Forum quality

[vavoem]

No offence but my opinion is that this forum is slowly being crunched by it's own success.
That's a shame because one of the upsides of ubuntu used to be the great support by other users.
Currently a lot of post don't even get answered.

Maybe it is because people give to little info.
Maybe some other reason.

What's your opinion on how to keep up the quality?

I think a lot of people switching to ubuntu now will be very dissapointed by the usercommunity I always vouched for.

[ciscosurfer]

I disagree that people will disappointed by the quality of UbuntuForums. I'm of the opinion that this user community is quite robust. Users need to be mindful of how they post and what they post. Titles for posts that are the most descriptive yet concise, get the most attention. Likewise, posts that are thoroughly documented (if need be) are also the ones that get prompt responses. Users who are kind and respectful also get the attention they deserve. I believe the overall quality of the forums is still good, despite hardware issues that the modertators have indicated on the home page (awaiting new hardware from Canonical).

[Haegin]

I still think it is better than any other forum community I have seen. It may be having problems because (apparently) it is slow due to the server needing upgrading and it does occasionally need more bandwidth so I would encourage people who do use it to donate when it is needed. It doesn't have to be much, just whatever you can afford at the time and however much you think is appropriate for the benefit you have gained from the forums.
If you need an instant answer then remember there is always IRC at freenode.net (#ubuntu, #kubuntu etc - check the ubuntu.com website for more details) as the forums are great but no forums are ever instant and sometimes people come in with unrealistic expectations.
Also - make use of the find unanswered posts function under search to help other people solve their problems.

[chadk]

This forum kicks *** and I see most questions answered within minutes!

[Vorian]

Currently a lot of post don't even get answered.

+

I think a lot of people switching to ubuntu now will be very dissapointed by the usercommunity I always vouched for.

=
Start being a part of the solution to your observed problem.

[adam.tropics]

I think that recently people have become a little lax when it comes to searching for solutions that are already here in triplicate, but that aside, we could perhaps nudge them in the right direction rather than ignoring them. Very often it seems with newer users, they honestly don't have the vocabulary to do a successful search, be it because of second language, or lack of experience. Whatever though, I don't think too many people will be disappointed.

[aysiu]

Please find me examples of this.

Are there threads with zero replies now that you feel would have been answered right away in the "old days"?

I haven't found that to be the case at all. When I do a search for unanswered posts, I see the same thing I used to see:

1. The mailing list posts
2. Spam/ Jailed posts
3. Obscure problems
4. Badly worded problems

When you can dig me up some simple "How do I install software?" or "I can't mount my Windows partition" threads that have zero replies after 24 hours, I'll concede that the forum quality has dropped.

[GuitarHero]

There's only so many Ubuntu experienced users who can help, I help when I can but that's usually limited to absolute beginner talk. There are tons of new members joining all the time, and people cant expect paid-for quality from community-backed support.

[aysiu]

I've still yet to see convincing evidence that the support quality has changed any in the last year.

[andlinux21]

IMHO the forum has only improved I try to help new users when I can point them in the right direction or know the answer. Almost everyday I am on here checking the new posts at least once when time permits. I like the forums better than IRC because you get more detail oriented solutions here but they do help on freenode.