Since I have started moderating more actively (again) there has been a lot of feedback in a lot of threads about how this forum is run. I have cleaned up the sticky threads, have started some "reference" threads, and have tried to regulate the riff-raff in here as best as I can.

This is your chance to tell me what can be done to improve it. This is a FREE discussion. No whoring, but I WILL be taking CONSTRUCTIVE criticism. This is your forum AND mine, so I want for people to like what is offered here.

Please be clear and try not to throw personal insults my way.

JUST A BIT OF BACKGROUND ON ME (here I go again):
First off, I no longer have a 4th gen. My second one (an I30t, actually) was totalled in October of 2004. I also no longer even have a Maxima- I traded in my wife's 2000 5MT SE for a Pilot after we had a baby last fall. In case the could not add that up, I am married (and therefore have a life OUTSIDE of the org), and I have a baby at home, so my evenings are NOT spent here watching new posts. On top of that, I have a job, which graciously lets me check the org from time to time during the day. Lastly, I really enjoy participating on sites for my current vehicle, which further limits me being on here.

That being said, I am on here almost daily, and I try to keep an eye on everything. In the past, I have discussed TONS of subjects, many at great length. Because of that, I KNOW that a LARGE PORTION of the info that is requested in new threads COULD be found through the donor search OR the Google search. Because of that, it seems that i have little patience for repeat threads- and that is true. The information is out there. I am not trying to be a pr!ck when I tell people to search, or when I lock threads, but there can only be so many threads about certain subjects before we have beaten the subjet to death.

So back to the topic at hand: What can I do to improve this subforum?

 

Fix that thread that asks what year is the best max, but everyone knows its 97 or 98 anyways

 

Only admin can edit polls. And besides, that is a trick question- everyone knows that the best Maxima isn't a Maxima at all- it is an I30t 5MT with VLSD.

 

STICKY OF:

Y-pipe/exhaust info

Intake info

Tint info

Drop info (saw the thread, should be stuck)

Wheel opinion thread

Requests thread: "does anyone have....." I hate these in particular but they are not going to go away, might as well make a place for them.

fixed....

Sorry if my ideas are vague, but these topics are endlessly recurring.

 

Do you mean what they are, or do you mean what brands are recommended, or both (please be as specific as possible).

Do you mean tint laws, or tint percentage pics?

In the works.

These often turn into flame-fests, but I will see how other users feel about the need for that thread.

Elaborate, please- requests for pics, you mean?

Not if the I30 has Cefiro lights and a cefiro splitter!

Most were pretty clear. Just clarify what I asked about and I will take them under advisement.

 

The tint thread could be very useful, i am lost in trying to identify what percentage means what, how much is the legal tint limit (here in toronto) as well as how much is the avg price and pics of what different percentages look like (like same tint all around or front lighter than back + sunroof), lifetime warranty ect..

basically create an exclusive tint thread, there is not much of that here that i could find

 

I think there is some really good how-to's out there that are not included in the sticky. Some off the top of my head include how to change the heater core, the thread about the starting problem where they had to put a ground wire to the transmission, the recent thread on how to do a leak down test, auto-dimmer install, and several more. I just think the how to section is a little out dated.

 

Both FAQ and experiences with each brand/fittment issues etc.

Pics for questions about looks. I suppose posters COULD post legal limit.

Possibly just a 1 photo of your Max/rims for people to get an idea? It just comes up alot.

Yes, just an open thread. Requests and answers, no other comments.

Have you seen those "new" R34 headlights?

Deal.

 

I have been adding them. I added the leak-downand the heater core.

If you want to post links to the threads (you can PM me or just post them here) then I will add them.

I HATE to make the whole first page just a bunch of stickys, because then people just skip them all.

 

It seems like a good idea. I need to figure out how to format all of this "good" informatin in such a way that it is easy to find but does not make all of page 1 a bunch of stickys.

 

(I added numbers to make responding easier.)

