anthrxmilkshake 86 Share Posted July 25, 2017 So we've all dealt with them. Even if you have a tiny member base, and guests are rare, you've dealt with the continued question. Usually they are SO repeated that you cross your eyes at your computer screen and wish you've kept the answer on a sticky note so you could just copy/paste it into chat..but that would be rude, so you type up a response and smile. Don't deny it...you know you do it. Or maybe I'm a butthead. Lol Anyway, aside from the usual "I added it to the F.A.Q." what is your way of dealing with repeat questions? Do you update your information in a continued effort to make the answer more obvious? Do you rage quit? Joking. Sometimes these questions aren't just repeated, they're so easily answered in all of the information you spent so long typing up that you just don't understand how they don't know the answer. I want to hear horror stories....you know...without being rude...so...PG horror stories. BABOS-A laid back survival roleplay-Coming soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Death Kitten 200 Share Posted July 25, 2017 I politely point out where the info can be found, and then answer it anyways. Sometimes my players jump in and help if the question is in the group chat... But I've noticed a lot of people just pm me to ask. I guess I've just spent too much time in the open source community, because I don't understand why people ask simple questions in private. I mean, if it's something about a hidden part of a character you're developing, or a surprise but of plot, okay... But something everyone deals with? Ask where everyone can see it, so everyone benefits. And seriously, if people are shaming you for asking questions? I'll hit them over the head with a flamingo. It may be annoying to get the same question over and over again, but I'd rather people ask questions than make assumptions. No matter the question, no matter how many times I get asked it. 1 1 Captain Amelia Waterhouse, Commanding Officer =/\= Join =/\= Roster & Openings =/\= Rules =/\= Chat =/\= "It is human nature to yearn to be what we were never intended for. It is singular, but it is so." -Mark Twain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VirusZero 176 Share Posted July 25, 2017 I haven't had many issues here really. Sure the odd person who asks a common question. But when that happens I just link them to the answer. Not to be rude, but I've already typed this out once... I'm not going to do so again (nor will I copy and paste). It just wastes my time and kind of defeats the point of me having the FAQ if I still have to type it out/copy and paste for them. (I also don't think it's rude to just give them the link either. It's like I'll show you where the info is, but it's on you to actually go read it. If you won't do that bit then I can't help you. ) Now if they had a unique take/aspect on a common question. Like if their question was "How can I set up a rotating avatar?" then that's a whole other story. I'll answer them then probably update the FAQ to reflect it. 1 "There are three sides to every story... Your side, their side, and then somewhere in the middle is the truth." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Icewolf 258 Share Posted July 27, 2017 (edited) A lot of the time, I just think people ask questions because they don't bother reading the forum's documentation properly because if they read it, they'd get their answer! Though, I do think that sometimes people do have legitimate questions, so I created an help board for it so they can ask (so that people who come along who have the same question can hopefully, find the answer easily. What I hate though are questions to obvious things being asked in the c-box, or when a new member seems to want you to create their character for them. This is apparent because they don't seem to know anything about the fandom, and even when I've directed them to wikis and other online sites for the fandom where you can easily find the answer, they'll still ask it. I don't know what stops them from doing their own research on things as that's something I've always done. (Of course, wikis, etc, don't always cover everything properly.) I'm a bit perplexed sometimes as to why people ask certain questions because they can see it at a glance in the forum structure. Edited July 27, 2017 by Icewolf 1 Legends of Arda Character Archives Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zahhy 130 Share Posted July 27, 2017 (edited) I don't have many real horror stories about questions. Maybe my sight isn't as active as others but I never get annoyed at repeated questions. If someone asks something that seems simple or repetitive to me I answer it but then I go and I update our new user guide and our FAQ. I also almost never have to answer questions myself because my members usually jump at the chance to talk to guests. (Seriously my active members are so great and wonderful and I don't know what I would do without them. Probably cry.) I dread questions that are game-breaking things and ignore the lore. "Can I have a character that hears all dragons? Can I have a white dragon? Can I have 9 firelizards? Can I have a hamster?" No. No you cannot. Edited July 27, 2017 by Zahhy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rune 1,099 Share Posted July 27, 2017 I've set "is this site active" as a filter to just be "yes we're active" and yet, somehow, they keep finding new ways to phrase it to get past the filter. Most of my members are ridiculously good at answering repeat questions and if someone gets too... Obvious in the fact that they haven't read anything, we gently suggest that they do so. "Hey, maybe go read the werewolf info, you'll probably find most of the answers you're after in there." Others, we're used to. Even if they can be gleaned from context, we get asked them a lot and the answers are pretty simple. Though, my personal favorites are the ones that don't look at the ranks and immediately assume they can have one. 2 Heart of the Community 2018 Cry Wolf - 18+ AU Mercy Thompson (Urban Fantasy) RP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bamf 11 Share Posted July 28, 2017 On GAM we are comic canon only. So we don't allow television or movie origins. This is stated throughout the process of applying. The other day, I had to remind the same member 5+ times that we don't use the CW origins. I'm going to chalk it up, to them being excited and what not. Lol but it was a little eye crossing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peregyr 10 Share Posted July 30, 2017 In general, I don't mind directing people to the correct info threads and answering repeated questions. I understand there can be a lot of info on a site and it's easy to get lost, and I'm happy to help people how I can. However, there are certain questions I get time and time again that admittedly do get on my nerves. My personal favourites are usually along the lines of: "Pern canon is awful and I hate it, can you change X and Y and Z?" quietly cries inside "Why can't my 20 year old character be an accomplished senior researcher and Impress a dragon?" Where are you finding these twenty-somethings with PhDs and tons of published papers. Why can't I be one of them. (Maybe they exist. But those people are unicorns.) In my experience...the best you can do is be polite and firm. I try to swallow my frustration, tell them gently--but make it clear--what the answer is. It's annoying, but ultimately, there's no point in engaging beyond that. I don't have the energy to fight every battle that comes my way. DX 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts