Advanced or Pro cake forum - Page 3

This is somewhat off the original topic ...but, a help index would be nice....anyone could benefit from it...especially newbies (others save threads that really interest them)...

help
scroll through alphabetically
click on topic
may have subtopics
click on best matched
up comes a series of links to discussions on the topic

window stays open while you click through until you close all the little help windows out...

But some people don't consider it a waste of their time to answer something that's been answered 50 times. I think of it as teaching school. Every year you get new students, but the same old questions. Only here, there are new students every day.

And think about it...If you're in the middle of baking a cake and your buttercream isn't coming out right...and you need to get it finished...and you're totally frustrated and about to pull your hair out....the LAST thing you want to do is search around for the answer. You want to ask the question and get an answer quickly so you can get the cake finished.

the last thing I want to do is insert a word into a search field and find the answer. I'd much rather post a question and hope someone who knows happens to be on...or someone who has the time to search for me is on and will find the link for me

Or that someone will be nice enough to simply answer the question for you, based on their own knowledge and experience, without doing any research for you and taking very little of their time, which they must not mind giving or they wouldn't be answering your question in the first place. Clearly, we don't all agree on the issue.

I, for one, do not have a problem answering another's call for help should I be on and see it and know the answer.

It is comical to read those posts that say they don't have time to search but have not found the answer and are posting again to their own thread..."what? no one knows the answer?" or "what? Is no one else on at this time?" and continue with, " xx people have viewed this post and have nothing to say????" or "there's xxxxx many online on this site at this time and there's no one to respond to my question????"

which will spur some responses telling poster to relax along with explanations as to why some viewed but didn't respond or they didn't get anyone to respond even though they're online....

THAT, is funny...and yes, it can be annoying too when they start bitchin' 2 hours later that they've still not gotten an answer when they could've done it themselves in less than 20 minutes in most cases.

Yep...that's pretty silly. I haven't come across any of those, but I guess some people are desperate for an answer. Just like in real life, some people annoy you and others don't.

that's somewhat of a big assumption ..... that someone will be doing nothing but sitting on CC the second a question is posted AND that they happen to be someone who has the answer.

I always get a little chuckle over the topics that start out "Quick Question!" Quick? For who? Well yeah.... quick for you to ASK it, but on a forum, there's really no guarantee of a "quick answer". I'm especially amused when thse "Quick Question!" threads have 3 or 4 questions in them!

Just a quirky and amusing observation!

Yep, but at that point, I don't think you're thinking about that. You're just desperate for an answer and hopeful that you'll get a quick response. Besides, there's usually SOMEONE pretty smart hanging around here!

In defense of redundant questions, I will say, the search feature on here doesn't always seem to give the results you're searching for. I've typed in a word and it pulls up all kinds of things totally unrelated to my word. So...I don't think it's fair to assume that people don't search before asking. Of course, I'm sure many don't.

The search feature, while frustrating in some ways, actually works like many search functions.

I explained in another thread once:

If I search for "selling spatulas", I get 6725 results.

If I search for "selling AND spatulas", (put the word "AND" in capital letters between each word that I need to find), I get 8 results.

Why?

Because the first search told the system to find me any thread that had the word "selling" in it and any thread that had the word "spatula" in it. Not necessarily in the same thread.

The 2nd search told it to find me any thead that had BOTH words .. "selling" and "spatula" .... in the same thread.

So if you want to search for "cake cutting comb" .... don't type in "cake cutting comb" (you'll get over 10,000 results). If you type in "cake AND cutting AND comb", you'll narrow it down to 38 results. If you remember that I had commented on the cake cutting comb, then type in "Cake AND cutting AND comb" then drop down to the author field and type in "indydebi" .... it comes back with 18 results.


Search for just "comb" .... 440 results.
Search for "comb" with author of "indydebi" .... 26 results.

By utilizing some basic search techniques and tools, the search feature works great. I don't ever seem to have a problem finding the info I'm looking for.

when searching ..... less (words in the search field) is more (accurate results).

to add to indydebi's search tips, a google advanced search is also a hell of alot less complicated! thats usually how i find things.

in regards to the "sperate forums" agree with indydebi, why do we need a "class" system? As i said before, people are constantly learning, and the minute you thin you know everything about something, there will be something new about that something for you to learm!
if a topic is uninteresting to you IGNORE IT! i really dont see how that is so difficult...

As many epople have pointed out, there are new people here everyday, some directed to this site looking for answers, so they come across our forum, if they are looking for an answer on that day, they are more than likely not to read through everything and post a topic straight away!

geeez i know i post a heck of a lot of annoying topics such as "my gumpaste is sweaty!" haha, but believe it or not, i have hunted high and low for an answer to that question, some are more "technologically capable" and may be able to find answers better than those who are not so.. i.e me!


Again, the beauty of this site is that everybody, experienced and not so, can mingle together, there is "class structure".

im sorry, but iu have noticed a few posts about these sorts of tpics before, how frustrated people are with "annoying posts", so again, i will stress, IF A TOPIC IS UNINTERESTING OR ANNOYING TO YOU, IGNORE IT!

happy caking.

Indydebi~ Thanks for clarifying the process for the search.... I am a newbie, and have been frustrated, trying to find a certain thread or recipe, and it seems that whatever I put in the search, I don't get the answer I was looking for. The way you explained it, helps me understand it more.

I do want to thank everyone who does take the time to answer questions. I have done a lot of reading on this site, and have learned so much. The best information comes out the CC forums. I am so glad I found this site!

Go into the Google advanced search;
put your search term (for example) MMF in the box;
in search within site or domain put cakecentral.com
then hit the button.

Works in the image search too.

I just recently found CC and I love it. I wish there was such a thing about 20yrs ago when I frist got into this business of cake art ( that's what I like to call it).

I don't mind answering questions to people who are just starting out because I remember a time when there was nobody to answer those same questions for me. I hate fondant, which is a funny thing because my speciality is lace piping, free hand scroll work, lamebth design and that sort of thing that isn't easily achieved on BC.

Recently I posted a newbie question in regards to airbrushing, so we are always learning to achieve and make our art better. I have learned more about some topics on CC just from reviewing a question by a newbie ( I love that term...so cute).

I thank my daughter every date that she found CC for me, plus I think she was getting tired of my whinning that I don't DO CAKE for a living anymore.

That would be very handy!