Thread type: HowTo/Guide (step by step instructions to achieve a result)

[Alpha1]

A very common use of forum threads is to post a 'How-To' or Guide or TEK or DIY. i.e. Instructions that explain how to achieve a result by performing a sequence of steps.
For example if you have a forum about gardening, then you will have HowTo threads about 'How to make compost' or 'How to grow Tomatoes'.
As people often search the internet to find How-To instructions, various websites cater to this demand. For example:

wikiHow: How-to instructions you can trust.

Learn how to do anything with wikiHow, the world's most popular how-to website. Easy, well-researched, and trustworthy instructions for everything you want to know.

www.wikihow.com

How to Videos, Articles & More - Discover the expert in you. | ehow.com

Learn how to do just about everything at ehow. Find expert advice along with How To videos and articles, including instructions on how to make, cook, grow, or do almost anything.

www.ehow.com

Such content is highly valued by Google.
Schema.org has a schema type so that Google can easily identify such content:

HowTo - Schema.org Type

Schema.org Type: HowTo - Instructions that explain how to achieve a result by performing a sequence of steps.

schema.org

If you search for a How To topic in Google, then currently you will get no forum content, but mostly Wordpress websites that use the HowTo Schema markup for their content. Let's change that, with a new Thread Type.

A How-To thread type would have the following functionality:

1. Main image.
2. Display a Table of Content
3. Display the time and cost of the procedure.
4. Insert requirements. i.e. list of things needed.
5. Insert numbered steps with optional image, video and description of the step.
6. Insert 'Tip' text. This is simply a text block with a coloured background. i.e. Tip: Add compost to your Tomato plants
7. Describe the result.
8. Add references. A numbered list with links to references.

It would be very useful if How-To threads can be rated and reviews in the same way that resources and media can.
I believe that adding such content type would be very useful to forum users and would also have a very positive impact on forum ranking in Google.

 

[GrnEyedDvl]

Ok I like this idea. I think a few tweaks to the Article type would work. The Articles already place the postbit at the bottom of the post, which makes the Article wider. Just reclaim that postbit area and use it for the Table of Contents with a box above it for some of that other info.

I think images and stuff like that should just be formatted within the article, not strictly attached to a specific area. You may be writing a Tutorial on coding for instance, that does not require an image.

 

[MaximilianKohler]

I don't see why you need a special thread type for this. Xenforo can already do all of this. There's a free Table of Contents addon for XF 2.2. The devs should integrate it.

 

[Alpha1]

You can post basically any kind of content in a thread. Media, resources, questions, articles, anything. But that doesn't make the Discussion anything else than a discussion. Google will not recognize it as anything else than discussion.
An Article is more suited in an Article Thread type, because its recognized by Google as an Article and because it just looks better that way. The same goes for questions and HowTo.

A HowTo article has the following things that a normal thread or an Article thread does not have:

1. Table of Content
2. Fields for the Cost and for Time
3. List of requirements
4. Steps
5. Tips
6. Reference List
7. Structured data Schema.org markup for SEO.

I think images and stuff like that should just be formatted within the article, not strictly attached to a specific area. You may be writing a Tutorial on coding for instance, that does not require an image.

Images or video should be optional. Not mandatory.

 

[JoyFreak]

I don't see why you need a special thread type for this. Xenforo can already do all of this. There's a free Table of Contents addon for XF 2.2. The devs should integrate it.

I recently explored this ToC add-on. However, I encountered a couple of significant issues.

Firstly, upon inserting the provided BBCode, the add-on automatically converts all headings into links. This functionality appears to overlap with the built-in linkable headings feature already present in version 2.3. Having two methods for achieving the same outcome seems redundant and could potentially lead to confusion.

Secondly, when I uninstalled the add-on, the BBCode remained embedded within the posts. Consequently, the previously formatted headings were left as plain text interspersed with the raw BBCode, resulting in a messy and unprofessional appearance. This incomplete removal of the add-on's formatting is a significant drawback.

It would be ideal if the add-on could either avoid creating redundant links or, more importantly, ensure a clean removal of its formatting upon uninstallation. But then again it’s compatible for 2.2 and not 2.3.

 

[Kirby]

Such content is highly valued by Google.
Schema.org has a schema type so that Google can easily identify such content:

HowTo - Schema.org Type

Schema.org Type: HowTo - Instructions that explain how to achieve a result by performing a sequence of steps.

schema.org

Google currently does not support this so I wonder if using it would have any net effect on ranking?

A How-To thread type would have the following functionality:

1. Main image.
2. Display a Table of Content
3. Display the time and cost of the procedure.
4. Insert requirements. i.e. list of things needed.
5. Insert numbered steps with optional image, video and description of the step.
6. Insert 'Tip' text. This is simply a text block with a coloured background. i.e. Tip: Add compost to your Tomato plants
7. Describe the result.
8. Add references. A numbered list with links to references.

Unless I am missing smth. all of this is already possible out of the box (eg. without manually modifying templates and / or adding code) in XenForo 2.3:

1. You can add an image taht is shown prominetly if you use an article forum and article thread type.
2. You can create a table of contents by using heading tags
3. You can display time and cost by using thread fields
4. You can create a list of requirements by using an unordered list BB code
5. You can create steps by using an ordered list BB code
6. You could create a [tip] BB code that uses a background color to highlight text
7. That is just text?
8. Again an ordered list BB code could be used, for referencing within body text you could create a BB code [sup] or smth. like that

?