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Should a search be enforced before starting a new thread?

jcrandle

By jcrandle,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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jcrandle

jcrandle

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In my previous life before retirement I worked for a large Information Technology company that provided support via forums (among other vehicles). For our internal Question & Answer support, the forum was administered such that a new post could not be initiated unless a search of the fora had been done. At first, there was much weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth, but after a few months, we discovered 1) many of the questions we were asking had already been addressed, and 2) we often broadened our knowledge of related subjects while reading other Q&A responses.

 

What do you think about requiring a search before creating a new thread? I realize it may reduce the number of threads on such topics as swim diapers, smuggling liquor, travel irons, shorts in the dining room on formal night, but that may be the price of progress.

 

And, bye the way, I did do a search prior to creating this thread, and found no hits using my search arguments (required search new thread).

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tef43

tef43

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I'm all for it. Another forum I frequent has such a requirement, and duplicate threads are locked. BTW, they also have a volunteer moderator staff, more members and a higher level of posting activity, so it *can* be done with little extra effort. They're also quite efficient in removing "bump" postings.

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colette5479

colette5479

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A lot of people that join CC don't read the rules and suggestions. I admit, sometimes it is annoying to see the same questions being asked and answered over and over again. But for the most part, these are nice people who are just trying to do a search for an upcoming cruise. In the past, people have responded to such questions as "Here we go again" or similar phrases. Not only is this rude but it's not helpful. Perhaps the next time we see an age old question, we should try to be helpful and tell them how to use the search options. It does not embarass the person and makes us appear friendly to others:)

 

 

We were all newbies here at one time;)

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GoinCruisin

GoinCruisin

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Well now, you know we all AGREE to those rules before we can join, so we all read them right? :p LOL... The ones that slay me, are the ones that are posted, and RIGHT BELOW the post, is a post that answers the question, LOL!!!! Yikes!!!!

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dixiediva761

dixiediva761

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Well let me be the first to apologize for all of us idiots who are not part of the "elite" circle. Sorry if our inane questions were a bother to you, and I know I will try not to ask any more so you elite members will not feel we interfered in your space.

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derf5585

derf5585

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Well let me be the first to apologize for all of us idiots who are not part of the "elite" circle. Sorry if our inane questions were a bother to you, and I know I will try not to ask any more so you elite members will not feel we interfered in your space.

 

I am one of the inane idiot guilty elite. Remember that scene in the "FOULKERS", You are not in the "Circle of Trust"

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serene56

serene56

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Well let me be the first to apologize for all of us idiots who are not part of the "elite" circle. Sorry if our inane questions were a bother to you, and I know I will try not to ask any more so you elite members will not feel we interfered in your space.

 

 

tsk tsk Diva: you missed the point- Most people dont mind the questions that a lot of newbies post-- but what gets old sometimes is the same question was asked somewhere down the same page. (where would we be if we didnt have questions??) opps should have searched first.

 

I dont think the search should be used as much as read a page or two before asking a question that has already been asked an hour ago.

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GoinCruisin

GoinCruisin

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I really don't think it has anything to do with "elite" or "circles"... Cruise Critic asks this of us, as part of the guidelines we all accept. It is actually helpful to people that post, as if they do a search they are likely to find more information. If people have answered the same question 20 times in the last 24 hours, they are less likely to respond... hence, doing a search will result in more answers for them... it keeps the boards less cluttered with the same topics... if CC asks this of it's members, I don't think they are asking too much, just MHO.

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dixiediva761

dixiediva761

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I am one of the inane idiot guilty elite. Remember that scene in the "FOULKERS", You are not in the "Circle of Trust"

 

I didn't see the Foulkers but I always find your posts to be either very informative or very amusing and I personally enjoy them.

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toddv

toddv

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In my previous life before retirement I worked for a large Information Technology company that provided support via forums (among other vehicles). For our internal Question & Answer support, the forum was administered such that a new post could not be initiated unless a search of the fora had been done. At first, there was much weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth, but after a few months, we discovered 1) many of the questions we were asking had already been addressed, and 2) we often broadened our knowledge of related subjects while reading other Q&A responses.

 

What do you think about requiring a search before creating a new thread? I realize it may reduce the number of threads on such topics as swim diapers, smuggling liquor, travel irons, shorts in the dining room on formal night, but that may be the price of progress.

 

And, bye the way, I did do a search prior to creating this thread, and found no hits using my search arguments (required search new thread).

 

 

This isn't really a technical support forum, though questions do get asked and answered--it's also an entertainment forum, a place to talk about cruise vactions, etc. So, no, I'm not in favor of requiring a search first. Otherwise, this is too much like work :) and I'm here to play! Granted, we all get annoyed with some topics, but then again, we can skip them at leisure too, at a net loss of say, ten seconds to determine what a thread is about (and even then, only if the subject line misleads one somehow)---tolerance is important to "playing well together," to keep up that "play, not work" analogy. Personally, I have no problem with any post that's not a personal attack or otherwise not in the spirit of fun.

 

As an aside--if you want, you can get a good count of "for" and "against" with the "poll" feature of this board.

 

Todd

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colette5479

colette5479

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Well let me be the first to apologize for all of us idiots who are not part of the "elite" circle. Sorry if our inane questions were a bother to you, and I know I will try not to ask any more so you elite members will not feel we interfered in your space.

 

 

I'm sorry if you felt this question was directed towards you or if anything I posted offended you. Like the others have said, at any given time, you can find at least two threads on a daily basis about dress codes or smuggling alcohol onboard. Not only can you usually find what you are looking for by doing a search of the days threads, you can also find some interesting conversation to boot:D

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jcrandle

jcrandle

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Was a search done before posting this "Should a search be enforced before starting a new thread?" to make sure no posted a "Should a search be enforced before starting a new thread?" before.
If you bothered to read my original post, you would see that I searched before posting.

 

"And, bye the way, I did do a search prior to creating this thread, and found no hits using my search arguments (required search new thread)."

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derf5585

derf5585

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If you bothered to read my original post, you would see that I searched before posting.

 

"And, bye the way, I did do a search prior to creating this thread, and found no hits using my search arguments (required search new thread)."

 

I just skimmed your post. Great job with the searching. I did find this.

 

Please Browse BEFORE You Post

from

http://www.cruisecritic.com/community/guide.cfm#11

 

I was wondering what search terms I would have used.

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GoinCruisin

GoinCruisin

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I just skimmed your post. Great job with the searching. I did find this.

 

Please Browse BEFORE You Post

from

http://www.cruisecritic.com/community/guide.cfm#11

 

I was wondering what search terms I would have used.

 

LOL, you would not have had to use search terms... as you, as well as I, agreed to the community guidelines when joining the boards... but I guess it is always a good idea to read it every so often so we can all refresh our memory :D

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jcrandle

jcrandle

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Are you going going to keep an archive of deleted threads? What is returned when you get a hit on a deleted thread? That question has been asked but we can't show you the answer?
I don't suggest that the requirement to search before starting a new thread is going to eliminate all duplicate questions, but I believe it is better than no rule at all. As Gen. Patton said,"A good plan, violently executed today, is far better than the best plan, executed tomorrow."
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