What do you think about the new question format?

RE: What do you think about the new question format?

Arlo Guthrie — Sat, 03 Jun 2023 09:21:59 GMT

[quote userid="3169" url="~/001/nonclinical/f/life-in-practice-discussions/30629/what-do-you-think-about-the-new-question-format/241681#241681"]When I've looked in things seem pretty quiet.[/quote]

Indeed … I’m hoping that the daily/weekly digest plus question combo is going to revitalise things. Before now, only option has been to subscribe to all replies, which is too much for the inbox, and quite a few people have commented that they tend to come and reply only when they see stuff in the monthly newsletter. I think a daily or weekly list of interesting questions will be much more engaging. Here’s hoping!

RE: What do you think about the new question format?

Michael Woodhouse — Fri, 02 Jun 2023 23:02:50 GMT

[quote userid="2100" url="~/001/nonclinical/f/life-in-practice-discussions/30629/what-do-you-think-about-the-new-question-format/241663#241663"]Anyone?! Bob Russell, David Mills, Clive Ansell, Charlotte Marshall, Michael Woodhouse Yantha Smyth, bevs2251, janine redman, Silvia Maldonado, Andrew Kent, Andy Moores, Neil Wheadon and everyone and anyone else. [/quote]

I've just been really busy. When I've looked in things seem pretty quiet.

A separate section to natter/rant/vent could be helpful, without the need for questions.

RE: What do you think about the new question format?

Arlo Guthrie — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 13:05:08 GMT

[quote userid="12670" url="~/001/nonclinical/f/life-in-practice-discussions/30629/what-do-you-think-about-the-new-question-format/241672#241672"]On the other hand, I cannot tell to what extend colleagues would agree with "recycling" old posts if our question is very similar to the one already answered, as I did that once, and was kind of told off for not starting a new thread again.[/quote]

Told off? Not by me!

Hopefully, making it easier to find questions that have been answered will reduce repetition, and certainly I will want to encourage the recycling of old posts if the question is similar and directly related to the OP, as that makes each thread a live, evolving thing.

I agree newest to oldest is best in search.

RE: What do you think about the new question format?

Silvia Maldonado — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 12:45:18 GMT

Suggesting questions already answered will be very useful. Maybe newest to oldest, as some answers may be a bit out of date.

On the other hand, I cannot tell to what extend colleagues would agree with "recycling" old posts if our question is very similar to the one already answered, as I did that once, and was kind of told off for not starting a new thread again. The cons for me was also that, when there are so many threads about the same subject, Which one do you click? or you end up with reading very similar answers in several different post.

In short, linking them is definitively a good idea.

RE: What do you think about the new question format?

Arlo Guthrie — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 11:39:36 GMT

[quote userid="7811" url="~/001/nonclinical/f/life-in-practice-discussions/30629/what-do-you-think-about-the-new-question-format/241670#241670"]but like Neil realised it didn't really change anything in the way I use the site,[/quote]

Julie Innes Well, I think it probably will, perhaps more than you realise.

I think the ability to subscribe to a daily digest of new questions (and answers), and the more compelling nature of questions, and the added focus, and a few other things, will get LOTS more people contributing.

I also think (although you'd be a better judge than me) that a daily/weekly list of questions/answers posed by colleagues is something any vet would want to get in their in tray, because it's such a useful learning opportunity.

RE: What do you think about the new question format?

Julie Innes — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 10:56:42 GMT

It's fine by me, Arlo! I haven't had as much time to cme on recently, so was slightly confused at first, but like Neil realised it didn't really change anything in the way I use the site, but will obviously make it easier to reference previously answered questions, so all to the good!

RE: What do you think about the new question format?

Arlo Guthrie — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 08:39:17 GMT

[quote userid="2451" url="~/001/nonclinical/f/life-in-practice-discussions/30629/what-do-you-think-about-the-new-question-format/241666#241666"]Sorry to be slow to respond to this[/quote]

Well, I wouldn't worry too much ... another way of looking at it is that you are were the second fastest to reply!

