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Evaluating a Solution in the Forum
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This will go through the logic on how to draw a forum question or a support question to its conclusion.
This will go through the logic on how to draw a forum question or a support question to its conclusion.
Content:
=Evaluating a Solution=
For threads that discuss issues currently not implemented in the product, or for threads that discuss a particular feature in the product evaluation, what to do next can be tricky. Sometimes threads where a user does not come back can leave you as the volunteer to make a decision. Remember, you are the driver.
There are three questions you can ask:
* Does this feature exist in the product?
* Are they just leaving feedback?
* Are they in the right place for their question?
Generally this is what you can do:
* Is this is a cool feature? does the bug exist for the enhancement already? If so, show them the bug to keep track of their issue there. Please set the expectations where you can.
* Add it to [https://input.mozilla.org/feedback] always or suggest it, please use your best judgment.
* Are there better places to ask this question?
*Add ons have a seperate site supported by their developers
*Is this a developer question? Stackoverflow.com is a great place for MDN or developer questions, as well as other places with in Mozilla.
Here are some examples of where this happens, please keep in mind these are made up situations but the resources are real:
'''Example 1 '''The add on does not work anymore.
{note}''ROBOT TOOL AWESOME ADDON is not working anymore. The preferences I chose are not showing up in my toolbar anymore. I want my add on back, why does this happen everytime I update Firefox?''{/note}
Here the Robot tool awesome add on is not working as expected. Add ons are made by developers. Most of the time addons will be compatible and automatically work with new versions of Firefox. Some special types of extensions which contain binary files need to be updated for each Firefox release though - this affects some addons bundled with anti-virus suites for example, you can consult with the vendor's homepage if there is a new compatibility update available.
If there are issues surfacing with an addon after a browser update nevertheless, those should be brought to the attention of the addon's developers, since they can incorporate fixes and make the necessary changes in their extensions to work with new browser versions. In many cases the listing of an addon at addons.mozilla.org contains a way to contact the devloper or a link to a dedicated support site, where you could direct the user to.
Also see [http://goo.gl/0fJoRz Add On Support Guidelines] for an overview. (but remember to come back to the training)
If an add on is found to be a major issue, sometimes they are also blocked [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/blocked/ See the blocked list]
'''Example 2 '''Add a feature suggestion or a work around is needed.
{note}''I have always been able to see all of my downloads in the download list after I download a file. Why can I not do this anymore? , it was such a simple feature.''
{/note}
Here the user was used to a feature that is no longer in the current version of the browser. After testing, you have concluded that the feature is no longer usable. What do you do next?
Even though it no longer works, it may be helpful to suggest a work around or ask them to also provide their feedback to the developers. Having both is ideal to keep the user happy. But, keep in mind not everyone can be satisfied even if they are always right. (shhh)
[https://input.mozilla.org Input] is the place to leave feedback for the developers. It is where the User Advocacy team gathers the feedback and advocates for the user globally for Mozilla products.
'''Example 3''' A bug is found and its not working even after all the troubleshooting
{note}''When I click on this button I get this error: "All systems have failed and your profile is missing" It did not do that in the last version, what happened and how do I get it to stop?''{/note}
After following the steps and clearly understanding what the user is trying to do, in this situation a bug should be filed. If it was not supposed to happen, and it happens to you as well, or all troubleshooting is exhausted that is a bug.
From here, getting familiar with [bugzilla.mozilla.org] is the next step. If the person seems technically inclined you can point them there with this warning [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/page.cgi?id=etiquette.html about bugzilla etiquette] or you can file a bug as well. For more information on writing a clear bug for advanced see [http://goo.gl/y5BJO8 this article] (but do not forget to come back to the training)
=What is a resolution:=
Here are the facts:
* In the forum the only users who can mark a thread as solved are: Moderators, Question Owners and Admins
* Threads are locked and archived after six months.
*Moderators: view all the threads and when a "conclusion" is found to the thread owners question (or a close facsimile thereof) the moderator marks the solution individually and the owner can change the "solution" as they see fit, along with other Moderators who might read the thread. If you see a particular thread that contains an answer that obviously solves the problem, but is not marked as solution yet, you can flag it by using the (in this case misnamed) "Report Abuse" button to bring it to a moderator's attention.
Sometimes an issue does not have the solution that the user expects, however researching the next steps to solve their issue is move in the right direction.
