"How-To" Section?

[jwfchase]

Maybe most feel this need is already being served but...

Having been looking for instructions on a few different modifications lately, maybe there could be a sub-sub forum somewhere in the technical or modification section or elsewhere for the following:

I have found the posts where someone is doing a modification and posting step-by-steps, especially with photos on how they did it, VERY useful. Once discussion on a mod starts and it turns into 7 pages of posts, or when that particular mod is not currently "in vogue" (ie, all this site's frequent flyers have already done it!), those photo guides can be a little tricky to dig back up.

Maybe when someone posts a how-to-_____________________ guide, it could be put into its own section, maybe with no more posts allowed on it unless it is an update that someone else has more input on another way to accomplish the job, but if members want to discuss the mod, it could be done in a seperate thread with a link to the instructions in the "How To" section. This section could hold everything from fixing the captain's chair wobble to doing a lift, etc.

An alternative to actually moving all these threads into one section could be just posting links to the original threads in a new "How To" section?
I'm just trying to find a way to make these super-helpful instructions a little easier to find within the site, especially once it's a been awhile since a thread was updated.

Anyhow, just a thought...

[snelson]

I've thought this would be a great idea too - I usually just search for "How to" but you're right it would be sooooo much easier if there was a way to cluster all these together:

How to's for:
Light bulb replacement
The old L300 'flip the the hydraulic arms' to raise the back hatch trick
L300 sun shade fix
egr block
etc...etc...

[fexlboi]

Very good idea!
Maybe the moderators could move all the already existing "How-to" thread in one subforum as well.

[Jaz]

Just a thought, but isn't this kinda what the original intention for the Wiki was?

I'm all for a how-to section, it's been implemented on another forum I hang out on with great success - strict rules about what is posted in there, and also regular folks can't post in there, it can only be moved in there by a moderator after it's proved useful for that section.

Not exactly what we need here, but food for thought.

[jwfchase]

I'll admit, I haven't been on the wiki a whole lot since its early days. For me though, it's all about the photos. Members are great about putting them up directly on this site when they do a job themselves, it just gets tricky to find them sometimes.

[FalcoColumbarius]

Hi guys! Mister Falco Moderator here.... grins.

These are very good points and currently we are setting up the reference library, as you have probably gathered. JWF, as you noted, we have "Delica Wiki" & "FAQ's And Downloads" & "Delica Modifications" but as the forum membership has grown and all those members putting in their two bits, not to mention our current search engine's capabilities, things have been getting a little cloudy.

Basically, timing is everything. When we discussed reformatting the various relevant areas, it happened at a time of change. We had the Olympics to deal with, which didn't affect my time on the site (apart from giving me more of it) but it did effect Mark's time. Although these things are on the table it takes time for the logistics, such as:

• What if we say this is how it is done; someone follows the procedure of say fixing his "turbo leak" but does not balance the turbine wheel assembly properly and one day he is bombing down the the highway and his turbo flies off the spool and disintegrates, getting sucked into the engine, writing the engine off and causing an accident on the highway at the same time? Then the judge says "Where did you get this information?"

What we are thinking is a "What Members Have Done To Their Delicas" forum with a great big disclaimer in the header.

As far as dredging through the site to single out posts to put them all together in a different section ~ this is happening but slowly, as Fexlboi can attest as he is on that committee ~ but it has to do with time. We must remember that all this takes place in people's spare time. Other items on this list include a "Delica Boutique For You And Your Delica" for things like stickers, clothing, skid plates, &c., also improving the user friendliness of the site in general.

I think this is a great thread to have because it adds ideas that will enhance the final outcome and really make this a collective project, bringing more people together. Which brings me to the next issue.

Many members view this site through the "Active Topics" button, which is fine. Unfortunately, because they have not learned the site in other aspects, when they go to post something ~ they tend to do so in "General Discussion". This means that the moderators spend time moving threads to the relevant forum so they can be accessed easier in the future and we may not get all of them. Also, members often do not bother to check their spelling; so when some guy posts a topic on "Deisel" and someone else vaguely remembers the post, goes to the search engine and enters "Diesel", because she checked her spelling ~ but the topic does not come up and requires further excavation & dredging to find it. Our search engine is particular, which is why it also is on the list for potential upgrades.

This is a good thread for upgrading purposes. I'm going to make it a sticky and hopefully it will attract more attention. This club will only be as good as the collective membership.

Falco.

[jwfchase]

Many members view this site through the "Active Topics" button, which is fine. Unfortunately, because they have not learned the site in other aspects, when they go to post something ~ they tend to do so in "General Discussion". This means that the moderators spend time moving threads to the relevant forum so they can be accessed easier in the future and we may not get all of them.

Maybe there's a way to set it so that if you post a new topic in "General Discussion" (ie. from "Active Topics" a menu appears asking you to select a category, which could still include "general discussion" in case that's the best place for it.

[Firesong]

I would love a how-to
Take your injectors out, clean and rebuild
bleed the system complete with pictures.

FS

[mararmeisto]

Just a thought, but isn't this kinda what the original intention for the Wiki was?

I'm all for a how-to section, it's been implemented on another forum I hang out on with great success - strict rules about what is posted in there, and also regular folks can't post in there, it can only be moved in there by a moderator after it's proved useful for that section.

Not exactly what we need here, but food for thought.

Disclaimer: I don't manage/maintain the wiki site; these are just my thoughts.

I would like to see the info staying on this site, if only because the wikipages are off-site. Plenty of other forums have well-managed FAQ and How To sections within their own domains, I'm just thinking we could do the same.

The underlying issue to ALL of this speculation, movement/management/maintenance of information, is time. It takes time to do this sort of thing, initially and on an ongoing basis. My thought would be to designate a wiki-moderator so they could do this sort of thing.

[jessef]

Other forums use this format :

Xxxxx vehicle tech - technical discussion

Xxxxx vehicle modifications - vehicle mods and upgrades

Xxxxx vehicle DIY - do-it-yourself guides

[Artacoma]

To ease finding how to's maybe just adding the words "how to" to the thread title will make searching easier in the interim?

[FalcoColumbarius]

That's an idea. One thing that is on the table right now is building a new section that will service as a reference library, based on previous postings from Delica Canada Technical. The pages will be catalogued in categories such "fuel related" or "cooling system" or "electrical system", et cetera.

Falco.