Thread Categories

[BlakeRichardson]

Just an idea, most of the people creating a thread are asking a question but there are also people who create threads to share useful information. 

Would it make sense to have a radio button option to select whether its a question or tip?

Just an idea.

[CarolineS]

Hi @BlakeRichardson - 

Good idea! Unfortunately a radio button like that isn't part of the community platform we use, and we're trying to steer away from customizations. What we *can* do is set up Labels in each discussion board; topic posters can select if a particular thread is a "tip" (or some other better term) - see screenshot. Community members can then filter to see just the Tips. What do you think of this idea? 

Cheers!

[PhilipDAth]

I think what you are describing @BlakeRichardson is more commonly called a blog in social forums, but public blogs are turned off on this forum.  We could also ask @CarolineS to pin something to the top of an area or make it a link if you think if it is of good value.

[BlakeRichardson]

Or could we simply have a Tips and Tricks Category? That way they are kept seperate from questions.

@PhilipDAth No I'm not thinking of blogs, most of the forums I belong to have some form of tips & tricks, whether its a seperate category or by way of flagging a thread. I think having blogs here would be a date of time as you would have people post 2-3 then lose interest i the idea.

If people are serious about blogging do it in your own space. 

[CarolineS]

Hm, @BlakeRichardson - I don't want to completely separate out Tips & Tricks, because wouldn't we then need a separate "Tips & Tricks" board for each product / technology area (security, switching, etc)? 

I think the best option within the community platform is to use tags or labels. Probably labels are best because there are nice filters for labels (on the right side of each board's landing page), and also you can subscribe to labels. So, you could get an email update whenever someone posted, say, a new security-related tip.