- May 3, 2011
- 3,893
How to make useful posts helping users to decide on which security products to use:
I have seen this many times on this forum and other security forums as well.
A member makes a post asking for suggestions on which security products to use.
Then the fanboys attack, offering useless advice to the member.
I'm talikng about one word replies like Kaspersky, Eset or Qihoo 360.
Those posts are completely useless and doesn't help members at all.
Other replies may contain links to AV sponsored magazines websites or AV testing sites which most of us know do not conduct accurate results.
Then even other posts point to malware sample pack testing using only on-demand scanning of samples which are not verified to even be in the wild or may not even contain actual malware. Remember each AV vendor has different standards in detecting what is malware, just because one vendor detects a threat doesn't mean it is actually a threat.
To make a helpful reply you need to include examples of your own experiences or if you have customers, their experiences.
1. Why do you believe that product the best? give examples.
2. Don't sound like a fanboy, give several options for the member to decide.
Example; Avira, Avast and AVG are good options.
3. Find out more about the members actions, do they use caution when downloading files? Use UAC? keep their system and software updated? before suggesting a paid product, find out if the members can afford to buy.
4. Find out which version of Windows they are using.
Think before you post, just because you love a product and it works good for you doesn't mean it will do the same for all other members.
For new members seeking advice:- ignore one word fanboy posts because they will not help you. Fanboys are easy to spot they usually hang around the topics of selected security products, they usually will only suggest their favorite products and all other products are junk according to them. They will try to defend the favorite products when any member has negative feedback. They will post test results, links to websites and AV testing sites indicating that their favorite product is the best instead of trying to give personal experiences.
According to the rules of the forums-
So I will be making it a point to start deleting these posts with only one or two words. I can't believe some members will make these single word useless posts and receive 10 or more "Likes".
Please add your commits to improve the quality of posts on MalwareTips.
Let's make MalwareTips a better place!!
Enjoy!!
I have seen this many times on this forum and other security forums as well.
A member makes a post asking for suggestions on which security products to use.
Then the fanboys attack, offering useless advice to the member.
I'm talikng about one word replies like Kaspersky, Eset or Qihoo 360.
Those posts are completely useless and doesn't help members at all.
Other replies may contain links to AV sponsored magazines websites or AV testing sites which most of us know do not conduct accurate results.
Then even other posts point to malware sample pack testing using only on-demand scanning of samples which are not verified to even be in the wild or may not even contain actual malware. Remember each AV vendor has different standards in detecting what is malware, just because one vendor detects a threat doesn't mean it is actually a threat.
To make a helpful reply you need to include examples of your own experiences or if you have customers, their experiences.
1. Why do you believe that product the best? give examples.
2. Don't sound like a fanboy, give several options for the member to decide.
Example; Avira, Avast and AVG are good options.
3. Find out more about the members actions, do they use caution when downloading files? Use UAC? keep their system and software updated? before suggesting a paid product, find out if the members can afford to buy.
4. Find out which version of Windows they are using.
Think before you post, just because you love a product and it works good for you doesn't mean it will do the same for all other members.
For new members seeking advice:- ignore one word fanboy posts because they will not help you. Fanboys are easy to spot they usually hang around the topics of selected security products, they usually will only suggest their favorite products and all other products are junk according to them. They will try to defend the favorite products when any member has negative feedback. They will post test results, links to websites and AV testing sites indicating that their favorite product is the best instead of trying to give personal experiences.
According to the rules of the forums-
2. Your post should be meaningful and without excessive formatting.
+ Use a title that describes the content of your post. Don't use all caps or special characters to draw attention.
+ Don't post just to increase your number of posts. Avoid short sentences or single word posts. If you have nothing relevant to say on a certain matter then don't post.
+ Do not bother making posts with only one or two words (e.g., "cool" or LOL) or a smile, or post simply to have the first reply in a thread. Such posts waste everyone's time and will be deleted. Posts saying "I agree", "+1", "this", "me too", or the equivalent are also routinely removed, so don't post them. If you aren't interested in a thread, skip the thread; don't post to tell us you aren't interested.
+ Excessive text formatting (bold, caps, font size) is not allowed. Use text formatting to highlight short passages only.
+ Use a title that describes the content of your post. Don't use all caps or special characters to draw attention.
+ Don't post just to increase your number of posts. Avoid short sentences or single word posts. If you have nothing relevant to say on a certain matter then don't post.
+ Do not bother making posts with only one or two words (e.g., "cool" or LOL) or a smile, or post simply to have the first reply in a thread. Such posts waste everyone's time and will be deleted. Posts saying "I agree", "+1", "this", "me too", or the equivalent are also routinely removed, so don't post them. If you aren't interested in a thread, skip the thread; don't post to tell us you aren't interested.
+ Excessive text formatting (bold, caps, font size) is not allowed. Use text formatting to highlight short passages only.
So I will be making it a point to start deleting these posts with only one or two words. I can't believe some members will make these single word useless posts and receive 10 or more "Likes".
Please add your commits to improve the quality of posts on MalwareTips.
Let's make MalwareTips a better place!!
Enjoy!!
