Forum FAQs

[HotRodV8]

I know there are FAQs on the home page, but I see new people coming into the Forum and asking newbie questions. And that is OK.

May I suggest developing a FAQ section for newbie salt racers or spectators. From what I have heard, the attendance at Bonneville events has been increasing for the last few years. More new people coming.

Brock Hollywood had a post about Rookie Questions: Motorcycle Related. He wanted to attend the 2010 Speedweek and possibly race a bike. The Forum answered his post rather well. I forsee more newbies entering the Forum with an interest in salt.

Some of the answers I didn't know 3 months ago. Perhaps, there could be the Top 10 FAQ about Salt Racing section. I liked three recent posts that summed up salt racing to Brock.

bak189 Reply #3 said: if you want to race for experience, go to BUB, it is bikes only.

joea Reply # 7 said: if you want to see the "full spectrum" go to Speedweek.

Stainless1 Reply #9 said: plan to go to both, weather might cut one short.

I'm sure this would be most helpful to those who miss the FAQs on the home page. Once they read the Top 10 Salt FAQs inside of the Forum, then they could ask more specific rule book items or be directed to specific links.

However, I don't want to stop Forum members giving the great answers as I saw in the Brock Hollywood posts.

I just wanted to assist newbies coming in. I was one of them not too long ago.

Bill

[Glen]

Bill
If you look in the LSR forums you will find most of the information in one of the tabs. That doesn't mean for you to stop asking things. We want to help where we can., Check it out.

[HotRodV8]

Glen - -

I'm not sure what you are calling the "tabs." If you mean the "sections" like Bonneville General Chat and BUB General Chat, what I am seeing is a new person starting at the top of the Forum and soon as they see Bonneville General Chat they ask all their salt questions there without scanning down the full forum menu to select something more specific.

When I joined this forum several months ago, I didn't know BUB was an event on the Bonneville salt. I have been out of racing for 45 years. 

[Glen]

There is a menu bar at the top of the home page. Click on LSR Forums. The other sections come up and you can scroll down to the one you want to open.

[HotRodV8]

Glen -

Thanks for helping to explain how one can select a topic they are interested in on the Forum.

I thought it may be helpful to newbies who are interested in the topic of Bonneville to have a "kindergarten friendly" section of FAQs about Bonneville and all the different events held there each year. Which events you can spectate at and which one you could race in with little preparation like BUB, if you have a bike. I'm sure many newbies dream about "shooting the chute" at Bonneville.

My suggested FAQs, located near the Bonneville General Chat section, could be read by the newbies first and then they could go to the tabs of specific interest down the list.

I thought it may encourage increased interest to the Forum and assist newbies in making their first post without any reluctance of asking those "silly" first post questions.

It is a suggestion I thought would help new people into this Forum.


Bill

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Howdy, Bill.  I sorta wonder -- maybe you've got an idea there.  But I also wonder if the "newbies" would even see the "Newbie" section.  How would we make sure they'd see it -- or, instead, feel that they "ain't newbies and want to go straight to the heart of the matter"?

I'll sit back for a while and see if there's much other comment -- and then maybe start such a topic, just to see if anyone really does look at it.  I'm afraid that the new stuff section could grow, and grow, and grow -- 'til it is so big that no one will bother to read all of the stuff.  How would we keep it short and concise enough?

[floydjer]

Slim, We`ll call it "Newbie questions" I`ll moderate and Stan will help, We can use my Pa`s barn....(cold is getting to me) :cheers:Jerry

[McRat]

It's one of the dilemmas of all enthusiast boards be it analog circuits or zoology; hotrod boards are not unique to this problem:

While existing members get tired of the same questions being asked 100x by newbies, the truth is that things change.  The "answer" that was given in 2005 might not be correct in 2010, and this is especially true with hotrodding.  So FAQ's have to either be babysat, or there needs to be tolerance for newcomers asking repetitive questions.  There are very few static answers, only the questions tend to be static.  

[HotRodV8]

Howdy, Bill.  I sorta wonder -- maybe you've got an idea there.  But I also wonder if the "newbies" would even see the "Newbie" section.  How would we make sure they'd see it -- or, instead, feel that they "ain't newbies and want to go straight to the heart of the matter"?

I'll sit back for a while and see if there's much other comment -- and then maybe start such a topic, just to see if anyone really does look at it.  I'm afraid that the new stuff section could grow, and grow, and grow -- 'til it is so big that no one will bother to read all of the stuff.  How would we keep it short and concise enough?

Hi SSS - -

This is rather long, you may want to top off your coffee cup.

Thanks for taking time to chew on my suggestion. I'm not trying to overload this site, make more work for someone or just do things MY way.

In my various clubs over the years I always thought to welcome "new blood" who had the same interest as we did. I'm not saying to pamper them but to make available a brief and informative "mouse click" such as "Bonneville Basics: Top Ten Questions" for them.

Newbies at all age levels come to this site for different reasons. I  think a newbie who stays on this site or moves on depends on how his first questions (post) are answered.

I would be disappointed if we lost a new site visitor like (for example: a young SPARKY or STAINLESS1) because he didn't get the answers he was looking for in his off-the-wall newbie question because he didn't read and understand the SCTA rule book yet.

McRat pointed out that newbie FAQs have to be babysat or Forum members have to be tolerant to newcomers asking repetitive questions.

My answer or suggestion comes in between McRat's two points. Provide a section: "The Bonneville Top Ten FAQs."

When ever I go to a new web site, I don't read everything on the homepage before I start clicking into a section of interest. If this is true with others, newbies can miss the FAQ's on Landracing.com's homepage.

My "in between" solution would be to put The Bonneville Top Ten FAQs inside of the Forum near the Bonneville General Chat section. Perhaps, to start out easy, The Bonneville Top Ten FAQs could be the same FAQs about Bonneville from the homepage that they may have missed. (Or develop a new set.) Leave the FAQs on the homepage, but duplicate them inside of the Forum.

I have made my suggestion and explained why. As a member that is part of my job. I have had my say. I don't want to start to sound like an attorney who keeps arguing one side of a case that has little interest in the community. 

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and Happy Speedweek.

Bill