[krad]

Would it be a good idea to sticky a thread up top for new users to look at...

The thread should consist of a quick summary of the 15 top most asked things about the 8100...

It should point out the pitfalls of the oz messenger and explain about os upgrades and point to the proper thread. Probably a section about instant messengers and any latest offical updates so people don't ask every day when aol instant messenger is coming out from rim.

Most people will say no one would read it, but i disagree. If it is created and people are pointed to that thread sticky at the top we could have alot less repeat posts and probably more educated new users.

what do you think?

[paulbblc]

I believe it would be a good idea, however if people just used the search feature we could achieve the same results.

[DallasAtty]

As a new 8100 user, I would like that very much and would definately use it. I don't think people intend to ask the same questions over and over, and if they had a repository of information that would answer the more common questions, they'd probably tend to look there instead of posting. That's true for me, at least.

[Mjimenez0]

I think that would be good cause when you do a search it sometimes gets pretty longggggggggg and sometimes things are discuss in a topic that wasn't part of the topic. So i think that would be a good idea.

[Stinsonddog]

There is always my tips sheet and if people are interested in adding to it cause I missed something (I don't actually have a Pearl) I am happy to add to it.

[kathrynhr]

Absolutely. Even if it only had the 10 most commonly asked questions in it, it would help. I mean, how often do we get "I don't have a browser icon" threads?

[blakeatl]

Stinsonddog I need your site more than ever now. I just got a 8700c for work and it has me feeling noobish. I feel so vulnerable now after thinking I was a semi-pro with the Pearl.

[DrMoze]

Or the "how do I get my favorite app icons on the main page?" or "how do I get rid of double-click?" etc.

Howzabout a sticky in HUGE BOLD LETTERS that includes most-asked questions plus links to the tip sheet and threads, *plus* some suggestions in BOLD to Read the Manual that came with their Pearl and Use the Search Function?

I think this forum is awesome for finding and sharing great Pearl info. But it seems every day there is someonenew adding a bunch of threads asking the same basic questions *again*. Not that there's anything wrong with asking, but 90% of them could be answered by reading the manual and/or doing a quick search.

The end result is there's a huge number of redundant threads, and the "good" ones get buried fast, requiring a search to find even recent topics.

I appreciate the patience of members here who answer the same basic q's over and over (I've done so myself on occasion), but it does get kind of old.

Another item for the New Member stickie/general forum rules: Remind people to use *informative* thread titles! There ar ea million threads entitled "I have a Pearl question" or "New BB - Help!" etc. This does not help in attracting people to read and provide info. Plus it makes it harder to follow up on interesting topics because the title is so generic.

[Mjimenez0]

Good suggestion and that will make it easier to search too.

[solitaire]

I am new here, (by the way, great forum!!) and to Blackberry and as yet do not know much about the Pearl. I do myself use the xxx8216;searchxxx8217; on this site and so far it has pointed me to the subject I am interested in.

I note that it is suggested we xxx8216;read the manualxxx8217; good idea!

But something even better I think and complimentary to the written manual, is visiting a Demonstrator site. I have found one here in the UK which is very informative and walks you through most of the functions. You can find it at

blackberrypearl.co.uk/8100demo/

[DrMoze]

Great link Sol! I think this should be featured prominently in the New User stickie (if one gets voted in. $^)

I realize the majority of people these days are quite manual-phobic, but I also discovered (being a "manual-phile!) that there is a lot of important and useful info in the Pearl manual and card that might be hard to discover by "just playing around with it."

The site you linked is a great visual presentation of the Pearl info that might be acceptable to those who hate to read.... $^)

[solitaire]

Glad you liked the Pearl 8100 Demonstrator site Dr Mose!

[izzi_b]

Good idea. i wish there was a sticky like that when i got my BB. I would probably
have half the post i have right now.

[dgray8]

I think it would be a good idea....since many people will ask questions but don't use the right terms in the search....or they title their thread different which makes it hard for others to search.

[secrecyguy]

Funny you should ask that. I was thinking the same thing. I was planning to make a post about it and ask the mod to sticky it for me.