[quote userid="2451" url="~/001/nonclinical/f/life-in-practice-discussions/30629/what-do-you-think-about-the-new-question-format/241666#241666"]I think the question format makes a lot of sense and should make it a more useful ongoing resource as long as the search function works well enough to actually find things when you need it![/quote]

Great, thanks Andrew Kent, and if this proves as popular as expected, then I will be upgrading the site to include a new thing which means that as you type your question, the system suggests questions that have already been asked. I've seen other websites use this and it works really well. Meantime (and after that is installed), the existing site search function usually works, I find.

But yes, one of the main benefits of this new format is that it means answered questions become a proper resource for everyone (unlike Facebook, where they just fall of the bottom of the screen, never to be seen again), so the search function will be something I will be paying a lot of attention to.

RE: What do you think about the new question format?

Andrew Kent — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 08:12:02 GMT

Sorry to be slow to respond to this - I think the question format makes a lot of sense and should make it a more useful ongoing resource as long as the search function works well enough to actually find things when you need it!

RE: What do you think about the new question format?

Arlo Guthrie — Wed, 31 May 2023 14:07:41 GMT

[quote userid="8958" url="~/001/nonclinical/f/life-in-practice-discussions/30629/what-do-you-think-about-the-new-question-format/241664#241664"]Creature of habit, I haven't changed anything, just post the same way under question rather than discussion.[/quote]

Yes, the process of posting doesn't change (not immediately, anyway, though it will become simpler). But my hope and belief is that changing from a vague discussion format to a focused question and answer format focuses the mind, gives the community a much better and well-defined sense of purpose. And when we get the daily / weekly digest going, so you get a quick summary of latest questions and answers, I think it will be transformative.

So yes, I agree, it may appear like la meme chose. But actually, it changes the whole nature of the community to something much more engaging and collaborative.

RE: What do you think about the new question format?

Neil Wheadon — Wed, 31 May 2023 14:03:10 GMT

Creature of habit, I haven't changed anything, just post the same way under question rather than discussion. As far as my user experience goes, nothing has changed

RE: What do you think about the new question format?

Arlo Guthrie — Wed, 31 May 2023 13:57:31 GMT

Anyone?! Bob Russell, David Mills, Clive Ansell, Charlotte Marshall, Michael Woodhouse Yantha Smyth, bevs2251, janine redman, Silvia Maldonado, Andrew Kent, Andy Moores, Neil Wheadon and everyone and anyone else.

Looking at the latest community posts, which are all now in the question format (https://www.vetsurgeon.org/f/), do you think / are you happy with a question only format, at least for a few weeks but possibly forever. Or do you think I should retain somewhere else where discussions need not be started with a question.

So far, having edited all posts for the last few weeks to the question format, I am finding very few that would not be better titled as a question (if you agree with me that a list of questions is more engaging than a list of somewhat vague subject titles, for example : "Help me"!)

RE: What do you think about the new question format?

Arlo Guthrie — Tue, 30 May 2023 09:30:54 GMT

Morning everyone ... an update. I'm delighted to say that I now finally have some developers working on the site, so you should now see some progress in the next few weeks, although two of them are based in Kyiv, so I have to hope (for their sake) things don't worsen over there.

They will be:

Merging expert forums with the main community.
Discussions will change to 'Ask The Community"
Anyone can post.
Anyone can reply
By default, everyone's signature is displayed beneath their post.
Answers can be marked as answering the question by the OP.
When an answer from a referral practitioner, academia or industry member is marked as an answer by the OP, their contact details and logo are embedded within their reply
Prominently displayed will be a new daily / weekly digest of all new questions / answers so you'll be able to subscribe to just ONE daily or weekly list of the questions people are asking or answering.
There will be points for asking, and even more points for answering and even more for answering and being verified as answer.
There will be a leaderboard by point scores.

