Post by cranky snark on Nov 9, 2012 11:20:08 GMT -5
Consider this a venting/rant post if you want.
I know that the internet and this idea of "web forms" has only been around for less than two decades, and many users of this site don't have much experience with computers. Here's a little lesson to help make things easier for everybody.
When you start a new thread, you'll note that the first two fields in the "Post Message" page: Name and Subject.
The "name" field is the name (or pseudonym) that you want to use to identify yourself. For example, the name I'm choosing here is "cranky snark."
The "Subject" is general topic you want to discuss. The subject for this thread is "How to Use a Web Form."
See how that works? One field refers to the person posting the comment, and the other one gives other people a clue about the content of that comment. There's a difference.
Perhaps an example would help. If you want to know about the status of Podunka State University, you could start a new "Status of Searches" thread using the name "clueless" and the Subject "Podunka State."
Isn't that easy? Yes, that seems like a lot of stuff to remember, but if you forget which text box refers to "Name" and which refers to "Subject," you can always look to the left of the box to get a little reminder. It's okay to do that, nobody considers that to be cheating!
When you don't do this correctly, anybody looking at the list of threads in the "Status of Searches" category will see topics like these:
In these cases, the individuals who started the thread weren't able to figure out that the two fields aren't assigned randomly. It looks like Saint Louis University has decided to ask the users of this forum if it should create a timeline to conduct its search. That wasn't the case; the original poster here was simply too anxious to take an extra fifteen seconds to preview the post. In the last example, it appears that the search committee members at the University of Hawaii at Hilo don't talk to each other much and have to come here to find out if their colleagues have started to review the files. (Tip: the name "clueless" is a good default to that many users should consider adopting.)
I know this can be a bit confusing. However, I'm confident that—after twelve years of education leading to a high school diploma and with one or two advanced degrees under your belt—you can became a master of filling out web forms. As an added bonus, perhaps you'll be able to figure out how to properly apply for a job someday!
I know that the internet and this idea of "web forms" has only been around for less than two decades, and many users of this site don't have much experience with computers. Here's a little lesson to help make things easier for everybody.
When you start a new thread, you'll note that the first two fields in the "Post Message" page: Name and Subject.
The "name" field is the name (or pseudonym) that you want to use to identify yourself. For example, the name I'm choosing here is "cranky snark."
The "Subject" is general topic you want to discuss. The subject for this thread is "How to Use a Web Form."
See how that works? One field refers to the person posting the comment, and the other one gives other people a clue about the content of that comment. There's a difference.
Perhaps an example would help. If you want to know about the status of Podunka State University, you could start a new "Status of Searches" thread using the name "clueless" and the Subject "Podunka State."
Isn't that easy? Yes, that seems like a lot of stuff to remember, but if you forget which text box refers to "Name" and which refers to "Subject," you can always look to the left of the box to get a little reminder. It's okay to do that, nobody considers that to be cheating!
When you don't do this correctly, anybody looking at the list of threads in the "Status of Searches" category will see topics like these:
- Timeline? (posted by Saint Louis University)
- phone interviews? (posted by Portland State)
- Any news out there about this position? (posted by Hawaii Hilo)
In these cases, the individuals who started the thread weren't able to figure out that the two fields aren't assigned randomly. It looks like Saint Louis University has decided to ask the users of this forum if it should create a timeline to conduct its search. That wasn't the case; the original poster here was simply too anxious to take an extra fifteen seconds to preview the post. In the last example, it appears that the search committee members at the University of Hawaii at Hilo don't talk to each other much and have to come here to find out if their colleagues have started to review the files. (Tip: the name "clueless" is a good default to that many users should consider adopting.)
I know this can be a bit confusing. However, I'm confident that—after twelve years of education leading to a high school diploma and with one or two advanced degrees under your belt—you can became a master of filling out web forms. As an added bonus, perhaps you'll be able to figure out how to properly apply for a job someday!
