Staff attn: Volunteer thread tagging issues
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1. Add “/page/2” to the forum URL, so https://en.forums.wordpress.com/page/2
2. Tags change over time, but both the tag cloud and the suggestion in the Volunteers’ support guide at https://en.support.wordpress.com/wordpress-com-volunteers/ are good:
Tagging
Remember to tag threads with relevant key words. That way it’s easier for someone searching for answers on a specific topic to find relevant threads. Tagging a thread with the title of the relevant support guide can also be helpful. For example, when a user inquires about making money on their site you would add the tag, monetize your site. Tags are also searchable, like this: https://en.forums.wordpress.com/tags/monetize-your-siteMy thought is keep it short and relevant and if you’ve seen relevant tags used on other posts on the same topic, then use that tag again. That’s what I meant about the forum knowledge pool.
If a tag is unique and used once, it doesn’t add anything to that pool.
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As a newer (still learning) volunteer, I have wondered about both of these things that@themagicrobot mentions:
“Topics with no replies” is for posts more than two hours old. Often the front page of the forum only contains posts up to 45 minutes old. What happens to posts in that “no mans land” between the two? Sometimes I have just been about to respond to a post near to the bottom of the forum when it has disappeared before I could save it/reply.
I spend most of my time in these two places. Reading more than responding until I feel I can answer helpfully. But there does seem to be a gap of time where threads disappear, as is mentioned above. There is no ability to view the next page on the forum main page.
And are the tags in the tag cloud the only tags we can use? Sometimes questions might need tagging with more accurate/appropriate phrases but I never know if I should or not.
Great question.
Thanks for this thread, too. -
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@justjennifer Ok one last question from me. Can you explain what is the point of the “Topics with no tags” page? It is not one I visit as most of those posts have a number of replies and it often overlaps with the main forum page anyway. Are they there because they are still unresolved? They usually contain a final reply from staff. Are they awaiting tagging by you or someone else?
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@themagicrobot Honestly, don’t know! Never understood the purpose of that one. Never used/use it. I’ll wait to hear from @lizkarkowski to become enlightened. :)
Tagging threads is good for everyone, but not enough hours in the day for me to spend doing it unless, as I said previously,
If I run across a thread of interest that hasn’t been tagged, I tag it with already existing, relevant tags to add it to the forum knowledge pool. But it would be appreciated if this could be done by the volunteer who answers a thread. Thanks!
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1. Add “/page/2” to the forum URL, so https://en.forums.wordpress.com/page/2
Thank you, @justjennifer. This is definitely good to know :)
When it comes to frequency of the use, I think the same is true of “Support topics that are not resolved and are more than 2 hours old” page. I rarely use it because topics in the page are mostly resolved or have already answers from someone at least. Do you guys use this page often? Does anyone know the point of use?
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You’re welcome @hacchism. Perhaps odd, but I thought page numbering was a known thing since our forum profiles and any of the separate forums (and even long forum threads like this) have page numbers.
A thread can only be marked “Resolved” by the user who opened the thread or Staff/mods, which then would remove it from that view. Over time changing a thread’s status has pretty much fallen out of use (except maybe in the CSS forum) because most threads are now posted via the dashboard contact form (wpcomhelp) which automatically subscribes the OP to their thread and so they receive answers and respond via email.
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Hi all,
I’ve been offline for 5 days and will have sporadic internet access over the next 2 weeks. I’m washing clothes in a tiny bathroom sink and hanging them to dry on outdoors. The sun has finally come out after another rainy week. I’m not fond of the camping lifestyle but I’m sure this will be worth it in the end.
MY context is important to note because I answer questions here only when I am already online for business purposes. Now and then I get up and set up work that runs on other computers and respond to accumulated phone calls and email. From time to time I’m interrupted by clients or customers who are coming and going and led into longer conversations but that’s rare as I have everything set up to prevent it. :)
I selectively choose to answer the most frequently asked questions. I avoid problem solving threads as I can be required to help either online with the business or offline with people who are coming and going from our studio on the ground floor below me.
