Develop Bugs

XDA Portal (Front Page): What Would You Like to See Improved?

As you might know, the last couple of months, a lot of changes have taken place to the XDA Portal (also known as the "Front Page"). We have re-vamped the Portal with a new, modern look. We added the vote-to-front page system, the star system, a steady stream of news, plus a lot more. We have been brainstorming on how to improve the Portal to make it even better for XDA users. And while we came up with some nice ideas -- which will be added soon -- we figured it would be great to have your opinion about the Portal!
As the end-user, you can probably tell us exactly what you like, and what you dislike about the Portal. Maybe you get annoyed at certain articles, or certain technical weaknesses of the site.
Or maybe you have ideas on how to improve the content to make the Portal more interesting for you. No matter what, every comment is really appreciated! And please be creative!
We'll consolidate your ideas and have a discussion with our developer and the News Writer team on what is possible and what makes sense to make the Portal more valuable.
- News Writers Team
orb3000 said:
This Thread is Specially to talk about Front Page/Portal
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
List of Ideas
This is a list of all ideas and suggestions, including credits to members. It could be possible that we misunderstood something - don't hesitate to post corrections here or PM me. We will keep this post updated as discussion continues.
Updated August 3d, 2010
'Blog-Style' Portal: Not only news from XDA, but also from the Android/WM World (keridel, hubie)
Colours are a bit dull (Alex530) (some other members disagree)
More posts (20) per Page (corn13read)
Pagination Buttons bigger (corn13read)
Option to Bookmark/Flag Certain Posts for Later Review (corn13read, JVH3)
A more general forum/portal/wiki design (ThaDeanesta)
An Excerpt of the Latest Articles in One Banner (orb3000)
Dropdown Menu with all phones, leads to phone-specific news, ROMs and other software (hansmrtn)
A system where developers can add a page for his/her project, and keep members updated with the latest progression (N!njaDuck) [more ideas about this here, by dor_neue]
Filter RSS to specific OS (gilamran)
An enhanced mobile version of the Portal -- after all, it's a website centered around smartphones (creesch, timmywa)
Rating and Review system per Phone model (hubie)
Phone comparison (hubie)
Latest comments/most commented/most popular articles (hubie)
Directly link without going into the article (Systrs)
A Web 2.0/Flash Top News view (Dany0)
Central Software Database: All software uploaded on the site gathered in a searchable database.(flyboyovyick)
Online communication system that allows to ask questions to people that have general knowledge of WM/Android so newbies will get their answers solved quickly.
There have been some suggestions for the forums also; however we would like to keep the forums out of discussion.

Okey man!
I'm a bit new to the site as you can see but i've managed to notice some "not so beautiful" things in the site; and since I liked it a lot I’ll list some:
1-The threads should be far far more categorized and managed in a professional way; so i suggest creating sub-folders and even sub-sub-folders etc... if necessary in each folder;
for example "HD2 general discussion" is a very vague folder; you can find in there questions/problems/suggestions/ anything about anything (the screen, the messaging, the call quality, software, etc… thousands of types of posts); so why not create sub folders for each primary kind of post such “messaging”, “power and battery”, “calling”, “applications” or even “messaging problems”, “applications not running” etc… I guess you got my point.
In this matter you will get things more clear. You will lose nothing, in the other hand you will gain a lot!
2-There should be some kind of detailed gallery or library for applications; themes; games…(I don’t know if there is ); for example I wanted to install android on the HD2 but I’m very confused; till now I don’t know which version is the last version or which one is the best one; things are a bit messed up and unordered and I don’t want to kill my phone!
3-Maybe some kind of live chat would be gr8! (I know that there’s private messaging but it’s not so practical) Imagine open public channels and other channels discussing a certain matter for example. It would be so nice because ideas will be transferred much faster!
If i remembered anything else, i'll tell you! Cheers!

Welcome to forums
ElCondor is referring to the XDA Portal and not to the forums section
Some points regarding your suggestions:
1: Threads are created exactly as you mention, all you have to do is to look into proper section and all sub forums will appear
2: Once you get used to the forum you´ll see how easy is to identify newest as every developer always includes info regarding supported devices, resolution, latest version of any app/theme/skin, etc. As long as you fully read and follow instructions you won´t mess up your device
3: There is in fact an IRC XDA Channel, again, all you have to do is read and search!
Read, Search, Respect and Enjoy!

ok so more on topic what about a blog style portal as well?
for example i follow you guys on twitter but dont ever get any news about things happening in the world of android or winmo unless it already has appeared on a thread.
lets make xda the one stop shop for all things android and winmo!

the colors are a bit dull imo

Alex530 said:
the colors are a bit dull imo
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never mind......

More posts
I want to be able to see more posts say 20 / page.
Also make the pagination buttons bigger.
Also a bookmark post would be a great thing to have.

I would like to see the portal better integrated into the Forum... Keep the forum header, and making "tabs" which wou would click the portal tab, and it takes you to the portal, (with the forum header, and the tab darkened) and the same goes for the new wiki..

Some nice ideas already! Keep them coming guys

keridel said:
ok so more on topic what about a blog style portal as well?
for example i follow you guys on twitter but dont ever get any news about things happening in the world of android or winmo unless it already has appeared on a thread.
lets make xda the one stop shop for all things android and winmo!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Totally agreed. I would like to see more general news about smartphone world (with android and winmo), and not only about the develops of the forums. This would generate more feedback from readers, since they virtually don't comment on the portal posts.

I would like to see a kind of rotative news on the forums, a speacial banner like where the latest posts were circulating all the time, hope my explanation is good

I think we should have a dropdown menu with all the phones, and you select yours and it gives you specific news, roms, and suggestions for that selected phone

Software tracker
I find that it is somewhat difficult to follow the status of all of the development projects that I am interested in efficiently.
I am not sure how you would do this, but it would be great to have a registry for each develpment project where the author could note updates (versions) so that people could get a dashboard style view of what they are interested in tracking.
PM me if you need more explaination.
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"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
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"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
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Hide/Show forums
I would like to be able to hide forums on the site and in the android app. If there is already a way, i apologize, I didn't see it when i tried the app and on the site i haven't looked to see if it can be done.

I like the concept of reputation tha PPCGeeks has.
I like the thank feature that PPCGeeks has, but I think it would also be nice to be able to visibly thank a post, so you could thank it where your user_id could be seen, or you could thank it anonoumously.
That way we don't see a ton of posts thanking a piece and you can really see if what you posted was useful.
It would show as this post has been thanked 49 times, and you could expand it to show those that visibly thanked it.
Recieving Thanks from a person with a high reputation is more meaningful to the poster than the 1 post wonder.
I would also like a disapprove button. Same thing anonomous and visible. I think there are alot of people that post that do not realize how many are truly disapproving of their post. (posting before: searching, reading the first posts of thread, reading the recent posts of a thread, etc)
Having thanks and disapprove would get rid of alot of the flame wars and keep the posts more amount actual information and questions.
---------------
When viewing all attachments to a thread, to have a link to the post where it is attached, along with the user_id and reputation of poster visible.

Alex530 said:
the colors are a bit dull imo
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
these colors are just fine...most of us spend hours on the site... so simple and plain is always better with clear text....soothing to the eye....

Portal (front page)
Again, guys!
OP is referring to the front Page (portal) not to the forums
JVH3 said:
I like the concept of reputation tha PPCGeeks has.
I like the thank feature that PPCGeeks has, but I think it would also be nice to be able to visibly thank a post, so you could thank it where your user_id could be seen, or you could thank it anonoumously.
That way we don't see a ton of posts thanking a piece and you can really see if what you posted was useful.
It would show as this post has been thanked 49 times, and you could expand it to show those that visibly thanked it.
Recieving Thanks from a person with a high reputation is more meaningful to the poster than the 1 post wonder.
I would also like a disapprove button. Same thing anonomous and visible. I think there are alot of people that post that do not realize how many are truly disapproving of their post. (posting before: searching, reading the first posts of thread, reading the recent posts of a thread, etc)
Having thanks and disapprove would get rid of alot of the flame wars and keep the posts more amount actual information and questions.
---------------
When viewing all attachments to a thread, to have a link to the post where it is attached, along with the user_id and reputation of poster visible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

1. the new design is much preferred
2. use less real estate in the header section (esp. twitter, fb, rules & rss buttons not in 2x2 grid but integrated into header)
3. improved mobile view

orb3000 said:
Again, guys!
OP is referring to the front Page (portal) not to the forums
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry.
Portal section has improved greatly. Before, I used to just skip it and go straight to the forums.
Now there are actually interesting articles with links to threads that otherwise could potentially not be seen.
I think a feature to flag a portal article for later review, so you could see summary of articles that you have personally flagged, so you can go back to it later.
The articles have been coming so fast that I may remember seeing something cool on a Monday while at work, but not enough time to really investigate. Then it's buried by the end of the week.