Only one question in my head at the moment, which is whether we should have two streams of discussions on the community home page: Questions (first), then 'natter' (Discussions).

I am minded at this stage to relaunch with the question only format, so as to really focus everyone's minds. Welcome any thoughts.

RE: What do you think about the new question format?

Arlo Guthrie — Wed, 03 May 2023 08:56:48 GMT

[quote userid="4037" url="~/001/nonclinical/f/life-in-practice-discussions/30629/what-do-you-think-about-the-new-question-format/241462#241462"]This sounds good, though what I’d really love is the ability to edit posts on my i-pad[/quote]

Sarah McGurk That's very much on my todo list. The roadmap is that first I want to get these minor adjustments to the site done. Then test the question format properly. Provided it is as successful as I now expect it to be, then there'll be a site upgrade which will include that.

One thought going through my mind is that the question format does lend itself more to clinical discussions, and whilst I am sure that must be the raison d'etre for this site and this community, it is nice to have a few off-piste debates. Two possible solutions to that.

The first is that perhaps I pick a topical issue of the week and post it as a question for debate. Do you think nurses should continue their strike, for example.

The second is that when we switch over properly to the question format, that gets top billing, but there is a separate list of discussion topics at the bottom of the community home page.

I think I am leaning towards the former. Will keep things simpler if we all just use the question format. And if I post a few non clinical ones, it might prompt others to do the same from time to time.

What doe anyone else think?

RE: What do you think about the new question format?

Sarah McGurk — Tue, 02 May 2023 18:03:57 GMT

[quote userid="2100" url="~/001/nonclinical/f/life-in-practice-discussions/30629/what-do-you-think-about-the-new-question-format/241456#241456"]

That is coming, in the form of a daily/weekly digest of new content (you can select whether you want it daily or weekly). But I'm still waiting for some developer time to get it installed.

[/quote]

This sounds good, though what I’d really love is the ability to edit posts on my i-pad.

RE: What do you think about the new question format?

Sarah McGurk — Tue, 02 May 2023 18:02:35 GMT

[quote userid="2100" url="~/001/nonclinical/f/life-in-practice-discussions/30629/what-do-you-think-about-the-new-question-format/241317#241317"]Actually, I was wondering whether old timers had noticed my editing titles to questions, but ...[/quote]

I did notice, though for a moment, I frowned at the screen, wondering if my memory had failed me…

RE: What do you think about the new question format?

Arlo Guthrie — Tue, 02 May 2023 10:25:36 GMT

Quick update ... I've been posting less recently, partly because clinical questions are not generally something I can help with (other than occasionally finding someone who knows the answer to come and post). But I continue to think this new format works well. But it is really missing the option for people to subscribe for updates (ie new questions) without being hit by a barrage of emails every day.

That is coming, in the form of a daily/weekly digest of new content (you can select whether you want it daily or weekly). But I'm still waiting for some developer time to get it installed.

Stay tuned folks.

RE: What do you think about the new question format?

Arlo Guthrie — Fri, 14 Apr 2023 17:25:05 GMT

[quote userid="8991" url="~/001/nonclinical/f/life-in-practice-discussions/30629/what-do-you-think-about-the-new-question-format/241307#241307"]I think it’s good overall[/quote]

Thanks

[quote userid="8991" url="~/001/nonclinical/f/life-in-practice-discussions/30629/what-do-you-think-about-the-new-question-format/241307#241307"]but some of the most interesting threads are those with an opaque title. Homogenisation doesn’t always work.[/quote]

Sure, but what I am finding (so far at least) is that whenever I go to a post with an opaque title, it seems there is a question in there!

[quote userid="8991" url="~/001/nonclinical/f/life-in-practice-discussions/30629/what-do-you-think-about-the-new-question-format/241307#241307"]However as a starter the topic was a bit esoteric in that endoscopic removal of FBs isn’t a common procedure for most 1st opinion vets.[/quote]

Ah - I was wondering why there had not been more questions. Thank you for explaining why!