After I log in I head immediately for my own profile page and follow-up threads I have posted into previously to make sure that the issues are resolved. I tag threads that require a response from the OP with for example “no URL provided” or “confirm URL and hosting” etc. when I first respond. And, the reason I head for my own profile page is because I mark those threads I describe above as requiring a response from the OP my favorites. I prefer marking them as favorites rather than subscribing to them as I don’t want the email load that comes with subscribing.
I then go back to may main profile page and the ones that follow and work my way through all my threads that have Most recent reply: responses left after my last login. I respond accordingly or tag them with modlook where required. NOTE: I don’t tag any thread with modlook without telling the OP that the thread has been tagged for Staff.
As I work my way through my follow-ups I also note threads on the front page of the forum and where the answers are easy to provide I provide them as quickly as possible.
When I get a free moment I check what’s under the wpcomhelp tag to see what the activity has been like and I also check the modlook tagged threads to see if there is a pattern of any site wide issues being reported.
Then I head for the the main pages I use when I answer questions and they are the topics with no replies pages. Yes, I’m aware of pagination there,and I use it to rapidly answer threads with common denominator issues such as instructions for deleting accounts and deleting sites, etc. I focus on the threads with no replies and always use pagination there to locate any issues that may have fallen between the cracks.
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@musicdoc1 – “-)
@timethief – thanks for opening this thread. It’s again been an education for me as well. Happy (speedy and successful) house renovations!
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You’re angry? It’s a lighthearted comment that riffs on what at least three of us have already said in the topic. In short, the purpose of the “Topics with no tags” section is a mystery.
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Hi doc. Not sure how my keyboard smile got interpreted as being angry. So now that I’m on my mobile…😊 Your comment made me smile. Cheers!
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Hi jj, That’s a relief! For a moment I thought I’d wandered into the no humor zone. 😊 Cheers!
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No worries, but to answer you seriously with my speculation about “Topics with no tags,” to my thinking it’s likely a vestige from earlier times when:
A. there were far fewer threads posted to the support forums each day (in Nov. 2008 we had roughly 4.7 million registered sites on WPcom, according to the figure given at WCIsrael by Raanan Bar-Cohen. Today, ?)B. users posted new threads directly in the forums’ “Add New Topic” form, where it is possible to add tags and indicate the URL of the site you need help with.
So perhaps back in the mists of time the then forum mods/staff (all 10+/- of them, including Matt) took up the mantle of tagging untagged threads to help build the tag cloud and expand the forum knowledge pool.
Today tagging is still important to help users/volunteers quickly find relevant and recent threads, but there are far more threads per day now than users/volunteers tagging them. That’s not a complaint, just an observation. OK, maybe a wee complaint. ;-) <that’s a wink
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That’s a possible explanation. It’s somewhat ironic that in a post where tagging a topic without responding is being discouraged, at the same time we are prompted to consider the “Topics with no tags” list, which might be interpreted as an encouragement to go on a tagging expedition.
Btw, the keyboard emoticon – “-) looks to me like a face with narrowed eyes, frown lines between the eyes, and possibly a hand held to the side of the face in dismay, but then again I guess it could be a sideways smile, with a wink, and a shock of hair pointing straight upward.
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Hi there @a1h20 you’ll want to open a separate forum thread for any question about working with your WordPress site. This thread is specific to the volunteers who assist users in these community forums, which it doesn’t seem you are asking about. :)
You can open a new thread at this link https://en.forums.wordpress.com/?new=1 and make sure to indicate the URL of the site you need help with.
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@musicdoc1 – I don’t find it ironic, but I do think tt’s point is well-taken. If volunteers are going to tag a thread, then please also answer the user.
The only time I’d say it isn’t necessary to answer a thread is when there are multiple, exact duplicates. These kinds of duplicates are usually a contact form hiccup. Answer one thread and tag the rest “duplicate” so they can be reviewed and handled or removed. Again, thanks for tagging.
Since this thread has gotten extremely long. I’m going to skip the off-topic discussion on smileys, but thanks for your explanation of what you saw.
Regardless, I would be grateful for @lizkarkowski’s thoughts about the “Topics with no tags” view and how it fits into the greater plan.
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