Questions already asked.

[Vikster]

When you click to submit a ? you are told if one similar has been asked before and given a long list of them.

 

Perhaps they would be better served making it so that questions alredy asked CANT be submitted again ... it would be very easy to do this using the present system of combinations of the main factors in the question you are trying to ask.

[bernardo]

The computer would not be clever enough to tell the difference between a "same" quesation and a different question using similar vocabulary.  It might be a completely different question even if many of ther words are the same.  It should be left to the sense of the questionner (and for the rest of us to educate such people about the need to avoid duplicates).  WVNBIVDB

[Wraith]

The trouble is that the number of answers a question receives seems to be dependant on how far down the list it is. For instance a newly asked question is right at the top of the list for everyone to see and provided it is there when there are users logged on that can answer it, it will receive answers. However, if many more questions are asked before yours has been answered it drops off the end of the page and its likelyhood of receiving as many answers drops.

 

Imagine posting a question on a Monday morning before going to work and before you get home another 20 questions are posted after it. Your question is not as prominent now, do all users scroll down through the list of new questions (several pages sometimes) to see if they can answer them or do they just stick to the first page of questions?

 

I've posted a question before now that the system says has already been asked, but when I look through those answers none are satisfactory and some are quite old. Do I post my question anyway in the hope that there is now someone on the site that can answer it or do I give up my question all together?

[Marsh]

Hi Mrs C,

I have just typed in that ever-popular question Gunbarrel.  I wasn't shown any of the previous postings to check through.  Of course, I didn't submit it,  I tried again and several postings came up.  I don't know if my first Gunbarrel was mis-typed � I'm good at that � but an automatic blocker doesn't look feasible.

Incidentally the threads shown had lots of confliciting answers.  I can see why someone might post the question again.

[Marsh]

Some tandem typing there, Wraith

[Wraith]

Ditto. Who's Mrs C?

[Vikster]

Hi all, cheers for the replies ...... Wraith I am MrsCheeks but had to re-register because the stupid hackers who used my name on Friday caused me to be completely erased!!  Whole other story that one lol.

 

Yeah I see what you all mean ... not such an easy solution as I had thought boo hissss lol.  When I posted this question I was given 20 other choices similar and should have realised then that it would not be feasible.

 

Back to the old drawing board eh guys?

 

Ooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!  Had another thought .... what about questions being bumped to the top of the list again when they get a reply?  Hmmmmmm maybe not ..... questions unanswered would be lost way too quickly.

 

Too early in the morning for me brain hahahaha.

 

Vik xxx

[Wraith]

Sorry Mrs C (makes you sound like Mrs Cunnignham from Happy Days) I missed Friday morning on the site. I did notice a lot of strange postings apparently from regulars and wasn't sure what was really going on.

Haven't been hacked yet myself. Probably don't make enough posts to give them some twisted fun. Hope they didn't cause you too many problems. Shame about the name change, MrsCheeks had a certain ring to it.

[woofgang]

I think it would help to beef up the search engine. I find that when I use it, I get 3 trillion answers (slight exaggeration,) with maybe the info I am looking for embedded in it somewhere. Its no wonder searchers go naff it and post anyway... come on Ed, The techies have had all weekend off, lock'em up again until they deliver.

What I would also like to see (and I don't know how to do it) is better adherence to the categories....especially by those pesky quiz posters.