Why the (*&^ don't people search first?

While I have your attention, what is better; Waeco or Engel?

You are not the first to gripe about this.

I remember Truckster and others posting something similar a couple of years ago

I think that most people are unaware of the search function although it stares them in the face :o)

If we all used the great search facility, then we would never get "other" opinions or changes to technology.

Just imagine if someone asked a question 5,000 years ago "what is a wheel ?"

You would have got an answer - but it would have left out all the other 4,999 years of answers.

Truckster does complain about this regulary (along with alot of other stuff) And while I hear Ya sometimes it can be hard to do a search containing generic terms as it brings in alot of other stuff to wade through. Also there are plenty of new people coming and going that can add to- or get something out of the posts.
I dont know what you mean by fills the pages at the top of the posts coz the thing i reeely like about this forum is that posts go down the screen instead of staying at the top with each reply just gathering crap and degenerating

I think products change so quickly that what is in the archives is not always relivant, which is why the forum is always a living beast...but yeah, some are just annoying in the fact that there is quite often a similar question on the current page

Be tolerant people.

Some people, especially visitors, but not restricted to them are not as familiar with the forum like some "smarty pants" and probably don't notice that there is a search function.

I would sooner anyone ask the question regardless. There is always someone who may have new, or updated knowledge to share.

So go ahead everyone, ask away. That is what the forum is about and bugger those of us who are uptight, or intolerant, or maybe just miserable:-)

I wont bite ya's.

This problem will prob only ever be solved when a pop-up window is put in place, that appears when you click the 'new post' button.

It should state something like "Did you know you can search previous posts on this topic for information" - "To continue please click here or to go to the search function click 'search'

Would eradicate a lot of posting.

Also I thought today that maybe David should think about floating the 'most replied to' posts continually to the top . These posts are obviously of great interest to the majority. I don't know just a thought.

I dont want youto think I am having a go at you but what about just posting the thread number of your previous post instead of answering it again or just not reading that thread ?some time my answers come across as blunt I dont mean to be.

gripe back at ya....
maybe we cant find it...
maybe it doesn`t make sense...
maybe we`re unsure...
maybe we are fed up of your waffle... and are asking someone else who wants to help...GET A LIFE...?

you call that mud sling`...u weak a#s bastard.your having a go at 99% who get on this site 4 a little bit of 4b info only 2 b berated by a pecker like u.i`ll get my info from others...stick it CAPT 4BY

Nice knowing ya post

Hey DJ, I believe this topic has been covered in a previous post. Perhaps if you'd done a search first....

J/K mate, drives me batty sometimes too :-)

Sometimes I find that if there's a lot of posting on a particular day then a topic will get lost really quickly before its been played out properly and the questions (etc) answered completely. When that's happened I can understand a re-post on a previously covered topic.

It does reflect on the pretty piss poor attitude some people have where they don't give a rats a$$ that someone else has had to do the work for them. They happily take advantage of the good people who are willing to help out where they can, when with as much or less effort they could have sorted things out for themselves.
Laziness I guess?

This forum has been going for a few years now.
Most questions have been asked about fridges tyres etc etc etc etc.
Use archives and don't ask questions.
= no forum

All the best
Eric

Also, questions do get asked that have been asked before but for a specific application or for specific circumstances. Some can be a bit obvious, though.

Dave,

I understand your frustrations as a long time contributor/member. However, from a relative newcomer's perspective, remember that getting involved with a forum such as this can be a little daunting. While the bantering between those who know each other and have been at it for a while is great and often amusing, it can come across as a little daunting to someone who is new to the forum and make them feel a little bit like an outsider. For some people, a simple question (even if it has appeared many times before) is a good way to test the waters and get involved. If the response to my first ever post was, 'search the forum it has been answered before many times', then some may be reluctant to post again.

I guess that the bottom line (IMHO) is that some time spent by the more 'experiennced' forumists answering questions that may be simple and oft repeated, provides a great welcome to new users and encourages them to sign up.

As a special interest group, we come under pressure from many quarters, I reckon that the more we can do to promote a sense of community for 4wders, then the better off we are.

Cheers,

Matt.

Gees there's some people with thin skin here.

All I suggested was that people search forums for info before posting, and suggested that I felt a bit miffed that questions I had put a lot of effort into answering were being asked time and again. Okay maybe I could have toned down the subject line, and the original post a little but I stand by much of what I said, certainly the intent of it.

Sorry to those that have heaped abuse here, that I bothered to answer those questions in the past, and for feeling that those answers had been worth the time and effort that I put into them. I must have been mistaken, as were those who who PM'd me on various topics, and those who built the drawers & bits & pieces I've spent time doing drawings for and the like. I further apologise for making the effort to submit a few trek notes from time to time.