RSS feeds
I would love to filter the RSS feeds to be specific to my device!
I don't own a WM device and never will... I'd love to filter by Android devices.
Thanks

"Report post" function sucks...

...to put it bluntly. I've only had 2-3 occasions recently to use it since it was changed, in all cases, I think, to suggest a thread be moved to a more appropriate forum. Now, I have to remember to copy the URL before, click the 'report post' link, click "I need a thread moved...", click the link for the list of mods, have a Google Doc open, and then try and locate the forum. When I do find the name of the mod, I have to memorize it (remember, I have the URL already copied to the clipboard) and then go through the normal steps for sending a PM.
Really ? Sure makes it seem like you don't want people using that function !!
I do know of a shorter method, but many may not. They're likely to (try and) use the standard vBulletin route. If they're like me, many will probably say "screw this !".
Also, what if that mod isn't around for a while ? Granted, the issue likely isn't urgent, I understand, but as I understand with the old functionality, per vB design, reported post messages go into a queue and ANY mod can see it and act on it.

To some extent I appreciate what you say. However, all the Mods are volunteers and much of the copying of thread links and working out what forum a thread should be moved to etc had to be done by them.
The enormous membership that we now have meant that the volume of reports being directed to a central location was just too high to cope with. We felt that reports should be directly sent to the Moderator who will act on it. What you say about reports in the old system being acted on by any available Mod is untrue. A report for a forum was always meant to be acted on by that forum's Moderator. However, due to the volume of reports going into an enormous list of reports meant it was difficult for Mods to pick out what was for them and what was not.
This s a community, we need to share the load and yes it will require the effort of knowing who the Mod for your forum is!! It will mean you need to prioritize what is reported and maybe you'll have to copy a link. This is about sharing the load, but spare a thought fo the Moderators who give their time entirely for free. You might say, why don't you just add more Moderators? Well, we already have around 100 and of course adding more requires more administration, bureaucracy and continual monitoring. All that has to be done by a couple of part time Administrators. If anybody feels that due to our size we must be a wealthy site who could employ more paid staff; think again, Forums are notoriously poor at generating advert clicks for banner adverts!
So, I agree the changes we made, do require some additional effort on behalf of the Members for some of the less urgent tasks. You may need to find out who your forum Mod is, and copy a link or two. We appreciate you taking the time and effort to do that. The Mods and Admins, spend the day copying links and doing other similar things, so we know what it is like - in fact we really really know what it's like!!
MikeChannon
Forum Admin

Sorry, but this new method is truly awful.
You have taken a useful reporting system and completely made it useless!
I don't get how PM'ing a mod a link to the thread is better than the report system?
With the report system it automatically notifies the mods of the exact post you're reporting.
I have gone from reporting posts almost daily on the old system, to literally never reporting posts now because it's a giant pain in the ass.
Seriously;
Old method:
1) Click report button on offending post
2) Select reason, type in an explanation if necessary
3) Click submit
4) Mod gets report, clicks link directly to the post in question, and deals with it.
New method:
1) Click report button on offending post
2) Click a link with the reason you're reporting
3) Get taken to a message about having to PM a mod
4) Click the back button twice to get back to the thread you were in
5) Copy thread URL
6) Try and figure out who the hell the forum mods are
7) Navigate to your PM box and create a new message to the mod
8) Paste in the thread URL, then try and explain what is going on and who is breaking the rules
9) Send PM
10) Then the mod has to read through the thread and try and disect out exactly which posts the person making the report was talking about, and deal with it.
In what backwards world do you live in that the new method is better?
The new reporting system is a detriment to XDA and the community as a whole.

I'm going to have to agree with the others who've said this new approach is a major step backwards. In fact, the last time I reported something, it went something like this:
Click report post button
Use the list of mods to figure out which one I needed to PM (not even a link to their profile to make it a bit less work)
Explain what was going on in a PM with links and all that fun stuff
Get a PM back from the mod later telling me to report such posts in the future
I replied that I wasn't anymore thrilled than they were that I had to PM them but the reporting feature no longer works and we're now required to do it this way
They were nice enough to apologize and say they must have forgot about that.
Sure sounds to me like he was in favor of the new process

I agree with the OP that the new method is truly a PITA! I use to report with the old method regulary, but now I'm not reporting at all!

It is far easier to send a PM directly to the Moderator of a forum than it is to try and use the 'Report' tool... I don't wish to use the Report tool that often, but the steps required just make me not want to report anything.... I hope Management here believes we are trying to help them make a better/cleaner forum via Reporting.
I love the forum, but this function is broken.

Guys, I can appreciate it may take a *little* more work, but is it really so difficult to have a look at the bottom of the particular forum page where the problem is to find the forum mods:
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"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
Then all you have to do is send a PM to those mods. heck you can even click on their name to go to their profile, which you can then PM them from....

the_scotsman said:
Guys, I can appreciate it may take a *little* more work, but is it really so difficult to have a look at the bottom of the particular forum page where the problem is to find the forum mods...
Then all you have to do is send a PM to those mods. heck you can even click on their name to go to their profile, which you can then PM them from....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, the tone of your post and the lack of understanding for how this affects members are more frustrating than the issue itself. Maybe we came across as whiny but that was not my intention in the least. I personally just wanted to give some feedback on the change. What I gather from MikeChannon's post is that a change was needed due to the large size of this master, unsorted list of reported posts where the mods had to find what was relevant to their forums. I understand the importance of the mods, appreciate that they've volunteered, and know their time is valuable which is exactly why making it easy for all members to easily report issues to them is essential. This change feels like a poorly thought out and convoluted "fix" that will discourage the reporting of posts by new and previously committed members.
I would bet money that there have been far fewer posts reported under this new structure and it wouldn't be because the rules are suddenly being followed. In fact, I would say the number of belligerent/rude/demanding/junk posts is only increasing and needs to be cleaned up which will require a post reporting system that works smoothly for both mods and members and is agreeable to everyone.
As you say, the forum mods are listed at the bottom of the forum's thread list...but it doesn't do me much good when inside a thread and wanting to report a post. Since they are known/listed for each forum though, why can't they be listed on the report post screen? Or better yet, automatically fill in a PM with the appropriate forum mods as the recipients and a link to the post that we want to report since that is easily known as it is done with quoting.
I'm interested in what the forum mods themselves think about all of this since they are the ones actually getting the PMs. Do they find it to be less work/easier than before? Do they get a proper post link and a decent explanation? Sorry for the long post.

Oh... there is actually a topic on this. I will be blunt:
- overcomplicated, overengineered, confusing like hell and plain sucks goat's nuts. People get lost in the options, and some of those redundant options sending people to check Google docs for a list of moderators is just a WTH. Why on earth Google Docs, why is it not a plain HTML here on the site and why should anyone check manually for a moderator when the forum DB already has that information available to assign the moderation rights?
If you felt the need to add code to stock vBulletin since the bundled moderating functionality was not fitting your complex needs, either code it properly and completely, or do not code it at all. Do not send me to GDocs to look up a moderator.
Grrrrh.
The enormous membership that we now have meant that the volume of reports being directed to a central location was just too high to cope with. We felt that reports should be directly sent to the Moderator who will act on it. What you say about reports in the old system being acted on by any available Mod is untrue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To add something constructive here, all it takes is a freaking improved DB select hacked into the vB report post functionality. Like, where forum is X and offense type is Y and ... blah (whatever criteria you need), then take the post's $URL (which you already have in stock functionality since someone clicked on the ! in the post) and send it to the appropriate moderator via PM.

the_scotsman said:
Guys, I can appreciate it may take a *little* more work, but is it really so difficult to have a look at the bottom of the particular forum page where the problem is to find the forum mods:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just to clarify, when I said this
I do know of a shorter method, but many may not. They're likely to (try and) use the standard vBulletin route. If they're like me, many will probably say "screw this !".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that's what I was referring to. It isn't ideal though...

