Forum-Improvement Suggestions

[TBoneTX 45,288]

Because the other recent thread is supposed to be about suggesting improvements outside of the fora, here are some for improvements in and of the fora:

K-1 Case Filing forum: Do away with the pinned "case filing, progress reports & and [sic] congratulations posts" thread. This was a noble concept when the thread was begun, but people invariably start their own thread. (Posting "new" news inside a pinned thread is deadly because it gets buried there -- look at how many questions from people go unanswered in the "informational" pinned threads, see man.)

IR-1/CR-1 Case Filing forum: Ditto above. That pinned thread has even less action.

K-3: Please, please make this a subordinate of the CR-1 forum. Regular members are continuously correcting the unwashed who still think that the K-3 is a valid option for which to apply.

K-1: A pinned thread is definitely (if not desperately) needed on Front-Loading the Petition: When, Why, & to What Extent. How many times must this be explained individually (sometimes more than once daily)? How often must "the requirements of USCIS" versus "think down the road to what the consulate will be looking for" be explained? How often do powderpuff-consulate filers try to tell #######-consulate filers that no front-loading is necessary?

AOS: A pinned thread (perhaps a very short one) is definitely needed in regard to "I got a letter saying that our AOS interview was cancelled -- what does this mean and what do I do?" This is yet another question that's asked several times weekly.

Also, in general, many if not most of the pinned threads could be purged of "chaff" or obsolete messages and then locked. Objectively, what's the purpose or value of a pinned thread unless people can go there and readily find the substantive information that was meant to be pinned?

I also think that either some currently pinned threads could be revised -- or, better, some new ones could be fashioned -- by cherry-picking the best VJ posts on various topics. Some members have composed several (JimVaPhuong chief among them).

I frankly think that the pinned threads are the weakest area of the VJ fora, sigh man, but that it doesn't have to be that way, no man.

There's no conceivable reason that the wheel needs to be reinvented by answering the same questions over and over in individual threads.

Comments?

[Captain Ewok 1,891]

Because the other recent thread is supposed to be about suggesting improvements outside of the fora, here are some for improvements in and of the fora:

K-1 Case Filing forum: Do away with the pinned "case filing, progress reports & and [sic] congratulations posts" thread. This was a noble concept when the thread was begun, but people invariably start their own thread. (Posting "new" news inside a pinned thread is deadly because it gets buried there -- look at how many questions from people go unanswered in the "informational" pinned threads, see man.)

IR-1/CR-1 Case Filing forum: Ditto above. That pinned thread has even less action.

K-3: Please, please make this a subordinate of the CR-1 forum. Regular members are continuously correcting the unwashed who still think that the K-3 is a valid option for which to apply.

K-1: A pinned thread is definitely (if not desperately) needed on Front-Loading the Petition: When, Why, & to What Extent. How many times must this be explained individually (sometimes more than once daily)? How often must "the requirements of USCIS" versus "think down the road to what the consulate will be looking for" be explained? How often do powderpuff-consulate filers try to tell #######-consulate filers that no front-loading is necessary?

AOS: A pinned thread (perhaps a very short one) is definitely needed in regard to "I got a letter saying that our AOS interview was cancelled -- what does this mean and what do I do?" This is yet another question that's asked several times weekly.

Also, in general, many if not most of the pinned threads could be purged of "chaff" or obsolete messages and then locked. Objectively, what's the purpose or value of a pinned thread unless people can go there and readily find the substantive information that was meant to be pinned?

I also think that either some currently pinned threads could be revised -- or, better, some new ones could be fashioned -- by cherry-picking the best VJ posts on various topics. Some members have composed several (JimVaPhuong chief among them).

I frankly think that the pinned threads are the weakest area of the VJ fora, sigh man, but that it doesn't have to be that way, no man.

There's no conceivable reason that the wheel needs to be reinvented by answering the same questions over and over in individual threads.

Comments?

Bold/Italic have been fixed. I would love help to get the rest fixed .

[photomile 101]

Can I also add that it would be a REALLY good idea in the K1 forums to say that once you get your NOA2 you need to post in your regional subforum as things become VERY specific and often times the information has been very wrong due to different consulate requirements

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

Can I also add that it would be a REALLY good idea in the K1 forums to say that once you get your NOA2 you need to post in your regional subforum as things become VERY specific and often times the information has been very wrong due to different consulate requirements

A noble suggestion, but many people do not effectively have a regional subforum. Those people might need some general help.

[TBoneTX 45,288]

Bold/Italic have been fixed. I would love help to get the rest fixed .

