Instructions/rules needed for antipoints

Take a look at this site from a newbie's point of view. What in the world are these antipoints? A newbie looks "antipoints" up in a search. As of today, that search lead to 45 threads, some four pages long. How many people would be willing to wade through that to determine what this antipoint thing is all about?

I've come across comments in the posts making reference to someone not having enough points or not being here long enough to assign points to others, but no where have I seen any description of how many points or how long.

May I suggest that rather than burying the rules and description of how this operates in posted threads, that a link be provided from the AntiPoints Center to a current description. Any changes or additions to the point system would mean a revision of this description. An announcement might still be made of the changes in a posted thread, but newbies wouldn't have to go hunting through the whole site and read threads months old to find out what was going on.

What do you think?

The antionline FAQ gives some information on antipoints. Click on the link for "discussion forums." Then somewhere near the top of that page you'll see a link that says, "Antionline FAQ." Click on it, and scroll down until you see the section on antipoints.

Thanks for pointing me in the direction of the FAQ, preacherman. Maybe it is just that I really am an Airhead, but I still think the information is far more hidden that it ought to be. I would have expected a link to FAQ on the home page, rather than a link in such tiny print at the top of the Discussion Forums page.

And I still don't see any reference to the length of time one must be a member or number of points one must have accumulated in order to assign points.

i' have read that FAQ, and hell it is really good =)

The AntiOnline FAQ answers a lot of questions that people ask here and there about the site and it's functions/abilities....

I still think that it's a good idea to put a link to the FAQ off the main page....

Do you suppose that if the FAQ were easier to find, there would be fewer questions asked in the forums about things which are answered there?

I think that reading the FAQ should be mandatory before you can get an account here.

http://www.antionline.com/showthread...hreadid=118645 This is the link to the JP annoncement on the antipoint system you can get it by clicking assign antipoints to this post then there is a link called what are antipoints.

Kindred69

"AntiPoint" sounds like a negative thing. Point=good, anti=opposite. Opposite to good is bad. But then, I am a very simple person...

Or how about this. Since I've heard and read literally tons of posts suggesting where to place the FAQ on the homepage, or set ontop a certain Forum. Lets just email the SOB to the guy's or gal's email address. This allows no hassle, and plus, they have a copy to keep, save, print, burn, whatever.

Just my two cents.

cwk9 - In my opinion, reading the FAQ before getting an account here would not totally solve the problem. People remember what is relevant to them, and a lot of it would not seem relevant until they started using the forum. It might help a person find the bloomin' FAQ more easily, though, at least for a day or two. (Sheesh! I sometimes can't remember if I took my meds 30 seconds ago. Would you really expect me to remember where to find a difficult-to-find item on one of many websites I frequent many days later?) :D

Kindred69 - Thanks for that link. I had found and read the first page once. And it did answer some of my questions. Then yesterday when I had subsequent questions I looked and looked for it and couldn't find it. (Clicking on "Assign Positive or Negative Points to This Post" no longer works as a link for me, but maybe that's how I found it first.)

Unfortunately, answers to some of my questions are not covered in JP's first post, nor even on the first page. I personally don't think anyone should be expected to wade through a seven page thread, most of which provides no additonal factual information, to try to find an answer to a frequently asked question.

jethro - My sentiments exactly!

WebCarnage - If there are literally tons of posts suggesting that the FAQ should be placed on the home page or on top of certain forums, there must be tons of people who find it difficult to find at present. Seems to me, then, that a change should be considered.

An emailed copy of the FAQ might answer a person's immediate question. But how many people would find it easy to locate when subsequent questions arise?

There was a principle of storage I learned in an equipment class wa--a-a-a-ay back in college. "Place frequently used items near the point of first (repeated) use." Seems to me that should apply to more than equipment.

A mandatory reading the FAQ before getting an account might no solve the problem but at least we would see less sub7 questions.

Totally agree with cwk9!!

Enough with the Sub7 and the dual boot Linux and windows already! :)

I think it's a double-edged sword, personally... part of "being a hacker" or "leet" or whatever else the kiddies are using to proclaim their profound highly superior knowledge these days... part of actually being beyond the kiddie is actually being able to find answers to your questions without having to have your #$#^%#^% hand held to find a #$#$#% FAQ.

That being said, yeah, it probably should be a little more obvious... or it should be stapled to the top of the "get an account now" page... then again, perhaps it serves as a good kiddie-filter where it is... *shrug*

Myself, when I first visited the page I might have, perhaps, taken a "weird path" - I read a few of the articles on the front page, then I browsed the forums... low-and-behold there was a newbie area and *gasp* right at the top there's a "sticky" FAQ posting. Hmmm... odd how that works. Like I said, perhaps I'm a bit demented (well, we all know I am, I think) - perhaps I've just been brought up on that old Usenet Net-iquette stuff (before the days of Canter and Siegel I might add... well, even long before the days of widespread NNTP actually, but that's yet another story). In short, weirdos like me probably learned a few things... and eventually helped enforce them:

• read a lot before you even first think of posting to a new group - then read some more
• search and read through any FAQ to be found - even go read RTFM or the FAQ newsgroup (no such luck these days).
• Remember: if you walk in to a newsgroup (at the time) and ask anything in the FAQ, there was a good chance you'd either 1) be ignored or 2) be told simply to "read the FAQ" and nothing else

...ah, the days of UUCP... but I digress... :rofl:

draziw - You have a good point. But :D the kiddies probably have a lot less trouble finding things than the old fogies like me!

. . . now if I can still remember where to find it the next time I have a question! :dunce: