DaniWeb now last resort because of Opening Modal Popup - Page 2

[Ezzaral]

I don't know how university schedules run overseas, but in the US the semester is over and that has probably reduced the homework help posts quite a bit.

[Stevishere]

It has been moved to the bottom of the thread listing page. Enormous big grey button. I assume you found it.

My thanks to the queen!

[jwenting]

I don't know how university schedules run overseas, but in the US the semester is over and that has probably reduced the homework help posts quite a bit.

High school exam season has started here, so all the "final year projects" are failed for a while.
Normal homework goes on for the lower years of course.

Universities here typically work in trimesters rather than semesters, but I think they too are in a cycle of written exams now rather than lab work (and in my experience most students at our universities are rather better motivated than the average homework kiddo and won't dump their assignments on some forum).
Of course I'd not call any educational institution handing out homework assignments of the type dumped here by kiddos to be a university. It's stuff for a first year introductory course maybe, or a mid level highschool class, certainly not a graduation style project for university students.

[Dani]

It was definitely the nag window that accounted for the significant drop off in new posts and threads. Yesterday we just had our sixth highest postcount day EVER!!! And it was only behind the fifth highest day by two posts!

[jephthah]

well... congrats!

[jephthah]

Do I detect an air of sarcasm young man? - iamthwee

no... we can all agree that the goal of increasing post count and thread count is a good thing.

However.... i bet that the near-record number of threads and posts are related to this crazy design. at least Im certainly not seeing any increase in the programming forums.

[Nick Evan]

at least Im certainly not seeing any increase in the programming forums.

I don't really visit all the program-forums on an hourly basis, but I think C/C++ is indeed getting a bit more visitors actually. And now for the amazing part: I see a significant increase on 1-time-posters who use code-tags. That really puzzles me, because the code-tags button is back to the (rather vague) # symbol instead of the word code :S

[diafol]

>I don't really visit *all* the program-forums on an hourly basis, but I think C/C++ is indeed getting a bit more visitors actually. And now for the amazing part: I see a significant increase on 1-time-posters who use code-tags. That really puzzles me, because the code-tags button is back to the (rather vague) '#' symbol instead of the word [ c o d e ]

The php forum seems to be flooded with first-timers asking questions that have been asked time and time again over the last month. *sigh*
They don't use code tags either. I had to ask a guy to use tags twice before he replied "how?" I'm afraid that I'm starting to sound like a mod by asking them to use code tags and to search the forum. This isn't a dig at mods BTW, it's just that these fly-by posters are taking a considerable amount of energy and time. If Dani wants to have a more professional member base, these 'new members' will kill off any chance of that. Again, this isn't a dig at noobs, it's just that the sheer numbers of them seem to be diluting the relevance of the forum(s). New members = good thing BUT how they interact with the forum(s) isn't conducive to building a more professional image.

[diafol]

Looked over my posts this week. There are a huge number of first poster OPs. They have not bothered replying nor marked threads solved. Perhaps it's best not to reply to first time posters? That'll slow things down nicely!

[Dani]

> That really puzzles me, because the code-tags button is back to the (rather vague) '#' symbol instead of the word [code]
On my list of things to do, as is putting the watermarks behind the editor window back in. However, maybe I should hold off if there's an INCREASE in people using code tags haha!!

> The php forum seems to be flooded with first-timers asking questions that have been asked time and time again over the last month. *sigh*
This is one of the reasons I decided to put the New Thread button only at the bottom of the listing. I decided to run a little test and see if requiring people to skim over a list before having the ability to add to it causes an increase to the number of people who post in the appropriate forum and with good thread titles.

> I had to ask a guy to use tags twice before he replied "how?"
The link to how to use code tags needs to be put back in, as well.

[jwenting]

Is there an increase of people using code tags or an increase in moderator activity, editing more posts more quickly to introduce them which might cause members to see more code tags when the actual posters themselves didn't originally include them?

I can only speak for myself, but I've for a few weeks now hit the "flag bad post" button far more often than the "post reply" button, and that's not changed since the new layout was introduced.
While most of those were link spammers, that's not changed either (despite the sig links now I think only being shown to registered members?) as I'd predicted.

[Nick Evan]

>>Is there an increase of people using code tags or an increase in moderator activity, editing more posts more quickly

Nope, it's the first. I always check if a moderator has edited a post by checking the "last edited by..... reason: ...." line at the bottom of the post.

>>I can only speak for myself, but I've for a few weeks now hit the "flag bad post" button far more often than the "post reply" button

But you mainly browse the Java right? In that case you could be right, I was talking about the C/C++ forum