I Want To Know What You Would Think of This Please (contextless post titles)

Discussion in 'Site and Forum Feedback' started by Siderz, May 4, 2014.

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  1. Siderz, May 4, 2014
    Last edited: May 5, 2014

    Siderz macrumors 6502a

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    #1
    Use the title box properly, stop writing completely unspecific things in there like "Can I get your opinion", "Is this possible", "Can iMovie Do This" etc. (Yes those are literally titles I've seen here)

    You either waste people's time who click it but can't actually answer it (They wouldn't click it if they knew they didn't know how to answer it) OR you miss out on people answering because they're not gonna bother clicking it, but may know the answer (They would click it if they knew they know how to answer it).

    I know this isn't relevant to digital video but someone's got to mention it...there's no point whatsoever in having a title if you can't be bothered to put context into it. Most people actually use the title box properly but there are people who don't, and it needs to be addressed.

    Edit: I had this in the digital video section but it's been moved. I was mainly addressing digital video but I've definitely seen this happen in other areas of the MacRumors forums.
     
  2. Meister Suspended

    Meister

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  3. Apple fanboy, May 4, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: May 4, 2014

    Apple fanboy macrumors P6

    Apple fanboy

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    #3
    Don't forget,
    Help please
    I need help
    I have a problem
     
  4. Duff-Man macrumors 68030

    Duff-Man

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    #4
    Duff-Man says....or more simply put - read the forum rules and guidelines - as users should do anyway...oh yeah!
     
  5. macs4nw macrumors 601

    macs4nw

    #5
    I know you're trying to make a point here, but you might get more attention if you had used "annoying non-specific forum titles" as your heading, rather than "I Want To Know What You Would Think of This Please". Many people ignore headlines like that.
     
  6. Siderz thread starter macrumors 6502a

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    #6
    That's the exact point I'm trying to make...showing just how damn irrelevant some titles can be. I'll add it in though.
     
  7. SandboxGeneral Moderator

    SandboxGeneral

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    #7
    If you feel a thread title is too ambiguous, you can report the thread to us with your suggested title for it and we'll consider updating it to be more specific.
     
  8. Siderz thread starter macrumors 6502a

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    #8
    Could it also be a rule that posters must use context in titles?

    I think it's worth going under the "minor problems" section.
     
  9. Shrink macrumors G3

    Shrink

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    #9
    As SBG mentioned above, if a Title is uninformative, simply send a Post Report suggesting that a Title might be changed, and possibly suggest a better Title.

    It seems to me this action precludes the need for a Rule change, since even with a Rule change a Post Report would be sent, making the Rule change superfluous.
     
  10. Siderz thread starter macrumors 6502a

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    #10
    I'm one person and have things to do, I'm not gonna go through the entire forum reporting posts, I'm not going to go through the entire forum to tell people to report posts either. I shouldn't be the only one told that they ought to report posts.
     
  11. SandboxGeneral Moderator

    SandboxGeneral

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    #11
    I don't believe a rule change is needed. This is even less than a "minor problem" in the greater scheme of the forum.

    A simple Post Report is all that is needed.
     
  12. Siderz thread starter macrumors 6502a

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    #12
    Then how will posters know to consider their titles, and how will other people know to report posts? I shouldn't be the only one to have to know this...
     
  13. SandboxGeneral Moderator

    SandboxGeneral

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    #13
    No one is asking you to. You just report things as you see them in your daily browsing - if you feel like it.

    The forum gets along just fine without having to search every thread for potential ambiguity in it's title.
     
  14. Siderz thread starter macrumors 6502a

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    #14
    My point being that other people should know that it's worth reporting posts with ambiguous titles, not just me or those reading this post. I don't see a better way to get people to know this without making it a rule, I'd say it's almost as bad as bumping just not as common.
     
