User+Forums

Technically, the plural is "fora" but "forums" seems to be in common use. Language changes!

User forums are web pages that collect short writings (posts) about users' experiences with something. Often the main forum site will have folders for each type of discussion on the topic.

User forums are great places to find specific information. For example, if you are having problems using a piece of software, you can find out if there are conflicts between the software and your exact type of computer (make, model, etc.). If you want information about a specific function of a piece of software or hardware, check out user forums.

To find user forums for your specific need, type in a specific request such as:

put google widget on wikispaces user forum windows 7

install Ubuntu on HP60 256m ram 16g hard disk user forum

Also, if you are using Google for your search, go to the left side of the page and click on "Search Tools." Then click on "date," "within the past year." Otherwise you get advice that worked back in 2003 but is probably out of date now.

It is advisable to look at several forums for the same issue or at least several posts within a discussion. Sometimes people put up "solutions" that don't really work. You can often identify these problematic solutions by the responses to them. Also different people explain things in different ways--it may take awhile but you will probably find an explanation that makes sense to you.

You can also participate in user forums. Usually you need to get a free account. It is a good idea to "lurk" on a forum--to read several days' worth of posts and look at the range of topics covered--without posting yourself. That way you don't ask a question that has already been answered a hundred times (which tends to irritate the people who have been part of the forum for awhile). The exception to this is when there is a topic on the main page that indicates it is for people new to the forum. Your will find a huge amount of information this way and you may also find people who can mentor you by email as you learn something.

Forums are made up of human beings who have a particular interest. Most of the time these folks are wonderfully generous with their time, helpful, and nice. Rarely you run into a troll--a negative person--who "flames" (puts out mean-spirited posts designed to ruin a group). Ignore the trolls and their flames--usually the administrator of the forum will ban these folks at some point. Trolls don't respond to actual logic and they don't fight fair (they twist people's words) so responding to them only makes them worse.