Hi all,
It is very rare to make topics in Meta but this is now for a reason that has been long overdue.
The duplicate question
When is a post/topic a duplicate?A post/topic is a duplicate when it has the exact contents as another post or an open topic that is active
Use of the search button
The search button can be used to search the contents of a typed post but not the contents of a picture like in the topic below:The best thing to do when you see a duplicate.
Inform the user who posted the topic/the post that it is a duplicate and provide the link to the original post for example what @bensonb and @Chief305 did here:
. This is very useful especially in topics like this where the contents of a picture cannot be directly found through the search button. This will enable the user(duplicate poster) to get the ‘evidence’ instead of relying on rumors e.g
User A: Makes topic
User B: Duplicate, use the search button
User C: Well, the post night not even be a duplicate. 😕
At the end, the OP(user A) has not gotten any evidence and ends up confused and being left with a negative perception of the community since it will look like more of spamming and like farming than being helpful.
Also, it would be very good if the link would be posted by one user for the sake of having a clean forum and avoid the competition for ‘who gets the most likes’.
When to flag?
Once the user has been provided by the evidence(link of original post), the user would be PMd and/or flagged for having a duplicate post if he doesn’t take any action e.g deleting the duplicate post and then(very rare) proceeds to deny the obvious.
What is the aim of this post?
To encourage the good behaviour of assisting each other in the forum and therefore preserve the positive vibes about IFC.At the end, there is a difference between helping someone and harassing them.
Feel free to offer feedback on this issue.
Thank you, good day
Disclaimer: Any spelling mistakes spotted are not intentional. Blame it on autocorrect
