low traffic lately?

users
#1

Hi :slight_smile:
Does anyone else feel we have had very low traffic over the last few
weeks? yet many answers going unanswered?

If so should we be pointing people towards AskLO more? It seemed like
we had tons of activity when we used to have tons of arguments about
almost everything so maybe fake one?? Other thoughts?

My own thought is that mailing lists are a bit archaic and unfamiliar
to most new users = so it's natural for a project to mature towards
forums and gui type support structures and even, perhaps, greater use
of 3rd party sites, perhaps downstream such as Ubuntu, Mageia forums
and such.
Regards from
Tom :slight_smile:

#2

I've seen a lot of traffic. I haven't responded because most of the questions have been about things I know little about.

Virgil

#3

Hi Tom:

Just my two cents. I've tried using AskLO several times and have never
figured out how to set up an account, so I hope you don't drop this in favor
of AskLO.

Maybe I'm just dense (and I've only been using computers and bulletin boards
and mailing lists and their descendants since the mid-80s), but all I see
are ways to sign in using Google or Facebook and so forth, and I don't have
any of those accounts, and don't want them, since I get enough spam already
and don't have much interest in cat videos or what my neighbors had for
dinner.

Sorry - I'll go away now.

Frank

#4

CVAlkan wrote:

Hi Tom:

Just my two cents. I've tried using AskLO several times and have never
figured out how to set up an account, so I hope you don't drop this in favor
of AskLO.

Maybe I'm just dense (and I've only been using computers and bulletin boards
and mailing lists and their descendants since the mid-80s), but all I see
are ways to sign in using Google or Facebook and so forth, and I don't have
any of those accounts, and don't want them, since I get enough spam already
and don't have much interest in cat videos or what my neighbors had for
dinner.

Sorry - I'll go away now.

Frank

Hi Frank,

For some unexplained reason The Document Foundation board chose to use a
modified edition of the Askbot software [1] which, unlike Askbot's own
forum [2], does not allow you to set up a local log-in account.

If you dare suggest that you do not want to have a third party social
media account, you run the risk of at least one TDF board member calling
you a "paranoid" freak [3].

I was working with a small (only 40-50 seat) client company on a
proposal for migrating to LibreOffice. Mistakenly, in the process of
showing them the software's features, I demonstrated the new "Help ->
Send Feedback" "Ask a question" option, which ultimately leads to the
AskLibO site. The client asked me why they or their staff would be
required to have a third party social media account to use that service.
Unlike some TDF board members, I do not make it a practice to tell my
clients that they need to get a life and get over their stupid "paranoia".

Dave

[1] https://askbot.com/
[2] http://askbot.org/en/account/signin/?next=/en/
[3] http://nabble.documentfoundation.org/AskLibO-Access-td4091511.html

#5

I also will not use social media services. They are a complete security
rise. Ask Facebook how many users information was stolen recently? I
will use a mailing list or forum.

#6

--
Jim

Tom Davies <tomcecf@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi :slight_smile:
Does anyone else feel we have had very low traffic over the last few
weeks? yet many answers going unanswered?

Is this a result of having to "reply all" to get the answer automatically sent to the list?

I have been led to believe that "reply all" should be used sparingly and that its indiscriminate use is rude.

--
Jim

#7

CVAlkan wrote

I've tried using AskLO several times and have never figured out how to set
up an account, ...

... all I see are ways to sign in using Google or Facebook and so forth,
and I don't have any of those accounts

This thread has become hijacked by several comments about requiring a
Facebook or Twitter or social media account to use the AskLO site. I am
responding to this comment simply because it is the first, but am not
wanting to single anyone out. Hopefully I can provide some useful
information. There are threads on AskLO about various aspects of this very
issue:

http://ask.libreoffice.org/en/question/21348/can-the-interface-for-registering-at-asklo-be-improved/
http://ask.libreoffice.org/en/question/11140/how-can-we-encourage-more-people-to-sign-in-to-the-ask-site/
http://ask.libreoffice.org/en/question/24838/registration-at-libo-after-opendid-stops/

To be clear, what is required to sign in to AskLO is an OpenID verified
domain. This can be any such verified site, including a personal site if
anyone cares to setup OpenID verification for themselves (I have not tested
this, and comment in one of the listed threads that if this does not work a
bug needs to be raised). The point here is that if anyone wants to take
control of their own verification, they are free to do so. There are a *lot*
of OpenID providers. Click the OpenID badge and enter the URL of a provider.

All the major social media service providers use this type of verification
and this is expected. LO as a project will naturally attempt to make use of
such types of media (e.g., by tweeting and facebooking) as that is where a
lot of people are these days. It is however unlikely that email will
completely die, but it now has competing channels it never had in years
past. The web is diversifying and fragmenting as it grows and this too is
completely natural.

The hope is that LO itself will become an OpenID provider so that a single
LO account will allow sign-in to all the OpenID-supported services that LO
makes use of (nabble, gerrit, AskBot, wiki, etc.) and will enhance those
that do not currently support OpenID to do so e.g., bugzilla. LO is a big
project with a lot of different services and sites so this make sense IMO.

There is also the alternate forum (http://en.libreofficeforum.org/forum/)
that has a local registration. Disclosure: I am a moderator there.
Best wishes, Owen.

#8

Any decent mail client, as opposed to the current crop of online click
and drool programs, have the ability of replying directly to the list.