[Icecast] New Web Forum

[ml]

Geoff Staples wrote:
> Interesting. I discussed this off line with a couple of folks and 
> offered to host a forum. -- But, not to run it. So, this is great that 
> we know have it and you have stepped up to the plate to run it.

You're welcome, I'm glad I can contribute.

> I do have a request / suggestion: I've noticed that many of the boards 
> for open source software suffer from a couple of problems and it would 
> be great if the Icecast forum could rise above the other forums.
> 
> Here are the problems that I see at other boards:
> 
> The content is usually so disorganized that it is rather difficult to 
> find anything. But, even when you search as best you, there's always the 
> jerk who responds with snotty remarks about reading the rules and 
> searching before posting. They always point out that there's an 
> excellent answer on the board, but, never tell you where it is.

Yeah, have you visited the board?  The board is organised in what is 
hopefully an easy to navigate way, this will of course evolve over time.

> Also, there are the folks who make the assumption that because you asked 
> a question, you must know nothing about the topic, so they explain in 
> detail things you already know, but never answer the question. The 
> problem is that it discourages others who may have useful info from 
> posting it.

Well experience shows that if you assume someone knows something, they 
won't!  I do take your point, I posted to a car related forum recently 
asking some pretty specific questions, only to get several replies 
containing none of what I asked for, just lots about themselves and 
their own solutions.  When I asked why they've posted such utterly 
useless information, I was beaten down for being ungrateful.  That's not 
something I want to happen on the icecast forum.

> So, I want to suggest that whoever moderates does not chastise posters 
> on the board. Move a post, delete it, ignore it. If necessary, send a 
> private message to the offending party - but, try to be courteous 
> instead of reaming posters out. I have a lot of experience in a number 
> of areas, but, I don't post to a lot of boards simply because I don't 
> like the unpleasant environment.

Neither do I.  I'm not promising I won't shout at people occasionally, 
however I see the web forum as part of the "customer facing" of icecast 
and thus should be something that gives a favourable impression of 
icecast and it's contributers.

> Also, (And this would require some work): It would be really great to 
> have a "Good answers" section of the board where particularly useful 
> answers to questions are copied by an admin  and not open for posting by 
> visitors. The idea is to build up an area of the board with especially 
> useful information, both basic and advanced. The reason for copying (not 
> moving) the posts is so that you don't break up the thread.

You've not been yet have you?  There is an FAQ section.  I have run a 
busy board for a few years, and one of the most helpful features is the 
ability to use it as evolving documentation.  If the FAQ's are 
referenced frequently people will read them and ask further questions, 
allowing the FAQs to be updated and clarified over time.  This way the 
effort of explaining the same thing is not wasted over and over.  This 
information can then be referenced both in the ML and the IRC channel. 
e.g. I got so fed up of explaining how source clients/icecast worked I 
wrote this page: http://liveice.sourceforge.net/understanding.html

Sometimes threads need to be split, but I agree it's not something I 
want to be doing all the time.

> Over time, this "Good Answers" area would become an especially useful 
> place to get information.
> 
> Anyway, I don't really have any answers - only a few suggestions. But, 
> one thing I'm clear about. It would be really great if we could make 
> this forum into something more useful and more pleasant than most.
> 
> Geoff

We can only try. :-)

Stephen
forum: EvilOverlord
IRC: J_Bullet