1. Those threads are a good idea. I need to find good info to "populate" it, because let's face it, many of the 4th gen gurus no longer post here.
2. Pretty easy to accomodate. I have a (possibly outdated) chart of legal limits for the US.
3. There is a difference between a "reference" thread and an "opinion" thread.
4. I still am confused about what you mean here. Maybe I am too dense. All of your other ideas are logical, so it is likely that the problem is my lack of comprehension, not your lack of clarity.
5. Yes- but what is easier to do- cefiros and splitters on an I30 or a full front-end swap WITh adding a lip kit? Yeah, I thought so.

 

Personally I want to thank you for doing a good job of weeding out the crap post that people post – learn to search. There is a lot of info out there and if ppl don’t want to send in 10 to 20 bucks to have that option then o well – don’t ask. It takes a lot of time and money to run a site like this even if you don’t realize it. Its not a lot of money to spend to have a great site that gives you double or triple the info of a Haynes or Chiltons manual.

thankyou

 

Just put up a sticky that says A BUNCH OF MISCELLANEOUS INFO and whenever someone is too dumb to look, ppl will do the old "READ THE STICKIES NEWB!!" and throw up a link signifying the importance of this new sticky to those unaware.

 

I agree with the "Misc Question" thread.

Also a "The Great Picture Thread" like the one in the 5th gen stickies would be nice. Just my .02

 

i recently came across a thread regarding nico/maxima.org. lets not debate that here. but what I got from the thread is that we should all work on, and pass along a feeling of maxima brotherhood/friendship with our members.

repeat post and the search ordeal i know is a problem, but how do you handle that without coming off being rude ? like you were saying you have been here for ages, but what about the new guy that comes in and gets slaughtered for asking a simple question that he/she may not know the answer to?

on one hand if members who felt like answering the question kindly did that, then like your saying that would add to the 1000's of threads just like it. is there a pro or con ?

then on the flip side, a newbie questioned could be attacked with " do a search" or "read the stickies". i dont see anything wrong with this either if the tone is more like an encouraging pat on the back. like welcome to the org, but educate yourself with the stickies first, etc.

like me im just a member but the org is home as well, and for me personally I wouldnt wont the 4th gen forums to be a place where people are affraid to post, or feel intimidated.

anyways, i will always be a 4th gen, VQ fanatic, i would like us to all band together, respect one another, and do what we can as a whole to make our cars better, and of course faster ! ha !


good thread phenryiv1

 

My two cents...

IMHO, the site itself is not doing too bad. Maybe there is some info or links that don't work anymore in the stickies, but, overall it's fine for me.

It's the attitude of some of the members that come into question. There are many knowledeable people on here (and many who aren't). Those that are in the know should not beat others over the head with it, and those are NOT in the know should not try convince others that they are knowledgeable.

It's just human nature not to always pay attention even if things are in front of us, so there will ALWAYS be questions that may not be relevant or deemed unnecessary. But if the TONE of the responses to those questions were somewhat muted, I think the experience would be much more valuable and enjoyable.

The demographics of the site have to be pretty wide, from those are on here constantly, to those that only post when something is wrong. So when an infrequent poster comes on, asks a question and gets flamed for it, it's a 50/50 chance whether they will continue to come back or find another way to get the info they want. I would think we want people to come back here.

The bottom line from my perspective is:
We shouldn't say things on here that we are not willing to say if that person WAS STANDING RIGHT IN FRONT OF US.

 

You could break them off into diff. stickys where clicking on one link will take you onto another page that is riddled with stickys, like categories.

 

My only suggestion would be to move threads that belong in other subforums. E.g. brakes, tires, interior and audio, etc.

And anything that will help the worthless noob's who couldn't find their own name if they searched for it. No good ideas how to accomplish that.

