I see you don’t want this discussion to continue and I agree with this. I don’t think this would be a good change to force the template in #help-and-feedback and I respect your opinion too.
Hope you’re doing well!
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Not really sure how effective this would be. Users can still post little to no information regarding the issue, while following the template. Currently, users ignore/ delete the current templates, which is understandable because it’s there for guidance. A forced template still has the same problem you detailed in your paragraph, that being users providing little context.
And if users are providing little context, yes it’s considered spam, but isn’t that the same ‘spam’ the forum is experiencing in these categories? How will this make an impact, and how will this be any different for reducing the spam in these categories?
Besides, doesn’t seem like the #help-and-feedback categories are experiencing high levels of ‘undetailed thread’ noise to be that big of a problem.
Tho interesting concept.
You answered your questions yourself.
You even said that #help-and-feedback doesn’t contain lots of un-detailed topics. This would mean most would follow the template and it would be easier to navigate between posts. This would categorize different parts of the issue and make solving the issue less trouble.
Some users topics in wrong categories, and lately #help-and-feedback has been the target for these topics. Probably because it has the name help in its name. With the forced template, they would be forced to provide every detail about their building/scripting/game design issue. The users that place topics in wrong categories usually provide short low-quality content. If it forced them to put more information, some would just walk away and not create the topic.
<< please read through of all this before replying to me >>
The forum is not a place where users join and expect no standard for etiquette. Many users are capable of posting correctly in the Help and feedback categories.
It’s not a bug report where engineers are looking for critical info regarding an issue, nor is that people are incapable of finding OP’s problem with a bit more clarity (asking questions)
Forcing users to use a format is counterproductive to the learning experience behind posting topics. It doesn’t encourage rational thinking where users post and structure their threads on their own accord, nor does it ask for an understanding of the category rules before posting such a topic. It simply spoon-feeds a format, increasing the dependency on the format itself and not actually an understanding of why is it used/ unique to its subcategory. If everyone was required to follow a format, then essentially, no-one would understand the notion of their topic being unreasonable (due to limited/vague context) unless they intentionally bypass the template. And to know what is unreasonable on your own accord without purposefully bypassing and referring to other things such as a template is essential to a forum where people are continuously posting thousands of topics and replies.
The less detailed help and feedback threads usually go unanswered, so it’s really not an issue. Those OP’s should consider why they received no help and come to terms with a reasonable reason, e.g - limited information, problem is too hard for community to solve, etc.
Also, such posting standards may restrain the user’s flexibility to express their issue, possibly in a simpler, less detailed but easily understandable manner. Sure be descriptive, but users should have flexibility over how their thread is structured.
Would mean, but should they? If the majority of users are capable of posting threads correctly, then there should be no need for a forced format. That’s an equivalent statement to your statement.
Really don’t see the trouble in spending a minute or so to find different parts of the issue. If the OP has provided the error and other details, regardless of whether their topic is structured or not, you can find a solution. Not a big deal.
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