresponding links into a nice&neat common-type tree-structure.
__ At the very-top of the tree, I suppose should be listed "Ducati SINGLE",, then from that-point, many rather directly-connected tree-branches would next branch-off to all the various main-sections (such as frame & body-parts; motor & engine-parts; and, electrical-systems & electrical-parts; etc.,etc., and-then deeper-onward further towards even finer branch-descriptions [where possibly some tree-leaves may eventually even be reached] ).
__ However, one likely deal-breaker for such otherwise orderly organization,, is that other than myself, almost nobody-else ever bothers to logically 'title' their-own thread-posts in a manor that most represents the particular main-subject of their post-wording.
So trying to include the related posts of OTHERS along-with as well, would be a considerably greater challenge to get all completely accomplished.
__ If you're on-board with my tree-idea, then to get started with some-kind of a beta-trail section,, if you can create the "third section", I'll then attempt to begin inserting labeled links within it, so we can next get some-kind of an idea of how well such a tree-directory could possibly work-out.

[amartina75]

Jim, sticking some posts to the top is a good idea. I think it would be difficult to decide and find the right ones. Many of the posts on here become off topic and some of the most important info in the post isn't related to the title of the original post. Also some posts carry on and on to the point they become hard to follow, or too taxing for most people to bother reading 25 pages of information. Some topics couldn't be covered in just one post also, could you imagine how long a post would be to cover all the various alternator models. It might be more useful to cut and paste important postings and add information to the Tech Section. In my opinion, that I've stated before it would be useful to have more then one section for discussing "single cylinder bevel drives" every other forum I've ever seen has sections for discussing the various "systems" of a bike ie: electrical, paint and body, frame and chassis, engine ect... Since virtually all of the postings on here are in one section it makes searching and finding information harder. I'm not sure what the solution is or who would have the time to do a major overhaul of the site or comb through every page on it for all the important topics. I'm sure you would rather be working on your MV or riding your Mach1, and I don't blame you

[DewCatTea-Bob]

[quote= amartina75 ... Considerations
" sticking some posts to the top is a good idea. "

____ I-myself really can't see that as being as sensible as having a listing of labeled-links (TO related posts) to choose from.



" I think it would be difficult to decide and find the right ones. "

____ For such attached entire-posts themselves, I think that's quite an understatement !



" Many of the posts on here become off topic and some of the most important info in the post isn't related to the title of the original post. "

____ That's so incredibly true of-course,, but I'd imagine that it's not just the case "on here", but rather everywhere unorganized-types are apt to be so normally human-minded while posting their thoughts.
Is there ANYwhere where there's some kind of control to prevent such disarray ?



" some posts carry on and on to the point they become hard to follow, or too taxing for most people to bother reading "

____ Well I'd certainly agree that ever-since the internet has given us 'chatting' (with only keyboards to quickly respond with), that "most people" have had their brains downward-adjust to mere 'me tarzan u jane' type of wording-comprehension, (thus helping to make our minds too lazy to ever rather try comprehending fully written-out English-wording).



" In my opinion, that I've stated before it would be useful to have more then one section for discussing "single cylinder bevel drives" every other forum I've ever seen has sections for discussing the various "systems" of a bike ie: electrical, paint and body, frame and chassis, engine ect... Since virtually all of the postings on here are in one section it makes searching and finding information harder. "

____ You're certainly right ! ...
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=23&p=9540&#p9540



" I'm not sure what the solution is "

____ Do you see anything at-all wrong with my idea of making/providing a listing of 'links' to major-topic thread-postings ?


Hopeful-Cheers,
-Bob

[amartina75]

In my opinion any organization would be a good thing. I think links to common topics would certainly help people find relevant information, especially new people. I still think that the tech section is an underused part of the site, and it already exists, so it would be easy to cut and paste info onto there. Say for example that there is one posting within a thread that has some very good information, and the rest of the thread is just 5 pages of someone's work on their Ducati, if you post a link to that thread you still have 5 pages of crap and one good posting. There are many posts on here that members put a great deal of time into, like when Joe listed all of the engine case bolts lengths, for example. Postings like that get lost and should be moved to the tech section. I look foreword to seeing any organization added to the site .

[JimF]

As I think about breaking the forum up into sections I think about the times I visit the Bevel Heaven Forum. That site is broken up into subcategories.

I personally don't have the time to open every section on the Bevel Heaven site and scan them over. Maybe I know some information that may help someone but I don't have the time or motivation to open every one of all the sub-categories and so I log-out before I ever notice a thread I could participate in. I kind of think I am not alone. Have you ever looked at the dates of the posts for singles? They are few and far between.

