Request to add new "Tips from the Community" section to forum

[Watoko]

Hi everyone,

I have noticed that there are many fantastic threads started by fellow community members and Oracles providing very helpful tips and tricks for other members. I have seen things ranging from basic troubleshooting steps to detailed explanations on how cellular service works.

I think it is a shame that these threads often get burried after a certain amount of time, and I also understand that not all of these threads can be stickied or added to the official PM Knowledge Base Articles. Therefore, I am proposing a new forum section titled "Tips from the Community" or some other catchy name along those lines, whereby community members can submit posts containing general information that could be helpful as a reference for other people to view. In this way, the information wouldn't be burried in the current sections we have now.

Of course to ensure that the information in this repository is accurate and organized, I would suggest having an Oracle approve of such posts, and once approved they can go up in this special section. Thus, we can share and leverage community member expertise, one that is more dynamic and current than the official Knowledge Base published by PM.

Let me know what you guys think!

[stonechucker]

I have braved this, however, I'm torn.

The great tips are searchable, they are referenced by those who authored or were saved by them, and they are a very large quantity.  I don't think you can just place them in a tip forum, no more getting someone to search the current forums.

I truly like the idea, however with KB, the search options, adding another place to seek information seems redundant.

[Watoko]

@stonechucker, I understand it may seem redundant with another place to seek information, but I am approaching this from the perspective of a centralized repository for valuable information contributed by community members, that at the same time, do not fall under the Knowledge Base Articles as they are updated and maintained by Public Mobile, and would not require prior knowledge of what you wanted to search for.

The forums are searchable if you know what you are looking for (let's say if you have a problem) but you wouldn't be able to actively fish out these types of posts if you have never seen them before. I have seen good articles such as this, or even @Luddite's and @srlawren's helpful How-Tos that I can't even seem to find easily with a search. With this section dedicated for things like this, I could just load up a list of these types of articles and read what I am interested in. This way, it is easier to recognize the authors for their work, rather than have them actively promote their own threads or it otherwise being lost in a sea of questions that keep getting larger every day.

With regards to quantity, I believe that is where the Oracles would come in to approve or reject submissions as appropriate, depending on the relevancy and usefulness of the article. By no means would it be an open forum that anyone could just add stuff in. It would just defeat the whole purpose and turn into the general Discussion forum.

I appreciate your input and support though! Just my two cents!

[will13am]

I totally agree with this suggestion.  It was one of my suggestions that help to get stickied implemented into this forum.  Further improvements can be made.  The best confirmation that good things are being burried is when certain questions get asked over and over.  BTW @Watoko, don't sell yourself short.  Two cents round to zero.  The new norm is five cents worth, or at least 3 cents so it roundsup.

[Watoko]

@will13am I remember that! Who could believe that a forum wouldn't have stickied posts. Indeed very useful.

In that case, here's my 3 cents 😉

[srlawren]

Yeah I like this one. Good idea. 

[youbme]

@Watoko, excellent suggestion! This is a lot like what I had in mind almost two years ago when I joined PM and there was very minimal moderation on the forums - things were less organised and technical issues were far more rampant than today, resulting in a LOT of repetition. The new forum structure, stickies, and a well-developed KB have improved things, but I agree that providing a moderated space to post articles and link to helpful forum discussions would be a great way for newbies to "browse" the forum and learn more about how PM operates.

@stonechucker, you make a good point regarding redundancy. It will be important to delineate the difference between the two categories and determine an appropriate name for the new forum. To make it distinct, I would add that the Oracles should take the lead in its creation/maintenance - which immediately creates a distinction from the KB. I can imagine that certain articles could migrate to the KB over time as well.

[TheOldVR]

Great idea - I'm in on this one!

Thanks for sharing @Watoko

[neilselden]

I think this is a great idea. Despite PM having limited customer service, I really think it's a shame that there is not even a forum section on how to troubleshoot and/or fix a host of pretty simple issues. Yes, the forums are searchable, which is fine for people comfortable looking for themselves. However, there are so many people unable or unwilling to look for themselves, that I think this limits the number of people willing to try out PM's 'SIM only service'. Cheers, Neil

[mimmo]

I could see this as Top Community tips as a  locked sticky post  (only oracles or PM mods could add to the post)  the post woudl be divided into topics and there would be a bulleted list  linking to actual forum posts.  It woud be almos like a community based FAQ.  I would go even one step further if such a post exists rename the title to community tip: topic  

[Watoko]

@mimmo, I think the locked sticky approach is a good variation of the idea that does not require extensive changes to the current forums, and can definitely be easily implemented! Thanks!