Help Me! section

Patrick · 2006-11-13 07:33:17

Hello everyone!

I'm not sure about this, but it feels like there's been an increase in what I'm going to call hit'n'run-posts lately in the Help Me! section. More and more, guests in particular, have been posting homework with no attempt to solve it at all. So I was thinking, maybe we need to get a little more strict when I comes to these posts? Suggestions:

*It should be required to sign up, in order to use this particular part of the forum.
*There should be a requirement that you had to write what thoughts you'd made about the assignment. Generally this is the idea at the moment, but sometimes answers are still posted.

I think the second one is very important, because of the whole idea behind the forum. We're all here to learn, and the more you do on your own, the more you learn. The first one is just another way to ensure that people were actually willing to make an effort to get help.

Regards
Patrick

MathsIsFun · 2006-11-13 08:45:35

I like the second idea.

I mean, it is nice if they even include a few words such as "I have tried this and it makes no sense", but better still if they show some actual attempt.

rida · 2006-11-16 10:24:25

First you should try it before putting it on the help me section.

Last edited by rida (2006-11-16 10:24:56)

LQ · 2006-12-12 01:41:55

How to combine multiple topics with same problem, any thoughts? Making combo threads might be interesting.

If for instance the moderator had a "combo choice" mode in which he selected 2 threads and pressed a "combine" button. The author would then become a 2 value matrix just as I explained in my post in introduction here: http://www.mathsisfun.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=5362

But I don't know if it's needed.

mathsyperson · 2006-12-12 09:00:00

I'd say probably not. It's quite rare for two topics to contain exactly the same question, unless they're both made by the same person who was being impatient. In that case, I tend to just delete one of them.

But the matrix system you describe sounds quite complicated and I don't think it would be used often enough for it to be worth putting it in. On the rare occasion when a duplicate topic does get made, a "Your question has already been asked and answered here" - type post would work just as well.

Nice idea though.

MathsIsFun · 2006-12-12 09:05:22

Here are the two main quotes from the other topic (http://www.mathsisfun.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=5362):

mathsyperson wrote:

A possibly more efficient way of doing things would be to introduce new types of post icons.
Right now, there's a blue box next to any topic that has new posts in it. In the same place where that goes, some kind of icon could be introduced to indicate that "this topic is unresolved". All topic in Help Me would start off like that, and then once the topic creator is happy that his problem has been solved, he can tick a box somewhere to get rid of that icon. It'd probably be best if moderators had that ability as well, in case the topic creator forgets to or something.
Would this be possible to implement?

LQ wrote:

Exactly! And if the same problem is resolved in another thread, then simply link thread 2 to thread 1, or even better, cross them into a third thread and delete the 2 original treads, then you give the author of thread 3 the matrix A=[author1, author2], so that you don't have to have like -A MILLION- threads. Whatcha say?
The thread name could also be a matrix: you simply give every post in thread 3 its origin at top ie. the thread name in other words topic.
A moderator could also give every cross thread a cathegory name of his likeing.

LQ · 2006-12-13 01:02:50

http://www.mathsisfun.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=5066
and
http://www.mathsisfun.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=2042

It was my thought that alot of these kinds of questions sticks together, and has the same sort of solution incommon, just like people comming here to find solutions to problems, oftenly needs the principles and wont find the special case unless she posts it herself, and if she does, she wants help as soon as possible. So if you want to connect her problem to a thread, mostly, the search will be more easy if there is only one thread with the problem and she will find more response then you put time in there. If you had some sort of combo mode where you could see the first post in every thread and connect them. It would be interesting since you probably would understand some of the replies explaining. And it might be fun work, unless ofcourse it would be totally boring.
Could understand how it would. But I've had my say in this. Thank you!

soha · 2006-12-18 20:27:18

Patrick wrote:

Hello everyone!
I'm not sure about this, but it feels like there's been an increase in what I'm going to call hit'n'run-posts lately in the Help Me! section. More and more, guests in particular, have been posting homework with no attempt to solve it at all. So I was thinking, maybe we need to get a little more strict when I comes to these posts? Suggestions:
*It should be required to sign up, in order to use this particular part of the forum.
*There should be a requirement that you had to write what thoughts you'd made about the assignment. Generally this is the idea at the moment, but sometimes answers are still posted.
I think the second one is very important, because of the whole idea behind the forum. We're all here to learn, and the more you do on your own, the more you learn. The first one is just another way to ensure that people were actually willing to make an effort to get help.
Regards
Patrick

I LIKE THE 2ND IDEA

LQ · 2006-12-26 05:34:16

How about a guest can only write x help me messages. And for members, you may only post q help messages per post in other sections?

Devantè · 2006-12-26 05:38:20

For that guest idea it might be a problem. The only way to prevent guests doing that it to have logged IPs. And your 'internet' IP sometimes changes.

Toast · 2006-12-26 20:24:34

LQ wrote:

How about a guest can only write x help me messages. And for members, you may only post q help messages per post in other sections?

I'm not so sure about this idea. It might discourage people from asking for help, which we don't want. Also, if people wanted to post in the Help Me! forums they might spam z²! posts in another forum

Math Is Fun Forum

#1 2006-11-13 07:33:17

Help Me! section

#2 2006-11-13 08:45:35

Re: Help Me! section

#3 2006-11-16 10:24:25

Re: Help Me! section

#4 2006-12-12 01:41:55

Re: Help Me! section

#5 2006-12-12 09:00:00

Re: Help Me! section

#6 2006-12-12 09:05:22

Re: Help Me! section

#7 2006-12-13 01:02:50

Re: Help Me! section

#8 2006-12-18 20:27:18

Re: Help Me! section

#9 2006-12-26 05:34:16

Re: Help Me! section

#10 2006-12-26 05:38:20

Re: Help Me! section

#11 2006-12-26 20:24:34

Re: Help Me! section

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