the nature of a forum

[ghostlymoron]

Great if people have genuinely tried to find answers to their problems themselves and come here as a last resort but unfortunately there are the lazy that can't even be bothered to search google but post here and sit back picking others brains and letting other do all the hard work. Many can't even be bothered to thank forumites for helping they post a question then disappear into the mist. For all we know they don't even bother reading the replies.

That's what anoys many otherwise helpful contributors.

No ones forced to respond. I'm always happy to share my limited experience with others.

 

[Me_has_a_Boat]

Great if people have genuinely tried to find answers to their problems themselves and come here as a last resort but unfortunately there are the lazy that can't even be bothered to search google but post here and sit back picking others brains and letting other do all the hard work. Many can't even be bothered to thank forumites for helping they post a question then disappear into the mist. For all we know they don't even bother reading the replies.

That's what anoys many otherwise helpful contributors.

I understand where you are coming from (elsewhere you are me!) - but you know all that before even clicking on a new thread, let alone replying. And to be honest what you described (using Forums as first resort - not a last) is perfectly normal, certainly on subjects like boats where the subjects raised are often the same - but not quite, and just like in real life the simple act of talking things through leads to thinking which often enough generates own answer.

 

[Spyro]

Great if people have genuinely tried to find answers to their problems themselves and come here as a last resort but unfortunately there are the lazy that can't even be bothered to search google but post here and sit back picking others brains and letting other do all the hard work. Many can't even be bothered to thank forumites for helping they post a question then disappear into the mist. For all we know they don't even bother reading the replies.

That's what anoys many otherwise helpful contributors.

I would agree with that. It does amaze me sometimes when someone asks a question and because it is of interest to me I google it and find an answer right away.
It's quicker than posting a question and waiting for replies.

 

[BrendanS]

I would agree with that. It does amaze me sometimes when someone asks a question and because it is of interest to me I google it and find an answer right away.
It's quicker than posting a question and waiting for replies.

In fairness, not everyone knows how to Google effectively, and posting here can get better answers if you don't know how. That said, some people could try a bit harder to at least look for the basics and then ask more detailed questions, then come back and say if the answers were useful, as that leads to more detailed discussion. Too many come on, ask a question, then never respond, and don't give anything back to the forums

 

[Lakesailor]

Absolutely. I have become a bit disenchanted by this. You give good, well-meaning advice and never hear whether it was useful or even appreciated.
That may be why some people suggest that the answer is there if people can be arsed to search for it.

 

[chinita]

I would agree with that. It does amaze me sometimes when someone asks a question and because it is of interest to me I google it and find an answer right away.
It's quicker than posting a question and waiting for replies.

Me too, and Google often links back to ybw threads!

Job done.

 

[longjohnsilver]

In fairness, not everyone knows how to Google effectively, and posting here can get better answers if you don't know how. That said, some people could try a bit harder to at least look for the basics and then ask more detailed questions, then come back and say if the answers were useful, as that leads to more detailed discussion. Too many come on, ask a question, then never respond, and don't give anything back to the forums

I agree that many seem to ask a question and then disappear, regardless of how many responses he/she gets. I guess the answer is to ask the OP another brief question and if he replies then it shows he's still involved. (unless of course the OP has already joined in the discussion).

If no response then why bother to answer?

 

[BrendanS]

It's usually too late by then, we'll be onto another massive thread discussing some minutiae of one sentence one person posted, or thread drifting onto several other subjects.

 

[Lakesailor]

Non-responsive OPs are just a tad ahead (in the annoyance stakes) of those posters who blithely post an answer that you have already proffered, without acknowledging that.

Obviously having only read the OP and not the rest of the thread.

How rude.

 

[Deleted member 36384]

There is nothing reasonable anyone can do about any of this except improve the search feature within the program itself.

 

[John the kiwi]

Pull my thread!

I count myself an advanced user of google and other search tools and can generally find the answer to the question that i have.
However the forum collectively has the ability to do something google cant do: of knowing the question that I should have asked and answering that as well.
Many are the nuggets of wisdom hidden inside thread drifts and off topic comments.
(Mind you some of these nuggets are well hidden )

 

[reginaldon]

I'm with the OP, however the person who may have made the original query, should have the good manners to acknowledge helpful responses,

 

[doug748]

Non-responsive OPs are just a tad ahead (in the annoyance stakes) of those posters who blithely post an answer that you have already proffered, without acknowledging that.

