Launchpad itself

Bug #393403
Comment #2

Comment 2 for bug 393403

Revision history for this message

Tom (tom6) wrote on 2009-06-29:

Thanks Chris :)

Of the possible answers i suggested that leaves flagging or bumping questions somehow and also changing the Launchpad janitor's answer to be a little less unhelpful by adding "https://help.ubuntu.com/community/HowToGetHelp" to it's message. I'm sure other people could come up with other ideas too.

Flagging could be explored using this detailing of a traffic-light system
https://bugs.launchpad.net/launchpad-answers/+bug/324794/comments/1

The problem is not caused by a lack of work and people being slack - far from it! A phenomenal amount of work is being done and not just by developers. The cause is a combination of 3 factors; launchpad janitors message, the way questions expire and the lack of functionality in launchpad to easily look up questions that have remained unsolved after 5 days (going with the detail of the traffic-light suggestion as an example). People are unable to adopt positions in defence or fall-back positions and there's only so much that can usefully be done in 'striker' positions.

If my answering a question means that a developer wont also try to help that person then i should definitely stop answering and we should stop anyone else from answering unless they have proved that they can solve the problem! The times that launchpad really gets it right (with long-running questions) seem to be the few times when more than one person helps and ideas get bounced around or when a quick response from a very techie type gets detailed out by someone else without the technical skill but able to talk to the user using words they are more likely to understand.

Karma points are possibly more highly valued than makes much sense given how useful they are. They are good fun to play for and a good way of realising how much one has done - although mine got exaggerated ridiculously quite early but then i have put in a fair bit of time too. Anyway they are valued even if they aren't worth much ;)

Thanks for your response Chris. I hope i was able to clarify things a bit there.
Good luck and regards from
Tom :)

Thanks Chris :)

Of the possible answers i suggested that leaves flagging or bumping questions somehow and also changing the Launchpad janitor's answer to be a little less unhelpful by adding "https://help.ubuntu.com/community/HowToGetHelp" to it's message.  I'm sure other people could come up with other ideas too.

Flagging could be explored using this detailing of a traffic-light system
https://bugs.launchpad.net/launchpad-answers/+bug/324794/comments/1

The problem is not caused by a lack of work and people being slack - far from it!  A phenomenal amount of work is being done and not just by developers.  The cause is a combination of 3 factors;  launchpad janitors message, the way questions expire and the lack of functionality in launchpad to easily look up questions that have remained unsolved after 5 days  (going with the detail of the traffic-light suggestion as an example).  People are unable to adopt positions in defence or fall-back positions and there's only so much that can usefully be done in 'striker' positions.

If my answering a question means that a developer wont also try to help that person then i should definitely stop answering and we should stop anyone else from answering unless they have proved that they can solve the problem!  The times that launchpad really gets it right (with long-running questions) seem to be the few times when more than one person helps and ideas get bounced around or when a quick response from a very techie type gets detailed out by someone else without the technical skill but able to talk to the user using words they are more likely to understand.

Karma points are possibly more highly valued than makes much sense given how useful they are.  They are good fun to play for and a good way of realising how much one has done - although mine got exaggerated ridiculously quite early but then i have put in a fair bit of time too.  Anyway they are valued even if they aren't worth much ;)

Thanks for your response Chris.  I hope i was able to clarify things a bit there.
Good luck and regards from
Tom :)