In total agreement here
I'm sorry, but saying it's just a 'little bit of work' to report a post is a gross understatement.
I am a moderator on several forums (one is very large, like this one, and chatty, with a varied, opinionated membership, just like this one), and I know, for a fact, how difficult it is to deal with reports. However, they are the key to keeping things civil on a forum. Is your membership large? Absolutely. Then bring on more staff. That is the only way to handle this, it isn't by crippling the report system. Now, with this new system, making a member jump through hoops to report things means they won't - if that's your goal, then you have succeeded marvelously. Really? Is that really what you want? I can't believe that, but from the tone of the answers from moderators here it would seem to be the goal.....

reinbeau said:
I'm sorry, but saying it's just a 'little bit of work' to report a post is a gross understatement.
I am a moderator on several forums (one is very large, like this one, and chatty, with a varied, opinionated membership, just like this one), and I know, for a fact, how difficult it is to deal with reports. However, they are the key to keeping things civil on a forum. Is your membership large? Absolutely. Then bring on more staff. That is the only way to handle this, it isn't by crippling the report system. Now, with this new system, making a member jump through hoops to report things means they won't - if that's your goal, then you have succeeded marvelously. Really? Is that really what you want? I can't believe that, but from the tone of the answers from moderators here it would seem to be the goal.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. I would like to elaborate on this. We had a working workflow and procedure. Now, we have manual hack at best, which makes the process annoying to the point that people simply will not bother. Let me explain what I mean.
Say - you are a vendor and write some nifty application. Since you want your users to report bugs to improve it, you include a function that produces a pop-up when the application encounters fatal error/crashes. In there, you let users fill in (optional) comment and their email contact, and then you submit the crashdump automatically to [email protected]
Now, the application becomes immensely popular and [email protected] email becomes a mess. What to do?
Well, what you should do is to improve the crash reporting code so that it gets smarter. Say, you let your users fill in a survey letting them select from multiple-choice list of options about what they were doing when the crash occured etc., maybe do some intelligent automated parsing of the crash log and - according to their answers and the analysis - you send the crashdump only to the people resposible for that part of the code that is involved.
What you absolutely should NOT do: Abandon the nice automated crash reporting and tell users something like: "Oooooh, I crashed. Never mind we already have the info related, we are getting too many reports, so in case you want to report this so that it would eventually get fixed, go, move your lazy ass, dig up the crash dump, find a relevant part of it pertinent to the crash, then go to our website, download a DOC with a list of developers, find the one responsible for the part of the code involved and report it to him via email."
Generally noone will bother since it is way too much work to do. Additionally, the few reports that you still get will miss vital info (such as the crash dump), will get mis-sent since people suck at searching for relevant developer. That is NOT an improvement, that is actually a huge step back.

An eloquent enhancement to my point, doktornotor. Thank you.

Just wondering if this is a dead issue as far as the mods are concerned. I'd at least like to hear an actual response/explanation for the issues raised here. Both responses so far have avoided the real problems. It worries me about the future of XDA if this change really was thought to be the best solution to the "reported issue" master list being large and unsorted. Also, telling us it's now on us to do a *little* more work and play secretary for the forum is a cop out and will result in people to not report anything and allow the increasing flame wars to become much more prominent.

MongooseHelix said:
...and will result in people to not report anything and allow the increasing flame wars to become much more prominent.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I suspect this is the case. I haven't went through the steps to "report" a post since this change. As I mentioned above, I started to 2 or 3 times and then gave up. Call me "lazy", but it's too much effort....
I will say that I frequently used the function, mainly to get non-development questions/threads moved to the appropriate forum. Not any more...

hallstevenson said:
I suspect this is the case. I haven't went through the steps to "report" a post since this change. As I mentioned above, I started to 2 or 3 times and then gave up. Call me "lazy", but it's too much effort....
I will say that I frequently used the function, mainly to get non-development questions/threads moved to the appropriate forum. Not any more...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This frustrates and saddens me for the reasons you and others have outlined. Unfortunately running a forum means dealing with all of these issues on the admin/mod side - this really seems as though they've just decided it's too much work. Rather than just throw their hands up in the air, they need to bring on staff. Also, come up with an infraction system (automated), with points assigned to each infraction, once a threshold is reached, a ban is put into place that lasts for a specified period of time. We're doing this right now on Backyard Chickens (don't laugh, it's a huge forum with 95,000 members, chicken people can be quite unruly ). If any mod or admin wants the notes on our system I'd be happy to share them, we're hopeful it will cut down on our work there.
Reports are a pain, but it's the only way you can keep your finger on what's going on, if users find it too difficult to do, they won't.

MongooseHelix said:
Just wondering if this is a dead issue as far as the mods are concerned. I'd at least like to hear an actual response/explanation for the issues raised here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 on this
(And ROTFLMAO @ unruly Backyard Chickens )

MongooseHelix said:
Just wondering if this is a dead issue as far as the mods are concerned. I'd at least like to hear an actual response/explanation for the issues raised here. Both responses so far have avoided the real problems. It worries me about the future of XDA if this change really was thought to be the best solution to the "reported issue" master list being large and unsorted. Also, telling us it's now on us to do a *little* more work and play secretary for the forum is a cop out and will result in people to not report anything and allow the increasing flame wars to become much more prominent.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The new RP system was designed to make it easier for our mods to action on the most important issues by reducing the noise and sheer number of RPs, while secondarily sharing a bit of the work with the membership. This is a community, certainly, and we all take part in the efforts to keep it moving smoothly. Each and every mod is a volunteer who moderate out of a true passion for the site and for mobile development, they do the best they can.
Now, we're also flexible and willing to change should anyone have a specific suggestion that would still achieve the goals above while making RPs less cumbersome for members. We can't let members *easily* report anything, anytime, because guess what happens...hundreds of RPs flow through, and the important ones get lost because of this. In our previous system, all it took was a simple click and a post was reported. That got taken advantage of.

But you don't address the fact that now people aren't going to bother. There were pictures in the Post Your Home Screen thread I tried to report, but I gave up - and I'm not a stupid user - that's obviously the way you guys want it now. Sad, I guess the concerns raised here are falling on deaf ears.

You say you tried, but gave up? What did you try? What made you give up? Just curious...

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please check here: XDA Contacts & Help
[Guideline] Behaviour on XDA
~~~Reading~~~
The best way to start is not by posting, it is by reading. Read, search, read, search.
If you read an answer that looks helpful or answers a question you might have, bookmark it, and
when you see someone else ask that question you will have the answer for them plus a supporting link.
"Always read lots post little" - mo976
I strongly encourage reading ALL of the stickied notes and guides in the About xda-developers.com subforum,
as well as the stickied guides in your device forums.
The stickied guides are pinned to the top of the subforum, you can see a little thumbtack icon to the left.
They are always at the top of the subforum view, even if other threads have newer posts in them.
You might be thinking "What, that's too much!?" or TLDR (too long, didn't read).
It is a lot, true...a lot of very valuable information, questions answered, problems solved,
collected and organized and right there for you to read and learn without having to work to search for it.
Many people have put in countless hours of their personal time to enter in this knowledge
for you to learn it and apply it successfully to your XDA experience and phone, and the mods
have put them at the top of the subforum pages so you don't have to work to find them.
Please don't waste their time or yours.
I know a lot of you are just using the XDA app or Tapatalk or Forum Runner and are not on the website.
This might help: [HOW TO]Make The Most Of The XDA App
~~~Searching~~~
When you have a question you don't know the answer to, don't post a new thread when you could post a
question in a relevant open thread, and don't post a question when a few minutes reading and searching
will not only give you an answer, but a feeling of accomplishment that you were able to find it yourself,
and the confidence to remember and repeat the answer with the link to the thread or post with that
answer when you see someone else post that question you didn't have to.
Consider the question you are going to post, pick out the keywords and type them into the search box.
Try a few different searches with slightly different words.
New Members Guide-Get the most out of XDA!!
Search guide video
Help Your Threads Get More Search Hits with Better Titles and Tags! (and improve the XDA search functionality for free!)
Thread naming guide
You can also search XDA with Google. Just add this to your search terms.
site:xda-developers.com
If you aren't sure what a term or acronym means, check this excellent Glossary by benjamingwynn or
stempox's very helpful guide Terms Android.
If you are feeling a bit overwhelmed and wondering if you are in over your head, this excellent guide by iElvis
can help you decide. So You Want to Root and Mod Your HTC One X/XL
I highly recommend it for all new users as the content is not specific to the One X/XL despite the title.
[GUIDE] - XDA New User Guide - Getting started on XDA - Part 2

