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  1. #1
    ajetrumpet is offline VIP
    Windows Vista Access 2007
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    Make sure you are viewed

    Welcome! Here are some pointers for you, if you're new to the forum, to help maximize the number of views your thread gets (I've been browsing forums for years now, so most of these suggestions come from my own observations of people):


    • [anchor]googleit[/anchor]GOOGLE IT! The one thing that still completely baffles me is the number of people that think coming to a forum like this for an answer is faster than searching google. Obviously, people share a common reason for this. But whether it be because they are lazy, they don't have a keyboard (really?), or they simply don't know how to google search, the fact remains that 50% or more of the posts that are started here everyday could be answered faster by searching google for the answer.

      So guess what? There is a trick to using google. The company indexes results based on popularity and keywords and phrases that are entered the most (I follow this "rule", but obviously I don't know this for sure). And you don't have to guess about this anymore either, since the introduction of the search dropdown suggestions and google instant. But the fact remains, that you have to know how to make google work for you. Otherwise, you'll waste hours on that site, just like you will here if you don't ask the right question. So here's some really good tips on how to use google when you have certain problems arise:



      • [anchor]googletips[/anchor]If the issue has anything to do with VBA or writing VBA code, you'll make the most of your time by starting the phrase with "VBA". For instance, if you want to open MS WORD from VBA in Access, search for "VBA open MS WORD".

      • If the issue is specific to an MS office program, like Access for instance, start the phrase with "MS" and the program name. So, if I want to create a table in Access, I search for "MS Access create table".



      • Now, combining the two examples above: If the issue is specific to an MS office program AND it is about VBA or writing VBA code, put "VBA" at the end of the phrase. Using the "create table" example, you would search for "MS Access create table VBA".

      • If the issue is specific to an error message, always type the complete error message into the search box first, even if it's 3 sentences long. The reason for this is simple. Search engines are now more interested in actual page content and text than meta tags. To my knowledge, meta tags are not even being considered by search engines anymore because there are simply too many domains in operation (quoted - April 2011). 99% of people, even developers, have no idea what error messages mean, so the same amount of people will run right to google and start banging on the keyboard to type it all out. Hence, google captures that fact and returns pages that spit out the exact same (or part of the same) error message.

      • Keep the search phrase short! For instance, "how do I create a combo box in Access" will not yield as many useful links as "ms access create combo box" will. Again, the reason is simple. Google's algorithm will return more varied results when there are more input variables (words in the phrase). Now, if the entire phrase matches, say, an explicit phrase or text on a page, of course you'll see those at the top of the list, but those scenarios may be few and far between for most people. Thus, shorter phrases that are "to the point" or "keyword friendly" are much better than drawn out explanations, and even short questions. IMO, explicit questions typed into google will always yield the most unproductive results.

      • Lastly, if your google searches don't seem to turn anything up (or you didn't do it to begin with) and you end up posting here anyway, don't be at all surprised if I reply to your thread and all you see is a link to a google results page. I do that a lot, and not surprisingly some of those threads end up with a "solved" stamp on them shortly thereafter.




    • [anchor]salespitch[/anchor]Do not make your thread sound like a sales pitch. In other words, don't try to excite people about your issue unless you're offering compensation for the advice. I don't even have a good example of this. But regardless, I personally look at these types of threads as desperate attempts to compensate for a mistake that was made. Threads that I see quite often that fall into this category are those that are started because the poster is being viewed by someone else (a boss, perhaps?) as having a skill set when they obviously don't have it. And the result is a post here with a title that says something like:
      Deadline fast approaching!!! Need help!!!



    • [anchor]demand[/anchor]Try to refrain from saying things like "this is what I want done", and then not asking questions. That gives your reader the impression that you expect them to do what you want when they read it, and for free. In my case, and in many others, neither will happen.



    • [anchor]bereal[/anchor]Almost everyone works in cubicles (or open space) and communicates through computers at work now, so ask questions just like you would talk to someone at your workplace.



    • [anchor]exclamation[/anchor]Don't use more than one piece of punctuation at the end of your sentences. It doesn't matter how frustrated you are. The productivity ends at the first one.



    • [anchor]codetags[/anchor]All vBulletin software (I think) allows HTML tags that make special content readable, like CODE, for example. Use them. It doesn't take but a minute to read the list of what tags are available. You can find that list here. And as a matter of fact, if the code you're posting is VBA code, use VBA tags! Why? Because apparently, the code window with those tags doesn't have a maximum height. It seems to stretch out on the page so that all the VBA code is readable without having to scroll up and down in the code window (which can be very annoying). Furthermore, VBA tags are color coded (CODE tags are not), which makes it easier to read!



    • [anchor]paragraphs[/anchor]Break out your explanations into short paragraphs (like this post!). There is nothing more deterring than to see one block of text that is 10 or more lines long (okay, maybe 15). But seriously, one fundamental rule in marketing is to keep descriptions unreasonably short. Attention span of consumers is getting shorter every day, and you should assume that contributors here are the same.

