Comments on: After the first post: should I stay or should I go now? http://johnmu.com/stay-or-go-users/ John Mueller's technical website tips and tricks Sat, 26 Nov 2011 17:26:03 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Craig http://johnmu.com/stay-or-go-users/comment-page-1/#comment-42 Craig Thu, 16 Aug 2007 01:57:37 +0000 http://johnmu.com/stay-or-go-users/#comment-42 I had the same problem Cristina. I was so used to the more common forum scripts, vBulletin, punBB, phpBB that all pretty much had the same functionality and methodology. Then when I came to Google Groups' scripts, it seemed more like a blog comment system with delusions of forum grandeur. :-D I would SOOOO LOVE to rebuild the Groups' scripts from the ground up but that ain't-a-gonna happen anytime soon. I had the same problem Cristina. I was so used to the more common forum scripts, vBulletin, punBB, phpBB that all pretty much had the same functionality and methodology.

Then when I came to Google Groups’ scripts, it seemed more like a blog comment system with delusions of forum grandeur. :-D

I would SOOOO LOVE to rebuild the Groups’ scripts from the ground up but that ain’t-a-gonna happen anytime soon.

]]> By: Christina http://johnmu.com/stay-or-go-users/comment-page-1/#comment-41 Christina Thu, 16 Aug 2007 01:41:02 +0000 http://johnmu.com/stay-or-go-users/#comment-41 I think most people who post once and never come back or who post once and don't go back to that thread and end up making up a new thread (sometimes several times) do that because they simply get totally lost in the group format. It's horrific to say the least. When I first joined I made a post and never found that thread again. This kept on happening many times until something clicked a bit. I'm still lost as ever though I now keep trying different methods, including the search (novel idea LOL) to find my own threads. I think most people who post once and never come back or who post once and don’t go back to that thread and end up making up a new thread (sometimes several times) do that because they simply get totally lost in the group format. It’s horrific to say the least. When I first joined I made a post and never found that thread again. This kept on happening many times until something clicked a bit.
I’m still lost as ever though I now keep trying different methods, including the search (novel idea LOL) to find my own threads.

]]> By: John Mueller http://johnmu.com/stay-or-go-users/comment-page-1/#comment-32 John Mueller Wed, 08 Aug 2007 19:19:28 +0000 http://johnmu.com/stay-or-go-users/#comment-32 That's what I was thinking as well, John. How much time do we (and the others) spend on answering people's questions who don't even come back to look at our work? Maybe have first posters/thread-openers answer a captcha a day or so later on before signaling to the rest of the group that the poster is actually still around and interested in an answer :-). Of course some threads are good to read and interact in, even if the original poster never does. Perhaps if the new poster had to commit himself to "something" when opening a thread as their first action? Requiring them to reply in a thread before being able to open a new one will just lead to "good topic" kind of posts.. That’s what I was thinking as well, John. How much time do we (and the others) spend on answering people’s questions who don’t even come back to look at our work?

Maybe have first posters/thread-openers answer a captcha a day or so later on before signaling to the rest of the group that the poster is actually still around and interested in an answer :-) . Of course some threads are good to read and interact in, even if the original poster never does. Perhaps if the new poster had to commit himself to “something” when opening a thread as their first action? Requiring them to reply in a thread before being able to open a new one will just lead to “good topic” kind of posts..

]]> By: John Honeck http://johnmu.com/stay-or-go-users/comment-page-1/#comment-30 John Honeck Wed, 08 Aug 2007 18:59:24 +0000 http://johnmu.com/stay-or-go-users/#comment-30 This is brilliantly interesting! One has to wonder how much effort is wasted on people who don't return to see the answer. Though the purpose of a public group format is to help everyone that reads it, which by experience is very few due to the amount of repeat questions. I'd think this would be good information for the Googler's to have. Their time is limited but not nearly as limited as their interaction with the group. Perhaps if they concentrated only on threads that have multiple responses the chance that people would actually heed their advice would go up. This is brilliantly interesting! One has to wonder how much effort is wasted on people who don’t return to see the answer. Though the purpose of a public group format is to help everyone that reads it, which by experience is very few due to the amount of repeat questions.

I’d think this would be good information for the Googler’s to have. Their time is limited but not nearly as limited as their interaction with the group. Perhaps if they concentrated only on threads that have multiple responses the chance that people would actually heed their advice would go up.