I think, thanks to our members, you post a question here and the responses come flying in within a day or two, if not an hour or two.

In our forum you look in one spot. You scan down the recent topics until you realize you've hit the topic that was on top the last time you checked in. There's no digging required to find a topic you can contribute to.

On a side note I know I have been very slow to make updates to the site. I used to have a job that permitted me lots of time to play with the site and make additions.

When I retire, perhaps in a few years, I will have that kind of time again. Sadly, I am working harder at this time of my career than I ever had to before, and I have motorcycle projects that are already suffering and would only languish more if I was trying to expand the website instead of working on and fixing my bikes.

Jim

[DewCatTea-Bob]

[quote= amartina75 ...
" I think links to common topics would certainly help people find relevant information, "

____ Whenever I don't feel like fully replying to another newbie's common-inquiry, once-again,, I then often rather post a link to an old related post which I've already done concerning the same topic-matter. _ And whenever I've done that, I think about how useful it would be to have a MASTER-thread/post (permanently kept atop the first-page) which lists categorized links to most-ALL past thread-topics.



" Say for example that there is one posting within a thread that has some very good information,
if you post a link to that thread you still have 5 pages of crap and one good posting. "

____ I understand that posting links just to 'threads' themselves, would still leave info.searchers having-to sort-through most-all of the thread's posts just to get-to the more pertinent related-info. _ And while it would be less work to create a link-list which just connects to appropriately named 'thread-titles', I-myself rarely ever post links to forum-threads,, rather preferring to (more specifically) post links connected to particular 'posts' instead, (which is just as doable, as with links to 'threads').
And that's just as possible to accomplish with my-own posts, since MY-posts are-not always left default-titled the very-same as the thread-title.


Hopeful-Cheers,
-Bob

[machten]

I agree organising the threads into catagories would be beneficial in a few senses. There's a whole displine devoted to such things called "Knowledge Management" which is dedicated to the science/black art of exploiting stored information. The trick is to have a "Taxonomy" of categories (in a forum sense - sub-forums) that is "comprehensive enough" without becoming so complex that you don't know what category a thread should be in. One of the limitations of a forum structure is that a thread can only be assigned to one specific category...(so if you had a category for "Frames" and a category for "Diana 250 Mark III", you can see a conflict can arise!)

I can see the benefit of "Sticky's" for completed reference information too, but would think they need to be tightly limited (and possibly locked). I think there would be an ongoing temptation to add new "Sticky's" over time that then took up all fo the first page of a sub-forum.

It's also worth knowing how to use the search facility to the best of its somewhat limited capability. There is some documentation here:

https://www.phpbb.com/support/documentation/3.0/userguide/user_search.php

As a little test, go into "Advanced Search" and type in +diana+mark+wiring and you currently get five pages of the first 300 characters (you can change that) of posts containing all three of those words.

If you select the Display Results as: "Topics" button (the default is "Posts"), You get a list of 10 topics in which all three of those key words appear.

I have to say, it doesn't behave the way I expect it to in all cases, but it's worth having a little play with and can save you time when you are looking for things if you know how to use it.

Kev

[DewCatTea-Bob]

[quote= JimF ...
" That site is broken up into subcategories.
I personally don't have the time to open every section on the Bevel Heaven site and scan them over.
I don't have the time or motivation to open every one of all the sub-categories

In our forum you look in one spot.
There's no digging required to find a topic you can contribute to. "

____ I certainly agree that we shouldn't break-down our single forum discussion section into separated sections for any number of specified categories !
__ But a new-section for listing links to many of the thread-posts COULD be so categorized !



" I know I have been very slow to make updates to the site. "

____ Okay, I gather that your lack of response addressing my conceived-concern, probably means that you may have doubts of creating some kind of a tree-structure for listing categorized links. _ But that logical listing-method isn't really necessary,, and could be more easily done near about as well, by rather listing the categories & topics in alphabetic-order.
__ Do you have anything against adding my proposed third-section into the 'ANNOUNCEMENTS' box near the top of the forum-page ? _ Or perhaps you could rather-instead add another separate box (titled: 'Topics Links') located between the ANNOUNCEMENTS-box & the 'TOPICS' box. ?
If you'll go-ahead & do so, I'll then soon-after begin appropriately filling that new section with links to categorized topics.


Hopeful-Cheers,
-Bob