What can be done to reduce repetitive questions in expat groups about visa requirements in Thailand?

Sep 16, 2024
3 months ago
John *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
Who else is being tortured by the same questions?

I came here to learn and contribute but I feel more stupid for being a part of this at all.

People are literally posting their exact experience at a specific embassy/consulate and a couple hours later another person is asking what do I need for that embassy?

And countless people who can’t access a search engine. They simply don’t know ANY of the requirements.

I was an early supporter and mistakenly invited a lot of friends.

Peace out superstars. Good luck on your journey.
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TLDR : Answer Summary
The post expresses frustration over repeated questions in expat groups about visa requirements for Thailand, emphasizing the need for better search usage among members. Commenters suggest various solutions, including creating tutorials, mandatory checklists for new members, and implementing pre-post moderation to encourage users to search before posting. There's a shared sentiment that many users prefer not to put in effort to find answers, leading to redundancy in queries.
Tim ***********
It’s just pure laziness. Can’t fix stupid but you can put in some measures to encourage searching first. Post approval takes work on admin but might be necessary.
Mar *****
This group has almost become like GroundHogg Day 😶‍🌫️🥴🫡
Marvin *******
Just keep scrolling, I promise you’ll survive. Things get redundant, so be it.
John *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
The irony
Daniel *******
People can’t use search function and put the city in there:)
Jason *********
This group has been awesome
Graham *******
what a joke!
Vincent *********
Same with most FB groups, people want to be spoon fed the info without lifting a finger
D**
Group feedback is welcome and appreciated. Currently, posting is kept open and transparent, without manual approval of each post. This is rare for visa groups; which are often controlled by a visa agents with a particular agenda.

Initially, the intention of this is aligned with the visa being new. There are many in the application stage, and some details are rapidly changing. Firstly, we need to collect and index a broad range of questions, before establishing the searchable knowledge base, the rules, and the longer term approach. Your feedback will guide this, too.

What are your thoughts — Is it time to add in a new rule for searching prior to posting? Do we turn on manual post approval and screen each post for repetitive topics?
Wannikea *********
@D**
I don't like pre post moderation, but do approve of new members ticking off a mandatory join checklist/questionnaire that reminds them that their question has likely already been asked and answered, so search the posts.
Todd *********
Sadly the site wasn’t designed solely to assist over entitled fools. Ask your kids to teach you how to scroll on. And don’t let the door hit you on the way out. Cheers
John *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
And a good day to you sir!
Biff *******
I do slightly less than I’m doing with your post; I scroll past. 🤷‍♂️
Toni *******
Maybe the admins could do a pinned post for tutorial, that usually helps a bit, just a bit
Wannikea *********
@Toni ******
prompt new members to checkbox a mandatory blurb upon joining that says they will read through previous posts to see if their questions have been posted and answered already.
Toni *******
Maybe make posts approved first, then they can discard and tell to use search
David ************
@Toni ******
It doesn’t work. I’ve been in many groups who post lots of information in their “files”, “Photos” and “features” folders at the top of the group page. Hardly anyone uses them, even if Admin reminds the group once or so a week.
John **********
@Toni ******
trouble is there would need to be a tutorial for every embassy and every person's particular circumstances
Bastien ********
I understand why you are annoyed, me it’s ok I help old people using internet through a phone so I have a lot of patience

Mostly what I see here is :

> want to apply for a digital nomad

> doesn’t even know how to use Facebook research
David ********
I found this group very helpful
David ************
That Anonymous tag many hide behind doesn’t help the situation at all.
D**
Interested to hear more opinions on this. For some, visas are a very personal topic. That's why Anonymous posting is available at the moment. Some have useful information to share — others insightful questions to ask. But, not all want to have that shown to everyone on their friends list, let alone publicly on Facebook. It also protects your inbox from agents bombarding you with scams.
John *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
Not disagreeing with that.

It’s more like:

Have you done any search on the internet and read anything published in the last 60 days?

Ok, have you attempted to use the search function? Or at least spend 3 minutes scrolling through recent posts.

Now, ok, I get it. You have a very specific question. The audience still needs to know nationality/passport. Where are they applying from? Online or in person?

We have to get all of this stuff out of the way before anyone can offer a helpful answer.
John *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
let me ask you a very specific question without providing any personal details…