Obviously having only read the OP and not the rest of the thread.

How rude.

Good point, gets right up my hooter as well.


Then there is the stock response:

"Have you tried contacting the manufacturer?"

This always causes me stress; are they trying to be helpful or taking the pissoirs?

 

[CAPTAIN FANTASTIC]

Great if people have genuinely tried to find answers to their problems themselves and come here as a last resort but unfortunately there are the lazy that can't even be bothered to search google but post here and sit back picking others brains and letting other do all the hard work. Many can't even be bothered to thank forumites for helping they post a question then disappear into the mist. For all we know they don't even bother reading the replies.

That's what anoys many otherwise helpful contributors.

Many people get very frustrated searching the google for information, they prefer the "personal" replies from the forumites; that's OK by me because, it gives me and others the opportunity to exchange opinions.

However, I do appreciate that some can get a bit arrogant; but then again , all these different personalities contribute towards making this Forum so interesting.

 

[pvb]

Then there is the stock response:

"Have you tried contacting the manufacturer?"

This always causes me stress; are they trying to be helpful or taking the pissoirs?

Why does that stress you? There was a classic yesterday, a guy who apparently sails out of Portsmouth wanted to know where he could send his EchoPilot for repair. I asked "Can't EchoPilot fix it?" and gave a link to their website (EchoPilot are nearby in Ringwood). The guy replied that he hadn't contacted them, he wanted to know of other options. So, was I trying to be helpful? Or was I "taking the pissoirs"?

 

[Capt Popeye]

Thank you OldVarnish for your comments

Well stated

Not every one can (could) read all the postings on here before 'asking or stating' in these forums !

Just proves the Old Varnish never dries ! saying ?

 

[pcatterall]

Have read through the responses as this is a subject of some interest to me.
I, like many others find the search system here to be useless.
I try to google my questions first ( using google advanced )
There is a wealth of really good information here which is very hard to get at.
Some contributors spend a massive amount of time repeating their extremly useful advice
On other forums cars/classic cars there are 2 good ideas which we could perhaps use.
One is to encourage posters to use well considered titles to their posts.
Another is to use a moderator to sort threads and to 'store' the really useful ( yes, a bit subjective) ones under clearly descriptive titles. A variation on this was to create a FAQ list.
I also find it useful when forumites indicate where their knowledge/experience/wisdom has come from so we can gauge its value. Advice about an engine from a marine engineer with 20 years experience may have more value than from a guy who heard about it from a guy in a pub!

 

[pvb]

I also find it useful when forumites indicate where their knowledge/experience/wisdom has come from so we can gauge its value. Advice about an engine from a marine engineer with 20 years experience may have more value than from a guy who heard about it from a guy in a pub!

But how would you know if it's true? Anyone can put any old rubbish in their profile (and some do!).

 

[Searush]

Of all the things in this world & on the forum, to get wound up about, I think these are quite low down my priorities!

There's no such thing as a dumb question, only dumb answers. Guess who used to be a Trainer!

If you don't want to respond, no-one is forcing you. Often discussions around the original question throw a new light on the topic (for me anyway as I am not an expert on everything - or even anything I fear )

Nasty or dismissive comments do not help anyone, not even the person who posts them.

 

[clydeoutboardservices]

Have read through the responses as this is a subject of some interest to me.
I, like many others find the search system here to be useless.
I try to google my questions first ( using google advanced )
There is a wealth of really good information here which is very hard to get at.
Some contributors spend a massive amount of time repeating their extremly useful advice
On other forums cars/classic cars there are 2 good ideas which we could perhaps use.
One is to encourage posters to use well considered titles to their posts.
Another is to use a moderator to sort threads and to 'store' the really useful ( yes, a bit subjective) ones under clearly descriptive titles. A variation on this was to create a FAQ list.
I also find it useful when forumites indicate where their knowledge/experience/wisdom has come from so we can gauge its value. Advice about an engine from a marine engineer with 20 years experience may have more value than from a guy who heard about it from a guy in a pub!

+1 great reply.