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After reading through the replies to DaveAuld's post from yesterday[^], specifically the comments about QA, I started wondering if we might be better off embracing the homework questions in a new way.
I don't see the rate of homework questions declining in the future, so what if there was a separate QA area specifically for them?
A QA area dedicated to answering basic questions from students that need a different explanation than what they got from their teacher. I know this already happens, but the noise level in QA is so high that a great answer to a question might not be found by other students with the same problem.
There are many dedicated members that do a great job of answering questions in QA every day, but I know there are other very qualified members that don't want to deal with the current format.
Let me be clear. I am not saying we should do their homework for them. In fact I think there should be a report option specifically for that, so those questions can be kicked back without even having to post a message to explain that. Couple that with the ability for Protectors to move questions from one area to another.
I am not claiming this is an optimal solution, but do you think something like that would make for a better or worse QA experience?
[*Zips up fireproof suit and grabs a bottle of water*]
Soren Madsen
"When you don't know what you're doing it's best to do it quickly" - Jase #DuckDynasty
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I think online chat would be nice.
Microsoft ... the only place where VARIANT_TRUE != true
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Really?
If we cannot understand the questions in the written form, then what chances have we in the verbal!
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No, don't get me wrong I mean something like irc.
The hamsters could add a special button "NEED CODEZ URGENTZZZZZ" 
Microsoft ... the only place where VARIANT_TRUE != true
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Online chat is a terrible idea. Who, exactly, would you connect to? Bear in mind that the people who answer questions are volunteers, and that this site is frequented by people from all round the world, the chances of you connecting to the person who is able, and has the time to work through the problem, is tiny.
So no, online chat is not an option.
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My idea for the online chat was not for the QA. It was more for the Lounge and The weird and Wonderful. For sharing more interesting articles and other things. With my expierience irc is a really good time filler.
And yet again this idea may not be as good as it sounded inside my head.
Microsoft ... the only place where VARIANT_TRUE != true
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I fail to see what online chat would bring over posting to the forums. Part of the problem is that the very nature of chat moves away from the idea of giving considered opinion and is best suited to things that don't need to survive after the chat session ends.
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when the special button is clicked:
int main()
{
printf("Hello world\n");
exit(0);
}
Steve
_________________
I C(++) therefore I am
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I would leave this site if they would implement online chat.
Not that I think me leaving would be a great loss, but I do not need AOL back.
~RaGE();
I think words like 'destiny' are a way of trying to find order where none exists. - Christian Graus
Entropy isn't what it used to.
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Hey Rage,
I remember you posting a message about a dual sim smartphone you waanted to purchase. In case you are still looking around for one, I ordered the HTC Desire 516[^], I'll get it next weekend. If you are still interested in getting a dual sim phone, I can write a little review for you.
The console is a black place
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Neat. Only problem is, will users be smart enough to categorize their question properly or we as a community do that?
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SoMad wrote: the ability for Protectors to move questions from one area to another
Does this answer your question? 
Don't mind those people who say you're not HOT. At least you know you're COOL.
I'm not afraid of falling, I'm afraid of the sudden stop at the end of the fall! - Richard Andrew x64
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Just mark every question as homework by default and display a note where a user gets notified that he/she should remove it if it isn't a homework question. So every user that doesn't pay attention to what he's doing because he's too lazy sends his question directly to the bin 
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SoMad wrote: a great answer to a question might not be found by other students
That's because they never try looking.
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I agree, but I think we have to ask ourselves why that is (they can't all be clueless). After all, they found the site, signed up and headed for the QA area.
Soren Madsen
"When you don't know what you're doing it's best to do it quickly" - Jase #DuckDynasty
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I suspect it is largely word of mouth:
"Hey, dude my program doesn't work".
"That's easy, just logon to CodeProject and post a question".
"Wow, that is easy, maybe I'll mark it as 'urgentz, plz send codz'".
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That's true for most of the ones that post questions, but i've been using this site for 4 years already and only needed to post one programing question after 2 years.
It's a good idea that might help some people.
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Exactly, and that's why most of us like to try and answer questions. But it gets a bit tedious when so many users only come here because they are too lazy to read the documentation, use their debugger to collect some useful diagnostic information, or even to use Google.
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Richard MacCutchan wrote: That's because they never try looking.
Presumably some do not. But there can be a certain amount of knowledge that one needs to phrase a question and to evaluate the results. For someone that has been programming for a lifetime doing that, even say for a brand new language, is almost intuitive. But for someone that has never programmed before it is probably much less clear.
Not even sure that I would fault all of those that do not look. Some of them are probably already frustrated because they have a feeling that they should be able to figure it out but have repeatedly failed. And thus trying again (to figure it out themselves by googling) seems like an exercise in futility so they just give up and hope someone will explain it. I know that myself it took quite a few years in school to actually realize that I had to read the book rather than just skimming it and hoping the answer would jump out at me.
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I was pointing to the ones thst cannot be bothered to try, rather than the ones who try and get nowhere. It's usually not too difficult to tell the difference.
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I think the extra 'noise' in QA is because a lot of people do not use search - Google or CP - at all...
We may think about an engine that do some auto-categorization of questions/answers based on keywords. The created categories should be presented (according the keywords one types) to the one want ask question, and that way he may find it without search...
I'm not questioning your powers of observation; I'm merely remarking upon the paradox of asking a masked man who he is. (V)
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Just plug the whole question into Google and give them the results while telling them it will be 2 hours before the question becomes visible on Q&A. Give them 10 points if they cancel the question within that time.
Peter Wasser
"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts." - Bertrand Russell
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That would work for a lot of the questions, but not for something like this[^] or this[^]...
Soren Madsen
"When you don't know what you're doing it's best to do it quickly" - Jase #DuckDynasty
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