Now I give my time freely cos I like helping people. I don't profess to be part of anything other than the forum as a group. Inevitably there will be people who are new and old members of the group, and members and non-members. I didn't draw the distinction to profess anything other than that. How else do you make the distinction?

For that I have been accused of being part of a clique, being exclusive and berated, abused and worse.

I can agree to disagree with a few people. Thanks to those who asked people to tone it down. (I'm not quite sure who Ozdyssey's post was directed at - me or the post above - so I'll reserve myself for a bit on that one.)

Other than that, if I have offended any newcomers to the group I apologise.

Most people have treated this as what it was intended, a post to promote a discussion about the merits of searching before posting, and maybe to get a few people to use the archives. Others have unfortunately demonstrated that it's far easier to abuse someone you've never met while hiding behind a keyboard, based on a few lines of type.

Dave

Because they can

I agree that the search function works well. Sometimes too well. When I wanted to but a fridge recently I did a search for relevant terms and came up with lots and lots of hits. I read many many posts. The signal/noise ratio was not great, but in any one there were likely to be nuggets of further info or new developments. I suspect that many people aren't prepared to spend the time doing this and find it easier to just post, for the 100th time, "What fridge should I buy?" I tried instead to ask a specific question about two particular models that I was considering.

Actually one of the striking from reading all these posts is how generous people are. Every time someone posts the same question, they will patiently provide the answer. Sometimes there is abuse (see above example), but most people are patient, courteous and helpful. The goodwill and body of knowledge in this forum is something hard to build and very valuable. That's the main reason why I am a member. We all have a responsibility to keep it alive.

Last point. After 30,000 posts, I think the single forum is too unwieldy. There are currently over 900 active posts. By my count there have been about 30 new posts in the last 24 hours. Unless you look every day, even most regulars (say, every 7 or 14 days) are only going to see the titles of a small proportion of posts. That means that only a small proportion of people are available to answer any given post. If you don't get the answer you want within a couple of days, your post will drift down the list and you are unlikely to get a response from a new person. Thus most posts die within a few days. That adds to the temptation for people to cast a new line in the sea to try to catch a new fish. And so it goes on, in an increasing spiral. One answer, to me, is split the forum into subject areas that reflect a reasonble division of the topics. That way someone with a particular interest in posts about travel can focus on the travel forum. Those with an interest in vehicle problems can do likewise. And so on.

That's my two-bob's worth.

Did you search before posting this? Its been done before....

It is tedious answering the same question for the 127th time (that year!), but searching does not overcome that technology constantly changes.

What was the optimum solution two/three years ago may not be today: AGM batteries are becoming the norm; solarmodules are increasing smaller per watt making it more feasible to run larger fridges; fuel cells are now available (even if they do cost several thousand dollars).

There is stuff in the first editions of my books that is no longer valid - I update them every few months for exactly the above reasons.

Re Engel via Waeco. As correct installation is so vital, in almost every discussion of this topic, respondents are comparing the way they have installed the fridge - rather than the fridges themselves.

Install either properly and there's little if anything between them (although I feel Engel is better made).
Collyn Rivers

Jeeeeez chillout man if you don't like the question by pass you don't have to open it
sorry im am only a visitor so there for pretty dumb

I think we are all on here for a bit of entertainment. Interesting thread, with some controversial responses. Thanks Dave, good reading :-).

Got to agree Dave. Too many repeats of the same topic in too short a period. I get over it by refering the newby back to an appropiate post or by simply cut & pasting my entire response a 2nd time. For anyone with expertise in a subject it often takes some considerable effort to type a detailed response then to have it slip off the front page in as little as a day only to be reposted again within the week.
We don't really wont to get to the point where members keep a folder of all their responses so they can cut & paste them into the new post to avoid retyping it over again.
For the new guys who repeat post not much can be done, but for the regulars, well............they just like seeing their names up in lights or are trolling ;-)
I put many of the repeated posts about which product to buy down to individuals trying to justify their purchase by finding others who'll agree with them (no matter how bad it may be). I find it quite amusing :-)
Cheers Craig...............

geochacer,
I reckon you should have done a search first, this topic has been brought up already.
Dean

Dave, if you feel so strongly about this subject simply do a search for the perpetrators on their chosen subject and then post a link to the search. It's easy to do and will take away all the angst which you are feeling. You could get really clever and save a list of links to regular topics of offence for use at the appropriate times.

If symptoms persist though, please see a doctor.