Curious? Why I'm Not Getting Answers To My Questions Please?
Decorating By bourbs Updated 16 May 2009 , 2:41am by KawaiiCakeCook
I rarely find what I'm looking for when I use the search box on the home page. The only way I get good results is when I use the "forum" tab and then click search to bring up the search page. Anyone else find this to be true?
The search on the cakecentral forums is in my opinion, pretty worthless. That is why I use the google trick. It works wonders... especially if there is a threat I know i saw and can't find it. You can pretty much type anything into google and follow it with the word cakecentral and the topics will come up.
For example.. wasc cakecentral entered into google serach brings up this:
http://www.google.com/search?q=wasc+cakecentral&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US
fficial&client=firefox-a
It's a plethora of topics on WASC... which is a common question around here.
I respectfully disagree with you indydeby, (hold the stoning fellow CCers) I think that chat rooms allow you to converse in a quicker manner. I rarely have time to search the forums, so if it doesn't come up in the home page, then I normally miss the conversation. I like chat rooms, it foster friendships and quirky conversations. I'm not saying that forums should go away, they're great and the knowledge that is there for us to access at any time. But, that being said, I think the chat room would be more about comradeship and smaller more personal tidbits. Example, "hey just got a great new customer", while not really worth a WHOLE forum would be perfect for a quick chat in the room.
I rarely have time to search the forums, so if it doesn't come up in the home page, then I normally miss the conversation.
I never even go to the home page anymore. A great way to keep up on all the new conversations is to go to the forum tab, then on the upper right hand corner, click "View all posts since last visit". This brings up a list of all threads that have had a new response and all new threads that have been posted since you last logged in.
On the home page, you only have 5 threads show up. When you "view all posts since last visit", you can have 131 threads show up. 
Alexndrabill thank you so much for the tip on going to google. I have been going to the search function on cake central and rarely do I ever find anything under the forum section. I think this could be an area of future improvements and that would eliminate questions being asked over and over again.
I have no idea if this is true or not, but I find that the more words I use in the search field, the less likely I am to find what I'm looking for. Sometimes it's hard to come up with just a one-word-search (i.e. "icing" would be just TOO generic, of course!), but if you can, I find it helps.
Also if I can remember ANY cc'er who was part of the conversation, it helps to put their name in the "author" field. For example, if I enter "SPS" and search, I get 606 threads ..... no way I'm sorting thru all of those. If I enter "SPS" and put "leahs" in the author field, it narrows it down to 197 threads. Still a lot, but MUCH better than 606!!!!
I just view it as this is the ONE time that "too much information" applies!
Oh God..makes me wonder how many posts will come up wit Indydeby's Icing! 
Edna 
I disagree with the chat room, I like having questions being posted on the forum so I can spend hours upon hours reading back posts and picking up helpful information. If there was a chatroom the topic wouldn't be saved and the same things would really be asked a gazillion times. Up until this past week the search function has worked for me and I'm sure it won't be long before it works again. The only thing I do is right click on the topic I want to read and select "open in another window", seems to work better for me.
But I'm sure if there WERE a chatroom I'd manage to spend waaayyyyyy to much time there also!!! 
If there was a chatroom the topic wouldn't be saved and the same things would really be asked a gazillion times.
I never thought of that aspect, but that is so true. So many of the threads contain such valuable information, it would be a shame to let that info just die in cyber-space because it was a one-time shot. This is such a caring and sharing community. I've learned so much from browsing the threads and learned from people's disasters and successes.
Ashea, I checked your posts, and there weren't any that didn't have at least one reply. Perhaps they are not the answers you were looking for, but you have not been ignored.
We answer questions because we like to help. If I don't have the answer and the post has been there a few hours, I will often post just to let the OP know someone is reading it, and to move it to the top for those who check there.
It would be nice if someone knew how to set a chat up, and maybe had a link to it in their siggy.
