1 | initial version |
It's not clear to me that making a sticky "rules" topic would have any great effect. Every forum I've ever seen has the same problems, whether they post rules or not. In fact, this is one of the most polite forums I've seen. We just have a problem with redundant questions.
I think the main difference is between questioners who do some search and questioners who seem to do no search. I suppose a better search function might help.
I suggest putting a header at the top of the Q&A page before the askbot-managed main section. It should have a search box that hits the tutorials and reference documentation as well as the questions and answers, and any other source that that's sufficiently relevant.
If I'm allowed to dream, I would also have the "ask question" page automatically do search as the user enters a question. Maybe some questioners would find their answer before they hit "post!"