Hard Light Productions Forums

Off-Topic Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: Stealth on August 18, 2003, 03:46:16 pm

Title: Technical Support Forum
Post by: Stealth on August 18, 2003, 03:46:16 pm
I was wondering.  i asked Thunder this a while ago, but things change.  wouldn't having a "Technical Support Forum" be helpful?  by that i mean a forum where all computer related troubles would be posted.  such as hard drive problems, monitor problems, or just general advice.

when i look at the first page of topics on HLP i notice

"joystick problems"
"arrggh my icons"
"laugh at my motherboard"
"cheap wacom pad"
"OK i need help again"

and that's just the first page of topics.  i think a technical support forum would be helpful, because people that are experienced at tech support could just go there and answer questions in a forum witha purpose, instead of going through the dozens of new threads.

wouldn't it be a good idea? it'd definately increase the helpfulness of replies and the fastness, since people would go to that forum that needed help or that knew how to give it.
Title: Technical Support Forum
Post by: Knight Templar on August 18, 2003, 03:50:25 pm
It's fine the way it is now. Hard Light is bassically an anything forum as it is.
Title: Technical Support Forum
Post by: Stealth on August 18, 2003, 03:51:14 pm
Quote
It's fine the way it is now. Hard Light is bassically an anything forum as it is.

i'm aware of that, but i think it'll mean more people will get their questions answered faster and in a more helpful fashion than if everything (Spam and technical questions) is mixed up.  cause a lot of people that have the know-how to fix problems never even notice the topics among other spam and OT threads.



i was thinking too, if we have a Technical Support forum, it will mean we'll be getting many more visitors to HLP than we do now, because many people have questions, and so they search for a technical support forum.  if we have one, it will mean the communtiy will growlarger.
Title: Technical Support Forum
Post by: Thorn on August 18, 2003, 03:52:28 pm
I know how to give advice, and I can see myself not going to that forum simply because thats what I do for a job....
I dont want to see that kind of thing when I'm not working....
As for getting help... I figure it out myself...
Title: Technical Support Forum
Post by: Knight Templar on August 18, 2003, 03:52:33 pm
Why would people come here for a tech support forum when they could just go to a real tech support forum? :wtf:
Title: Technical Support Forum
Post by: Stealth on August 18, 2003, 03:54:27 pm
why wouldn't they?  you have to go read more about page hits and stuff.  if we have a forum that people come to even though it has nothing to do with freespace, it'll mean a bigger community.

but that's not the main point, i just think, well, see second part of my above post

Quote
I know how to give advice, and I can see myself not going to that forum simply because thats what I do for a job....
I dont want to see that kind of thing when I'm not working....

but that's another of my points... if you don't want to see questions about hardware/problems/software/etc, then you just don't visit that forum!  at the moment everything, off-topic, and technical support questions are mixed in together


EDIT:  see, you may say "But this isn't a technical support community, it's a Freespace community"... yes, but Freespace needs hardware and software to run... and particularly with new errors happening as new hardware (and operating systems) are coming out and run on computers, i think having a technical support forum would be very helpful
Title: Technical Support Forum
Post by: Flipside on August 18, 2003, 04:03:06 pm
I suppose you could also look at it as taking all the technical stuff away from the Hard Light forum and into a Forum of it's own.
I think it might be a good idea, at least it gives the tech-heads somewhere to chat and help out, and let's people know where to go when they are having problems with their systems. I know there are other forums designed around this, but I suppose it's better to ask what might be an obvious question here and get a (usually) polite response than go to some sort of Geek Squad and get called names for your lack of computer knowledge ;)

Flipside :D
Title: Technical Support Forum
Post by: Stealth on August 18, 2003, 04:06:06 pm
i agree with everything but the last line or two of your post Flipside ;) :D :p
Title: Technical Support Forum
Post by: FreeTerran on August 18, 2003, 04:11:49 pm
I agree with Stealth because in the last time we have a lot of those threads
Title: Technical Support Forum
Post by: Flipside on August 18, 2003, 04:14:42 pm
Quote
Originally posted by Stealth
i agree with everything but the last line or two of your post Flipside ;) :D :p


LOL Which part, the usually, or the Geek Squad? ;)

P.S. I am the 'unofficial' IT Geek Head at work, even the IT tutors ask me to fix their computers :lol:

Flipside :D
Title: Technical Support Forum
Post by: Stealth on August 18, 2003, 04:17:48 pm
that's good, then you can be a regular at the "Technical Support Forum" should we have one :D :D :) :nod:


i agree with this part:
Quote
I suppose you could also look at it as taking all the technical stuff away from the Hard Light forum and into a Forum of it's own.
I think it might be a good idea, at least it gives the tech-heads somewhere to chat and help out, and let's people know where to go when they are having problems with their systems.
Title: Technical Support Forum
Post by: Solatar on August 18, 2003, 04:28:41 pm
Well why shouldn't we? I agree with Stealth that it WOULD draw more attention to our forum, which might get more people interested in fs.

Maybe we could make it a subforum of Hard Light?
Title: Technical Support Forum
Post by: Flipside on August 18, 2003, 04:32:55 pm
Yep, I'll be there, calling people names for their lack of computer knowledge...... j/k ;)

Oh yes, and Thunderchild was the best damn tune on the Album :D

Flipside.
Title: Technical Support Forum
Post by: Petrarch of the VBB on August 18, 2003, 04:36:38 pm
I suggested a hardware forum over a year ago, and the answer then was no, so why should it be any different?

