I am simply going to echo what Tony just said.
Ya know, it really is nice that we all have buddy's here on the forum and it is nice that we have the PM system to directly contact another member, but if you send questions in a PM, no one else will see your question/comment so it will actually make it more difficult to get the help you are looking for. Personally, I would rather have the help from many members instead of just one. This forum is so full of knowledgeable rc people.
Please keep in mind that we are all here to learn from others and help others. Just find the topic of your question in the forum and put your questions in the appropriate area so that we all can help each other.
What Derek said here is truth. More below.
With respect, how can you turn off the PM system? People use it for responding to for sale items and whatnot.
If someone asks a tech question in PM, people should suggest that it be posted in the forum or ask for permission to repost publicly. Sometimes, especially with newbies, it can be intimidating or embarrassing to ask the question publicly. And sometimes it can be appropriate to address something in PM as opposed to open forum (question on an item bought from a member, for instance).
Gotta roll with it I think. Suggest people being asked a question in PM to encourage the asker to participate in the public forum and some friendly peer pressure. No reason to go draconian and cut off private messaging. Liable to drive off more people than not that way.
I see what you are saying, and it's the EXACT same thought that I had last night right before falling asleep (yes, I think about this forum 24/7 lmao. Sad, I know). This is why I have just created a usergroup that has NO PM permissions.
Instead of punishing the many because of the actions of the few, I will just take those that have been reported and put them into the new usergroup. There are only a select few on here that are abusing the system constantly. I see no reason to punish the rest of the great members that we have on here because of what a few of them have done.
Regarding new members, I see what you are saying. There are quite a few of them on here that come from sites like RCG or HF, and asking a simple question would get them flamed out of the forum. I have tried to get the message across that we are not like that here, but there will always be someone out there that doesn't get the message. For that reason, I like your idea as well as what Derek said in his second post.
If any member contacts another member in a PM asking a tech question, please ask them to post in the forum. Assure them that they will NOT be harassed for asking a question, which they will not. Harassing a member for asking a question is a bannable offence and will not be tolerated! If the member yet again asks a question, there is a report button in every PM. Click it and let the staff know of the issue. We will handle it from there.
Guys, I'm not doing this forum for money. If I was, I would have given up on it a LONG time ago lol. There is no money in a forum of this size. I make just enough to keep it running. I run this forum because the look on someones face, or the expression in a post when they do something successfully the first time is priceless. It's like seeing a child ride their bike without training gear for the first time, priceless.
We must keep fresh information in the forum to keep this going, and that is where this thread comes into play. If all questions are being asked and answered in a PM, then it's not helping the next member that has the exact same issue. Trust me, there are multiple people that are looking for the same answer.
So lets keep the info fresh, and lets keep the questions in the forum please.
as for for sale posts and asking questions about an item that has been sold, keep doing what you are doing. All negotiations should be kept in PM's as well as talk about tracking and so on.
Hope this helps clear some of the stuff up.