  15. SandboxGeneral Moderator

    SandboxGeneral

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    #15
    Adding it as a rule is not likely to help people be aware of it. Most people never read them, though they agree to follow them as part of the registration agreement, and thus will not know about it. I don't see any benefit to adding another thing of 'what not to do' to our rules for this particular thing.
     
  16. Siderz thread starter macrumors 6502a

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    #16
    It won't get many current users to know about it, but it'll get new users and perhaps people who check over the rules every so often. I don't know what the harm is in making it a rule.
     
  17. DeltaMac macrumors 604

    DeltaMac

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    #17
    I don't think that "making a rule" will force people to use more informative titles, when they may think their particular title is pretty relevant already. :D (at least, in their own mind)
    I remember working at a call center a few years ago, taking computer tech support calls. I always liked the folks who thought "It's not working!" gives some useful information.
    It then becomes very relevant for the first reader to ask a couple of efficient questions to expand on those vague titles.
    One certainly doesn't need to "police" the whole forum - but you can provide suggested title changes on posts that YOU are interested in.
     
  18. Siderz thread starter macrumors 6502a

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    #18
    I'm not saying that that's what people are asking me to do, I'm saying that people may as well tell me that since the suggestion is being limited to just this post.

    The point isn't that I want the all clear to report posts with ambiguous titles, that'd be ineffective, the point is that I want people to stop doing it altogether. It's a waste of my time to click posts which I find out don't interest me, I'm not gonna waste any more time having to report the post.

    It's like putting up CCTV cameras with no signs versus putting up signs but no CCTV cameras; in some cases people are gonna read the signs and not commit a crime, but if there are no signs then they will feel more inclined to commit a crime.
     
  19. DeltaMac macrumors 604

    DeltaMac

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    #19
    My point is - a rule about ambiguous thread titles would likely fall on deaf ears anyway.
    What should we do here? Ban posters who can't come up with an eye-catching, concise summation of their idea or question?
    Tough enough for some with a language barrier to post in the first place, without also struggling with the potential "thread-title rule" :D

    You have a good idea, I think, but one that not everyone will share the same level of experience to use your idea. Fix the worst, let the others live, as is.
     
  20. Siderz thread starter macrumors 6502a

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    #20
    No, not ban people, just get some to understand that they need to consider their titles more, and get more people than just me to report posts that don't have good titles.

    Good point with people who have trouble with English, but then they'd just be reported and fixed anyway. I'm not saying putting the rule there will suddenly stop it overnight, just that it'll help prevent it to some level.

    It seems foolish to me that a huge part of posting on a forum is to write meaningful titles but people aren't doing so, and it seems even more foolish to me that the mods aren't interested in putting much effort into fixing this. Maybe if this was a rule then people wouldn't feel the need to bump posts.
     
  21. dejo Moderator

    dejo

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    #21
    I just wanted to state that there are a number of members who frequently report threads with ambiguous titles. You are not alone!

    Would you care to elaborate on this point? I'm not sure how ambiguous thread titles and bumping are related.
     
  22. Siderz thread starter macrumors 6502a

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    #22
    If people don't click posts because they have ambiguous titles, then they're less likely to get replies, and people will feel the need to bump.
     
  23. DeltaMac macrumors 604

    DeltaMac

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    #23
    A new rule will not help folks with their patience. (or, rather, lack of patience :D )
    Even that catchy, relevant title will neither prevent bumps, nor compel someone to read, then respond.
    And, you will still get bumps anyway.
     
  24. Siderz thread starter macrumors 6502a

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    #24
    You will still get bumps, and you will still get ambiguous titles.

    The idea here is to lower the amount of times it happens...nothing is going to bring it to a complete halt. You're not thinking about this properly if you can't grasp that.
     
  25. Shrink macrumors G3

    Shrink

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    #25
    This demonstrates that another Rule regarding poor Titles would be unnecessary and ineffective, since there is a Rule against bumping, and that doesn't stop folks from doing it anyway. Just a one can Report a bump, one can report a poor Title, and another Rule would not, IMO, change that.
     
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