What do you think of Fluther's new suggestions feature?
Fluther just recently changed the question asking process to include a screen that shows you questions similar to the one you’re asking. If your question has already been asked, you can click on it in the list of matching questions and see the answers. Try it out, ask some questions you know have already been asked, then tell us what you think. Good? Bad? So so?
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I saw it when I wrote the Dr J dressing question. I like the idea, often there are repeaters too soon, maybe this will help.
So much for me asking this question tomorrow…
It’s nice to have it.
There should be a policy about this. Can one ask a question that was asked long ago, to get input from new users?
That’s really nice.
@bob_ I agree, it would be nice if there was an official guideline regarding duplicate questions.
Very, very impressed. I’ve seen literally dozens of questions recently that are either duplicated or a re-working of some of mine. I asked a question the other week that was uncerimoniously dumped for being a duplicate of one I asked six months previous. I had a feeling i’d maybe asked it but kind of lost my train of thought. This feature should hopefully eliminate each of those issues. Which is nice.
I didn’t notice any suggestions. Did I miss something, or maybe no one has asked about ham steaks before?
@johnpowell and a few other users should get credit for this feature – it’s been requested several times. Glad it’s working for you guys!
@jonsblond if you didn’t get any suggestions, that means the question you entered didn’t significantly match any previously asked questions. I guess ham steaks really are a new frontier!
@Dog that quote just went up on the Fluther whiteboard as the quote of the week – well done.
Thank you for devoting time to enhancing a process that seems to generate consistent constructive feedback from existing users. And thank you for asking for feedback.
On the first screen of “Ask a Question”:
grumpyfish says:
If you are asking a relationship question, a homework question, or a question about computing, be sure to read this page of the guidelines before continuing. You can save time by reviewing the list of suggestions above. If you don’t find your answer in one of these questions, feel free to continue and ask a new one.
– I have to scroll down in order to see the prompt. It is because of the computer screen and type size.
– If I happen to see it and click on the “this page of the guidelines” link, it is not in the same order and covers more tips than what grumpyfish has to offer.
– In order to get a feel for new suggestions feature, I took the question, “What would be the advantages/disadvantages of legalizing prostitution in the U.S.A.?” Just typing in ‘prostitution’ netted five results that did not include this post. It was the same for just typing in ‘movie’; only five hits that included ‘movie’ as well as ‘movies’. I do like that if I click on one of the options that it opens a new window instead of losing my place in developing a question.
Please accept my apology. I’m going to stop here with the minute details and personal opinions. In the big picture, the changes are an improvement. Have they been perfected? Not yet, IMO, at least for a new member. I’ve been around long enough now to figure out how to maneuver around.
Test the system on people who have never visited Fluther before. Observe where they sail through and where they struggle, and you will soon recognize what should take priority when it comes to asking questions.
@johnpowell grudgingly slow handclap & a barely audible woot! ~
@Pied_Pfeffer aah! That second piece of grumpyfish text (the part about the suggestions list) shouldn’t be there – looks like I missed that. That text should only be shown on the suggestions page. Just a simple problem with me being an idiot.
Suggestions are carefully selected based on the question data you enter. Asking a fully fledged question like “What would be the advantages/disadvantages of legalizing prostitution in the U.S.A.?” is a much better chunk of text than just “prostitution,” just as “movie” is a much smaller and more restricted piece of text than “What’s a good thriller movie I should see?” Just entering “prostitution” or “movie” is not an accurate way of testing the suggestion feature.
Also, suggestions are limited to 5 questions max so as not to overwhelm the user. If they’re curious after perusing the first five, they can always do a search.
Thanks for your response – let me know if you have any other concerns or enhancement suggestions. You don’t need to apologize – we really value your honest feedback. It makes things get better!
Just not seeing @camertron as an idiot… Just sayin’
“Who’s a good thrilling prostitute I should see?” I’m gonna try it and see if it suggests one!
* * * Y A Y * * * I just hope people actually read them.
@mrentropy LOL!
@YARNLADY yeah me too! But if people want to ask their own questions (even if they’re similar) that’s ok too – creative expression for the win!
Could you show the date the question was asked too. I’m not seeing it here and I think it would be helpful.
Good suggestion @johnpowell – I’ll see if I can add the date in the next couple of days.
@Dog Thanks for the giggle! :D
This is win. TY Fluther gods.
Can you bite your tongue and let it go. Another new frontier @Dog. Am I on a roll or what? ;)
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