      Personally, if I click on a thread and the first thing I see is a huge block of unreadable text, I hit the BACK button immediately, more or less because I don't have time to look at all of that. And sometimes it's because I'm frustrated that you didn't take the time to make it readable by whatever means necessary. Actually, a lot of the posts that I end up passing on due to sloppiness, I probably have considerable experience and knowledge to help solve the problem, but alas you'd never know. Lastly, contributors are certainly not obligated to do anything more than type advice into the REPLY box. If you are using this forum legitimately and not manipulating the resources available here, I'm sure you can understand that.



    • [anchor]jargon[/anchor]Don't ask a question that pertains to your particular product or project without tying it into the general concepts associated with Access and/or database lingo. If that doesn't make sense, here's a great example of what not to do:
      I am trying to use a subquery in which the movement of cattle from field number to field number will appear and I can make a new entry if needed. I made a query which contains all the animals and all their movements. How can I make the subquery just have the records for that specific animal pop up?
      This is actually pretty descriptive for being so short, but the person may have well just added the phrase "I know you can read my mind for the rest of it, because you work with cattle too" to the end of the post. I suppose I should also add that I'm not targeting this person or making fun of them, but the point is that, if you have to describe the issue with your industry's lingo, also explain what the lingo means otherwise the thread will end up 10 posts longer than you thought.



    • [anchor]crosspost[/anchor]Crossposting. What else has been around since forums were invented?? Nothing! I love saying this, because cross posting is a natural thing (I've done it many times) and it's never going to stop, regardless of how many people like me want it to.

      But if you're thinking that you can use more than one person on more than one different forum to get what you need in the shortest amount of time, you might want to know that forums are now starting to issue official warnings and/or suspending accounts for doing it. So it's only an amount of time before you won't be able to do this anymore anyway. I do know that the more popular Excel forums are already doing this sort of thing. Moreover, it's blatantly obvious when you do it (especially if the thread titles are the same! ).



    • [anchor]attachments[/anchor]In general, file attachments don't really help too much. Here's why: it's too time consuming to look at and decipher. Personally, I think attachments are only useful to people helping you if:

      * It is very small, thus not long to look at, find the relevant content and analyze.
      * There are specific instructions coming from you that tell people where to look and what to look at.
      * The attachments are pictures outlining the problem with a paintbrush or other tool.



    • [anchor]repost[/anchor]Don't repost old threads. All the threads here are always viewed by someone, and I'd say the likelihood that any one of your threads that you post at any given time are viewed by at least 10 of the top gurus here before it loses steam in the mainstream viewing area. If there's no answer, there's no answer. Why be disappointed? Be bold, google your heart out and learn how to find the answer yourself!



    • [anchor]titles[/anchor]It's not really a good idea to title your thread to where it looks like you actually know something about the problem. For instance, a title that says: Query Issue VERY BASIC. I try my hardest not to read these, unless of course I'm really bored. The reason? Because I'm thinking "If you already know it's a basic problem, it surely can't take much more effort to solve it yourself". As you can see, titles like that don't make much sense.



    • [anchor]itdoesntwork[/anchor]Don't say "it doesn't work" and not follow up with details. If you're not sure why I'm mentioning this, you'd probably make better use of your time by not posting at all.



    • [anchor]followup[/anchor]For many people, including myself, this is a place to pass time (and maybe learn a few more things for the day) and that's about it. I absolutely love answering questions and learning how other people are working this program (and in some cases, NOT working it!), but I do lose track of things once in a while. I'm sure that is the same for others as well, so don't take it personally if someone stops communicating with you in a thread. More than likely, they're too busy to continually follow-up.

      But there are people here that will go to great lengths to completely decipher what you've got to say, and even your applications, if you are indeed looking to be spoon fed one piece of advice after another. If you're lucky enough to be involved in exchanges like that, you'll probably be able to coerce the person into doing most of the work for you for free, but remember, you also won't be any smarter than when you posted the thread! The value of your knowledge certainly won't increase either. Oh, and don't forget that you won't hear a peep from people like me.



    • [anchor]mindchanging[/anchor]I admit that sometimes I fall into the trap of explaining a bit too much. Some like it, some don't. I never mind doing that though because I have a lot to offer. But the one thing that absolutely makes me irate is when I give a long (or even semi-long) drawn-out explanation as an answer to a question that someone asks, and then have that same person come back and say "that's not exactly what I meant". Or worse yet, read my explanations and then take a completely different route for a solution and have the nerve to ask me for help on THAT. If you're not sure that people are going to understand what you're asking, SAY SO!



    The last thing....even though the contributors here are extremely resourceful, don't ever expect to get what you need every time. It simply won't happen. To my knowledge, no one here makes a living just by posting on this board.


    Happy Posting!
    Last edited by ajetrumpet; 04-08-2011 at 02:47 PM.

  2. #2
    khalakmu is offline Novice
    Windows 7 32bit Access 2007
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    Great Advice I liked very much. at least i learned some of Googling.

    Thanks

  3. #3
    JTrehern is offline Novice
    Windows Vista Access 2007
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    That is great advice. I liked to part about how to search using Google.

Please reply to this thread with any new information or opinions.

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