to address the sentiment that this forum is tough on n00bs... yes it can be.
many people here get mad at new users for asking "dumb questions." but many times those questions are just "the same ol' questions" that have been answered many, many... many times before. but to the new user, it's a new question. most of the "attacks" are in reference to that user not searching or somehow finding the plethora of responses to that question.
that said, some new users do want their questions addressed specifically to them and not from old threads, which is a bit understandable.
other times some new users come in here with a sense of entitlement and ask the questions, get mad when no one answers, or provides the wrong answer, bashes the product for being "difficult," etc. this attitude usually doesn't make people want to help them and they sort of oust themselves.
this sentiment is one of the main reasons i started my new site; for some reason, the information that is out there in many places - forum posts, wiki, google search - is just not getting to new users. sometimes these new users feel mistreated on this forum. many of the people i did 1-on-1 consulting with do NOT use this forum for that very reason or fear that they will get mistreated.
it really shouldn't be that way and new users really shouldn't get that feeling.
here is what i've proposed before, which i think will alleviate these feelings:
Dedicated Troubleshooting Forum - Heavily moderated to stay on-topic, possible limited replying
First, I think the forum is great, but I feel that there should be a separation between “discussion” type threads and “troubleshooting” type threads. In the Axe-Fx II sub-forum, for example, there are so many “help me” posts in there mixed in with other types of discussions, and even “help me” posts of other topics like Axe-Edit or the MFC-101, because people feel there is the most activity there and the best chance for their question to be answered. However, I feel that because it’s all mixed up, the “discussion” vibe takes precedence and people post funny sarcastic comments instead of just being straight forward and answering the questions.
I think there should be a dedicated “Troubleshooting” forum/sub-forum. All questions about “how to,” “help me” and those types of threads should be started there. I don’t think it even needs to be separated into Axe-Fx II, MFC-101, Axe-Edit, etc., as usually people use them all together.
However, the success of this new forum I feel is solely in how it is moderated and how questions are handled. Too many times in the current setup, a legitimate question is asked and either the wrong answers are posted or the thread gets side-tracked and off topic. When wrong answers are provided and left in the thread, someone reading the thread might try all those wrong things before going to the end of the multi-page thread where someone finally said “hey this is wrong, do this.” When threads go off-topic, the original question usually doesn’t get answered and the OP feels neglected. Or sarcastic comments start and dilute the conversation.
I think in a troubleshooting forum, it is best to delete these wrong and off-topic replies, or maybe do strike-through text on the wrong/bad information with a note from a moderator, just so others can see that the info was brought up, but not correct. Just keep the threads very clean as far as question, discussion explaining or getting toward the answer, and then the answer. It would be much faster and easier in the future to go back to these threads and digest the information as well, instead of reading a 5 page discussion of how a delay pedal was developed when the question was “how do I set tap tempo.” All that other stuff is great too, but it doesn’t solve the problem.
I also think that limiting the ability to reply to the OP and Moderators or "certified helpers" is a great choice for troubleshooting type threads. Most forum software has an option for this. Having a sort of “certified” group of people who reply can keep the threads short and to-the-point, while hopefully offering the correct answers and information. I think there is an obvious group of users who would be good in this role. It’s true that some great discussion might be shunned because of this, but many users who ask these questions just want pertinent information. Discussion can go in the Discussion sub-forum.
i am in the process of setting something up like this at my site. i don't know how much traction it will get, but that's ok, it's just me right now. i'd love to get a team of guys to help me with answering people's questions in that format. i think it would make the question and answer process much more streamlined.
but even after all this, it starts with the guy asking the question. if the protocol could be "ask your question, list all the gear you're using (keep a list, copy and paste it), list the steps you've tried, POST YOUR PRESET" - wow it's so much easier to help out with all that information from the first post instead of pulling teeth. i bet even with just that, things would go a lot more smoothly around here.
