Feature request: User communication

Question

Another feature suggestion:

A simple contact user form, like a wall may be on each users site. I actually had the situation that I wanted to contact a user here on Q2A to ask him how he did this and that. I like the script as is and I dont think a big user community is an advantage as it would need much more server power, but users should have the chance to ask others.

It could as well be in the question form where one could direct a question to a selected user who would be informed about the new question. But question would be still shown to all users.

A user should allow or disallow this direct questions on his user page.

Best regards

monk

Answer 1

"Private questions" is a very bad idea IMO because you are limiting the pool of who can give you an answer.

If you wanted to know how to do something with Q2A, then simply ask the question here (you could mention the user/site in the question detail if it's useful). Now instead of one person answering, you have many people who can provide solutions - perhaps a better one than you'd get from the original user.

However, a "wall" concept for each user could work - I have a situation on my site that it would be useful for, plus it can avoid chatty/subjective questions, if those are the things you wish to avoid on the main site.

EDIT: Hmm, on second reading, I guess you mean it would still be a regular question, available for everyone to answer? Still not sure that's the best idea, because it can end up fragmenting the community if everyone keeps asking one person to answer.

Comments

I think You are right. The question should be public in any case, not tooo private, but I still think it would be great if You could refer to a special user, so that he gets informed about the request. It would be a little bit like an expert someone wants to talk to.

A wall would be cleraly enough, it is just that the desired user gets informed. For example on Your , by the way very nice, site, if someone seems to be an expert for a very special thing, but was not online since weeks, how to ask him something?
If You could refer to him, he would be informed by mail and knows that his knowledge is needed urgently.

In my case I wanted to ask the user named R how he put in the questionbox the (onblur ) watermark input text. He and me had some communication about the questionbox on front before, and now I would need a small info by him. As he took parts of my code he just needs to send me two lines and it fits.

I could enter his site and ask, but as he has a targeted usergroup, I dont want to fill his site with non matching questions.
But however, a wall would do it.

Rgds

monk

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- My Opinion -
"Private questions": I think bad feature too.
"Private messages": I hope to add PM feature like phpbb/SMF/etc in future.

My most case of PM feature in forum:
 1. Chattering between the same or different group members(SuperAdmin, Admin, ??-Group, etc).
 2. Send warning message to spam user. (attach copy to the manager)

But, PM feature is very large...service-process, client-view, personal-settting(protect-msg), etc. Because Q2A is a system in the growth process, and PM feature can substitute in other methods, then I think that it had better be given development-power to other basically/necessary feature (views, sort, RTE ...) now.

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It is a good argument to see this feature as not urgent. And I as well understand that "private" is not a very good idea, but directing a question to special contributor should be possible, better said, "informing" a special user about the new question. But it only was a suggestion. As I am very very limited in my php understanding, I have no idea how to implement it and if it is much work or a 10 minutes job.

Let us better talk about a informing feature. May be each users account page could contain a link like: Ask a new question AND inform this user!

So the question would be public, the user woud be informed, and no new forms would be needed. May be I am wrong, but only work would be to add a link and some steps to email him as long as he permited direct questions through a yes or no switch in his profile.

But You are totally right, it is not an urgent feature. Thank You so much
 monk333