[d_fisher]

@ secrecyguy and krad

If you make a post containing all that information we will be glad to sticky it. Forums like this can't exist without the help of our members.

[aaronkt]

Originally Posted by paulbblc

I believe it would be a good idea, however if people just used the search feature we could achieve the same results.

Agreed. I posted something another post about maybe the mods could bump all the post that we started 4 months ago when we all got ours then. I would think it would cut down on the dup posts.

[SanFrancisco]

Sure that would be a good thing to have, but the problem is that without enforcement few people would read it.

Currently it is against the rules to tell members to do a search, no matter if the question indicates the person did not read squat on what's posted on BBF and/or they expect people to act as their personal tech support on the most basic features of the phone.

The biggest violators are new members who apologize for being a noob, lie about having done a search, then ask questions on topics that have been discussed ad nauseum. I don't think these people will read a sticky no matter what.

Then there are those who start threads asking "what programs should I get" or "convince me why I should get the Pearl."

What needs to be done to clean up the Forum that is littered with such nonsense is for the mods to delete threads that are duplicative, poorly written or indicate that the person has not done a search.

It's getting very old to see thread after thread that simply are repeats of what has been talked about one week ago or on "page two" of BBF.

I see:

"How Do I Get Video To Play"

"What is a good case to buy"

"Will a 2GB card work on the Pearl"

"How do I upgrade the OS"

"I lost my auto-dim when I upgraded"

"The trackball lights up different colors when a call comes in"

"How do I delete more than one e-mail at a time"

Well, BBF has been around a lot longer than I have been a member, so far be it for me to have any standing to complain. But the above is what I have noticed.

I am not saying that new members should be slapped in the face when posting questions, but it sure gets old sorting through all the threads to find the good stuff. I really get tired of seeing threads with titles like "Pearl question" "Noob needs help" "I screwed up" "Got my Pearl" "A few questions" "help me please" "How do you"

But back to the topic, I'd like to see a sticky with perhaps the top 20 questions answered. But, I'd like to see a change in the rules that allows us to tell new members "do a search and see the sticky."

Just my opinion.

[Pizzle]

To be clear, ONLY telling members to search is what we shun.

Telling them the answer and pointing out that there's a search feature is not something I would ever get worked up about.

There's a big difference between:

"Welcome to the forums...the answer to your question is XXXXX...also, please note that there's a search feature above that should help you get answers to many common questions new Blackberry owners seek answers to."

Versus

"This has been answered a million times. Try a search you f#$%ing n00b."

The latter is what the rules are meant to eliminate.

Also, as the 8100 is a consumer-targeted device, it's no surprise that the BB IQ level of that particular forum has suffered. More and more people every day are exposed to a BB for the first time. Those of us that are vets of the product have to deal with it. So it goes.

As stated above, if someone wants to put together a comprehensive thread for such a sticky, we'll be happy to bookmark it for others (see: Stinsonddog).

However, this forum runs on the collective info from the masses, not the mod team preaching to the people. While I'd love to put together said doc for everyone, who's got the time? Not I.

I also fall into the group of folks that feel that posting a lengthy thread with all that info will do little good. People still have to root through it to find what they want, which is the same as searching. And those that don't want to search, will not want to do so. So, basically, we'll be making a sticky for the lot of folks that are interested in finding the answers and are willing to track them down. Seems redundant to me.

Just my opinion...

[secrecyguy]

Originally Posted by Pizzle

I also fall into the group of folks that feel that posting a lengthy thread with all that info will do little good. People still have to root through it to find what they want, which is the same as searching. And those that don't want to search, will not want to do so. So, basically, we'll be making a sticky for the lot of folks that are interested in finding the answers and are willing to track them down. Seems redundant to me.

You may have a good point there but sometimes doing a search will not find you what you are looking for.

I was looking for my old poll I did about which IM do you use and I was not able to find it during my search. The reason I was looking for it is I want to review it and make a new updated poll on it.

It also took me a while looking for my old post about Shield Zone. I now have it link at couple of other threads now so I will be able to find easy.

So if we have a sticky that answer the most commonly asked questions, if someone post a question, we can take a quick look at the sticky and give them a link to the post that answer their question.