READ BEFORE POSTING, OR ELSE...

Due to the prodigious amount of subpar posts here recently, we’re instituting a new policy: Don’t follow the guidelines I lay out? Your thread gets locked. Post crap in an existing thread? We’ll move it to a new thread and lock it. If you keep at it, you’ll be banned. If this policy doesn’t help, we’ll come up with stricter countermeasures. 

Rule # 12 - THIS FORUM IS NOT HERE TO SPOON-FEED YOU!

What is spoon-feeding? Per Merriam-Webster: to present (information) so completely as to preclude independent thought <spoon–feed material to students>

Here are some examples: http://forums.bajasae.net/forum/to-verify_topic1389.html

The second post points out his question could be answered by a simple Google search.
Also, this forum is Americas-centric. There isn’t a problem with asking questions specific to other Baja SAE competitions (India, S. Africa, Korea, etc), but realize this forum is predominantly American.

Example 2: http://forums.bajasae.net/forum/briggs-and-stratton-new-baja-engine_topic1394.html

First, it was posted in the design discussion. The File Depot is the proper subforum for CAD models.
Second, and more importantly, there are two threads that have asked the same thing. SEARCH before posting.
Also, a 5 second Google search would have answered this question

Example 3: http://forums.bajasae.net/forum/transmisson_topic1388.html

This one is a real winner! (That is a sarcastic comment) Asking for spoon feeding. Terribly vague question. Already another thread asking the same thing. Trifecta of terrible.

Mod Squad 06-24-2013
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Hi There,

If you are reading this you are new to the forum. First off, welcome! There are a lot of knowledgeable team members, and alumni on this forum as well as a few advisors and even some sponsor representatives. The folks from SAE are even getting in on the action. If you have a question about something, it can probably get answered here.

All of that said, there are a few guidelines to follow when posting here (and on any forum, really)

1. Play nice. Seems pretty reasonable, but sometimes things get heated. Nobody likes a Troll.

2. The search button is your friend. When considering asking a question about something, head over to the search tool first. Type in some keywords and see what you get. The forum has gotten established to the point now where there are topics on a lot of stuff. If you find a topic related to what you are looking for, post there. It doesn't matter if the topic is 2 years old, it will float to the top once you post.

3. The search button is your friend.

4. Have a descriptive thread title. Searching becomes much easier when a glance at the title gives you a good idea of what the topic is about.
5. Post in the right category. If your search comes up empty, feel free to start a new topic. However, please make sure you post in the right category. The forum is broken up into a few. Questions about a specific event should go in one of the two event categories, design questions should go in that category, etc. Random stuff should go in the Lounge.

6. Post ONCE. Please don't start multiple topics regarding the exact same question. This just clogs up the forum with extra threads.

7. No gifs in signatures. They're distracting and don't contribute to the forum. If you MUST have a picture in your signature, keep it small.

9. If you are posting a link, use the hyperlink button to actually make it a link.

10. If you are posting a YouTube/Facebook video, use the filmstrip button to embed the video in the post. Here's a more detailed explanation.

11. Head over to your profile and setup your signature to include your name/school/team status, i.e. if you're an alumni. It's nice to know what teams people are from.

12. NO SPOON-FEEDING

Edited by Mod Squad - Jun/24/2013 at 1:01pm

Rules 2 and 3... just like Fight Club!

I thought it's more of a user suggestion than a forum suggestion...

Edited by p.lewis - Mar/09/2011 at 10:08am

Wonder why you were the lucky one they sought out?

I got the exact same message.

I was getting one of those a week for almost 2 months.  They stopped coming in two weeks ago or so and thankfully for them I didnt get this one.  I let them have it something fierce and I enjoy writing my replies. 

I have always wanted to write on this forum, and probably a good idea to start with this. First off, I am from India, and have been reading both FSAE and Baja forums for over a year now.
I am fully aware of the grammar, the informal, text- like language (or jungle drums! )that is used by Indians on these forums. I can only wonder how a native- english speaker feels about such posts. This is my observation, and only my opinion regarding the cause for this:

a) English is not the first language! None of them, atleast very few speak english at home. Hence it is probably understandable that the sentences may not be gramatically correct.

b) Quality of engineering colleges, or schools as you call it is very poor. Of course, there are some very good colleges in the country, most of them aren't. Hence they end up asking extremely silly questions, which of course is genuine in their view.

c) And the main reason in my view is last moment preparation. I for one, belong to a college with many SAE CDS teams and know that designing a car does not happen over night. This year, there will be 327 teams participating in the Indian event. Thats an increase of about 50 teams from last year. Baja scenes in India has reached a cult status and every small and big engineering college in India wants to compete in it, for the pride as well as the prize money(much more than in US, mind you). It is these new teams that often post the annoying questions on the forum. Most of these new-timers start the designing without much reading, and start about a month before the event. End result: go to forums, do no searching of their own, read no guidlines, and post the question, and of course annoy the moderators.

I have no solutions, but just my view on the topic. With the Virtual qualifier round in about a month, more such posts are on their way.

Brace yourself moderators, them jungle drums are coming!

P.S. To any Indian team reading this, there is a wealth of information on the forum. Use the search button and read the guidlines! No one is going to spoon feed you.
This went longer than I expected, should probably stop here. Thanks.

That or about 3.8 times the population of the US and I assume only one competition to go to. 327 teams at one event sounds like a logistical nightmare.

As another suggestion, although this may create more problems than it solves, maybe creating an "Indians Only" section of the forum would be good for questions relating specifically to the Indian competition. That would keep those threads which none of us have answers to from getting mixed in with everything else and make it easier for both parties.

Keep in mind I am not suggesting segregating the forums, I am just proposing a dedicated space for Indian specific questions.

Anyone have any thoughts on this? A similar one could be created for questions specific to the Brazilian rule set as well.

Hope I didn't start something here...

Not sure an Indian subforum would be appropriate as most of the problems come from non-Indian specific threads. They're using the Model 20 now, so that rules out the only major difference between the two series.  

Yes it is...

Hmm didn't know they were using the model 20 now. Maybe we could create a "spoon feed me now" section and anything of that nature could be sent there if it gets posted elsewhere

It would be like a forum purgatory, in between an open and a closed thread, whom only brave souls with lots of patience would venture on to answer questions.

I'm only half serious here but still it would be funny to see all the posts in one area.

If someone makes a FAQ, I'll sitcky it.

Edited by Mod Squad - Jul/08/2013 at 1:58pm

 

Pedro UFPBaja wrote: I can do it, not sure when, but i can.

That Toyota FAQ is exactly what I was thinking about when I suggested it...

1. Read these books and linkies to get a general idea

Maybe new threads can not be created by users for the first month of their join date without being approved first by a MOD? Would prevent a lot of new users expecting a quick answer to their spoonfeeding questions.

collinskl1 wrote:   How about sending a PM out to some of the gurus here and we put together a collaborative google doc or something that is shared so we cover as much as possible before "publishing" it to the forum?

Guys I know things get out of hand, but please just tend to ignore the novice teams, after all we are only in our 8th year. We'll too someday have hardcore teams like yours.

Engage Pit of Despair...