[GUIDE] - XDA New User Guide - Getting started on XDA - Part 2
~~~Giving Thanks~~~
Giving thanks is important. It lets people know that their work or answer is appreciated. It is a faster
method of feedback than posting a reply like "Thanks for your answer!" You must have one post to
give thanks, so here is a good place you can do that: The "Say Hi" thread.
You can go do that now and come back and finish here please.
You get 8 thanks per day, and they renew after 24 hours or so. Each thanks is independent of the others,
so if you give someone a thanks at 3, and then another at 4, those will renew at 3 and 4 the next day.
If you run out of thanks, then save that page in a new tab and give thanks later when you have one available.
If you use them all every day you are doing it correctly.
~~~Getting Thanks~~~
You will see that everyone here has a Thanks Meter above their avatar.
Here are the counts needed to get to the next bar.
1st bar - 26
2nd bar - 51
3rd bar - 101
4th bar - 201
bug here, never gets to 5 bars, probably 501 if fixed.
6th bar - 1001
7th bar - 2001
8th bar - 5001
9th bar - 8001
Maxed! - 10000
Not that thanks are an indication of a user's status or stature on XDA. Thanks don't really count for
anything other than as a potentially wildly inaccurate measure of a member's ability to answer your
question correctly. Some of the most important people here have a lot fewer thanks than you might guess.
~~~User Titles~~~
As you go around XDA and encounter people, you may notice that they have different titles
under their avatar. Speaking of which, click here to upload an avatar picture.
Here are the user titles explained by one of our mods.
0 to 29 posts - Junior Member
30 to 99 posts - Member
100 + posts - Senior Member
Originally Posted by juzz86
I'll sum it up for you (or try, anyway!)
There are Junior Members, Members, Senior Members first. These make up the vast majority of XDAs userbase.
Recognised Contributors are nominated by other users and/or Mods/Developers. They are recognised for their contributions which are not specifically Development, such as detailed guides, one-click utilities and other tools/mods.
Recognised Themers are also nominated by users/Mods/Developers, for their work themeing custom ROMs and providing standalone themes for flashing.
Recognised Developers are nominated and approved by the Developer Committee, for their work in Development whether it be ROMs, Root methods, bootloader unlocks etc.
Elite Recognised Developers are again assessed by the Developer Committee, and are deemed to have gone above-and-beyond in providing knowledge/hacks/tools/apps/ROMs for the XDA community.
Forum Moderators are appointed by the Moderator Committee, after submitting an application (see the 'sticky' at the top of this forum - currently applications are not open). They are the first-line of keeping the forums tidy, friendly and orderly.
Senior Moderators are the next step up the ladder, providing site-wide support for Forum Mods and looking after the nitty-gritty issues, as well as areas of XDA not policed by FSMs, such as the Marketplace.
Administrators are next. There are several Admins - each look after a specific part of XDA such as the Portal, the Members and the User Experience of XDA as a whole.
At the top is Mike Channon, who is overall Forum Administrator.
Other titles you may come across:
Moderator Committee - sits on the Mod Committee
Developer Committee - as above, but for Developer Committee
XDA Newswriter - publishes articles for the Portal (front page)
Retired xxxx - have since officially 'left' their XDA position
Hopefully that clears most of them up for you
Contrary to what a lot of people expect, the thanks-meter does not figure at all in determining a users tag.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
[GUIDE] - XDA New User Guide - Getting started on XDA - Part 3

[GUIDE] - XDA New User Guide - Getting started on XDA - Part 3
~~~Posting Questions~~~
There are some restrictions on your posting ability when you first start here. For your first 7 posts, there is
a captcha prompt and a time limit in between posts. This is mostly to stop spammers from posting garbage
throughout every thread. There is a 2 minute limit between posting and editing your posts. This stops at
30 posts when you go from Junior Member to Member, so read twice, post once.
OK, you got through all that and you have a question that you need that answer to. You have searched,
and searched again, and searched again with different keywords, but you can't find the answer.
The question is, where do you post it?
The first and best place is to check your device's Q&A forum for a thread posted there,
either a general question thread, or a thread already posted there with a similar question.
When you post into a thread, that thread is then listed at the top of the forum it is in and the title turns
Bolded for everyone else so they know there is a new post. Someone else may see that thread
and know the answer and post it. If you need to open a new thread check here first for helpful advice.
Always remember advice from the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Don't Panic!
Please post ALL relevant information. What ROM/Kernel, What you were doing when the problem surfaced,
What is the actual problem (not my phone won't boot, help!!), Were the planets aligned,...
Simple information can go along way to diagnose the problem/issue and it also prevents the reciprocal
post of "Need more info".
And we have all been there in Panic Mode where you freak out and just want to get some help. Noobs don't
look at these devices as phones or tablets, but rather as investment because well that is what they are at
$500-$800 a throw. I respect my device but that is because I know how to use and recovery it. Noobs don't.
They see a bootloop and it is strikingly similar to the toilet swirling their money down the drain.
That is when Panic Mode sets in.
Don't Panic. Don't be a noob. Be a New User who is smart and reads a lot and knows where things are and
how to find useful and timely information.
Remember, give it some time before reposting. XDA members live around the world and are not going to be
on your time zone and schedule. Wait a day and see if you get a response. If you want a notification of
someone else posting into that thread, click on the Thread Tools button at the top of the thread and choose
Subscribe, or click the Subscribe button at the top of the page.
Please do not simply "bump" the thread up. Add some more information as to additional things you have
tried to resolve the problem since your last post.
~~~Why can't I post in the Dev thread I want to?~~~
Fallen Spartan said:
The 10 post rule was put in place to make new users think, and hopefully contribute and help others by
making useful posts rather than the usual crap like "thanks", "kewl" etc or ask questions which have
been asked countless times before. They still have access to dev forums, just cannot post in them.
Its not a massive restriction and to provide 10 useful/helpful posts is not hard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fallen Spartan - Moderator Committee
Almost all of XDA is open to you right from the start. You can post into your devices General, Q&A,
Accessories, and Themes and Apps forums. You can learn a lot and help other new users with answers
you have found previously by reading the stickied guides in your device forum and in the
XDA General Discussion forums.
Please feel free to thank the dev several times instead of posting "Thanks for a great ROM".
Rate the dev's thread with 5 stars using the rate dropdown button at the top of every page of the thread.
If you feel that is not sufficient, most devs have a donate button with Paypal.
I promise you that they will remember you and appreciate you far more for donating even a couple of
dollars versus some post, however gushingly approving, on their ROM thread.
Please do not send private messages to the devs saying "Thanks for a great ROM"
instead of posting "Thanks for a great ROM". See above.
If you have read up to this point and still feel it is unfair that you cannot post into a dev forum thread,
please consider it from this perspective:
Is it so much to ask that you read for a bit first, pick up some knowledge and experience, help a few people
in the 90+% of XDA which is completely open to you, to participate with quality posts instead of BS posts,
in return for being able to post into any of the ROM threads from any dev on this site?
What XDA is all about
Also keep in mind that the mods are out there reading your posts, and if they believe you are posting junk
simply to get to 10 posts to post some non-dev comment in a dev thread, you could find all your posts
missing and your account temporarily disabled.
For more tips on how to reach 10 posts in a community acceptable way, please check here:
Postcount limit in developmental fora
Want To Post In Development?
[GUIDE] - XDA New User Guide - Getting started on XDA - Part 4

[GUIDE] - XDA New User Guide - The Visual Guide (WIP)
A picture is worth a thousand words...so here are a few pictures to ponder.
1. Portal
2. Forum Home
3. Device Home
4. Device Forum
5. User Control Panel
6. Advanced Search
For the text version of this guide and to register here on XDA, please go here:
[GUIDE] - XDA New User Guide - Getting started on XDA
1. Many people start out with the XDA Portal.
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2. But most continue on to the forums...this is a longie but a goodie.
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3. Once you find your device home forum, many people stay for a while.
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4. There is a lot of information just by glancing at the device's Q&A forum page.
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5. You can change your preferences and more through the User Control Panel.
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6. If you know how to use the Advanced Search, you are a power user indeed.
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For the text version of this guide and to register here on XDA, please go here:
[GUIDE] - XDA New User Guide - Getting started on XDA
Welcome to XDA!

[GUIDE] - XDA New User Guide - Getting started on XDA - Part 4
~~~Getting Flamed or Trolled~~~
When you post something here, many people will see it and possibly post a reply that might be perceived as
funny but not extremely helpful, or trolling. This is mostly due to questions that have been asked and
answered a thousand times, threads/posts being in the wrong forum/thread, or not providing enough info.
This is usually meant as good-natured kidding, so please don't take it wrongly and snap off a reply that
escalates the situation into something you might regret later.
At some point, you are going to get "flamed" by someone who feels that your post is stupid, off-topic,
irrelevant, noobish, whatever, and they are going to post something like "You are an XXXXX who doesn't
know something simple like YYYYY. Don't post here anymore." It is going to happen at some time here,
but the important part is not to respond in kind.
It will not help the situation, or make your e-peen any bigger, or make you any tougher. It might make
you feel better temporarily, but what usually happens is that the forum mod (or a senior mod) will come
in and delete those comments and you might end up on the infraction list, or temporarily disabled,
or banned. Just don't reply to it.
First, consider the question or post you wrote from a different angle. There is no excuse for flaming
someone, but in a multi-cultural environment things may be perceived very differently than you intended.
Try ignoring it.
Second, if the flame is really over the line, don't reply to it. Click on the little triangle in the upper right corner
of the post to report it. Type in a short explanation, choose "Abusive or threatening post" and let the mods handle it.
~~~Reporting Posts~~~
XDA Needs You! to help keep things organized. Please press the little orange triangle button and report
when you see threads that are in the wrong forums. If you see a [Q] thread posted in your device's General
or Development forums, please take a minute to report it and put in "Please move to X device Q&A forum"
as an example reason. Then choose "Thread/Post moving or maintenance" in the drop down box,then Send Report.
This will notify all the mods of that forum and one of them will move the thread to the correct forum.
You can also use this to report spam posts. Since XDA has a lot of members, we are a target for spammers.
If you see threads posted with titles like [WATCH ONLINE NOW][LIVE]Some sports event[LIVE], please
use the report button to let us mods know that we need to delete it.
~~~Signature~~~
Making a signature is a very important thing to do since it can help to describe your phone, it's current software,
and any modifications you have installed.
A signature should inform others about your phone when you post a question to avoid follow up questions.
A good signature will include information helpful to others beyond the direct target of the question/reply.
A great signature will inform the community with important information and potentially answer
questions which have not been asked yet, avoiding repetitive posts.
[GUIDE][Noob Friendly]How to make a good signature[Noob Friendly][GUIDE]
Please click here to make a signature (5-8 posts minimum)
It's cool and you will get more help and respect from us.
If you need some ideas for a signature or are willing to share yours, please check here: Share your sig code please.
Please respect other XDA members and avoid using really huge pictures that are several inches tall
with stacked pictures and text, or multi-megabyte videos.
Also, if you copy a picture from someone that you like, please rehost it either in a gallery here on XDA
or on Dropbox or photobucket or whatever service you like.
Don't just copy their image link and paste it into your signature. That is stealing and could also be
turned off at any time if they change or delete the picture, or if the additional bandwidth used goes
over the limits, and you will lose the image completely.
Please remember that signatures are supposed to be that, signatures. Not obnoxious billboards.
~~~Donations~~~
Making a donation is neither expected or required, but are always gratefully received and appreciated.
There are "Donate to me" icons above people's avatar, or in their signatures.
You can also donate to XDA by clicking HERE.
When you donate 10 EUROS to XDA,you get rewarded with a STAR which is displayed below your avatar.
If you buy 10 STARS ,you will be rewarded with a
.
Remember, always be respectful of other members here and considerate. Most people here are doing
this for nothing more than the feeling of helping people as we have been helped by other people previously,
and sometimes the occasional press of the thanks button. We aren't making money here and this isn't
a job, so please don't tell people what to do or demand things of people such as mods or custom ROM
configs to suit you and you will do just fine here.
~~~Other Helpful Links~~~
Get an extra 5GB at copy.com!
[HOW TO] make a good THREAD, POST, QUESTION and POLL
Help Your Threads Get More Search Hits with Better Titles and Thread Tags!
[Tutorial] How To Logcat
[GUIDE] How to give constructive feedback to developers
[ADB/FB/APX Driver] Universal Naked Driver 0.7
Chef Central
Android Application Development Videos
[Ultimate Guide]Android App Development - From Scratch
How to Apply for Recognized Developer
XDA Recognized Developer Program Expansion - Do you contribute enough work to be a Recognized Contributor or Recognized Themer?
xda-developers: The History -Part One-
xda-developers: The-History-Part Two/
XDA Through the Years: A Visual History
I am leaving this open for now, but please, in the spirit of what I have written above, please only post
suggestions you feel will improve this guide. I hope this guide helps you and makes your experience
on XDA a better one. I appreciate your thanks, but I will appreciate you even more if you take this guide
to heart and really do it while you are here. Thank you for reading.

