Another place for wordpress support?

I would like to know what other websites/forums are out there where I could get some real support.

Sorry you feel that way, generally the support on this forum is first rate. I’ll take a few minutes and take a look.

*Jan reads profile and takes a gander*

Here’s a little explanation why you might not be getting the results you had hoped for.

http://wordpress.org/support/topic/custom-poststaxonomies-vs-categoriessubcategories?replies=2

You aren’t getting replies on that one for one simple reason: that thread is marked resolved. That means the original poster (you) no longer has that problem anymore.

Resolved posts don’t get a lot of attention. Why would they? They’re resolved.

Also you’re asking for opinions. Everyone’s got them but this is a support forum. More on opinions later.

Next one is good. Something you are trying isn’t working and you’re seeking help.

http://wordpress.org/support/topic/plugin-wp-contactform-not-working-with-wordpress-331?replies=1

Blank pages mean PHP errors and that contact form plugin is dated 2008-3-15. The author apparently isn’t supporting it, please consider moving to one that is more current and actively supported.

I’ve copied that into a reply on that thread, just in case. 😉

http://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpress-with-plugins-vs-wordpress-mu-for-multiple-domains?replies=1

Again you’re asking for another opinion on that thread. Those frequently don’t get much attention either. It’s not like something’s broken, you are just asking for people to opine on the topic.

My opinion? If the plugin works correctly, then activate it network wide. If not, activate it on a per site basis. Many plugins will work network wide, but many don’t. You just have to try it yourself.

http://wordpress.org/support/topic/add-custom-metadata-in-posts-from-existing-database?replies=1

More seeking opinions on that one too. That’s not an easy topic to discuss, getting data from an existing database. You asked a complex question there and no one stepped up.

It’s not a common question and complex one-offs like that don’t get replies because we’re mostly generalists here.

The remaining threads you’ve started are over 3 years old so I’ll leave them as is.

What makes for a good support posting that gets a reply in a reasonable amount of time?

– Break fix topics.

When you break something and you provide details on what you did, how to reproduce the error, and a link to your site where the problem can be viewed.

That kind of question with specifics gets answered quickly.

– Brief customization requests.

When you want to do something that the plugin/theme you are using doesn’t quite do it.

You know, questions like “How do I style CSS to do X on Y theme?” or “These two plugins, how do I get them to play nicely together?”

Those are my favorite and often the answer is just a little bit of PHP coding or tinkering.

But notice I said brief. If the topic reads like a project spec and needs hundreds of lines of PHP coding… those don’t do well.

I hope that helps you understand why you may not have gotten the support you sought.

A simple yes and no answer would do.

Okay then. No.

*sips more coffee* Sorry, I really could not resist. 😀

If I don’t get that from the wordpress community I really have no idea where else to seek advice on best use?

You may not like the answer, but opinions like those are frequently posted on someone’s blog. Except for long winded replies (from someone like myself who should really post long winded topics more on his own blog instead of here) you really won’t find that on this site.

There are many good places to find those topics and opinions. Use a search engine and when you find a blog like that subscribe to that blog’s feed. It’s a decent way to pick up new ideas and topics related to WordPress.

Here’s a small sampling that I subscribe to.

http://wpengineer.com/
http://www.wptavern.com/
http://wpdevel.wordpress.com/

Lists are good too.

http://lists.automattic.com/mailman/listinfo

If you do subscribe to one of those lists, please use good polite etiquette. Many people get those replies in their inbox directly.

You get the idea. Here at the support forum, volunteers like us provide good break fix/tweaking support. For opinions and discussion of ideas, there are more constructive places to do that.

NOTE: My reply here and this topic? I’m an admitted odd ball and this isn’t typical of a support forum. 😉

No, Jan’s pretty typical of the volunteers 🙂 We do this for free, in our free time, and we’re pretty much a laid back set of folks (we find the crazy pants attackers to be funny vs taking them seriously, and yes, we get them).

It boils down to how many people are asking for help, and how many people are helping. There’s no actual Karma tracking, but I admit, if JAN asked a complicated question, I’d be more likely to take an hour out of my laundry to ponder it and help bang it out. For the rest, I know I’m more likely to hit the low hanging fruit, or the ones I know the likely answers to first. If the complicated question doesn’t grab my attention (being about my personal hot button items), I don’t answer and give false hope.