[Mdraluck23]

Isn't that what any thread is for? Or the Members lounge? You could take any topic into it's own thread in the right place. It's the suggestions that I personally feel don't have a place...
 
Yeah, In general I do feel that people (myself included) should stop going off topic in others people's threads.... It's a bad habit.

 

[ardgedee]

I don't mean to turn it into an excuse for brushing people off.
 
Ideally it'd be a place for somebody to start a thread about whatever the derail is, and then invite the newbie and whomever else is involved to join it there. Otherwise it's just a forum-normalized way to say, "Now now, adults are talking here. You go to the kids table and do your thing with the other kids," and that's no good.
 
Part of this stems from the general culture here that's against starting new threads all the time, since there's always some thread, somewhere, about whatever minutae you might have a question about. The problem arises that if you're new, you can't necessarily tell whether you should start a new thread on a topic because you aren't familiar enough with the place to know what is and isn't welcome as a new topic starter. And even if you did some diligence you might not necessarily know you should be asking a headphone question in some years-old thread, even if the regulars there are currently discussing vintage cars.
 
So, in a sense, this welcome center/newbie forum would be a forum specifically for starting threads with relatively narrow topic focus and short life expectancies.
 
I don't know if I'm proposing a course of action or just thinking aloud first; I guess it's because it seemed to me that the OP's original posited problem (product recommendations) was relevant to phenomena I've been seeing, and I'm wondering whether there's a single means of dealing with them.

 

[Mdraluck23]

Well then, that too I suppose!

 

[khaos974]

IMHO, a newbie/recommendation subforum is a double edged thing, I normally answer to a lot of beginner posts, because I see them when I go to the usual forum sections, if you quarantine them into a sub forum, experienced people won't specifically check this section to see if they could help. You are essentially creating an area where newbies answer newbies, and they'll be shocked when the arrive on the *real* Head-Fi.
 
Granted,this was a slight exaggeration, but I think there's quite a bit of truth in it.

 

[slapshot30]

Yes but at the same time you have all the whiny veterans (only some are like this) on here that get so annoyed with noobs posting threads like that. It seems to me that there is a good amount of people on here that love to help and I'd like to think a lot of them would spend just a couple minutes on there a day to lend a hand.

 

[Mdraluck23]

Quote:

IMHO, a newbie/recommendation subforum is a double edged thing, I normally answer to a lot of beginner posts, because I see them when I go to the usual forum sections, if you quarantine them into a sub forum, experienced people won't specifically check this section to see if they could help. You are essentially creating an area where newbies answer newbies, and they'll be shocked when the arrive on the *real* Head-Fi.
 
Granted,this was a slight exaggeration, but I think there's quite a bit of truth in it.

Well, a lot of the time, I go on Head-Fi just looking to help people. That's just me though, I see what you are saying, but lots of people just ignore help requests no matter where they are.

 

[ardgedee]

I do most of my reading here by checking the latest-updated threads on the homepage and on my user profile page. So I end up reading threads picked out of all kinds of forums, even those I probably wouldn't consider visiting directly all that often. And like Mdraluck23, I try to help when I can.
 
Tracking a stable RSS feed of a specific help forum would probably take less effort.
 
But like I said, I'd be concerned about a newbies forum turning into the head-fi kids table. And I'm sure a number of people directed to try a newbies forum would take offense at being considered a newbie, even if they're asking newbie questions.

 

[maverickronin]

You could avoid the "kids table" problem by putting all recommendations into that sub-forum.  Not just M50 vs AD770 vs MS1 but LCD-2 vs HE-6, BHSE vs WES, etc...

 

[Mdraluck23]

Quote:

You could avoid the "kids table" problem by putting all recommendations into that sub-forum.  Not just M50 vs AD770 vs MS1 but LCD-2 vs HE-6, BHSE vs WES, etc...

That was my initial plan... just overall recommendation forums. I still think it is best.
 
Maybe put a post limit before starting your own thread too, say three. (This could be a terrible idea, slap me if I'm wrong)

 

[Hero Kid]

Good idea - would be nice to clear out respective subforums from the constant bombardment of new members asking "what should I buy with x amount of money?".
 
 

 

[Mdraluck23]

Quote:

Good idea - would be nice to clear out respective subforums from the constant bombardment of new members asking "what should I buy with x amount of money?".
 
 

I basically find every thread like that, and try to help, but I would say 75% are M50.

 

[JGOelfke]

I think a set of forums for recommendations like that would be a great idea. I know that I have tried to help people on similar threads that have thousands of posts on them, and it is too much of an inconvenience to have to go back and search for the post you are responding to, and to find someone's response, and so on. I portion of Head-Fi that is 100% dedicated to helping new users find headphones would make the process much easier on both ends.

 

[Mdraluck23]

So... I feel like we have enough support to not feel like a dummy-head by adding a link in my signature.

 

[R-Audiohead]

As mentioned, I do not prefer giving advice on one giant thread, either.
 
I realize it was a tad messy, but I personally didn't mind all the noobies posting their own thread and getting specific help.  I understand that usually the "helper" would end up just posting a link to another related thread at times, but in many cases, there is at least SOME unique nature to the request.
 
I am not sure fencing off all the noobs to one area is a good idea either, as mentioned before.  This could cause some neglect.
 
To me this forum really has two points to it (Which are somewhat linked)
1. For new users to get advice and utilize some experienced individuals - enabling them to be smart consumers.
2. For experienced users to stay updated and discuss opinions of new/old gear, etc.
-Essentially, obtain knowledge on the subject of head-fi
 
 
Thirdly, I'm sure companies (ex. FiiO) use this place a lot as a sort of customer feedback.  A lot of this feedback comes from the recommendation forums b/c specific recommendations are justified on one's personal needs in a broad discussion format.  As we know, this will only help to produce better future products.
 
I feel the organization issues some complain about by people posting their own thread is WAY less of a headache than getting ignored on a giant thread.  I have personally found myself choosing not to answer some questions because so many posts have occurred between the two I don't even know if it'll get to the right person.  Arguably, I could be told to suck it up and just post it anyways... I do understand that
 
Expert users who wish to avoid those threads know how to do so anyways.  Aren't we suppose to be welcoming of new comers and make it as easy as possible for them?
 
Just some thoughts...
 
No harsh feelings if any were perceived.

 

[Mdraluck23]

I feel like sharing this website. I feel I may use it often, I just discovered it today. It's called "Let me google that for you."
 
What does it do?
LINK
 
Quite useful!