User to User?

[Claudio_González1]

Some months ago I opened this thread to try to find if these are still User to User forums:

http://forums.adobe.com/thread/963665?tstart=270

The resulting discussion was interesting, but my question  never received an official answer, so I am still in doubt.

My reason for raising this matter again is that I have noticed, at least in the Reader forum, a marked increase in the number of participants who have a notorious staff badge. Which I would find perfectly all right if they were participating officially as Adobe staff. However, there are several cases where it is quite evident that they are only posting their own personal opinions. Which, unfortunately, at times are wrong, or show that they do not understand the problem being discussed, perhaps because of language problems.

The fact that staff messages are highlighted by a different background only makes the problem worse. In my opinion, at least, newcomers may be wrongly led to think that such prominent messages by Adobe staff are the equivalent of reading the Bible.

I would suggest removing the different background, or at least to restrict its use to the cases in which the person is officialy posting as a member of the Adobe staff.

[Claudio_González1]

Jacob, I know that my memory isn't what it used to be, but I seem to remember issues that have been reported to Jive by JC many, many months ago without anything happening afterwards...

[Jacob Bugge]

Claudio,

I am afraid that your memory is all too good.

Noel is just joking about being dazzled by the overwhelming whiteness of the backgrounds of the posts of the most vehemently punished.

Pale blue?

[Guest]

Even if they are staff, there is no guarantee their response is any more correct than one of the users,with the noted exception.  If they are directly involved in the development of that particular tool/procedure/interface that the question is based on their comments are a treasure as they are then the "bible".   But each program is so complex, and developed in different buildings and countires, and every computer has a different hardware/software mix, that any given staff person can not know the "correct answer" every time. 

In my own experience I see answers by staff that are given with good intentions that miss the mark.  It will probably always be this way as what solution works on User #1's machine will not work on Users #5 machine even with the same problem.

So readers should give a little more attenion to a Staff's response than a user's response.  And even with users response I would think they are biased by a user that had 9 posts vs someone with 9,000 posts.  And I personally think this is the way it goes.  I see all to many responses to a Staff's comments which says "you don't know - - - - "

[Noel Carboni]

Perhaps points ought to be influencing post backgrounds... 

First time posters start out posting with light gray text on a dark gray background, and as each 100 points is earned the background gets lighter while the text gets darker (i.e., more contrast).  Maybe at some point (e.g., Bill Hunt's point count) the text gets larger and begins to look like shiny gold metal...

-Noel

[TerriStone]

HA!!

[the_wine_snob]

Noel,

I am glad that I swallowed my bite of sandwich, before I read your reply.

Hunt

[Jacob Bugge]

Here is the original background thread:

http://forums.adobe.com/message/4399019#4399019