Mountains moved within an hour of request... is there a rank higher than Admiral to which someone could be promoted? Holy mackerel, man! (Uber-Admiral is all that comes to mind.)

I can (not at this moment, however) send some messages to some key people about fashioning some of what would be the "new" pinned threads.

I don't have the insider knowledge to comment on the technical aspects of cleaning up some of the currently pinned threads (removing chaff posts, etc.). The nonessential posts don't violate the TOS, so I don't see how they could be actually deleted or made invisible; could a moderator start a new, unpinned thread called "Comments on the Pinned Thread _____" and move the nonessential posts into that?

How much more workload is it fair to saddle the moderators with? The above would probably also be tedious work. Would it help if one or more VJ members were to go through the pinned threads, then report to the moderators that "in this pinned thread, posts #3, 7, 8, 14-21, & 25 seem to be nonessential"?

Someone official will have to comment and give direction, si man.

[LeftCoastLady 441]

A noble suggestion, but many people do not effectively have a regional subforum. Those people might need some general help.

Which regions are missing in the subfora area? There may be generic questions post-NOA2, however, many of the questions posted tend to be country/embassy-specific, e.g. "Do I need to fill out [insert form number here]?" While someone may be able to respond, it is usually with a caveat of "You should pose this question in your country/regional forum..."

[^_^ 5,021]

Note her use of the word 'effectively'. Some parts of the world are lumped in a large regional forum full of posters hostile to them and their interests. It's just how it is.

[LeftCoastLady 441]

Note her use of the word 'effectively'. Some parts of the world are lumped in a large regional forum full of posters hostile to them and their interests. It's just how it is.

Without knowing which specific region/country where there are issues encountered, that seems like a separate problem that likely wouldn't necessarily be resolved just because they pose post-NOA2 questions in the K-1, IR-1/CR-1, etc. fora. If the better solution is to further separate countries within the regional forum, then perhaps pushing the specific questions into those areas would allow for a further justification on why that separation is needed.

Edited June 15, 2012 by LeftCoastLady

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

There are plenty of tiny countries who are grouped together in huge "regions." Europe and Eurasia forum includes France, Turkey, and Kazakhstan. Some countries with larger traffic have been separated out, which is great, but that would be excessive for every country in the world. Some forums would have zero members and zero posts.

You (and the person who suggested this change) have enjoyed the use of a robust regional forum with plenty of people going through a single embassy. Most people do not have that. I don't think if a person from Tajikistan had a question about what happened post-NOA2 that the correct response would be "hey buzz off and go ask your regional forum" (which by the way is Europe and Eurasia). There are so few posters from that country that no one would answer them there anyway.

Also, http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/298661-what-does-family-friendly-mean-in-the-context-of-vj/page__view__findpost__p__4578918

[LeftCoastLady 441]

There are plenty of tiny countries who are grouped together in huge "regions." Europe and Eurasia forum includes France, Turkey, and Kazakhstan. Some countries with larger traffic have been separated out, which is great, but that would be excessive for every country in the world. Some forums would have zero members and zero posts.

You (and the person who suggested this change) have enjoyed the use of a robust regional forum with plenty of people going through a single embassy. Most people do not have that. I don't think if a person from Tajikistan had a question about what happened post-NOA2 that the correct response would be "hey buzz off and go ask your regional forum" (which by the way is Europe and Eurasia). There are so few posters from that country that no one would answer them there anyway.

Also, http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/298661-what-does-family-friendly-mean-in-the-context-of-vj/page__view__findpost__p__4578918

Understood, however, I still believe that using the K-1 forum, for example, isn't necessarily the best place to address questions that are specific to a certain region. If one is going through a country that isn't largely represented on VJ, that's unfortunate, but posing their question in the K-1 forum wouldn't necessarily give them access to the correct answer, either.

Yes, photomile and I have access to a great subforum, and we have amazing resources such as Nich-Nick to thank for that. At the subforum level, there's definitely a heavier reliance on having quality folks around to help guide the topics. I'm not sure how that can be easily corrected, but I don't believe suggesting that those with a smaller representation be directed to post elsewhere provides a solution.

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

I think the solution is to "let" them post in the normal K-1 or CR-1 forum so people can give them the gist of things with the caveat that they need to communicate well with the consulate for specifics, not shoo them away to an unused regional. Furthermore, "region" is not a correct category here; every consulate does their own thing, regardless of what their neighbor country does. There are few questions "specific to a certain region" as you say.

