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Top tips from the MODERATORS

    • David Goode's Avatar
    • David Goode
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    Top tips from the MODERATORS

    Posted 11 years 1 month ago
    • Resources
      The moderators are spread around different time zones to try and give suitable coverage to members. This means that posts are coming in when some of the mods are asleep (even though it is rumoured that some of the mods are robots or alien lifeforms and don't require sleep). :cheesy:

      We use a custom list to show all unanswered posts so when I logon I see the latest 20 unanswered posts. I work down the list and pick off the ones I can answer quickly. I then go to next page and do the same. I try to repeat that for the past few days depending on volume of posts and my time availability.

      Some of these quick answers include requests for more information - even the basics such as link to the problem :oops:

      After that it is a question of picking on the tougher problems and doing some testing/digging/solving, again subject to individual availability commitments.

      As mods we all have a varied range of skill sets so there are a few of us who will see a post from the legacy section and we will check it out because we cut our teeth on them. Some of the guys are more fluent in code and css so they will work those posts.

      When a moderator replies to a post they are automatically subscribed and get an email for every post that gets added to the thread. In some cases there can be a lot of 'me too' posts and we have to ask for more details because very often the symptoms can be same but the circumstances can differ. So when we solve the original poster's issue we are still left with others who say the solution didn't work for them. So sometimes it is better to start your own thread.

      Posts
      Recently we have had a surge of requests because members are not taking the time and effort to look at what is happening with LESS and css in the new templates. This means we are seeing some of the unanswered posts going longer before we get to them. As a result the unanswered post list has gotten longer too and some days I come to the screen and there could be 5 or 6 pages of posts added while I was asleep! :shock: And that's after my colleagues elsewhere in the world have been answering some of them.

      Because our past response rates have been high and the answers relatively straightforward some of our members got lazy and rather than use the search facility of the forum or even a quick Google, they would post here, even if it was a 3rd party extension. So in some ways we raised expectations and created a new problem, the 'lazy' posters.

      If someone is constantly asking questions about the same site then we will at some stage explain that we are not going to build their website by proxy and that they should hire someone to assist them.

      Bumping Posts
      As mentioned previously, we use a list of unanswered posts to help identify posts where no assistance has yet been given. If you try 'bumping' your post to the top of the board it will do you no favours. In fact it makes the chances of a prompt reply quite low as you will have taken yourself off of our 'unanswered' list :oops:

      If you need to add more information after posting then please edit your original post. 8)

      The 'Shopping List' Poster
      Be aware that if you post several problems in one post we recognise that it is likely to take a chunk of moderation time so we leave it in the queue if we are busy. Much better to post one problem to one thread. It makes it easier for other members to find solutions. It also means that you could get more than one moderator looking at the site. 8)

      This also applies to the poster who replies to the solution - "Just one more thing...." - all of the above applies!

      Common Sense (Now that is a misnomer if ever there was one!)
      If you post on the end of a 'solved' post then the chances of any of us seeing it is almost nil. Why would we want to go to a thread that we know has been solved? :oops:

      Members who post in the correct forums are more likely to get responses, either from the mods or other members.

      Members who no longer have an active subscription can only access the public forums so they cannot get answers or post questions in the correct place. So anyone posting a specific template issue in the general forums probably will get overlooked.

      Expectations
      As for what you can or cannot expect in terms of support, our terms of service clearly state that membership is for use of templates and that we do not commit to support. Obviously you can see from the forums that we try and support an awful lot of posts from 100,000+ members even though that support is free and not part of the membership.

      The forums have always been a community based forum and we do have some very talented members who also add answers if they see the opportunity to do so. I guess when everything is taken into account, if we set Service Level Agreements we would have to meet the extra cost of moderators and developers and the membership fee would become too expensive for many of our members.

