Post quality dropping on HWZ

HardwareZone’s forum is getting from good to bad, bad to worst, worst to ? Shrugs.

(the terms forumer/forumers used in this post refers to the new forumers surfing at hardwarezone)

Seems like most forumers nowadays lack the basic ability to search for their own information on the community forum. Let alone digesting the data they got from the forum into useful information. As I had emphasized, it is a community forum. Not an expert forum where you subscribe to and get your questions answered. I have been frequenting Internet Bandwidth & Networking Clinic (IBNC) as well as Nokia User’s Group (recently due to my N80).

IBNC used to have quality post of people asking and exchanging pointers on CISCO router’s configuration, tips and hacks of 3rd party firmwares to make your router more value for money, invitations to self learning of various stuffs like getting visualized network, setting up of various network servers, etc. So what’s IBNC like nowadays? Basically it is useless post like “which bittorrent client is the best”, “fcuking [isp] blocking bittorrent traffic”, “fcuking [isp] throttling bittorrent traffic”, “why does my connection drops off when I run bittorrent, stupid [isp]”, “which [isp] is the best for bittorrent”, “which router is best for bittorrent”, “fcuking [isp] sux” and the list goes on and on. Basically it became a clinic for rant. Well if similar threads are consolidated then it is still alright, these forumers starts a new thread everytime. Seems like they live to use bittorrent only, subscribe to internet for the sake of bittorrent-ing.

Come on forumers, wake up on your fcuking idea. You pay a relatively cheap fee for internet connection and you want this want that. Why not get a premium line? Just before you shoot and say “well other countries are offering higher bandwidth at cheaper price”. I do agree that is correct, but their continent is big. Most of their traffic are within the continent. Even if they do bittorrent, most likely out of 100 peers/seeders 80 will be in the same continent and that will be internal traffic, not incurring the much more expensive overseas line. And most of the time, overseas bandwidth provider are from those continent. True enough, internal bandwidth for the high bandwidth plans of Singnet and Starhub do hit those high speeds as advertised, but overseas bandwidth is much more lower. Sounds pretty much like those overseas internet connection. But the difference is that, Singaporeans use overseas traffic more. Oh yes, forumers please search the forum before post questions that has been posted for the 1000th time. It just drives the experts away and what’s left now is newbies answering newbies, at the end of the day you just get shitty answers.

There are cases of newbie network administrators which uses the forum to source answer for their work question end up being seen as knowledgeable and capable in front of their colleagues and bosses. One of the forumer been questioned if he is a newbie network administrator after he posted countless newbie network questions regarding to corporate environment, after being question he brushed it off as he is not the network administrator and the network administrator not doing his job. Ever since that incident, he stopped posting network questions. Funny isn’t it? Alot of forumers are using the community as tools for their work, or rather a free tool for their business because they scrimp on hiring professionals.

Nokia User’s Group – forumers took the effort to post their knowledge into the database. It is free knowledge for all to access and use. Why forumers just don’t have the basic skills to use the search function and get the information they need instead of waiting to be spoon-fed? Instead they start multiple threads on topics that has been discussed and using reasons like “the thread is too long so pity on me”. Most of the time I would give them answers they requested for because I pity them for being pea-brained or handicapped as they can’t use the extensive knowledge that is available. When people point out to them that they should search or refer to existing threads (attempting to wake them out of their idea), they simply regard these users as not helpful.

Some users took the effort to consolidate some guides for users to serve as quick reference into the threads where they could solve their problem. Seems like not much of the forumers want to self-help. Perhaps most of them are kids and think they are almighty and want need other to serve them (due to their handicap)?