Symantics, mostly...

"message board" or "forum", "book" or "referance manual", etc... This is a, by reason of how you "post", a message board. BUT, these are "forums". This being "posted" in "The Lounge" forum. I dont have a dictionary around to "quote" this, but, I think a "forum" is a place to contain a topic, or related topics.

Hence, each "set" of topics is given a nice "group" -=- General Support, Networking, Laptop, Games, The Lounge, etc... This "grouping" allows for related topics and discussions to be found in a "same" related location... or a FORUM for discussion...

As for "membership", or having to have "user accounts" -=- I think it breeds "accountability", and a sense of "responsibility", for what someone "posts" or says. I have seen "open" posted sites move to this, from not requiring anyone to be a "member", to having to be a member of the site. From the obvious reasons; It cuts down on the "signal to noise" ratio ( a common term given to any site that has topics, forums, of posted messages; signal represents the amount of good, or real posts, to the noise, which represents the amount of "junk" or non-related messages, or posts. )

Signal to noise can be measured in almost anything, but, it mostly relates to Chat Rooms, Message Boards, and Forums. A good example of this "signal to noise" ratio, is the old favorite, MAC and PC sites. Someone, usually a person who creates a "fake" account to gain access to the "Forum", posts a "flamed" message, or a "flamed" chat expression, in a location that is not "topic related" to the location. As my example: a person posts something like "PC's are better than MAC's!" into a forum for MAC discussions, or vice-versa. The "signal" on the site was at normal, discussions on related topics, at which point, after this "noise" is introduced into the "signal", the forum goes through mass reprocussions till the original "signal" is brought back to normal...

A true "signal to noise" person, is one, who, is not frequent of that site, does not post very much, has a generalized nickname; like TEMPORARY, or GUEST, and probably, will never be seen again, AFTER the inflammed posted "noise" is introduced, on that site... I think the Site Administrator is smart in the way that; you must be a "member" to post, accountability. When you post, your nickname is posted with that, responsibility. And, that when you post, your "posted messages" is maintained with your "account".

I, for one, do not post anything, nor, say anything, that "I" will not be "held to" what I said. If I post, its either from the "heart" or from what I believe. I can be proven wrong, but, that leads to "discussions", proofs and learning, and growth, but not for the intent of "flamming"...

Being from a "job" that entailed "Tech Support", I dont enrage, I dont antogonize, I help. I dont flame, I dont argue, I discuss. And, lastly, I dont say, or do anything, that I can not be held accountable for saying, or doing. I see the "membership" or "user account" issue, here, as a way of "keeping the peace", and for people who want that, a nice environment for discussions, or "topic related assistance", it does just that... The only time I have had to "step in" and do my "Moderator" duties, is when, they had the "membership required to post" wall, down. I think the "other" moderators may be able to back me up on this one.

People come to these forums, in dire emergencies, in a time, where they are not always, at there best, in need of assistance, as is the "usual" case when dealing with any "tech support" arena. Something broke, or something isnt working, or something isnt doing what it should, and they need some helpful assistance on What do I do? -=- The Forum "topics" have been set up to facilitate, hopefully, them knowing where they can go, or ask, for the assistance they need.... and, hopefully, get a response, or answer, in a "helpful", and "friendly", environment. I would hate to be "associated" with a site that wouldnt do that; where someone who is at there wits end, frustrated, and about to toss, a very expensive piece of equipment, out the window, and possibly, to land on some "poor, unsuspecting" person who might be walking below there window. I think these "FORUMS" provide that assistance. I think, many, people have posted "I'm going to kill someone if I cant get this to work" posts, and I WOULD HOPE, that no one just responded saying: Here is the rope! or Here is the gun!

Kind of reminds me of the old joke... Suicide Provention Help Line... and then "please hold", or worse, the person at the "Help Line" gives them IDEAS on how they can succeed or accomplish there task; you have a gun? good... Now, point the end at your forehead, and slowly, very slowly, pull the trigger... ( I'll wait to your finished, to be sure you get it right... ) -=- BANG!!!! -=- You still there? YES? Ok, lets try another way...

Having worked at a VERY well known "company", and being one of "there" representatives, given the responsibility to assist and help others with that "companies" product... I can attest, I never ditched a customer, I never had a customer do something that I knew would trash there system, and I never had a customer do something that I; one, didnt know would fix the problem, or, two, didnt know I would have done to my own system for the problem they were having... I do the same here... I would never tell someone that "formatting there system drive", would solve a printer related problem, though, I have heard, some at the "company" I worked for, did. I would never leave a customer because the problem they were having was taking more than two minutes to solve, or fix, without the problem being resolved first. Which, I might add, was a VERY common thing to do in this "company"... Someone having a modem related issue, would "frequently" be "ditched", by having them change something ludicious, like force the "transmit speed" on there internet connection modem settings to a slower, or faster, speed, and have them test it to see if there modem worked now... Of course the customer only had one phone line, and when they clicked on the connection, it would terminate the phone conversation... The Tech Representative only hoped that they didnt get them, again, after they find there problem wasnt resolved, and they were calling back in again. Unfortunately, I was the one they always seemed to get. I was the representative they always got, I was the one with the longest call times, I was the one who always got "call monitored" during all of my calls, and I was the one, time, and time again, who was given the "praises" for assisting the customer, in resolving there issue, or problem, and I was the one, the "company" always praised for helping, resolving, and "defussing" the customers anger of being "ditched" by all the others. My peers always found that I could solve the customers issues, in not only a timely mannor, but, in a way that the customer could follow, understand, and without any "attituide" attached.

The "company" performed hundreds of "call-back customer surveys" on the people I had helped, and not one, had anything bad, or negligent, or even wasting of time, to say about my help they received from my assistance.

Considering that this is The Lounge, and the "topic forum" being open, I had one guy, who called because he had just installed our new Operating System, and was stuck at the "No System Disk, please insert a bootable system disk, and press any key..." message... He had just done a "COMPLETE" full install of our OS, and wasnt able to boot his system now... I knew what he needed, and how we needed to resolve the issue. He needed a bootable floppy, preferably one that was created during the install of the OS... He opted NOT to do this... He was on a ship, in the middle of the ocean, and with no one else on the ship who owned a computer. What we needed to do: boot to that "system" floppy, and perform a SYS C: command, preferably AFTER he dissabled the BOOT SECTOR VIRUS PROTECTION he must have had enabled in his BIOS. No floppy, he didnt want to have to go through "another" install, and he wouldnt look for anyone else to get a boot disk from; either from a computer dealer, or on the ship... He was SOL, I knew it, and, I think he did too, but, he refused to understand that I couldnt do anything else for him, not unless he can get a boot floppy...

So, tmp000, you want to call this a message board, and not a forum... I dont think so...

Quote Originally Posted by dictionary.com
fo·rum Pronunciation Key (fôrm, fr-)
n. pl. fo·rums, also fo·ra (fôr, fr)

1.
1. The public square or marketplace of an ancient Roman city that was the assembly place for judicial activity and public business.
2. A public meeting place for open discussion.
3. A medium of open discussion or voicing of ideas, such as a newspaper or a radio or television program.
2. A public meeting or presentation involving a discussion usually among experts and often including audience participation.
3. A court of law; a tribunal.
I think; 1.2, 1.3, and lastly 2, in the above quote, relavates the usage of the word "Forum" for what is being done here, in whole, or part. I think the Site Administrator is correct to have used the "term" forum, or forums to describe this site, and its usage...

Thank you,
Ms. Cuddles