Problems and solutions: please don't just put "help" in your thread title...

[Sweet98GA]

Lookin for a sticky here guys...

Just putting "help" in your title may not get you the help you are looking for. I'm going to be honest, and i'm sure i'm not the only one, but when I go thru new posts, and I just see "help" the first thing I do is look at what category it's in (just to get an idea of what is going on) but i'm more likely NOT to look at the thread if it doesn't give a basic idea of what is wrong. I'm not saying i'm the grand am master, but when work cruising, we have to be quick as can be. I have no problem throwing out any knowledge or help I can offer when I have an answer, but to go thru each "help" post and read it to find out I have no idea is a waste of valued "work" time (hehehe) So please be more discriptive in your post titles.

GOOD examples:

HELP- car won't start
HELP- rough idle
HELP- audio cuts in and out
HELP- I got hammer drunk and flipped my car into a ditch, now it drifts to the left when I let go of the steering wheel

BAD examples:

HELP
HELP!
HELP PLEASE!!
HELP SOMEONE!

[cobrajeff92]

i agree wit ya there gus. i just usually skip those threads nowadays. most of there help ? are all things disgused befor.

[Deggy Fresh]

i agree also...very good point made here.

[khanley8604]

ha sorry, i cant tell this was mainly thought of/convinced you write cuz of me lol.

[Sweet98GA]

well it wasnt you specifically... there happened to be like 3 in a row tonight when i was cruising new posts so it just happened to dawn on me that we should sticky the idea that better help can be achieved when the title gives you an idea, you know what i mean? I wasn't trying to bash or be mean to you :)

[coupe]

90% of thread titles here are stupid and not thought out.

The one i hate the most is "I have a question".

[khanley8604]

haha i know, i dont care if you were bashing my regardless cuz you do have a good point lol.

[Matt95GT]

I'm opening this suggestion up for discussion here, instead of in the probs/solutions section itself. Thoughts on this matter?

My :penny:
While useless titles certainly don't help the original poster get the thread views or right people to read it, they don't cause all that much harm, as the thread body is searched too.

No matter how hard we state it, some people will miss it - remember that many lurkers make their first post in the probs/solutions section. Having to police thread titles isn't exactly noob-friendly or welcoming.

90% of thread titles here are stupid and not thought out.

The one i hate the most is "I have a question".

Yes, but what's worse...
1. A bad thread title, but answers in thread
or
2. A bad thread title, the thread is closed and locked, and 90% of your search results are threads like this lacking answers or links to the answers. (I'm not naming other sites, but that ones that enforce thread titles the most are the ones that end up like this)