I cannot stress this more to the Noobs New Users, if you want your experience on XDA to be fruitful and learn to unleash the true potential of your device, please look at and adhere to the above. It makes things so much more productive and that way we can all help each other in an orderly and constructive fashion.
I mean, isn't that why you came to XDA anyways? I'm sure any Google search definitely pulls up links to one thread or another from XDA, so why not register and join and become productive part of the community.

Nice guide. Think n00bs will read it? That is kind of the downside of n00bs, not reading or searching first. So they never find this.
Crtl+F
"n00bs"
Replace all
"New Users"

Dblfstr said:
Nice guide. Think n00bs will read it? That is kind of the downside of n00bs, not reading or searching first. So they never find this.
Crtl+F
"n00bs"
Replace all
"New Users"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hope they will, I know what you mean about searching, unfortunately that is not just new people nowadays... I have requested that this thread be stickied, might be tough in this forum however as there are a lot of stickies already, I hate to bump threads up so we will see.

Dblfstr said:
Nice guide. Think n00bs will read it? That is kind of the downside of n00bs, not reading or searching first. So they never find this.
Crtl+F
"n00bs"
Replace all
"New Users"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I totally understand what you are saying my friend, but also in response to it. That is just more of a reason for us as RC's an well as other respectable committed XDA members to make sure to share this as much as we can by re posting it in our respective device forums and other non device specific forums. So if you see a chance to post it in a thread to help answer a question covered in the OP of this thread please do. Vote this thread to be presented on the a Portal, add tags to the thread to help people find it. I personally am going now to add it to my sig along with the ew member guide that is linked in the op and has been linked in my sig ever since the new member guide was created. I also highly recommend every RC link this thread in there sig as well. I mean the more it is linked the higher the chance is that noobs will find the thread.

I totally agree that post. I'm a new junior member, but I don't want to be a noob. I suggest that everyone new member should be forced to read and agree this post before registration.
Sent from my GT-S5360 using xda premium

mf2112 said:
Getting Started
First, please start here by registering.
This enables you to download the files which are attached to posts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just so you know, you don't need to be a member to download attachments

the_scotsman said:
Just so you know, you don't need to be a member to download attachments
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for letting me know, I am sure I read that somewhere but I will change it now.

mf2112 said:
Thanks for letting me know, I am sure I read that somewhere but I will change it now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At the early times,xda allowed downloading from attachment only after registration but as the number of members increased,xda noticed that many people just registered to download the attachment they required and never showed up again.Hence,xda allowed downloading attachments without registering so that the number of guys who are not here to stay(something like that) would be reduced.Read this sometime before.

I have added this to my sticky here, lets hope they use this.

Nice guide, I've actually stuck it to this thread
Little tip - No need to spam every forum with the same guide . All other threads removed

Fallen Spartan said:
Nice guide, I've actually stuck it to this thread
Little tip - No need to spam every forum with the same guide . All other threads removed
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes sir, I understand after talking to pg101 last night. A number of us RC's just felt that a number of users go directly to their phones forum and tend to stay there, not to this forum and would thus miss it, so we didn't feel it counted as spam in that regard. But we understand and respect your decision. Thank you for stickying it.

mf2112 said:
Yes sir, I understand after talking to pg101 last night. A number of us RC's just felt that a number of users go directly to their phones forum and tend to stay there, not to this forum and would thus miss it, so we didn't feel it counted as spam in that regard. But we understand and respect your decision. Thank you for stickying it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True, I understand your point, but if we have it in one location, we can direct all new users to the same place and it also helps you if you only have to update one thread, rather than countless others
...........................
You can lead a fool to wisdom but you can't make him think! XDA, mobile wisdom, not a n00b feeding ground!!

Noob to noobs
Been a reader/member of xda over a year, but haven't made my first post until today. My advice is follow the guides, use the searc and read the forum thread.
By doing this I have successfully rooted and flashed the Captivate and the Galaxy S II. Even got the latter out of a CWM boot loop.
Slow down, think about your problem and then read some more.
The answer is most likely out there, or you have read it before and just need to remember.

Okay here is my 2 cents for say. This is just plan confusing to me, I can not lie. Ever sense I first joined XDA I have read post of members *****ing about this problem. I have also seen other members get flamed pretty bad over this problem. Now that there is a actual organized effort to subvert this issue some, it is put to a stop???? Just illogical to me.
Now if you see multiple post as spamming the boards, I do apologize for that. But one thread in one location is not enough if the proper steps are not taken. If the one thread method is what is wanted then I suggest this.
One make this a mandatory read for all new members, not just a stickie thread.
Two make this a mandatory subscribed thread for all new members and existing members. Also make it a non removable subscribed thread at least for a year if not never.
Now as time goes by I could probably think of some more to add to this but this is just my initial thoughts. I highly respect all mods and admins but this sort of action toward something that is an effort to help XDA is just not understandable to me.