[http://goo.gl/k4h6Uv For Contributors participating in the Contributor Quality Training Please click here for Chapter 8]
=Evaluating a solution=
The answer to "What do I do next?" for threads that discuss features currently not in the product, or for threads that discuss a current feature in the product could be a challenge. Sometimes threads, where a user does not come back, can leave you as the volunteer to make a decision. Remember, you are the driver.
'''There are three questions you can ask:'''
# Does this feature exist in the product?
# Are they just leaving feedback?
# Are they in the right place for their question?
'''General things to consider:'''
* Is this a cool feature?
* Always add it to [https://input.mozilla.org/feedback] yourself or suggest it to the user, please use your best judgment.
* Does the bug exist for the enhancement already? If so, show them the bug to keep track of their issue there. If possible, please set realistic expectations for the review process.
* Are there better places to ask this question?
* Add-ons have a separate site supported by their respective developers.
* Is this a developer question? Stackoverflow.com is a great place for MDN or developer questions, as well as other places within Mozilla.
=Examples=
Here are some examples of where this happens. Please keep in mind these are made-up situations but the resources are real:
'''Example 1: '''The add-on does not work anymore.
{note}''ROBOT TOOL AWESOME ADD-ON is not working anymore. The preferences I chose are not showing up in my toolbar anymore. I want my add-on back, why does this happen every time I update Firefox?''{/note}
Here the Robot tool awesome add-on is not working as expected. Add-ons are made by developers. Most of the time add-ons will be compatible and automatically work with new versions of Firefox. Some special types of extensions which contain binary files need to be updated for each Firefox release though – this affects some add-ons bundled with antivirus suites for example. You can consult with the vendor's home page if there is a new compatibility update available.
Nevertheless – if there are issues surfacing with an add-on after a browser update, those should be brought to the attention of the add-on's developers, since they can incorporate fixes and make the necessary changes in their extensions to work with new browser versions. In many cases the listing of an add-on at addons.mozilla.org contains a way to contact the developer or a link to a dedicated support site, where you could direct the user to.
Also see [http://goo.gl/0fJoRz Add-on support guidelines for contributors] for an overview. (But remember to come back to the training.)
If an add-on is found to be a major issue, sometimes they are also blocked [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/blocked/ See the blocked list]
'''Example 2: '''Add a feature suggestion or a workaround is needed.
{note}''I have always been able to see all of my downloads in the download list after I download a file. Why can I not do this anymore? It was such a simple feature.''{/note}
Here the user was used to a feature that is no longer in the current version of the browser. After testing, you have concluded that the feature is no longer usable. What do you do next?
Even though it no longer works, it may be helpful to suggest a workaround or ask them to also provide their feedback to the developers. Having both is ideal to keep the user happy. But, keep in mind not everyone can be satisfied, even if they are always right. (shhh)
[https://input.mozilla.org Input] is the place to leave feedback for the developers. It is where the User Advocacy team gathers the feedback and advocates for the user globally for all Mozilla products.
'''Example 3: '''A bug is found and it's not working even after all the troubleshooting.
{note}''When I click on this button I get this error: "All systems have failed and your profile is missing." It did not do that in the last version, what happened and how do I get it to stop?''{/note}
After following the steps and clearly understanding what the user is trying to do, in this situation a bug should be filed. It is a bug if it was not supposed to happen and it happens to you as well, or if all troubleshooting is exhausted.
From here, getting familiar with [bugzilla.mozilla.org] is the next step. If the person seems technically inclined you can point them there with this warning [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/page.cgi?id=etiquette.html about bugzilla etiquette] or you can file a bug as well. For more information on writing a clear bug for advanced see [http://goo.gl/y5BJO8 this article] (but do not forget to come back to the training).
=What is a resolution?=
Here are the facts:
* In the forum only moderators, question owners and admins can mark a thread as solved.
* Threads are locked and archived after six months.
*Moderators: view all the threads and when a "conclusion" is found to the thread owner's question (or a close facsimile thereof) the moderator marks the solution individually and the owner can change the "solution" as they see fit, along with other moderators who might read the thread. If you see a particular thread that contains an answer that obviously solves the problem, but is not marked as solution yet, you can flag it by using the (in this case misnamed) "Report Abuse" button to bring it to a moderator's attention.
Sometimes an issue does not have the solution that the user expects, however researching the next steps to solve their issue is a move in the right direction.
[http://goo.gl/k4h6Uv For Contributors participating in the Contributor Quality Training Please click here for Chapter 8]