Edited June 15, 2012 by Harpa Timsah

[LeftCoastLady 441]

I think the solution is to "let" them post in the normal K-1 or CR-1 forum so people can give them the gist of things with the caveat that they need to communicate well with the consulate for specifics, not shoo them away to an unused regional. Furthermore, "region" is not a correct category here; every consulate does their own thing, regardless of what their neighbor country does. There are few questions "specific to a certain region" as you say.

And that's what many folks are already doing, per my reference to the caveat language used...until a mod moves the thread to the regional/country subforum.

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

Yes, I am countering a decent argument for change with my reasoning for preferring "no change."

Anyway, yay for K-3 being a subforum of CR/IR-1!

Edited June 15, 2012 by Harpa Timsah

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

TBoneTX asked me to add my comments in here, so here goes...

I agree with all of his suggestions, but I wanted to go a little further with some opinions on pinned threads.

I think pinned threads are most effective when they contain either announcements from forum management, or authoritative reference material. Threads of both types must be kept locked in order for them to be effective. Otherwise, they become filled with fluff posts, and it becomes nearly impossible to separate the actual useful information from the "chaff" which TBoneTX referred to. I've been both a forum moderator and forum admin before, and I know that periodically weeding out the so-called chaff is an impossible task, especially on a reasonably busy forum like this. The only effective solution is to simply not allow members to post in pinned reference threads.

Occasionally, there may be a member's post in another thread that contains accurate and authoritative reference information, and the post might be a good candidate for inclusion in a reference thread. These posts can be copied to the reference thread, but the original post should be left in place. Moving the post instead of copying it will wreck the structure of the thread it was originally posted in, and may leave posts quoting a post that appears to have vanished.

An editorial board should make the determination which posts get copied to a pinned reference thread. The editorial board should have a PM address that members can use to nominate posts for inclusion in a pinned reference thread. The editorial board should reserve the right to edit posts that have been copied to a pinned reference thread. This includes removing irrelevant material from the post (perhaps 70% of a particular post is relevant, and the other 30% is opinion). This also includes periodically reviewing posts in pinned reference threads for accuracy. If information in a post has been superseded by changes in the law or policies of the agency then the outdated information in the post can be struck out and an editorial comment inserted to explain the change. If an entire post becomes irrelevant then the entire post can be deleted. This will fix the problem of a reference thread containing a lot of outdated info in the early posts, and requiring a user to wade through the entire thread to piece together the current information. For example, I posted in the K2 pinned thread about the requirement for K2's to complete adjustment of status before they reach the age of 21. This information is no longer current because the latest policy is that they must enter the US using the K2 visa before they're 21 and they'll preserve eligibility to adjust status. You have to dig pretty far into the thread to find out my earlier comments are no longer valid.

Pinned threads that allow regular members to post should have a narrowly focused purpose and a limited lifespan. If someone makes a post that's irrelevant then it should be moved to it's own unpinned thread, or deleted. After a predetermined amount of time the thread should be unpinned, locked, and permitted to fall off the first page. It can be replaced by a new thread. No ongoing conversation in the topical forums needs to be permitted to go on for months at a time in the form of a pinned thread. It's also a load on the server's database manager to handle threads that have hundreds of posts. A little regular housekeeping will relieve this.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Can I also add that it would be a REALLY good idea in the K1 forums to say that once you get your NOA2 you need to post in your regional subforum as things become VERY specific and often times the information has been very wrong due to different consulate requirements

Actually, it is a specific Visa Journey policy that the immigration specific questions remain in the immigration forums. There is a sense of community and camaraderie that develop between individuals who are all going through the same process at relatively the same time,even if they are being processed through different consulates. Keeping all of the K-1 or CR-1 posts in the same forums helps to develop a broader understanding of the process as a whole as well as building a support system for those who are 'waiting' (forever waiting, it seems like) for their visas. This support structure isn't the same as the support structure from those in your regional forum because there are generally not the same level of shared common experience as there is with others going through the same process at the same time.

Yes, there are consulate differences and it is actually useful for others going through the process to be aware of these differences, if only to have a greater appreciation for their own consulate.

The Regional forums are basically for the non-immigration specific topics or for those immigration related topics that are so specific that they don't happen anywhere else. In these cases it is fine to post in either the immigration related forum or the regional forum to seek the necessary information.

So, while I can appreciate the apparent convenience of having Consulate specific immigration questions asked in the Regional forums, it really is somewhat counter-productive to one of the goals of Visa Journey, - to provide a mutually supportive and informative environment for those who are going through the same immigration process at the same time.