T-Macgnolia said:
Okay here is my 2 cents for say. This is just plan confusing to me, I can not lie. Ever sense I first joined XDA I have read post of members *****ing about this problem. I have also seen other members get flamed pretty bad over this problem. Now that there is a actual organized effort to subvert this issue some, it is put to a stop???? Just illogical to me.
Now if you see multiple post as spamming the boards, I do apologize for that. But one thread in one location is not enough if the proper steps are not taken. If the one thread method is what is wanted then I suggest this.
One make this a mandatory read for all new members, not just a stickie thread.
Two make this a mandatory subscribed thread for all new members and existing members. Also make it a non removable subscribed thread at least for a year if not never.
Now as time goes by I could probably think of some more to add to this but this is just my initial thoughts. I highly respect all mods and admins but this sort of action toward something that is an effort to help XDA is just not understandable to me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tbh, I liked some of your ideas, especially the subscribing new users to specifc threads. I've passed this onto admin/mods for discussion

[GUIDE] All-In-One Thread for New Members and also Senior Members

Hello guys. My RC friend, mf2112 has made an awesome guide and asked RC to share to other forum. So decided to share it here. I hope that this guide can help new members to attach to our friendly XDA community. Be a good member in XDA and further to contribute to the community.
mf2112 said:
To all new users, XDA is a great place where you can learn a lot about how to make your phone better, have fun talking to other smart people about your phone and the Android OS, and maybe be recognized for your efforts. But first there are few things you need to know about XDA to be a good netizen. I suggest bookmarking any of the links below which might seem helpful since chances are in the future it will be helpful to you or to someone else and you will have it bookmarked.
Getting Started
First, please start here by registering. This enables you to post questions and helpful replies to other people's questions and get thanks.
The Rules
Like anything in life, there are rules here. There are also moderators (mods) who enforce the rules when necessary.
Here is the short version. Please:
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
Here is the longer version. XDA Rules
Searching
When you have a question you don't know the answer to, don't post a new thread when you could post a question in a relevant open thread, and don't post a question when a few minutes reading and searching will not only give you an answer, but a feeling of accomplishment that you were able to find it yourself, and the confidence to remember and repeat the answer with the link to the thread or post with that answer when you see someone else post that question.
Consider the question you are going to post, pick out the keywords and type them into the search box. Try a few different searches with slightly different words.
New Members Guide-Get the most out of XDA!!
Search guide video
If you aren't sure what a term or acronym means, check this Excellent term definition Glossary by benjamingwynn.
Giving Thanks
Giving thanks is important. It lets people know that their work or answer is appreciated. It is a faster method of feedback than posting a reply like "Thanks for your answer!" You must have one post to give thanks, so here is a good place you can do that without running afoul of the mods for posting no content posts.
The "Say Hi" thread.
You get 8 thanks per day, and they renew after 24 hours or so. Each thanks is independent of the others, so if you give someone a thanks at 3, and then another at 4, those will renew at 3 and 4 the next day. If you run out of thanks, then bookmark that page or open it in a new tab and give thanks later when you have one available.
If you use them all every day you are doing it correctly.
Getting Thanks
You will see that everyone here has a Thanks Meter above their avatar. Here are the thanks counts needed to get to the next bar.
1st bar - 26
2nd bar - 51
3rd bar - 101
4th bar - 201
bug here, never gets to 5 bars, probably 501 if fixed.
6th bar - 1001
7th bar - 2001
8th bar - 5001
9th bar - 8001
Maxed! - 10000
Not that thanks are an indication of a user's status or stature on XDA. Some of the most important people here have a lot fewer thanks than you might guess.
User Titles
As you go around XDA and encounter people, you may notice that they have different titles under their avatar. Speaking of which, click here to upload a picture.
Here are the user titles explained by one of our mods.
0 to 29 posts - Junior Member
30 to 99 posts - Member
100 + posts - Senior Member
Posting
Posting is something you may do a lot of here, but it is always important to remember to make your posts good ones. Don't post just to drive up your count, there is no special reward for the poster with the highest total and you won't catch the long timers here anyways.
You will find that there are some restrictions on your posting ability when you first start here. For starters, for your first 5 posts, there is a captcha prompt and a time limit in between posts. While this may seem burdensome, it does an excellent job of keeping spammers from posting garbage throughout every thread. There is a 2 minute limit between posting and editing your posts. This stops at 30 posts when you go from Junior Member to Member.
Always remember advice from the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy:
Don't Panic!
Please post ALL relevant information. What ROM/Kernel, What you were doing when the problem surfaced, What is the actual problem (not my phone won't boot, help!!), Were the planets aligned,...
Simple information can go along way to diagnose the problem/issue and it also prevents the reciprocal post of "Need more info".
And we have all been there in Panic Mode where you freak out and just want to get some help. Noobs don't look at these devices as phones or tablets, but rather as investment because well that is what they are are $500-$800 a throw. I respect my device but that is because I know how to use and recovery it. Noobs don't. They see a bootloop and it is strikingly similar to the toilet swirling their money down the drain. That is when Panic Mode sets in.
Don't Panic. Don't be a noob. Be a New User who is smart and reads a lot and knows where things are and how to find useful and timely information.
Why can't I post in the Dev thread I want to?
It seems like everyone wants to be able to post in the Dev threads since it is the cool place to hang out or more likely, just because the message comes up and says you can't post here. However, those forums are locked down and new users who joined after Mar 11, 2012 with less than 10 posts will not be able to post there. If you see someone with less than 10 posts in a dev thread, look at their join date and you will see why they were able to post.
This restriction is not meant to be cruel or mean to you, but to prevent inexperienced people from posting in forums which are meant for Development work. Posting "Thanks for a great ROM" might make you feel good, but consider what it adds to the conversation from a Development perspective. If the answer is Nothing, then please don't post it in a Dev thread. If it adds another post to an already long thread with zero value, please don't post it on a Dev thread or anywhere on XDA for that matter.
Also keep in mind that the mods are out there reading your posts, and if they believe you are posting simply to get to 10 posts to post some non-dev comment in a dev thread, you could find all your posts missing and your account temporarily disabled.
Please feel free to thank the dev several times instead of posting "Thanks for a great ROM". Rate the dev's thread with 5 stars using the rate dropdown button at the top of every page of the thread. If you feel that is not sufficient, most devs have a donate button with Paypal. I promise you that they will remember you and appreciate you far more for donating even a couple of dollars versus some post, however gushingly approving, on their dev thread.
Please do not send private messages to the devs saying "Thanks for a great ROM" instead of posting "Thanks for a great ROM". See above.
The best way to start is not by posting, it is by reading. Read, search, read, search. If you read an answer that looks helpful or answers a question you might have, bookmark it, and when you see someone else ask that question you will have the answer for them plus a supporting link.
You might be thinking, is there a place for new users? The answer is no, because the only non-noob areas are the Dev subforums. You can post into your devices General, Q&A, Accessories, and Themes and Apps subforums.
10 post count rule for Dev threads AKA Stop PM'ing me please
Posting Questions
OK, you got through all that and you have a question that you need that answer to. You have searched, and searched again, and searched again with different keywords, but you can't find the answer. The question is, where do you post it? The first and best place is to check your device's Q&A subforum for a thread posted there, either a general question thread, or a thread already posted there with a similar question. When you post into a thread, that thread is then listed at the top of the subforum it is in and the title turns Bolded for everyone else. Someone else may see that thread and know the answer and post it.
Remember, give it some time before reposting. XDA members live around the world and are not going to be on your time zone and schedule. Wait a day and see if you get a response. If you want a notification of someone else posting into that thread, click on the Thread Tools button at the top of the thread and choose Subscribe.
Getting Flamed
At some point, you are going to get "flamed" by someone who feels that your post is stupid, off-topic, irrelevant, noobish, whatever, and they are going to post something like "You are an XXXXX who doesn't know something simple like YYYYY. Don't post here anymore." It is going to happen at some time here, but the important part is not to respond in kind. It will not help the situation, or make your e-peen any bigger, or make you any tougher. It might make you feel better temporarily, but what invariably happens is that the forum mod (or a senior mod) will come in and delete those comments and you might end up on the infraction list, or temporarily disabled, or banned. Just don't reply to it. First, consider the question or post you wrote from a different angle. There is no excuse for flaming someone, but in a multi-cultural environment things may be perceived very differently than what you intended. Second, if the flame is really over the line, click on the little triangle in the upper right hand corner of the post and type in a short explanation and let the mods handle it.
Signature
Making a signature is a very important thing to do since it can help to describe your phone, it's current software, and any modifications you have installed.
A signature should inform others about your phone when you post a question.
A good signature will include information helpful to others beyond the direct target of the question/reply.
A great signature will inform the community with important information and potentially answer questions which have not been asked yet, avoiding repetitive posts.
Please click here to make a signature (5-8 posts minimum) It's cool and you will get more help and respect from us.
Remember, always be respectful of other members here and considerate. Most people here are doing this for nothing more than the feeling of helping people as we have been helped by other people previously, and sometimes the occasional press of the thanks button. We aren't making money here and this isn't a job, so please don't tell people what to do or demand things of people such as mods or custom ROM configs to suit you and you will do just fine here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeowwwai said:
Furthermore, the stars under people's profile mean that the user has donated to XDA. 10 Euros = 1 star.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The XDA community needs our members' help to be better. Respecting others has never hurts people.
*Go to #2 for more!
This was sent from my Galaxy Ace, but who cares?

