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Another Friday rant.

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by tbragsda

Closed to new repliesThis discussion is closed. It stays readable, but it takes no new replies.

So, I would like to have a nice Friday rant about people that post on this site, Experts-Exchange and the like, but never reply or involve them self?s in their own thread.

Let me start with a story about a post I made to a woodworking site recently (one of my hobbies). I asked the old wood guys about an advanced technique I had little experience with. As soon as I had one response, I posted thanking the guy, getting a bit of clarification. Got a second post, and I responded to him, thanking for his time etc. and so on. I did this till I thought I had the information I needed, closed the question with thanks to all who participated.

This compared to the way it seems to work around this place. Someone posts a question, several people offer their time and wisdom, and the person that apparently needed the information in the first place is never heard from again. I have had people send me emails to ask for resources that I posted I would share. Most times I send the DB, form whatever. Not once have I had a reply email with just a ?thanks?.

This happens when we ask for more info too. Someone posts a question that is vague, and we just ask that they give a bit more detail, most times specifying what additional information would help us help them. NO RESPONSE. That implies that the questioner put little effort into the question in the first place, and has no intention of checking on the answers posted anyway.

The result is that I post most often to general questions that I think I might have fun reading other responses to. I have almost given up on Experts-Exchange. That?s another rant. So what?s the problem?

P.S. If I don?t reply to any/all who respond, its just because I don?t care, I?m not checking back, did this just to waste my Friday AM, just a general jerk.

21 replies

by admin

If it's working, why are they paying you they ask... If it doesn't work, well then the heat is on.

by tbragsda

I guess because I get paid to work, but not answering questions on TechRepublic, and I do get thanked for my professional efforts beyond a pay check. I get respect.

by mkrbavac

This is a very interesting (and timely) posting for me. I've only ever posted a few things in this forum - mainly responses to discussion items.

It's timely for me because I'm taking a grad course in Education on virtual learning communities. Specifically, I'm looking at what needs to happen in order for virtual learning communities to exist. Is it software? Is it the people/responses? What makes a community?

If you have comments, I'd love to hear them!

by tbragsda

Its the people that take their time to involve themselves in the community that make it work. Any such on-line environment can only exist with the support people that continually involved.

Better sites make little difference. I would be happy with a BBS if people would work at it.

by tbragsda

Hi, this is Lynda (tbragsda@planmember's wife) and I wanted to take a moment to wish you well in your grad studies. I find what you are researching to be of interest as I am currently in the process of enrolling into the world of on-line learning. While researching schools, programs and teachers I found that the emphasis was directed at the ability to communicate with classmates and teachers and being able to express yourself is the key to succeeding.

by admin

That happens continually here. If I post to a long time resident (well, relatively since not many stay active here more than a couple of years) then I usually get a reply, but my hypothesis is that many people just blanket a problem here and other places and as soon as they fix their problem never look back, give thanks or credit for anything and thats just how a large part of society is now. Personally, I think this sucks. I do metalworking (Mainly with Motorcycles) as a hobby and the blacksmith\metalworking guys are great too. They really know what community is and build relationships via discussion boards. I have tried to figure out what the difference is there too, but I'm not really sure why it is. There are a few people on here always that are good to be in community with though, and I appreciate that :)

by admin

That happens continually here. If I post to a long time resident (well, relatively since not many stay active here more than a few years) then I usually get a reply, but my hypothesis is that many other people just blanket a problem here and other places and as soon as they fix their problem never look back, give thanks or credit for anything and thats just how a large part of society is now. Personally, I think this sucks.

I do metalworking (Mainly with Motorcycles) as a hobby and the blacksmith\metalworking guys are great about replying back too. They really know what community is and build relationships via discussion boards. I have tried to figure out what the difference is there, but I'm not really sure why it is. There are a few people on here always that are good to be in community with though, and I appreciate that :)

by tbragsda

No problem with the double post. See how easy it can be. We apologize for mistakes, and share info.

I know their are more tech sites than woodworking, metalworking etc., but common curiosity is all I ask. If they ask the question, they can check back on it.

I have stopped posting to many sites like you said. It gets tireing, and I move on to another that looks better.

P.S.

