[wp-meta] [Making WordPress.org] #2596: Support Templates ala Github

[Making WordPress.org]

#2596: Support Templates ala Github
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 Reporter:  webdevmattcrom  |       Owner:
     Type:  enhancement     |      Status:  new
 Priority:  normal          |   Milestone:
Component:  Support Forums  |  Resolution:
 Keywords:                  |
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Comment (by webdevmattcrom):

 Replying to [comment:25 Clorith]:
 > I view this as either scaring users off, or being treated like I treat
 them, like noise that has to be removed straight away. (I understand I'm
 not an average user here, and often know how to write a ticket, but I
 think my process here will be familiar to many if it's left as a template
 you can write into). And I am absolutely entirely against adding required
 fields, it's then no longer a forum but a ticketing system. (we've
 mentioned this a lot of late, because that is what this is after all).

 I disagree that it scares users off. Particularly because notifications of
 replies can easily get hidden, we risk not helping the user at all because
 they didn't provide enough information on their first post and they didn't
 see the follow-up reply come in. Providing actionable information ensures
 that users get the answers they need, instead of having a back and forth
 encounter over and over again.

 Replying to [comment:26 Otto42]:
 > Realistically, the idea of asking several questions for the user is less
 of a "give me better information" and more of a "don't bother asking for
 help" type of scenario. The more complex you make the form, the less
 people will use it

 I'm not sure what you're basing that on, but in my experience -- where we
 use a lengthy intake form, users are very satisfied because they can get
 answers in 1-2 replies tops.

 I'm also confused by the idea that "this is a forum, not a ticketing
 system". No one is asking for a full ticketing system, but Plugin Support
 is definitely not simply a Forum either. That's why plugin authors and
 contributors and plugin support have labels on their profiles, so users
 can know that they are getting answers from the source. That's also why we
 can marked issues as "Resolved" and not simply just "Closed".

 Empowering plugin/theme authors to give better and more efficient support
 should be the goal here. The current status-quo is severly limiting in
 enabling us to best support WordPress users as a whole, and the users of
 our plugins/themes specifically.

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Ticket URL: <https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/2596#comment:27>
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