How does ask.wireshark.org work?

Question

I had to get used to the different way this Q&A site works. I also see many people using it the way they use a forum (as they both look a bit the same). Should we provide users with a primer when they create an account?

Things that I have seen go wrong are:

people use the answer buttom to actually respond to other messages (without providing a new answer to the question)
people do not "accept" an answer, even though it solved their problem. This way the question stays on the unanswered list. It also makes it hard for people with the same question to get the right answer.
some people also respond to a correct answer with a new answer (instead of a comment) and then "accept" that answer, which will make it hard for people with the same question to get the right answer.

(are there more things that do not follow the unwritten rules of this Q&A site?)

What do you think?

UPDATE : I posted a separate Question which shows more clearly how ask.wireshark.org should be used... (it's kind of an addition to the FAQ, please read it :-)

Answer 1

I agree Sake - in fact, I'm not sure if this should be an answer or a comment... <g>

It bugs me that "unanswered" does not show "unanswered" questions, but all questions that do not have an "accepted" answer.

In addition, the default of "active" gives the impression there are no recent questions and will bring up "viral fluff" to the top.

Those points aside, I think we definitely need to do a primer - I started putting together a short video, but a simple doc should be available when accounts are set up. Here are some suggested topics:

Finding answers already posted
Asking a question - get the best results (e.g., provide x details)
How/why you should accept answers that help you
When to use Answer vs. Comment
Proper question tagging
Change your notification and subscription settings
Setting your Gravatar
We do need those stinkin' badges? <g>
Why is that question listed as "unanswered?"

Just some ideas of topics to cover... I admit, it is similar enough to a forum to cause confusion.

Laura

Answer 2

Obviously it is not always clear to new visitors, how ask.wireshark works.

Should it be a good idea to show a popup, when people want to ask or answer a question?

Please take a look at stackoverflow.
When you want to ask a question, you are redirected to How to Ask.
You can't proceed without checking the box "thanks, I will keep these tips in mind when asking"

When you want to answer a question, you get this popup:

Your Answer
Thanks for contributing an answer to Stack Overflow!
Please make sure you answer the question; this is a Q&A site, not a discussion forum.
Provide details and share your research. Avoid statements based solely on opinion; only make statements you can back up with an appropriate reference, or personal experiences.

Answer 3

I think the big thing that may not be obvious if you're used to traditional web forums is this:

Answers move around.

They move up and down depending on votes so that helpful information can move to the top. If you use and "answer" to reply to another answer or make a comment or otherwise assume they're time-descending, things can get confused very quickly.

Answer 4

-5

This one time I found a can of tuna that was dented.

answered 17 Sep '10, 14:35

Test user 2 ♦
-1
accept rate: 0%

1

This is off topic and is an example of a bad answer. Please downvote.

(17 Sep '10, 14:36) Test user 2 ♦

Not a bad idea, I for one wasn't too sure how to handle certain situations. For example, since comment field is limited (in # of char) I've had to use the Answer field in once case. And I still don't no who voted for what (good answer, etc.)

(21 Nov '10, 21:28) hansangb

Oops: I apparently I marked this as the "answer" when I meant to do a downvote.

I wonder how to "unaccept" this as the answer....

(11 Aug '11, 21:13) Bill Meier ♦♦

Answer: Just click the "accept" again,....

(11 Aug '11, 21:14) Bill Meier ♦♦