Getting understand to the "XDA words"
So well. This is made to help new members to understand what does XXXX mean? What does XXXX represent?
Dev - See developer.
Developer - A man or woman who has created (developed) software. Eg, Acro68
ROM - 1. A modified version of the Android operating system operating system. 2. Read Only Memory, a place where information is stored and can not be destroyed, modified or written to.
AOSP - "Android open source project" a project by Google Inc. to give android to developers and manufactures for free (see open-source)
Open-source - (not to be confussed with free) A peice of software that is free to edit, use, distribute and share with no charge.
CM - See cyanogenmod
Cyanogenmod - A free open-source project based on the AOSP. It is a modded (see modded) version of the Android firmware
Firmware - see ROM (1)
Stock - An unchanged version of something. Example: I just flashed stock Samsung firmware.
OTA - "Over the air" a term used to indicate software that was sent to phones directly through the internet to their phones.
FOTA - "Firmware over the air" this normally refers to ROM's but can refer to radio firmware (see OTA)
Firmware - a piece of software to make hardware function correctly. This can refer to Radio Firmware, but is normally used as another name for ROM (1)
Radio - (not to be confused with Radio Firmware) A piece of hardware that allows communication. There are 3 main radios in your phone. Bluetooth, WiFi and GSM/CDMA.
Radio Firmware - (see firmware) a type of software that allows correct communication with the radio and the operating system. A newer firmware would normally improve battery life and call quality. The radio firmware only applies to the CDMA/GSM radio.
CDMA/GSM - A type of network communication between phones and carriers. GSM phones normally are included with SIM Cards that authorize them onto the network. CDMA have this authorization built in and do not need a sim card.
Kernel - An important part of all operating systems that handles the CPU and other vital components. A modded kernel may be used for overclocking.
Overclock - (not to be confused with underclock) to exced the default maximum CPU speed. This could make a phone more powerful but may cause damage. Although no damaged has been reported so far it could still drain battery life.
Underclock - to change your phones maximum frequency to LOWER than the default to attempt to extend the phones lifespan and battery.
Mod - A modification to a part of the phones software. It is also POSSIBLE to mod the phones hardware but is not recommended.
Modding - To perform a mod
Modded - to have included mods
Modification - see mod
Governor - a system embedded into the kernel to automatically change the current working CPU frequency depending on the workload. It would only go up to what it is overclocked (or underclocked) to, this is called the maximum frequency. It would not drop bellow the (just as eaisly configurable) minimum frequency.
Library's/Libs - a set of instructions for applications to use to function. A functioning camera lib would allow the camera to be used.
Logcat - A logging system built into the ADB
ADB - "Android Debug Bridge" a system that can be accessed using a computer where you can manage the device from. You need the Android SDK to use it.
SDK - "Software Development Kit" a set of tools used for software development.
WIP - "Work In Progress"
JDK - "Java Development Kit" an SDK for the java platform. It is needed to run the Android SDK.
JRE - "Java Runtime Environment" a collection of binarys and files to allow java software to execute.
Execute - To "run" or "start" a binary
Binarys - (sometimes called bin's) a group of executable files.
RAM - Could be one of three meanings: 1. Memory for the CPU to process processes. 2. Random Access Memory, a place where information can be used, executed from, modified, or deleted. 3. A type of sheep.
SD - Short term for MicroSD
GB - Could mean one of two things. 1. Gingerbread or 2. Great Britain
Gingerbread - Android 2.3
Froyo - Android 2.2
Honeycomb - Android 3.x. it was never released or ported to the Galaxy W because it was built for tablets.
Ice cream sandwich/ICS - Android 4.0. The latest version of Android.
CM9 - Cyanogenmod 9. A modified version of ICS. (see cm)
Kies - Update utilities, used to backup and update firmware.
Odin - A tool for updating firmware.
Custom recovery - An unofficial version of the recovery to install unoffical ROMs.
AFAIK - "As far as I know"n Android application
KANG - The process of creating a code based of someone else's code.
Zipalligned - This is something that makes a ROM faster. If you can improve this please contact me!
Deodexed - Where ODEX files are moved into the actual applications
APK - "Android Package" an Android application, Eg XDAFree.apk
This was sent from my Galaxy Ace, but who cares?

Reserved for future.
This was sent from my Galaxy Ace, but who cares?

Same as the post above.
This was sent from my Galaxy Ace, but who cares?

More is coming...
This was sent from my Galaxy Ace, but who cares?

Thanks...

This is such a great thread!
Help me a lot!

thanks, this answered my question on why i had to use the captcha everytime lol. My eyes are not that great and i swear there must be a trick to reading them i have to refresh it about 20 times just to semi read one correctly.

CallMeLewis said:
Ice cream sandwich/ICS - Android 4.0. The latest version of Android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
JB latest
what is MIUI?
Sent from my SGW with MIUI

CallMeLewis said:
GB - Could mean one of two things. 1. Gingerbread or 2. Great Britain
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What about adding 'GigaByte'

Thanks
Sent from my GT-I8150 using xda premium

Great guide, will keep them in mind! (I hope...)

Cool. But shouldn't this be in OT or General, not in the Galaxy W section? .-.

LewisGauss said:
Hello guys. My RC friend, mf2112 has made an awesome guide and asked RC to share to other forum. So decided to share it here. I hope that this guide can help new members to attach to our friendly XDA community. Be a good member in XDA and further to contribute to the community.
The XDA community needs our members' help to be better. Respecting others has never hurts people.
*Go to #2 for more!
This was sent from my Galaxy Ace, but who cares?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thnx

Hello Team,
My device Micromax Canvas Spark 3 Q385 is not in list of devices in xda. Kindly add my device for better understanding and development of specific model.
Thanks is advance
Regards
AddyroxxzZ

Help Your Threads Get More Search Hits with Better Titles and Thread Tags!

Help Your Threads Get More Search Hits with
Better Titles and Thread Tags!
(and improve XDA search functionality for free!)​
Nobody likes being told "Why didn't you search before posting?" only to have to explain that they did in fact search
but couldn't find anything relevant. I am not going to say search on XDA is the greatest thing ever but it is not nearly
as bad as some posters here think. It could get a lot better over time if everyone did a couple of simple things that are free.
The first thing is to use good thread titles.
Using good thread titles is a last attempt at searching before you post a new thread. Thread titles such as "[Q]" or "Need Help!"
will actually keep people from opening your thread! This shows members that you didn't search for an answer to your problem.
Members here will assume that you have put the same amount of work into your title as you have put into documenting and
solving your problem and they will simply move on to the next thread.
Here are 3 Thread Title suggestions that can help get you better results and solutions.
1. Make it Descriptive!!
When you type in a thread title and then click in the post section, a search shows you threads with similar titles to what you
just typed in. How many threads do you think there are with titles like "[Q]" or "Need Help!" ? Type in a good title and see
what threads are suggested. Type slightly different thread titles and check the searched thread results. The best result here
is to not have to open a new thread at all, but if you do not find a thread which is similar to your problem or recent enough
that you can post in it and get a good answer, then please use a good title for your thread.
2. Include [TAGS] so people can identify it more easily. h/t AllGamer for a more complete list
[Q] or [QUESTION] - All Questions
[REQ] - Requests topics for ROM ports, INFO, THEME, MOD, etc.
[GUIDE] or [HOWTO] - How to do instructions or Guides for newbies
[SOLVED] - for issues that have been fixed or [Q] that have been answered
3. Remember that your target audience is worldwide.
XDA members live around the world in every country. English is probably not their first language. I find it best to use
common words if I have a choice of wording, especially if they are using Google Translate.
The second thing we can all do is more use of thread tags.
I have noticed that many threads do not have thread tags so I think most users don't know about them. This only works with
the XDA website, not the XDA app. If you scroll down to the bottom of the page of most threads, you will most likely see this:
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
If you were to click on the Edit Tags button, you would find that you could add 5 tags as an OP or Original Poster of the thread.
Threads can have up to 25 tags of 50 characters each, but most threads have none at all, so they don't get
indexed optimally by the search engine.
IMPORTANT UPDATE: The admins have changed the tagging policy so that the OP can add 5 tags, or RC's can add 2 tags.
Mods can of course edit/add any tags as needed. I am asking all RC's to please join in this effort and add tags for anyone that requests it.
Tags should be keywords or phrases that people search for. If those keywords or phrases are linked to your threads then
your threads will be higher in the listed search results. This is really important for guide threads.
This is a little better, but since it is a new user guide there are more tags that could be added there, such as "new user guide",
"where to get started", "starting on xda", "how to get 10 posts".
When people search for those terms, I want them to find that guide, so I need to get those phrases added as thread tags.
If there is a guide in your forums that new users need to find, please some tags to it to help the new people find them,
such as "new user guide for sgs3", "how to flash firmware on a sensation", "all onex users start here", "root guide for droid2".
When users search for those terms we want them to find the guides instead of opening new threads. Good thread tags will help do this.
You can add tags to any thread. Please add good ones.
Anyone that would like additional thread tags added can post requests in their threads with any requested tag terms,
members here can easily help with that, or ask one of the Recognized Contributors and they can help you out with that.
Thank you for helping with this effort. Every time you do these things the search index will be updated and improve the results
for everyone on XDA. This is a valuable contribution to the community every time you do it..