[quote userid="8991" url="~/001/nonclinical/f/life-in-practice-discussions/30629/what-do-you-think-about-the-new-question-format/241307#241307"]But I look forward to more iterations of the same which if more mainstream will likely attract more traffic. [/quote]

Next week, we have Mike Farrell here to talk about: The cause and consequences of patellar luxation in dogs. Does that float your boat? Thus far, we've based it on discussing clinical articles published in Vet Practice, but we could broaden that, although I think it is nice to base it on an article.

[quote userid="8958" url="~/001/nonclinical/f/life-in-practice-discussions/30629/what-do-you-think-about-the-new-question-format/241313#241313"]No difference for me, we still chunter about the same things [/quote]

Actually, I was wondering whether old timers had noticed my editing titles to questions, but ...

[quote userid="8958" url="~/001/nonclinical/f/life-in-practice-discussions/30629/what-do-you-think-about-the-new-question-format/241313#241313"]and new names are appearing, so welcome[/quote]

Yes, exactly. And actually, you've hit on another benefit of the question format. I think it takes balls to jump in on a discussion with a vague title, between a small group of people who appear to know each other well, whereas a question is something which I think invites a reply from everyone and anyone, and is less exclusive.

RE: What do you think about the new question format?

Neil Wheadon — Fri, 14 Apr 2023 13:26:16 GMT

No difference for me, we still chunter about the same things

The question is aimed presumably at new vets, and new names are appearing, so welcome

Neil, the liberal, tree hugger

RE: What do you think about the new question format?

David Mills — Thu, 13 Apr 2023 22:57:11 GMT

I think it’s good overall but some of the most interesting threads are those with an opaque title. Homogenisation doesn’t always work.

I’ve read the endoscope Q and A and it works, Ed is a very good practical practitioner and I value his opinion. However as a starter the topic was a bit esoteric in that endoscopic removal of FBs isn’t a common procedure for most 1st opinion vets. But I look forward to more iterations of the same which if more mainstream will likely attract more traffic.

RE: What do you think about the new question format?

Arlo Guthrie — Thu, 13 Apr 2023 07:40:34 GMT

Well, at least that's two of us

I'm going to have the courage of my convictions and press on. Thinking about how to announce the change, and think I should highlight the differences between here and Facebook for questions:

Facebook

Questions and their answers are here today, gone tomorrow. That leads to lots of repetition and wasted effort.
Facebook censors replies so that you see what its algorithms decide you are most likely to respond to. This is not the basis for a healthy scientific discussion.
Facebook collapses threads so you do not see all content unless you click 'more', which is again a way that you may miss information.
Facebook offers more limited space for typing replies, which does not lend itself to the accuracy needed in scientific discussion.
Facebook was built for American high school students, not for professionals. So there is no way for you to see the professional qualifications of people who are replying to you. That inability to see the qualifications or experience of your peers is a huge omission in a scientific community.
Facebook does not require good manners.

VetSurgeon

Questions and their answers are stored in an easy to search database, so every time you ask or answer a question, you're building a resource for the profession
VetSurgeon only censors for good manners. Otherwise all posts appear in chronological order.
VetSurgeon does not collapse threads. All content is displayed straight away, so you don't miss anything.
VetSurgeon has plenty of space to answer a question in full.
VetSurgeon has linkedin style professional profiles which allow you to see the veterinary qualifications of participants.
As a question-based community, VetSurgeon.org has a strict requirement for good manners.

What do you think? Any of these which you disagree with? Any that I am missing?

I am tempted to say that of course the one advantage of Facebook, for the moment at least, is a quicker answer. It may be useful to say that just to set expectations.

RE: What do you think about the new question format?

Beats — Wed, 12 Apr 2023 19:53:20 GMT

i like it