And Flipside, while you're right, Thunderchild is the best one on there, how did WotW come into this?
Title: Technical Support Forum
Post by: Flipside on August 18, 2003, 04:39:49 pm
Saw it in Stealth's signit and it reminded me of all those years ago getting scared looking at the pictures inside album sleeve ;)

Flipside :D

Anyway, I'll shut up before I drag things off topic.
Title: Technical Support Forum
Post by: Petrarch of the VBB on August 18, 2003, 04:44:43 pm
Aww please, we've not had a good derailment in ages.;)
Title: Technical Support Forum
Post by: Flipside on August 18, 2003, 04:49:07 pm
:lol:

Sersiouly though, and in a vain attempt to get things back on topic, it would be good to have a seperate forum for technical enquiries, so the rest of us can get on with.....er...... Posting our Desktops.....um....... talking about Star Wars....... er...... talking about TA and AA etc and Homeworld! Yes! Theres always Homeworld! :nervous:

;)

Flipside
Title: Technical Support Forum
Post by: Stealth on August 18, 2003, 06:17:39 pm
Yes, Thunder Child was the best track on the album.  look in past threads (where Diamondgeezer actually posted his signiture ;) ) and you'll see mine starts where his leaves off.  in the same font and everything :D

Yeah Petrarch, i remember you mentioning the hardware forum, but long before that i'd asked Thunder if we could have a tech support forum, and he asked the staff, and the answer was no.  but i think things have changed, cause we're having more and more technical support questions nowadays, regarding everything from keyboards to hard drive controllers, and i think it'd be much better for everything to have its own forum, where people go when they want help or when they want to receive it.
Title: Technical Support Forum
Post by: Stealth on August 19, 2003, 05:59:20 pm
any more?
Title: Technical Support Forum
Post by: TopAce on August 19, 2003, 06:10:21 pm
The idea is good, but please evade the conflicts between the admins this time. So none of them may come with:

So, what have I told you about opening a new forum?
Title: Technical Support Forum
Post by: Stealth on August 19, 2003, 06:14:53 pm
what thread was that in?
Title: Technical Support Forum
Post by: TopAce on August 19, 2003, 06:15:43 pm
The very first thread(named as 'Hi') at the campaigns forum.
Title: Technical Support Forum
Post by: Sandwich on August 20, 2003, 01:15:52 am
Quote
Originally posted by Petrarch of the VBB
I suggested a hardware forum over a year ago, and the answer then was no, so why should it be any different?


It shoudn't.

HLP is firest and foremost a gaming forum, and that status is what gives us our free hosting under GS. We're not allowed to go into the territory of other games for which GS has hosted sitesm partially because it's their territory, and partly because it's not ours. Neither is tech support.

Another issue is that the more subforums we make, the less activity. Hard Light is a beehive of activity, and that is what gives it it's status as an excellent place to ask nearly anything. Split that up, and you have an active Hard Light forum, and a dead Tech Support forum. After all, how often do people visit the forums of our hosted projects? Even I'm guilty of the answer "rarely, if ever". :doubt:
Title: Technical Support Forum
Post by: Knight Templar on August 20, 2003, 02:11:01 am
hmpfh. I visit them everytime there is a new post. So :p
Title: Technical Support Forum
Post by: diamondgeezer on August 20, 2003, 02:33:03 am
Quote
Originally posted by Stealth
Yes, Thunder Child was the best track on the album.  look in past threads (where Diamondgeezer actually posted his signiture ;) ) and you'll see mine starts where his leaves off.  in the same font and everything :D

I've got something to put in you, when you get your arse online. Bloody well get an IM of somesort.
Title: Technical Support Forum
Post by: Turnsky on August 20, 2003, 02:38:50 am
i dunno, there's not actually enough tech questions to warrent a separate forum...
Title: Technical Support Forum
Post by: Fineus on August 20, 2003, 03:05:42 am
Quote
Originally posted by Sandwich


It shoudn't.

HLP is firest and foremost a gaming forum, and that status is what gives us our free hosting under GS. We're not allowed to go into the territory of other games for which GS has hosted sitesm partially because it's their territory, and partly because it's not ours. Neither is tech support.

Another issue is that the more subforums we make, the less activity. Hard Light is a beehive of activity, and that is what gives it it's status as an excellent place to ask nearly anything. Split that up, and you have an active Hard Light forum, and a dead Tech Support forum. After all, how often do people visit the forums of our hosted projects? Even I'm guilty of the answer "rarely, if ever". :doubt:

Seconded.
Title: Technical Support Forum
Post by: J.F.K. on August 20, 2003, 07:43:11 am
Quote
Originally posted by Stealth
i was thinking too, if we have a Technical Support forum, it will mean we'll be getting many more visitors to HLP than we do now


That's... err, shaky at best, I think.
Title: Technical Support Forum
Post by: Turnsky on August 20, 2003, 09:03:49 am
indeed... besides...
this is a gaming forum .. not a tech support forum...

anyway.. it's not like we're swarmed by people asking questions about failing hardware and software now, are we?

i think the Hardlight general forum serves that purpose quite nicely..:nod:
Title: Technical Support Forum
Post by: Stealth on August 20, 2003, 03:14:50 pm
Quote
indeed... besides...
this is a gaming forum .. not a tech support forum...


as i've said before:  what do games (any computer game) need to run?  Computers.  and what happens to computers very often?  They break, or don't function properly

Quote
i dunno, there's not actually enough tech questions to warrent a separate forum...


check my first (or was it second) post, where i talked about 5 or 6 threads in the first page of hard light regarding technical questions

Thunder & Sandwich:  OK, fine, just thought it was worth a try :D :yes: