Etiquette in this category?

I have always understood this section as a place to ask for “help” that other forums do not distinctly cover.

For example new players ask for help concerning a 1940 global rules question - this should go to “Global 1940”.
For example new players ask for help concerning a TripleA software issue - this should go to “Software”.

Those questions asked by “New Players” should not go to “Player Help”, IMHO - as this would create sort of a multi-subject-chaos and redundancies.

But questions for “help” concerning common problems, that cannot distinctly be assigned to another forum, do belong here.
From the variety of the latest topics here we can see, that there is not much repetition or redundancy.

All in all I don’t feel the need for a special etiquette on this section of the forum… it is not overloaded and not too frequented, IMHO.

@djensen:

Also, have we already been operating this way here?

Yes, I think so … I cannot remember any answer here that instructed the questioner to search for an answer before posting.

But: We probably need to better describe the search function of the forum.
My feeling is that some users are distracted by the Google searchbar, that gives “suboptimal” results.
The more elaborated “Search” function to be found in the menu does not appear to be very well known (and used).

Such questions almost always engender helpful replies dj rather than instructions to re-read the rules or search the forum. There are many members only too happy to help.

Like Panther has said, I would answer any question asked as if it had not been asked before. I do not want to scare off or antagonise any new member or questioner. It is not hard to be polite and helpful.

@P@nther:

But: We probably need to better describe the search function of the forum.
My feeling is that some users are distracted by the Google searchbar, that gives “suboptimal” results.
The more elaborated “Search” function to be found in the menu does not appear to be very well known (and used).

The more elaborate search function is missing on most peoples pages. We only have the crappy google one.

@Bob77:

…
The more elaborate search function is missing on most peoples pages. We only have the crappy google one.

This is how the menu looks when I am not logged in:

This is how the menu looks when I am logged in:

This is how the search looks like:

Of course you have to be logged in to use this feature.
But are you saying that some most members don’t have that feature despite being logged in?

Even though I’ve probably seen it hundreds of times i never used the search button. Always did the google one. I guess I must’ve just thought they were the same but really I didn’t even think of it as a option.

If the top bar was made bigger or a different color that might help. I was on here for months before I even realized I had a message. It just doesn’t stand out much.

I’ll never use the google one again : )

Sorry, dont know how to screen shot…here is the copy paste method…from left to right mine reads…

HOME HELP PROFILE MY MESSAGES MEMBERS AACALC LOGOUT

Custom Search
Search
… The “custom search” above is the text in the google typing field/window
The “search” above is the command to start the google search.

I read somewhere in this forum that only certain levels of donors have the good search function. I assumed this would be taken care of with the new software since dj shoehorned the first announcement in a discussion concerning this same search bar issue

@Bob77:

Sorry, dont know how to screen shot…here is the copy paste method…from left to right mine reads…

HOME HELP PROFILE MY MESSAGES MEMBERS AACALC LOGOUT

Custom Search
Search
… The “custom search” above is the text in the google typing field/window
The “search” above is the command to start the google search.

I read somewhere in this forum that only certain levels of donors have the good search function. I assumed this would be taken care of with the new software since dj shoehorned the first announcement in a discussion concerning this same search bar issue

Interesting, and good point then! So the task would be to not only describe (how to find) the search function but to also point out the criteria to be able to use it.