All current requests for tags will be added here, so if you see a request listed here, please take a minute and go to the linked thread and add as many of the requested tags as you can. Thanks!! Check the guides in your favorite device forum and add some good tags there too!
Example of a request that you can make here:
Hey fellow Xda'ians,
I could use some tags on my thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1606380
Its a comprehensive guide on rooting and different ways to do stuff on Samsung Galaxy Fit aka Beni...so I could use some general-android related tags...
There's also some specific stuff in it, so have a look at the index that is present in the beginning, and please help me by adding suitable tags...
Tags related (but not limited to): Root with Superoneclick/update.zip, Custom recovery, Custom rom, Beni, GT-S5670, CWM, Amon-ra, Overclock, Swollen Battery, Bricked, Motherboard dead, Rom Manager, Titanium Backup
And a heads up, the thread is pretty long, so use the side bar to scroll...unless you wish some finger exercise
Thanks a lot friends!
I also promise to stay around this thread, and offer my help when other need it!
Thanks again!​This us just an example, you can make similar posts in this thread, and tags shall be added by me or other fellow Rc's.
Also, do give us suitable examples of tags that could be added to the thread.
Requests (in order of date of request):
*[HOW TO]Make The Most Of The XDA App - by KidCarter93
Requested tags: how to, guide, xda app, new user
*[GUIDE/HOW-TO] Beginner's "Getting Started" Guide :: Root, Recovery, Roms etc - by a.cid
Requested tag: Root with Superoneclick/update.zip, Custom recovery, Custom rom, CWM, Amon-ra, Overclock, Swollen Battery, Bricked, Motherboard dead, Rom Manager, Titanium Backup

mf2112 said:
"Help Your Threads Get More Search Hits with Better Titles and Tags!" (and improve the search functionality for free!)
Nobody likes being told "Why didn't you search before posting?" only to have to explain that they did in fact search
but couldn't find anything relevant. I am not going to say search on XDA is the greatest thing ever but it is not nearly
as bad as some posters here think. It could get a lot better over time if everyone did a couple of simple things that are free.
The first is to use good thread titles.
Using good thread titles is a last attempt at searching before you post a new thread. Thread titles such as "[Q]" or "Need Help!"
will actually keep people from opening your thread! This shows members that you didn't search for an answer to your problem.
Members here will assume that you have put the same amount of work into your title as you have put into documenting and
solving your problem and they will simply move on to the next thread.
Here are 3 Thread Title suggestions that can help get you better results and solutions.
1. Make it Descriptive!!
When you type in a thread title and then click in the post section, a search shows you threads with similar titles to what you
just typed in. How many threads do you think there are with titles like "[Q]" or "Need Help!" ? Type in a good title and see
what threads are suggested. Type slightly different thread titles and check the searched thread results. The best result here
is to not have to open a new thread at all, but if you do not find a thread which is similar to your problem or recent enough
that you can post in it and get a good answer, then please use a good title for your thread.
2. Include [TAGS] so people can identify it more easily. h/t AllGamer for a more complete list
[Q] or [QUESTION] - All Questions
[REQ] - Requests topics for ROM ports, INFO, THEME, MOD, etc.
[GUIDE] or [HOWTO] - How to do instructions or Guides for newbies
[SOLVED] - for issues that have been fixed or [Q] that have been answered
3. Remember that your target audience is worldwide.
XDA members live around the world in every country. English is probably not their first language. I find it best to use
common words if I have a choice of wording, especially if they are using Google Translate.
The second thing we can all do is more use of thread tags.
I have noticed that many threads do not have thread tags so I think most users don't know about them. This only works with
the XDA website, not the XDA app. If you scroll down to the bottom of the page of most threads, you will most likely see this:
If you were to click on the Edit Tags button, you would find that you could add 5 tags as an OP or Original Poster of the thread,
or 2 tags otherwise. Threads can have up to 25 tags of 50 characters each, but most threads have none at all, so they don't get
indexed optimally by the search engine.
Tags should be keywords or phrases that people search for. If those keywords or phrases are linked to your threads then
your threads will be higher in the listed search results. This is really important for guide threads.
This is a little better, but since it is a new user guide there are more tags that could be added there, such as "new user guide",
"where to get started", "starting on xda", "how to get 10 posts".
When people search for those terms, I want them to find that guide, so I need to get those phrases added as thread tags.
Anyone that would like additional thread tags added can post requests in their threads with any requested tag terms,
members here can easily help with that, or ask one of the Recognized Contributors and they can help you out with that.
Thank you for helping with this effort. Every time you do these things the search index will be updated and improve the results
for everyone on XDA. This is a valuable contribution to the community every time you do it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh so idea is on!
Mind checking threads in my sig?
Sent from my MB525 using xda app-developers app

Wow, you are fast.
OK, I added several tags to your threads.

Wow.. just love the thread is written. Even the threads in my sig have not been tagged properly mf212 you should make a post reserved where guides and other linka can be updated so that users can tag them easily..
Sent from Hell!!

If you could list out the links with any thread tags you would like added then I and hopefully others :fingers-crossed: can get them added. MikeChannon was kind enough to slip a post 2 in there for me so I will put current requests there.
If you have any preferred tags it is best to state them so that they get added that way, otherwise no guarantees on what members add there.

Hey fellow Xda'ians,
I could use some tags on my thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1606380
Its a comprehensive guide on rooting and different ways to do stuff on Samsung Galaxy Fit aka Beni...so I could use some general-android related tags...
There's also some specific stuff in it, so have a look at the index that is present in the beginning, and please help me by adding suitable tags...
Tags related (but not limited to): Root with Superoneclick/update.zip, Custom recovery, Custom rom, Beni, GT-S5670, CWM, Amon-ra, Overclock, Swollen Battery, Bricked, Motherboard dead, Rom Manager, Titanium Backup
And a heads up, the thread is pretty long, so use the side bar to scroll...unless you wish some finger exercise
Thanks a lot friends!
I also promise to stay around this thread, and offer my help when other need it!
Thanks again!

Why I see no Edit Tags?
It hiding. Why?
Looks like only OPs can do so now.

roofrider said:
Why I see no Edit Tags?
It hiding. Why?
Looks like only OPs can do so now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just checked another thread in this forum that I am not the OP of and I can edit the tags.

mf2112 said:
I just checked another thread in this forum that I am not the OP of and I can edit the tags.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe because ur an RC?
I can't see it, not sure why!

I have never heard of that being a limitation before, maybe one of the mods or admins will chime in here but I would be very surprised if that was changed. Nothing was said to RC's about it. I would bet it is an issue with the browser or NoScript or something. You tried Chrome and Firefox?

This is something new, I have edited them in the past..in fact i've added and removed a 'mtm iz noob' tag on this thread sometime back..maybe i'm being trolled? jk.
I'm using chrome and on the beta theme..it's the same even in 2010 theme, no option to edit them.
No difference on IE either.
Stop the lurking u mods! Post!

I wonder if it is related to the database issues going on.

He should try now! Database problem got fixed!
Sent from my MB525 using xda app-developers app

Still nope.
This is what i see.

I removed one of mine, try it again please. This is very strange. I really think you should be able to do this as a normal function without restrictions. You can't edit the tags on a closed thread, but any open thread should work unless it has 25 tags already.

I'm experiencing the same as roofrider.
The only threads I can edit tags on, are my own threads.
Even a thread which I've previously added a tag to I now can't.
Maybe the systems being changed so only the OP can edit tags? I doubt it, but it's a possibility.

I am sure it isn't like that on purpose. I was talking to MikeChannon and svetius just a couple of days ago about the thread tags and this thread promoting more usage of them and they thought it could really help if people participated with good tags so I am sure they would have mentioned a major change like that if it was just a couple of days away.

Yeah true. I only figured it may be that because the only other option is due to the database error which caused a couple of other problems today. The other issues seem to have been sorted though.

I can prove it works well. One of the original tags I added was "How to use thread tags". When you search the forum or the "search all forums" link which uses Google for that phrase, it brings up this thread as the top result. :victory::laugh:
also works for "search doesn't work". :victory: The thread that was the top result for "search before posting" was one of mine for another thread and I changed just now, so I will try to see how long it takes to update the search index.