Mobius thread consolidation?...and general thread consolidation?

Dashmellow

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Depending on the criteria one uses there are as many as five or even six different threads discussing different aspects, issues or questions regarding the Mobius firmware. I'm interested in posting a question about a problem I'm experiencing but I'm having trouble deciding where it belongs. My question could even require starting another thread since the some of the discussions revolve around specific firmware versions and specific other issues but somehow I am reluctant to do that for the time being, hence this post.

How about consolidating all the Mobius "firmware" discussions into a single thread?

As the DashCamTalk website and forums continue to grow, the issue of "thread spread" is really happening in many other parts of the forum as well. There are an increasing number of "loose threads" that should really be part of a single discussion. Of course, DashCamTalk is a small community in the scheme of things and as such the moderation is more casual than some other internet forums and these kind of issues are not such a big deal. Nevertheless, as DashCamTalk continues to grow in popularity I think this could become more of a problem, so consolidating some threads now and perhaps setting some topic "guidelines" might be a good idea because at some point things could become unmanageable.
 
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I have been noticing this as well.
I have been thinking about trying to come up with maybe a sticky FAQ for the VicoVation section to have some common things addressed and keep information about firmware and the application together, but I can't figure out the best way to go about it.
 
That is a difficult one to deal with since I am not a fan of very large threads. For instance, if we enforce 1 firmware thread for the Mobius, it will get very large quickly and would be too much info in one thread. Perhaps we could enforce one thread for firmware version. That might be a better solution but still does a topic about video flickering with a certain firmware belong with someone having difficulty upgrading a firmware version on a Mac?

I could create a set of rules on when to start a thread, but then they would have to be enforced (and the majority of users don't read the rules anyways - 850 people viewed the rules thread out of 3000+ members). Merging threads and moving posts also causes problems when people start questioning where their post went. I don't want to discourage anyone from posting with too many rules since the forum is relatively small still. I will definitely reconsider if the forum grows a lot and it becomes a major problem.

If a thread should be merged, let me know / report it and if it makes sense we will merge. If you want to create a sticky, once again, let me know and if it is a valuable post, we will make it a sticky.
 
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That is a difficult one to deal with since I am not a fan of very large threads. For instance, if we enforce 1 firmware thread for the Mobius, it will get very large quickly and would be too much info in one thread. Perhaps we could enforce one thread for firmware version. That might be a better solution but still does a topic about video flickering with a certain firmware belong with someone having difficulty upgrading a firmware version on a Mac?

I could create a set of rules on when to start a thread, but then they would have to be enforced (and the majority of users don't read the rules anyways - 850 people viewed the rules thread out of 3000+ members). Merging threads and moving posts also causes problems when people start questioning where their post went. I don't want to discourage anyone from posting with too many rules since the forum is relatively small still. I will definitely reconsider if the forum grows a lot and it becomes a major problem.

If a thread should be merged, let me know / report it and if it makes sense we will merge. If you want to create a sticky, once again, let me know and if it is a valuable post, we will make it a sticky.


Thanks for your reply DashCanMan.

I've been thinking about this topic a little further. I think the choice comes down to whether to allow certain threads to get pretty large and go on for a long time or whether to put up with a zillion increasing numbers of similar threads about more or less the same thing. That's partly why I raised the question specifically about the Mobius. The Mobius is a unique camera geared towards a unique set of users, (enthusiasts). Unlike just about any other camera available, the Mobius has had and will continue to have an unusually large number of firmware updates. Most cameras will probably have a few firmware updates in their entire product lifetimes, if that. So, the reason I've raised this issue is that when I wanted to post a question related to a certain firmware issue, it could easily belong in any one of several that already exist. This created a number of problems because I had to go through all the current threads about Mobius firmware just to find out where to post my question or even to find out if it had already come up somewhere. It turned out that my potential post actually belonged in two or three of them at the same time based on the discussions that already existed. Also, it became apparent that some folks would lose out on an interesting and possibly important topic of interest to them if they didn't happen to read all the "other" Mobius firmware threads. With a new thread for each incremental firmware update or issue where do we post discussions about topics that may or may not apply to a specific version but could also apply to all of them? If there is a new thread for each issue or glitch or problem or version, it could become a real rats nest over time.

So maybe with certain subjects that are likely to endure there could be longer threads such as a general "Mobius Firmware Thread", perhaps with sub-threads and at the same time other more transient, less complicated subjects could develop and fade in their own time. Maybe there needs to some sort of balance and or organization to thread topics and sizes, and perhaps some of those sub-forums I mention that exist is many other online forums that use software like vBulletin, especially as this valuable resource you've created continues to grow. (BTW, Does XenForo allow for sub forums the way vBulletin does?)

Obviously what we don't want is something like the RCGroups Mobius thread that has about 5000 posts to date and can takes days of sifting through just to get a handle on things if you are new to the Mobius and looking for information.
 
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The Mini 0801 thread id out of control but I don't see how locking the thread would help.
http://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/smallest-ambarella-car-dvr-a-k-a-mini-0801.1001/

Some people like to read the complete history of a product.

If people are in a rush that's why the FAQ page should be kept up tot date. The possibly of a user maintained WiKi FAQ page might be interesting. That way users can help maintain the FAQ page, firmware details, problems, fixes, etc. (not sure if it would be abused though)
http://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/wiki.2735/
 
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There are sub-forums in Xenforo like vBulletin, actually the Mobius forum is a sub-forum of the Dash Cam Discussion Forum. I could create more nodes beneath that but I have tried to keep everything at 2 levels so far. I don't want to make the forum too difficult to navigate now but will consider adding more sub-forums in the future.

I will be on the lookout for merging threads where possible but I am not ready to start dictating when to start a new thread vs replying to an existing thread.
 
I really like the new way the DashCamTalk forum categories are laid out with the Brands & Models in its own section and more general Discussion categories separate with some additional consolidated topics such as legal issues and development. Both sections have room to grow while still being clear and organized. Thanks DashCamMan!
 
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