]]> By: John Mueller http://johnmu.com/stay-or-go-users/comment-page-1/#comment-29 John Mueller Wed, 08 Aug 2007 12:34:48 +0000 http://johnmu.com/stay-or-go-users/#comment-29 Hmm. Popular topics based on keywords in the title of the thread? It might also be interesting to see which topics are popular based on keywords in all posts to that thread, eg how many % of the threads see things like "supplemental-index" or "w3c validation". Alternately it might be fun (or not) to see how many threads get into heated discussions, include things like "!!!!!!" and ALL-CAPS. What keywords could I check for? Hmm. Popular topics based on keywords in the title of the thread? It might also be interesting to see which topics are popular based on keywords in all posts to that thread, eg how many % of the threads see things like “supplemental-index” or “w3c validation”. Alternately it might be fun (or not) to see how many threads get into heated discussions, include things like “!!!!!!” and ALL-CAPS. What keywords could I check for?

]]> By: Craig http://johnmu.com/stay-or-go-users/comment-page-1/#comment-28 Craig Wed, 08 Aug 2007 12:03:39 +0000 http://johnmu.com/stay-or-go-users/#comment-28 How about this, a break down of common/popular topics? If you have to cheap out, just go by the contents of the subject line and stay more general like, "Verification problems", "Banned site", "PageRank", "blah blah blah", but if you can combine that with trying to discern the actual topic, for Subject lines like, "HELP!!!!!!!!", that would be even better. How about this, a break down of common/popular topics?

If you have to cheap out, just go by the contents of the subject line and stay more general like, “Verification problems”, “Banned site”, “PageRank”, “blah blah blah”, but if you can combine that with trying to discern the actual topic, for Subject lines like, “HELP!!!!!!!!”, that would be even better.

]]> By: Richard Hearne http://johnmu.com/stay-or-go-users/comment-page-1/#comment-27 Richard Hearne Wed, 08 Aug 2007 10:16:59 +0000 http://johnmu.com/stay-or-go-users/#comment-27 Stab in the dark - perhaps they do return, find the answer and then shag off again. Alternatively many people might actually find their answer elsewhere in the interim between posting and responses being added to the thread. People are fierce impatient when they have a problem, and instant gratification isn't always forthcoming on the group. Stab in the dark – perhaps they do return, find the answer and then shag off again. Alternatively many people might actually find their answer elsewhere in the interim between posting and responses being added to the thread.

People are fierce impatient when they have a problem, and instant gratification isn’t always forthcoming on the group.

]]> By: Sebastian http://johnmu.com/stay-or-go-users/comment-page-1/#comment-26 Sebastian Wed, 08 Aug 2007 09:23:13 +0000 http://johnmu.com/stay-or-go-users/#comment-26 Cool stuff :) Can you extract how many questions were answered by one post, and then how many questioners returned to say "thanks that was helpful"? Or how many questioners bumped their thread and then how many of those got the answer ... Your analysis might well be the grounding of a mechanismn to highlight unanswered stuff or automatically pass it to a group of employees handling the stuff the regulars didn't bother to deal with. I could think of more neat things :) Cool stuff :) Can you extract how many questions were answered by one post, and then how many questioners returned to say “thanks that was helpful”? Or how many questioners bumped their thread and then how many of those got the answer … Your analysis might well be the grounding of a mechanismn to highlight unanswered stuff or automatically pass it to a group of employees handling the stuff the regulars didn’t bother to deal with. I could think of more neat things :)

]]> By: Craig http://johnmu.com/stay-or-go-users/comment-page-1/#comment-25 Craig Wed, 08 Aug 2007 02:03:41 +0000 http://johnmu.com/stay-or-go-users/#comment-25 I think it would be interesting to correlate hit and run posters with initial posts never replied to. It could be that is where some of the "post and run" is coming from if they don't find an answer. I think a couple of other correlations that might be useful, of those with replies, how many replies per thread. The thinking with this one is that if there are a LOT of replies and the originator of the thread appears to never come back, it is likely that the thread devolved into one or more arguments, that lead to the length of the thread as well as possibly causing the originator to leave thinking it better to stay out of the line of fire. ;-) Another possible interesting correlation might be who replied to the "post and run" threads. A better one might be "how" they replied but that might be asking a bit much although if we know who, we likely would know how. :-() Cool data though! You must like this "trendy" stuff, eh? I think it would be interesting to correlate hit and run posters with initial posts never replied to. It could be that is where some of the “post and run” is coming from if they don’t find an answer.

I think a couple of other correlations that might be useful, of those with replies, how many replies per thread. The thinking with this one is that if there are a LOT of replies and the originator of the thread appears to never come back, it is likely that the thread devolved into one or more arguments, that lead to the length of the thread as well as possibly causing the originator to leave thinking it better to stay out of the line of fire. ;-)

Another possible interesting correlation might be who replied to the “post and run” threads. A better one might be “how” they replied but that might be asking a bit much although if we know who, we likely would know how. :-( )

Cool data though! You must like this “trendy” stuff, eh?

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