What about making a form

[Shanna_redwind]

I wondered if it would be helpful to people if there was an optional form that they could copy/paste into their post to help them get all of the points that people inevitably prompt them for. I know it's not going to be helpful for the people who come in the first time and just post HELP ME FIND THIS LOST BOOK, but it may help people who take a quick look around before posting.

Something like:

Approximate year I read it:

What I remember about the Cover:

What I remember about the Characters:

What I remember about the plot:

Specific scenes that stood out:

Ok, my categories sound a bit dorky, but perhaps there's someone that could make them sound better. You'd want to make sure that people realized that this was just and optional aid, not something that they had to remember all of before they were allowed to post. I just wondered if there would be people that would find it helpful.

[Bargle]

It sounds like a good idea to me, but what do I know?

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

It's certainly not a bad idea. My issue with it is only that we already have so many sticky threads that people do not read...are you thinking this would be a sticky thread? It could always be added to another sticky thread, of course.

Maybe some others will chime in.

[Bargle]

I think it would have to be a required method, but I doubt that would go over well.

[David]

Maybe if it was the first topic listed in the group, and called "POST YOUR QUERY HERE!"? caps intended :-)

[Krazykiwi]

Then everyone would posy in that thread and it'd be s big mess

[Bargle]

Hmmm, it would have to be made to be an automatic form setup when you start a new thread in the Unsolved section.

[Andrea]

I like the idea of a form but I don't think you could require it. Some people follow instructions, others don't. If you put it as a sticky thread with capital letters for a title some additional people might find it, And can't a thread be closed so that no others can post?

Other possible lines.

Genre.

What you can remember of author's name.

What I remember of the setting.

[Andrea]

Hm. I went back and looked at the home page and realized there are already several threads that instruct people how to do things. Maybe this form should be added to one of those, because it does have some good suggestions to help identification.

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

We need to organize those types of posts better. We had many different moderators over the years adding sticky posts and a lot of them are saying the same thing but in slightly different ways. It's messy, no question.

[Michele]

Lobstergirl wrote: "It's messy, no question. "

Spring cleaning time!

[[deleted user]]

I really like the idea of a form.