I know nothing about metalworking, but my wife is a artist, and wants to learn welding. Got any links?

by admin

Is good. I build custom one-of a kind motorcycle parts (basically it's bike hacking) as I need or can't find or don't want to wait for one so I kind of catch all sorts of stuff in metalworking. Beginning welding is a big topic. I started doing it inhighschool- we had welders on the farm. Probably the first thing she will do is figure out is dream and design the project, then find which technique (there are tons of ways to weld) suits her project. To get help in ideas for execution of the design she might try:

http://www.abana.org/discus

and the home page at:

http://www.abana.org

which I have found covers a really wide variety and has a bent towards artistry. They also seem to be very friendly and helpful when I have needed information, including stuff I had no clue to starting out :)

I wouldn't hold out for welding specifically in the modern sense (as you might see at your local welding supply store) to start, but just look at welding generally as in any way to join 2metals. For artistic purposes there are a lot of old swedging and smithing techniques that I find leave beautiful surfaces to admire.

Hope some part of this helps! :)

P.S. Here's a link page from a site I use from racing. Some of the links are dead, but you may find something of interest and the guys that keep this page are excellent welders in critical framework.

http://www.jhartmotorsports.com/weld2.htm

by road-dog

the technical questions popping up in the "general discussion" portion of the page. There is an entire section devoted to "I need a driver for my Unobtanium gigawhatsis PCMCIA expresso machine with MIBII". If I want to BS, I go to discussion, If I'mfeeling like giving away cerebral CPU Cycles, I go to the tech side.

It drives me nuts having these tech questions in the discussion side. It'd kind of like when clowns ask me about computer problens when I'm in line at the movie theatere because I've got my work Polo shirt on.

ARRRRRRRRGGGHHHHH!

by tbragsda

Two technical questions I hate.

1) I have been given the responsibility of connecting five sites with a combination of DSL P2P and ISDN lines. They want me to also implement a completely new email system, and setup up the home offices AS400something or other.

How do I do this?

2) Please define the differences between the following. HUB, SWITCH, Router. The assignment is due next week, please reply before 10/10.

by timwalsh

You can tell from the types of questions that get asked that posters tend to fall into two different categories:

Category 1: IT techs that have run into a quandary and want to gain from the experiences of other IT techs. These are generally theposters who will reply and express their thanks.

Category 2: People looking for "something for nothing" and generally give the same back (e.g. nothing). They ask questions that, without the generosity of those of us who give freely of our time and experience, would require them to spend money for tech support from a vendor or software publisher. Having received an answer that solves there problem, or maybe having recieved an answer that was so simple that they should have thought of it first, they go on their merry way never to return and never to acknowledge the answers they received.

I have recieved acknowledgements and thanks from those in category 2, and there are those in category 1, who never acknowledge your answer.

Assomeone else said, this is just part of the business we are in. For me, all it it takes is one or two posters who take the time to send me a personal email expressing thanks for helping them out, to more than make up for the many posted answers that never generate any type of acknowledgement.

by tbragsda

I see that too. See above reply.

The ones that realy get me are the "impossible" to give good advice to, or the "do my homework". By impossible I mostley am talking about the question thats sooo big. The questioner should take time to frame a Q. Put in the necessary info, a scope etc.

by zlitocook

There is always the person, user and the free stuff that helps:) I have had directors and power users who after I helped them just told me to leave. I have helped people here and received no reply so I ether helped them or they took their computer to a dealer. But we live in a place where information is free and help is free for the most part. So if I get no responce from a post I feel that mabie I helped a person. I always close my questions but a new user may not, or may not know how to closeit. I live to help most IT people are the same way.

by tbragsda

But, I don't want to waste my time on somthing that the questioner never looks at again. I DO have other things to do. I want to help, otherwise I would NOT participate in the conversations to start.

Again, the point is, if someone takes time to help others, the least he should expect is some degree of thanks. Were not asking for money or praise, just a bit of respect.

by jose mir

You learn to be grateful; it is not something natural born in people, so the answer we are looking for is, I think, EDUCATION.

But education and technical knowledge are not the same. Someone could have an MBA and PhD in Physics plus some MSCE andCNE, and be the most uneducated person in the forum!

Education is about respect for any and each of the others.

But, I must be sincere, I am not always as educated as I should be. So, I try not to be very severe with my peers, because I cannotask what I am not giving.

Regards,

Jose P Mir
jpm@jpmir.net

by tbragsda

Whats that? I dident see anything in my post or any responses that was less that serious.

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