Dave

 

You could also do a mandatory reading for newbs, where they cant post unless they read all (or a couple) of the stickys b4 they ask a question that is posted already but claim they searched when they really didnt. Or you could make the search button a mandatory method of getting info b4 they post, sort of like mandatory number of replies b4 they can start their own thread.

 

agreed, even with the 15 post limit, the newbs (hence the spelling not condescending like noobs) still post off topic and topics that have been bludgeoned. Maybe make the search feature for all users...

 

A trans thread would be nice, or even a whole forum section maybe. Starting from id plate decyphering to differences in the variety of trans. How to tell if vlsd (the different ways, not just jack up the car and spin the wheels-> Auto AND Manual cars also for the id). Info on VB mod, DR mod and shift_fast mod, et cetera. Swap info such as part #'s and how-to's. Problems and fixes.

Just my 2 cents

 

Free search feature would help

 

When a thread is answerd send you a note to have the thread closed so it wont get bumped 3 months later. It will cut down on clutter and crap threads.

 

I say sticky the "Hi im a noob and cant post yet" question thread.

 

I agree highly with Ceasars Chariot.

I think even if the 4th gen section remained as is, but the overall attitude of people got better, this section would be a whole lot better. It seems like people are quick to flame and attack someone or asking what possibly might be an easy question but to them, but the poster just doesn't know and thats the best way to find out, by asking.

I'm pretty confident a lot of people speak to others on here with a certain tone, but if they were actually standing in front of the person, they wouldn't have all this backbone, that they seem to have online.

Many get frustrated with repedative questions, stickying as much information as possible and help to reduce it, it will never go away because there will always be a lazy person who would rather post and get a direct response than figure it out them self.

I sadly think its just the age group/general behavior of those in this section. I frequent a lot on club lexus, and there are many young kids on there and do some dumb things, but when it gets posted up, you have some bashing here and there (as the original poster deserves) but its always still civil and always offers help.

We've made a lot of improvements I feel, there is the all motor section for the more advanced questions/desires/plans/aspirations

the suspension section I believe has sticked info on strut/spring combos

Members section could get a Tint Sticky with various pics, the wheels section could get a sticky with various wheel pics, make brand, size, etc.

I don't think the 4th gen section need much more besides more respectful people and less lazy people willing to search a little bit for an answer.





ninja edit: the "Iam a Noob..." thread was a Genius idea, and props who started it. It consolidated all the "noob" questions and gave people a place to post there questions and not worry about people flaming. If you go thru that thread, a lot of questions are easy and they probably could have found the answer had they searched, but everyone got there question answered and with much more respect. I wonder why

 

I definitly agree.

 

free search would help as well, but at present there doesnt seem like there is much we can do about that, other than the alternate methods of search.

for more fun I would enjoy a 4th gen specific videos section (got a video - post a thread in it with a link). im basically youtubing it for now, but im always curious as to what things other members are up to from exhaust, motorsports, troubleshooting, cruises, or feature length A32 film, lol. would be nice to have all that in a specific place.

i would like our own photos section as well, sure we have member rides, but im a 4th gen kinda guy and would rather have all our stuff in one place, and look at other gens when i feel like it.

anyways thats about it for me, i started off in the 4th gen section and many have moved on but i still enjoy reading in this forum and trying to help anyone when i can. i sure have had heaps of help here.

all my idiotic questions have moved to all motor which I have had heaps of help, once I moved beyond bolt ons, the newbie label was slapped on my forehead once again. heck im still a newbie after all this time, lol !

 

If you're going to make stickies of things, cram as much sub topics into one sticky as possible.

Like thread title could be "Struts, Springs, Bushings, ball joints, beam bending FAQ/how to thread" or something like that.

Whatever is done make it obvious such as
Sticky: "Suspension FAQ's and how to's (Struts, Springs, Bushings, ball joints, beam bending, drop pics )"
Sticky: "Engine modification FAQ's and how to's (Y-pipes, exhaust, cams etc..etc..)"

