Forum Revamp

[Ghost]

The forum has become somewhat messy and disorganised. I would like to restructure it slightly, rename some forums, add others, etc. Given below is my proposal for a new forum layout. Any input or suggestions much appreciated. 

A PLACE TO START - this forum includes a guide posted as a sticky explaining how to get the Pine64 up and running, noob questions and answers, and basic general discussion.

PROBLEMS, ISSUES, BUGS & SOLUTIONS - this forum is for discussion of various issues people have with the Pine64 and how to go about solving them. Could be further divided into more specific sub-forums, such as OS bug reports, display issues, power supply issues, etc.

USER PROJECTS - this forum is for people to propose and carry out their Pine64 related projects, so other people can follow along and add their help and advice along the way, if needed. A good example of this is Zoidano's car head unit: http://forum.pine64.org/showthread.php?tid=303

SUGGESTIONS - suggestions for improving the Pine64 in future iterations (adding USB 3.0, more RAM, different SoC, SATA, etc), improving the forum. Basically any constructive, helpful suggestions that can help to improve the Pine64 community.

SOFTWARE - this forum can largely remain as it is at the moment, there are many fantastic contributors already in this forum doing a great job.

HARDWARE - discussion of all things hardware-related, i.e. AllWinner SoC, GPIO, USB interface, Ethernet, etc.

PERIPHERALS - talk about keyboards, remotes, pointers, WiFi dongles, all plug-in peripheral-related things.

GENERAL CHAT - a place to talk about non-Pine64 things - movies, games, travel, work, etc.


The current official Pine64 NEWS forum does not have much activity. It could either be revamped (maybe as PINE64 OFFICIAL or something), or merged into the other forums.

Please all comment and let me know your thoughts on this. The better we can make this forum and the access to relevant information for people searching for solutions, the more useful it will be.

[tkaiser]

The forum has become somewhat messy and disorganised

Would you put this thread here to Software or hardware? http://forum.pine64.org/showthread.php?tid=648 (it's about enabling hardware through software, originated in 'General discussion' forum and has been moved by an ill-minded mod to the 'Project Idea and Suggestion' forum where no one will search for something like this).

This forum is close to useless at the moment (and will remain so unless the Pine64 folks do start to procude a quickstart guide to help newbies get their boards up and running. 50% of the posts could be avoided by this, spreading wrong information in the forums again and again could stop and users would be a lot more happy)

[rahlquist]

All of it sounds good, but above all as someone who has done a ton of support over the years, you need sticky threads immediately. Even if all you do is start a past and ask others to respond with threads they feel others should read.

[Ghost]

The forum has become somewhat messy and disorganised

Would you put this thread here to Software or hardware? http://forum.pine64.org/showthread.php?tid=648 (it's about enabling hardware through software, originated in 'General discussion' forum and has been moved by an ill-minded mod to the 'Project Idea and Suggestion' forum where no one will search for something like this).

This forum is close to useless at the moment (and will remain so unless the Pine64 folks do start to procude a quickstart guide to help newbies get their boards up and running. 50% of the posts could be avoided by this, spreading wrong information in the forums again and again could stop and users would be a lot more happy)

Heh, that was me who moved that thread, apologies for my ill-mindedness. I can't recall my justification for moving it there now, it could be that it got moved by accident. 

According to the proposed headings, I would put it under Software, since software is being used to enable hardware. Under what header (either existing or yet-to-be created) would you say it should belong?

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All of it sounds good, but above all as someone who has done a ton of support over the years, you need sticky threads immediately. Even if all you do is start a past and ask others to respond with threads they feel others should read.

You mean a sticky thread with links to other useful threads?

[rahlquist]

[quote pid='6037' dateline='1460918638']

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All of it sounds good, but above all as someone who has done a ton of support over the years, you need sticky threads immediately. Even if all you do is start a past and ask others to respond with threads they feel others should read.

You mean a sticky thread with links to other useful threads?
[/quote]

Yeah consider it triage to slow the bleeding. It works for huge forums like http://forum.xda-developers.com/ they deal with millions of posts. 

