Eric Smith   Online Professional
Social Bookmarking sites use a feature that suggests a topic may have been submited previously...

Perhaps an adapted form of that would direct users to a previously discussed topic...

Of course that would depend on a subject title with matching keywords...

Or perhaps a line of text above a new discussion that says "Has this topic been covered already?" with a search box next to it...

Of course, there is already a search box on the top of the page but even i am guilty of not using that all the time... If its "In ya face" its more likely to be used (In Theory)...
Oct 13th 2007 16:21   

Jeff Greene   Online Marketing Specialist/Consultant
Yes, it will certainly help to have more descriptive titles for your queries- Vague titles delay helpful answers, and they might be the cause of bad answers, too!
Oct 13th 2007 16:35   

Cheryl Baumgartner   Medical Billing/Coding/Insurance
It's a good idea to keep the same subject matter together. But the one thing we must remember in doing that is an already posted thread on a topic may not cover a specific issue within that topic. We have to be careful of "burying" a necessary answer under ton's of posts that are in the same topic but on a different issue.

For example: why people don't use ABC's while a business center question, would not be the same as tips for rating ABC's. You end up having to wade through dozens of unrelated posts to get to the answer you want. On some cases pages of unrelated posts. In order to make it efficient you would need subcategories to separate the information into specific topics under the general category.
Oct 13th 2007 17:18   

Eric Smith   Online Professional
Thats a valid argument too.
Oct 13th 2007 17:57   

Joseph Botelho   Investing One Gram at a Time
Yep l do agree.................most of the stuff is so un organized, diplicated and all going after the same link.................afilliate link that is..............l like nice easy to read good solid information in a fashion that it took some time to write not "THIS COPY AND PASTE STUFF".............anyone can do that................why they made forms join them and promote your stuff................hey anything you advertise on here we have seen or have joined....................show as something with a...........1234 at the end of you link ..........if you have 1234 then be creative and do something like this and click able............"FREE VACATION CHECK IT OUT".............this would be click able........

You not agree.............
Oct 13th 2007 19:25   

Lynn I.   Earning Online Since 1999
We are asking for cooperation with this in the apsense group. This really doesn't need to be made difficult. There isn't a need for sub-categories as the new questions in the thread would be answered. And of course some questions may get buried and a new discussion will be posted. This will not be a perfect solution to this issue. The point of this discussion is to get members to be more aware of the already existing topics. We have had many members in one day ask about spotight scores or honor points. Not only have these questions been asked and answered many times, they are also answered in the faq's. Then these posts get topped and they end up on the top discussion boards even though they have already been covered, and when this happens it takes away from other group posts being listed. So if members help with this in the apsense group, it will help the apsense community as a whole. Lynn
Oct 13th 2007 21:13   

Rusty Rose   
I like Eric's idea....

"Or perhaps a line of text above a new discussion that says "Has this topic been covered already?" with a search box next to it... "
Oct 13th 2007 22:01   

Lynn I.   Earning Online Since 1999
Of course a search box right above the new discussion box would be ideal. But, we already have a subject search feature at the top of the page. And more members could find topics, if members used more descriptive titles, with some keywords. Lynn
Oct 13th 2007 22:10   

Bj aka Bill Brown   Hosting and Backup Service provider
Hi Rusty

that wil only work if the second point made in the main post here is carried out.

ie sensible titles that include what its about.

Oct 13th 2007 22:10   

Rusty Rose   
Okay, then. How about:

"Has this topic been covered already? Please remember to use descriptive titles!," with a search box next to it.
Oct 14th 2007 13:44   

Rusty Rose   
Okay, then. How about:

"Has this topic been covered already? Please remember to use 'logical' descriptive titles!," with a search box next to it. *Grin
Oct 14th 2007 13:45   

Nnamdi A.   Internet Marketer
This is good and it will work well for us if we cooperate with the mods. Make your titles descriptive.
Oct 6th 2010 10:07   

Teodor M.   Blockchain Real Estate
Hi. About duplication... or parallel issue... I have a question: Is there any way to merge 2 groups I've created? I have 3 old Groups created and I'd like to have 2 of them in just one place for better communication with the members and for better focus on business discussion (both are business related groups).
Thanks.
TEO
Nov 19th 2010 09:40   

Cheryl Baumgartner   Medical Billing/Coding/Insurance
Were they created before or After the new group system when into effect? If they are left over from more than a month ago, the reactivate one of the groups and leave the other inactive.

When you edit your group description notate that point. Once the group has been reactivated and then approved, post a subject in that group explaining that it is not the combined blank and blank group. I would suggest using the group with the most members to reactiviate.
Nov 19th 2010 09:56   

Teodor M.   Blockchain Real Estate
They were created before and activated in new system. However, I'll see what it has to be done.
Nov 19th 2010 09:59   

Bj aka Bill Brown   Hosting and Backup Service provider
the other option is activate both put a message in the one you want to close asking the members of the group to move to the other group or send them a contact telling them that you closed the group and would like them to go to the other in a case like this i would not count it as spamming as long as no ad is included.
Nov 19th 2010 12:54   

Teodor M.   Blockchain Real Estate
ok, thanks BJ
Nov 19th 2010 18:54   

Philippe Moisan   Tutorial videos, sci-fi writer
@bronnamdi I agree with you 100 %
Nov 30th 2010 08:48