You could make one for wheels, and appearance as well. That way the FAQ threads are more specific to what a noob could be looking for, hopefully they would notice more easily.

 

+1 on the sticky about y-pipes, its a must! What brands are better, prices, places to buy, etc. People just don't read the stickies for some reason so maybe they will if there is one clearly labeled as y-pipe info.

Also, since it doesn't look like we'll get free search any time soon, inform people of alternate ways to search, such as Google (xxxx site:maxima.org)

phenryiv1 - I mentioned this before, but get more people to be mods of this forum. Five people can do a lot more cleaning up than one person, and besides this will allow you to spend more time off the org and with your kid and wife.

More suggestions to follow, if I think of something

 

Over on the rx7club, the mods have created a FAQ thread that has a list of links to really good technical threads, listed alphabetically. Then there is an actual FAQ, with questions/answers, and a glossary for all the jargon. y-pipe, 00vi, etc.

When a subject comes up again and again, it gets written up as a FAQ question. When a subject comes up with unusually good content, it's added to the link list. That way, even if you can't search, you can still find some of the key discussions that long-time members don't feel like rewriting.

It's not much different than the FAQ here, but it's all done in one sticky thread which leaves more room for new threads, and it's alphabetically organized so that a reader doesn't have to skim thru the whole thread to find a keyword or read thru multiple stickied threads.

Dave

 

I suppose the idea that I keep missing with you phenryiv1 is how to possibly eliminate (or cut back on) what does _________ look like on ________ color Max type threads.

ONE thread. Wheels, tint (hell you could make it one post, there are only so many gradations), kits, CF hoods/trunks, certain lights.

Example thread:

 

the r34 retro thread should be a sticky

 

I do not know how to get in touch with mods so I guess I will just dump it here:

Can the All-Motor be cleaned up? Take out the "00VI owns MEVI" and "AE LSD in 4th gen" and place them inside "N/a links and reading".

Oh and can we not have the tire and drop guide ... that is what the other forum is for.

 

I think the sound clip sticky should up updated. Half the links on there dont wory anymore. Other then that the 4th gen forum is pretty good. I think if we had one big sticky with links to all the other stickys/faqs and w/e else you think is relevant.

 

definitely a cross reference and part number sticky the way this can be done is easy is like every time you put some new part or make a repair on your car send the part number to a Mod it works on one of the 240sx forums this saves a lot of time and $$

 

we could always have sub forums inside the 4th gen forum.
say a lighting one
performance
suspension
and so on

but this might also be a waste of time and wouldn't really cut down on worthless posts too much

 

Is it possible to have a separate thread for all the all show and no go stuff like lights, dash kits, wings, neons etc.??

It would be a lot easier to navigate a 4th gen thread without all this stuff cluttering up the more important issues.

 

I love all the suggestions!

Sounds like even more stickies are going to be added, which is great. I hope complete part lists are included for the mods that need to be pieced together from many sources (00vi, projector retro, etc) if these things becomed stickeyed.

OFF TO READ THE UPDATED STICKIES!

 

What about a live chat room ?

I dont think more stickies is going to solve the "stupid questions" problem. people are still going be lazy and just post (which takes 15 seconds) instead of searching (which takes 5 minutes).

What we need is a place where people can post their car problems and ways to solve them, then another place separately just for talking in general like: what do you think about these break pads, or these struts, or i think im going to go with these instead of those type of thread.

Another problem for reoccuring threads is that when i post something in the Detailing forum, or the Fluids and lubricants forum it never gets answered because practically no one ever goes there. so i post in the 4th gen forum. thats why people get annoyed cause they see the same threads come up time after time because people dont get any attention anywhere else, and since the 4th gen is the most visited corner of the site for 4th gen owners, they keep posting there.

Dunno if that made sense actually, but it IS late at night so excuse me!

 

If you have the resources, create an IRC chat sever or atleast some simple java chat applet with the ability to create different "live topics."