rooted, getting rid of that weird icon

Binary100100

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He's talking about this:


It's the RCS icon.

It's been mentioned over 100 times. Now that he knows what to look for, I'll leave it to him to search.
Who knows, perhaps someone has a link for it in his signature? ;)
 
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dave812

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I love how the search police always come out in force. For goodness sakes, just give the guy a link or move on. For me the only thing more irksome than someone not searching for himself is someone else telling him to search harder, better, more. I've been lurking here for years, contributing when I can. In those years, it seems XDA forums have become a way less friendly place. Just my 2 cents.
 

nitroevo

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I love how the search police always come out in force. For goodness sakes, just give the guy a link or move on. For me the only thing more irksome than someone not searching for himself is someone else telling him to search harder, better, more. I've been lurking here for years, contributing when I can. In those years, it seems XDA forums have become a way less friendly place. Just my 2 cents.
Well it gets annoying especially when that is asked in the same topic of how to root.
 

Binary100100

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It's threads like this one that annoys me:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/tmobile-s7-edge/help/best-twrp-root-t3491778

Yet I believe that I handled it pretty well.

Regarding "search policing", it becomes counterproductive to feed the members that don't want to search or read for themselves because those same members will continue to want to be fed information instead of finding it for themselves. They'll post a thread and wait days for the answer instead of spending 10 minutes to find it themselves. They half-ass it and next thing you know they get pissed off because they didn't know that flashing something would wipe their internalsd or they get stuck in download mode or they get stuck with a strange icon (like in this thread) that they desperately want to be rid of. A 10 minute search and 5 minute of reading would have saved time of almost a dozen members replying to this very thread. The OP would have his/her answer and additional knowledge/experience (funny how those go hand in hand) that he/she could not acquire by being given the instructions.
<sarcasm>
In fact, next time perhaps I'll just quote an entire OP for the next person to inquire. It'll be much faster for them than giving them a link to click on. That might make it easier, then they will be missing out on the comments, replies, feedback, etc that the community has already given. That will also make it better for the OP to get his/her answers. Plus it clutters up the forum which is also a neat thing to do.
</sarcasm>

Bottom line, XDA is a forum of convenience for it's members! They've built a search feature where it helps (not perfect but it IS helpful), threads are stickied, added polls, images, additional links, attachments, you can subscribe to threads, you can vote on their usefulness, etc.
Yet we continue to get posts like:
Hello guys,

my tmo S7 Edge today is at home.

Which is today the best and newer way to Root and Twrp this bad boy ?

Link if you have
So naturally it's going to get people peeved. People like me that has spent thousands of hours here in the forum helping people, people like the forum administrators and moderators that sacrifice their personal lives by keeping this forum "newb friendly" and operational, people like developers that risk damaging their own devices for the sake of XDA's members then spend an hour making a thread with as simple as possible instructions (often with pictures for those that need them) just for a lazy member to post a new thread asking for all of it to be given to them.
So naturally, it pisses some people off.
See my point?

I'm not defending or condoning being rude towards the members but I honestly do feel that pushing them to do some work for themselves should be expected because otherwise they become a burden and can end up causing more harm than good towards the community (moral wise) and even to themselves due to the lack of knowledge (and experience) which can and often does result in damaged/bricked devices. If I'm not mistaken XDA is a forum where we try to prevent that, not encourage it. So my warped way of thinking is that if we "give" them the method to do something instead of "teaching" them it'll be like a students going to school without tools to learn. 100% lecture. No books, guides, visual aids, etc. Crap... in that case, we might as well have our teachers take the students tests for them too! After all we need them to accomplish their goals, right?
But if I'm wrong then I'm wrong. I'll just set up a PO box and have members send me their phones and I'll do everything for them (for a fee of course) so it'll make it easier for them. But that would probably catch on unfortunately. :(
 
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lunerceli

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Well, to be honest. The best thing to do when someone asks a question like this is to say what the icon is called, that way they can actually search. Instead of trying to be over complicated with things. Cheers

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The Root

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I'm shocked..SHOCKED! that in the 8 years I've been on XDA that people haven't started using the search function! *sarcasm*

Just give them the answer and kill their thread. It's not like we're charged by the stupid thread or the stupid 50 posts following scolding the person or the mod that comes in annoyed.
 