      As a possible solution we set up a Support option for those who were prepared to pay for same day assistance from the Dev Team. You can read about that here - www.rockettheme.com/premier-support

      Summary
      We do what we can based on what we are asked. We try to help all members with active accounts but in some cases their expectations exceed what we consider to be fair support with a cost price of FREE! Remember - you are paying to use the templates. You are NOT paying for support, we give that for nothing (within reason).

      Hope this helps to clarify the situation. 8)
    • Last Edit: 9 years 3 weeks ago by DanG. Reason: updated member count

    • Please search forums before posting. Please make sure your post includes the version of the CMS you are using and a link to the problem. Annotations on screenshots can also be helpful to explain problems/goals. Please use the "secure" tab for confidential information
    • MrT's Avatar
    • MrT
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    Re: Top tips from the MODERATORS

    Posted 10 years 11 months ago
    • It greatly helps everyone if, once your problem issue is resolved you mark it as such in the forum...

      Please EDIT your FIRST POST in the thread by adding [SOLVED] at the start of the title and then select the GREEN TICK icon. This lets the moderators know that it can be moved to the solved section.

      Regards, Mark.
    • Please search forums before posting. Please make sure your post includes the version of the CMS you are using and a link to the problem. Annotations on screenshots can also be helpful to explain problems/goals. Please use the "secure" tab for confidential information.
    • MrT's Avatar
    • MrT
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    Re: Top tips from the MODERATORS

    Posted 10 years 11 months ago
    • *** ORIGINAL POST BY MODERATOR DANG ****

      1. Include your Web URL

      If this is a site that is online could you please supply a link so we can better diagnose the issue?
      It makes our suggestions more accurate if we see the actual coding of your site.
      Since we're located globally by the time you finally get a link to us it could mean a day or two lost in the wait.
      If it requires privacy, only then contact us by PM.


      2. PM'ing Moderators

      DO NOT send PM's to Moderators unless requested to do so. If we need your info, please use this format:
      - your thread link
      - website URL
      - UserName and Password for Admin access
      - and if required FTP login details.



      3. Info we need to give you Express HELP

      Save time and money. Copy this to your post and your on your way to helping yourself to get your issue resolved QUICKER!
      - My website URL is: http://www.mysite.com
      - My Joomla version number is J-x.x.x
      - My Rockettheme template version number is: x.x.x
      or
      - My RocketLauncher version number is: x.x.x
      or
      - My Rok-extension version number is: x.x.x running on template [u]rt_template-name[/u]
      - My Gantry version number is x.x.xx
       
      My issue is:
      -

      4. Please leave compression turned OFF

      NEVER have caching or compression turned ON while developing, because:

      a) you can always test to see if these processes work early on after install but turn them OFF while actually developing. Otherwise you'll find yourself making changes in the back-end but not seeing them in the front-end.
      After development and during debugging before going live you can turn them back on again.

      b) it makes it much harder for us to help you when caching and compression is ON. We can't see the contents of your cache and we have no clue what CSS file css-62772285f72c78f6d865166b5edd82f6.php refers to ???

      For an excellent explanation of caching systems see this article by Andy -> Caching EXPLAINED


      5. Marking your threads as Solved

      Once your issue is resolved, PLEASE! mark your FIRST POST in the thread as Solved. This makes it so much easier to find and address other members issues and those of yours.
      It makes it so much easier on our end to find and help unSolved posts if Solved issues have that magical green check
      So save a Moderators eyesight, when we or a member helps you resolve an issue, PLEASE mark it SOLVED.

      _!_marking-a-post-solved.JPG


      6. FireBug/Web Inspector - your Friend!

      FireBug , Great Development Tool GET IT - USE IT

      Also see: www.rockettheme.com/blog/coding/1767-bas...omizing-with-lesscss


      7. Rockettheme Magazine - become a better developer

      Check out our new Rockettheme Magazine for must-know information!
    • Last Edit: 4 years 7 months ago by Kat05.
    • Please search forums before posting. Please make sure your post includes the version of the CMS you are using and a link to the problem. Annotations on screenshots can also be helpful to explain problems/goals. Please use the "secure" tab for confidential information.

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