For example I own an LG G4 when I go to the LG G4 general forum there they have a Sticky rollup thread that links to 90% of what people need to know http://forum.xda-developers.com/g4/gener...d-t3128004

This way you arent recreating all the good content that is already here. Just making it really fast and easy to find for the search impaired. Also search doesnt always work for everything.

[tkaiser]

According to the proposed headings, I would put it under Software, since software is being used to enable hardware. Under what header (either existing or yet-to-be created) would you say it should belong?

Doesn't matter! This is stuff that might pop up in any subforum but needs to be adopted (maintaining documentation and not forum crap). And this is the real problem with this forum. All real information posted here is already lost since no one can make use of it.

Since the Pine64 folks still don't care (absolutely unbelievable regarding the many many problems their users have even getting the boards to boot) the best option would be: good mods parse the threads for information and add/relink relevant stuff to sticky threads in the forum where it belongs to.

The example how to enable UART through device tree manipulation might pop up in the software forum but the relevant bits should be added to a sticky thread in the hardware forum (since people need this bit of information when they want to use a hardware feature: the UART interfaces of the board which are disabled by default)

[androsch]

And this is the real problem with this forum. All real information posted here is already lost since no one can make use of it.

Since the Pine64 folks still don't care (absolutely unbelievable regarding the many many problems their users have even getting the boards to boot) the best option would be: good mods parse the threads for information and add/relink relevant stuff to sticky threads in the forum where it belongs to.

Just my 2cents: While i'm using this forum also for some times, i absolutely agree to tkaiser regarding the organizing point of it.

A good forum, regardless of the themes and amounts of posts, guides the user and sticks the important information on top of each subforum.
So its useless to argue about single subforums or where do we put this or that, one needs to organize this mess quickly and gives new users some main informations about the first steps after receiving his board. The main posts are about booting problems, and this is a killing shot for every backer. If he (or she) received a board and isnt capable to boot it, its the worst thing to happen for the Pine and bad news will spread quicker than good news.
So just start organizing the solutions how to handle the board, how to get a running OS and what users need to do and whats needed in terms of hardware/parts to ensure it.
Next step is to stop the overall posting about all the same problems and create some rules for new posts.
While i hopefully (maybe too much) assume, the boards have been checked before sending, i assume with the correct software and parts every board should successfully boot.
If they will not, then you can also stop instantly trying to organize this mess [emoji53]

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[Ghost]

As I've said elsewhere, this forum could do with someone maintaining it full-time. Whereas when I began answering questions on the original kickstarter campaign comments section I had a bunch of free time, now my actual job and other commitments gets in the way of dropping by here so often, and every time I do come back, the same issues and questions are repeated over and over, often in new threads, creating a multiplicity of essentially identical threads.

I want to help out around here, I do, but I'm not sure I'm the right person to be attempting to put the forum back in order (the incorrect moving of that UART thread (regardless of reason) being case in point) on my own.

[TeaPack]

Pine Official forum is definitely missing here, KS information are painfully obsolete and some Pine demos should be released somewhere...

[androsch]

As I've said elsewhere, this forum could do with someone maintaining it full-time. Whereas when I began answering questions on the original kickstarter campaign comments section I had a bunch of free time, now my actual job and other commitments gets in the way of dropping by here so often, and every time I do come back, the same issues and questions are repeated over and over, often in new threads, creating a multiplicity of essentially identical threads.

I want to help out around here, I do, but I'm not sure I'm the right person to be attempting to put the forum back in order (the incorrect moving of that UART thread (regardless of reason) being case in point) on my own.

I didn't mean you personally had to do the job, but somebody has to. It has to be an essential interest for the Pine64 guys to provide accurate and actual information for the backers. I dont know who set up this forum or works as mod, but at the moment this KS project is turning into a disaster if more and more people receive their board and aren't able to use it because of inaccurate and outdated information from various sources and websites.

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