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Binary100100

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I'm shocked..SHOCKED! that in the 8 years I've been on XDA that people haven't started using the search function! *sarcasm*

Just give them the answer and kill their thread. It's not like we're charged by the stupid thread or the stupid 50 posts following scolding the person or the mod that comes in annoyed.
Rule 1 is to search before posting. Why is that do you think?
Failing to do so creates clutter and chaos the forum. That makes it HARDER to search because for those that DO use it end up getting a dozen threads created by members not wanting to search or read instead of getting what they were looking for.
 

The Root

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Rule 1 is to search before posting. Why is that do you think?
Failing to do so creates clutter and chaos the forum. That makes it HARDER to search because for those that DO use it end up getting a dozen threads created by members not wanting to search or read instead of getting what they were looking for.
And what do the five pages of everyone making sure they get in to scold the person do for clutter?
 

Binary100100

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And what do the five pages of everyone making sure they get in to scold the person do for clutter?
How would that happen if they were to search to begin with? They wouldn't post the unnecessary threads thus there would be less clutter and a happier community. Right?
Ah. The perfect world. But it'll never happen. Neither will stopping those that get annoyed at those that keep it from being so.
 

The Root

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How would that happen if they were to search to begin with? They wouldn't post the unnecessary threads thus there would be less clutter and a happier community. Right?
Ah. The perfect world. But it'll never happen. Neither will stopping those that get annoyed at those that keep it from being so.
Lesson learned is let's all use search and let's all not make a big deal about helping noobs and annoying people. You're right. In a perfect world...
 

Binary100100

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Lesson learned is let's all use search and let's all not make a big deal about helping noobs and annoying people. You're right. In a perfect world...
Exactly. But then there will be posts like this:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=69420786&postcount=1288
This person found the thread then posted in it asking if it would be possible to root.
Those kind of posts puzzle me because we can't give them the link to the thread (because they are already there.) You really don't even know if they have the phone to begin with, do they understand English? Perhaps the guide is too complicated for them? Are they asking for someone to do it for them? You just don't know until you probe further. But how to do that without sounding rude? How to keep everyone else from being rude to that person so desperately pleading for guidance (that was already posted in the very first post) on something as simple as rooting?
My perspective is this: I have no technical degree. None. I have experience. Experience from reading, searching and doing. Experience from making mistakes, learning from them and helping others if/when I can. I'm not a genius... but I'm not mentally incapable either. There are members that dive right in and exploit root and develop and ask for nothing in return accept perhaps the occasional expression of appreciation for the hundreds and in some cases thousands of hours dedicated for all of the members that only take them for granted. Then there are members that just want everything read to them, done for them, given to them. The forum is designed for them, not me, not the developers that are technologically proficient. The forum is designed to be newb friendly. We can post pictures, attachments, Youtube videos, links, etc. It has a search feature and it even has a nice feature that brings up possible threads to read when they start to post a new one to prevent duplicate threads from occurring (which is supposed to keep other members from feeling the need to flame the newbs.) Yet... these members STILL pop up. We still get duplicate threads, repeated questions, angry and impatient members ready to "newb-pounce." Then they become the "bad buy" and the newb becomes the innocent victim.
How the hell has it gotten to this? Simple. Laziness. People don't want to research. They want the quick and easy path. They want their questions answered A.S.A.P. without anyone getting pissy at them so they can go on with their lives with the profit that they feel entitled to while the rest of us pound on our desks, beat our keyboards, pull our hair out and (my personal favorite) "the bird" to the monitor with a click on the close button to keep myself from saying something "mean." But it's people like me (that won't spoonfeed the lazy) that are the "forum bullies."
Are we (the entire community as a whole) really expected to just respond politely with the answer to everyone's question without any sarcasm or rudeness? For all of those lazy people that just want to be spoonfed that will inevitably brick or cause damage to something because they skipped a step because they were too lazy or impatient? Those same people will only post another "HELP ME!" thread because they didn't take the time to do something right the first time.
I guess my messed up way of thinking is that tough love is spurring those members to do what they should be doing in the first place. Reading!
I suppose that's just my old fashioned mindset though.
 

