[Ken Leung]

First of all I would like to say that Chief Delphi Forum was THE PLACE that inspired me to be who I am in FIRST today. It was a wonderful experience due to many of the reasons mentioned above. Having said that, I would like to post some constructive criticism that others might not agree with without seeing how the CD forum was a few years ago. Understand that I do agree this is a wonderful place; however I am frustrated with a few things that are reducing the quality of this forum.

Without quite following the questions I posted, I will get to the point.

1. There is a huge amount of post everyday during the season making it very difficult to keep track of all the discussions in the forum. The threads get too large too quickly without control, and it is difficult to digest all that's being said in the thread without spending a huge amount of time.

2. Discussions often lack focus. It is mostly due to the off topic post in a thread, which will interrupt a linear style thread very easily. Unfortunately most people seems to be used to linear style as oppose to thread style, therefore a multi-topic thread is nearly impossible. The only way to solve this problem is to actively create new thread and lead the discussion there.

3. Lots of chit-chat post even in serious discussion is interrupting the float of discussion. Many times people reply to those fun posts distracting everyone else from the main discussion. Its ok to reply to them, but try to stay on topic and add a little message at the end of your post. Too much chit chat can easily turn the entire forum to too much fun and not enough business.

4. Questions asking for serious responds are often answered by uncertain replies or clearly wrong answers. This is against the reputation of being a helpful place to the FIRST community. I urge that people who are not confident about their answer to let someone else post the correct answer. Do not post just to show your name on the forum. Correct answers are usually followed by strong evidences and references; try not to reply without them.


I used to log into Chief Delphi forum everyday thinking its purpose is to serve the community and not for my selfish reasons, and was afraid to post any messages. Now I post in the forum for the benefit of myself and the community together. I don't want anyone to be afraid of posting, but bare in mind that every post and action have their consequences in the community, the most immediate ones are reducing the efficiency and integrity of this place. I would hate it if people have to choose between having fun and getting inspired. I know there is room for both. Just be mindful that you might be having too much fun sometimes.

I know a lot of mentors are driven away because they are frustrated and tired of the noises happening in the forum. I am sure they very much like to inspire students with their wisdom and experience, only it is impossible to do so when 1 post get buried inside 100 within 2 hours during the season. So please, think twice before you click that little button that says "reply".


On a side note, I would like to ask everyone to think of some ways to improve the efficiency of this forum and deal with the tremendous amount of growth we face each year. Think about things like, how do we deal with too many replies in a thread, organizing discussions within the threads, and how do we educate future members to choose quality over quantity.