Has anyone heard of this site?
http://www.chatzy.com/advanced.htm - Create A Free Virtual Chat Room
Well i say that cause I was able to help someone that was having an issue at a certain moment and going through PM's was so time consuming. I asked her if she had messenger and she did..So I actually was able to help her faster talking one on one..
Edna
Well i say that cause I was able to help someone that was having an issue at a certain moment and going through PM's was so time consuming. I asked her if she had messenger and she did..So I actually was able to help her faster talking one on one..
Edna
I can just imagine Edna with your willingness to help anyone how bombarded you would be with ccers' pinging you requests to IM! You wouldn't have time for anything else!
IM....aaaacckkk!!! We use this at work.....the Yahoo one, so between 35 people at 3 locations, that dang thing is going off all the time..and boy if someone thinks you are at your desk right when they IM you, and you don't answer right back...oh man. This would be a nightmare!!
I can see it now....a new thread titled..."Why aren't my IM's being answered?" 
It would be nice if someone knew how to set a chat up, and maybe had a link to it in their siggy.
Has anyone heard of this site?
http://www.chatzy.com/advanced.htm - Create A Free Virtual Chat Room
The options is there in your settings...AOL chat,Yahoo chat, you can put your address in and poof...it will be in your signature line....well, down in the button row anyways.
And I hate to think that I ever miss someone's question, or don't reply quickly enough. I don't think it was mentioned in here, but it is in another thread...it;s disheartening when you want to be as helpful as all get out, and sometimes you just have to put other things first!
I think we need a section called, Frequently asked questions....then put links on it to other threads. Maybe the top 10 most asked questions could be in there.
people would STILL create new forums asking the same questions. For example how many times have we heard this one
"how much should I charge for a cake?"
people would STILL create new forums asking the same questions. For example how many times have we heard this one
"how much should I charge for a cake?"
Psssst....a thread is a single topic. This entire 4-page conversation is called a thread.
Threads reside in a forum. This thread resides in the "How Do I" forum.
Just thought you'd like to know.
I understand how the OP feels.
And, I also know that sometimes search doesnt work. I just had a simple question. All I wanted to know was how to store buttercream. I put it in search, (forum search and main page search ) every possible way I could think of. I couldnt come up with one single thread that gave me the answer.
It might have BEEN in one of the threads, but the title didnt elude to it, and being on dial up, it takes me at least a minute, sometimes a minute and a half to load each and every page on the boards. If there is pictures, it takes alot longer. Matter of fact, on here, the pics dont even show up. PERIOD. which sucks. LOL
But after hours of looking, I gave up and decided to chance the wrath of everyone and ask the stupid, oft repeated question.. I fiqured I might get flamed, but I might also get an answer.
anyway, back to the topic. I felt SOOO bad for asking the stupid question, I know that at least 87 people have rolled their eyes and said "that idiot could have found that if she looked" and "not worth my time" but, I did look. I swear, I moderate a few boards, and am a regular poster on quite a few more, I understand the monotonity of the stupid question. I really do.
One of the boards I frequent is real time scroll. NO archives. so when 200 posts are written its GONE. and to top it all off, its on ebay. LOL You literly answer the same questions 30 times an hour.
anyway, I can see both sides, I really can. But I do understand the OP's point. and I also know that some people, NOT all, because there is someone out there who will ask "how do I turn on the oven?" if you give them the chance, but some people really do look. I promise. I did.
I'm visiting this thread again, and just after a couple of days...I've noticed that it IS best to PM a person with your questions...trust me I've had many. When I pm for the question I've (so far) ALWAYS received an answer...and in a timely manner...AND...from members very willing to give all they can to help me with my dilemma.
Just thought I'd add this there are great people here and there are some snobby(very few so far).
alright I have another reason for wanting an IM. Cause some days you make a cake that ROCKS YOUR SOCK OFF(as I just did this morning cause i'm have an AWESOME cake day will post pictures later). And you want to shout it to the world, but making a whole thread about it seems... well...pompous. But hoping in an IM chat room and typing in capital letters that after a while will be deleted off the screen seems somewhat less annoying.
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