The Root

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Exactly. But then there will be posts like this:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=69420786&postcount=1288
This person found the thread then posted in it asking if it would be possible to root.
Those kind of posts puzzle me because we can't give them the link to the thread (because they are already there.) You really don't even know if they have the phone to begin with, do they understand English? Perhaps the guide is too complicated for them? Are they asking for someone to do it for them? You just don't know until you probe further. But how to do that without sounding rude? How to keep everyone else from being rude to that person so desperately pleading for guidance (that was already posted in the very first post) on something as simple as rooting?
My perspective is this: I have no technical degree. None. I have experience. Experience from reading, searching and doing. Experience from making mistakes, learning from them and helping others if/when I can. I'm not a genius... but I'm not mentally incapable either. There are members that dive right in and exploit root and develop and ask for nothing in return accept perhaps the occasional expression of appreciation for the hundreds and in some cases thousands of hours dedicated for all of the members that only take them for granted. Then there are members that just want everything read to them, done for them, given to them. The forum is designed for them, not me, not the developers that are technologically proficient. The forum is designed to be newb friendly. We can post pictures, attachments, Youtube videos, links, etc. It has a search feature and it even has a nice feature that brings up possible threads to read when they start to post a new one to prevent duplicate threads from occurring (which is supposed to keep other members from feeling the need to flame the newbs.) Yet... these members STILL pop up. We still get duplicate threads, repeated questions, angry and impatient members ready to "newb-pounce." Then they become the "bad buy" and the newb becomes the innocent victim.
How the hell has it gotten to this? Simple. Laziness. People don't want to research. They want the quick and easy path. They want their questions answered A.S.A.P. without anyone getting pissy at them so they can go on with their lives with the profit that they feel entitled to while the rest of us pound on our desks, beat our keyboards, pull our hair out and (my personal favorite) "the bird" to the monitor with a click on the close button to keep myself from saying something "mean." But it's people like me (that won't spoonfeed the lazy) that are the "forum bullies."
Are we (the entire community as a whole) really expected to just respond politely with the answer to everyone's question without any sarcasm or rudeness? For all of those lazy people that just want to be spoonfed that will inevitably brick or cause damage to something because they skipped a step because they were too lazy or impatient? Those same people will only post another "HELP ME!" thread because they didn't take the time to do something right the first time.
I guess my messed up way of thinking is that tough love is spurring those members to do what they should be doing in the first place. Reading!
I suppose that's just my old fashioned mindset though.
Ideally I think the best answer might be to use the report button and explain in the comments that the mod might need to directly contact the poster and help with etiquette and answers. Then they can set consequences if the person is reported again for the same issue.
 

Binary100100

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Ideally I think the best answer might be to use the report button and explain in the comments that the mod might need to directly contact the poster and help with etiquette and answers. Then they can set consequences if the person is reported again for the same issue.
LOL!
As a former moderator I can tell you that this would not work. Sorry.
They receive a notification banner on the top of the screen that you can respond to.
They do not like those kind of reports because that requires giving direct attention to the person that posted the thread.
That person in turn requests assistance from the moderator therefor making the moderator the feeder. So not only does the moderator have to spoonfeed but he also has to get to the other 20+ reported posts that are waiting as well. That's why they kinda turn a blind eye towards the kind of behavior regarding duplicate threads and the members that are so against them. The most they might do is reply in the thread with something like, "Search and read" then close the thread. If the same member posts another thread again, he'll just issue an infraction. Infractions doesn't really mean anything having ten (expired) points myself thanks to another former forum moderator. I've dealt with members that were in the hundreds! A member doesn't take it seriously after a while. Even when they (trolls included) get banned they simply open another account.
There's no easy way to deal with the issue unfortunately. I can assure you that XDA admins and moderators have tried for YEARS with various methods to reduce the problem but will even admit that it will never go away. The most that we can do is shrug, ignore that member (the actual ignore feature built into the forum which I have several people on currently) and move on. Hopefully, they get the message but they will never go without having someone being rude to them.
Seriously, people need to grow up! Stop whining about their hurt feelings. Sorry, but if you can own a phone and use a computer then I would suspect that you have had enough interaction with the real world to know that not everybody wears My Little Pony t-shirts and sings Barney songs! People are selfish, lazy, rude, inconsiderate, ignorant and arrogant but they are also helpful, selfless, smart, and patient. In a world of anonymity where anyone can have any kind of persona they wish you cannot possibly expect them all to be polite. Even if there are rules to require them to do so. It's just not going to happen.
 
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lunerceli

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I just give a slow clap. TBH it is easier for someone to post asking about something they know nothing about, like this thread, asking what it is. Then they can search. As a former developer, this makes things easier for the person posting. Not everyone know what everything is and if they don't know what something is then they cannot search for something they don't know about. Even inputting something things into Google won't provide the answer you are looking for. Lol. Another slow clap. Lol

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