Seriously, how annoying is it to have a legitimate question, and NO ONE responds? Inevitably, at least once a week, I'll see a post somewhere else, or we'll get an email to the Webmaster: "Your site sucks, there's no traffic, no one knows how to fix my problem..." or some other such nonsense.
I go look at the thread in question, and it's titled "OMG hep me car wont strat".
First of all, think about how you search for things - You expect there to be important, relevant words in the title, right?
Second, search engines can't understand misspelled words. No one searches Google for "CARNK ANGEL SENCER" or "GUAGES FOR SELL", right?
Third, it's a big forum - There's nothing compelling me (or anyone else) to read a thread with a useless title.
So, let's cover a few helpful hints - I'll keep it brief:
1) Make your thread titles RELEVANT. Here's some examples (before and after):
"OMG look what i saw!" --> Spotted 2013 Altima Testing in Arizona
"HELP!" --> My 1992 300ZX displays code P0325
"Sup new to NICO" --> S14 Kouki owner from Durham checking in
"Stuff for sale" --> AutoMeter gauges and pillar gauge pod for sale
"Rims" --> What wheels will fit my 1989 240sx?
"CVT...Nooooo!!!!" --> 2013 Infiniti JX has a CVT, Dammit!
The TITLE is your golden opportunity to attract qualified experts' attention in around 50 characters or fewer. Don't waste it - use the space for a super-concise problem description.
2) Post pics. Everyone loves pics. ESPECIALLY if you're selling something. NOTE - No one cares that you "can't figure out how 2 post pics in hear". I'm 45 years old - I *WILL* make fun of your computer illiteracy. Besides, we have a sticky that shows you how to post pictures.
3) USE SPELL-CHECK. If you're too lazy to spell properly, don't make other people miserable trying to read your jibberish. We spend a ton of money giving you a place to learn, share, and be entertained - Show some respect for the site owners, other posters (and yourself) by using proper spelling.
A sincere effort to use proper language and grammar is a sign of respect toward the community that will certainly be appreciated and is quite likely to elicit positive responses. Please refrain from using so-called "textspeak", "netspeak", "leetspeak" and all other forms of internet slang. It's annoying and makes you look like a douche.
Now, there's always those who will say, "It's just a forum - I'm not going to the trouble of using spell-check - Besides, that's just how I type." These are usually the people who reach 30 years of age and wonder why their job involves scrubbing toilets or making sure everyone gets fries with their order. Answering questions for careless and sloppy thinkers is not rewarding; we'd rather spend our time elsewhere. WE TRY HARD - YOU SHOULD TOO.
4) When responding to a post (especially a post with pictures), there's no real need to "quote" the post. Everyone saw the pics the first time, we don't need a rerun.
5) Don't be impatient. Demanding assistance, or showing impatience, is a sure way to get no help at all. We've been doing this for 14 years, and we're here to help people. However, anyone who answers your question is a volunteer. As a community member, you're strongly encouraged to do research, make an effort, reply to questions, help others, get involved, and contribute to the community. That's what makes this thing work.
If people are reading your thread without answering or offering help, the problem isn't them - it's likely you. Try offering more details. Don't post, "OMG, I guess no one on this site knows anything about 240sx".
The 240sx component of this site started in 1995. Yeah, we know our stuff.6) Do your own homework. This site is FULL of experts, many of whom simply breeze through the forums without posting. While they might take 2 minutes to respond to your question, they're not interested in holding your hand for the next 6 hours. To understand the world the experts live in, think of expertise as an abundant resource, BUT time to respond as a scarce one. The less of a time commitment you implicitly ask for, the more likely you are to get an answer from someone really good and really busy.
There are a lot of forums where the members say, "Search, n00b!" I've watched those forums wither and die over the years. Good riddance, they weren't worth keeping around. We're here to help, and we invest a TON of effort into providing this service. The least you can do is to make it as easy for us as you can.
7) Get involved! If you got assistance here, think about how much time / hassle / money it saved you. Wouldn't it be nice to help someone else like that? Post up about your experience - how you fixed your problem using the advice you got here, or something of the sort...
Also, if you like it here, SHARE the resource you've found with others. We have a Facebook page and a Google + page, and we reach a TON of people through those. If you find an article here on NICOclub that's especially interesting or helpful, why not share it on your page?
Thanks for reading - See you on the boards!
