Please note this is a long rant, but I'm in that kind of mood.

I have been active on this type of forum for many years.
I started on the excellent WHQuestion, now dead, and have been active on a lot of other sites.
Overall I have had a lot of fun and games and met some very fine people and had to put up with many idiots, flamewars and general stupidity.

What really gets me is the apparent inability of some users to follow even the most basic rules of etiquette when interacting with other people.
Small things like common courtesy, manners and respect are some of the things that come to mind. After all we all give our time and effort freely, but to be derided by, mostly forum newbies, is just plain bad manners.
While I'm on the subject of rules, simple ones like correct places to post. How hard is it to find the board you want and post a question? After all, the main index page has a whole list of available subjects.

Back to forum newbies, why is it that they feel that the use of English and punctuation are an optional extras.
This isn't a chatroom, speed isn't an issue, so why use chatspeek. Are they really so thick that a basic grasp of English is beyond them?
OK you can forgive grammar and spelling, we are all guilty of that one at some time, but the out and out laziness of chatspeek is beyond me.
It really doesn't help their cause or get their question resolved any more quick, as we have to spend time in translating their drivel into useable English. Some of our foreign users have a better grasp and it's a second, or even third, language to them.


Last couple of things I promise.
The ability to read what has gone before your post, both previous responses and mainly the posted dates. The most annoying thing is when an ancient thread is reopened by someone posting a response. How difficult is it to check the original date and whether the user has been online since? OK some feel they are helping, but please how does posting a response to two year old question really help.
While on posting, do they really believe that repeating the same question on ten different boards will get their question answered any more quick!

Bugger lost my train of thought now. Amuse yourselves for a moment while I try and regain it. Normal ranting will be resumed shortly.

I remember now, hackers, spammers and scammers. Come on are we really going to buy the next wonder penis enhancement pill just because you post it twenty times in two minutes. Are we going to send you our bank account number because you can give us an unlimited overdraft. Are we going to help you retrieve your webmail password just because you say it's your account.
Come on idiots what planet do you think we are from??

Rant over you may now return to real life.

A final thing to think on:
Why is Common Sense so uncommon?

So what really bugs you abot these kind of forums ?

Interesting Ben.When I joined,last January,I took time out to read the log-in details,had a look at what was available,and tried to post in the correct place.A question on nuclear physics,doesn't go under cooking :D
The regulars,we all know who we are,have a lot of banter,and sometimes this accidently cascades into the Klingon civil war.But on the whole,we are a friendly bunch.I hate it when you reply to a newbie (we all were once),and they reply,as Ben said,in txt speak,or use words we have difficulty following.I've English (GCSE O Level) just,and sometimes English speaking newbies write as though texting a friend.Even my niece,and nephew do it,and I end up using the telephone (land-line).Can admin please say,no txt spelling please?
For those of International countries,I can understand perfectly well there apprehension of including a few oddily written words,but for everyone else,surelly there is no excuse.
I have also noted answers to questions years old.I know that old admin (no pun intended),of twenty so-so replies,then two years later,an answer comes along that hits the bullseye.But surelly,six months is long enough for a question which may have been answered a billion times,is good enough?
Again,people coming on,and saying "I know a link to the combination of Fort Knox.Click here for details.Okey,that was fantasy,but you get the idea.
Oh yes,when someone answers a question,I dont know,"should you switch your cooker off,after you've finished cooking"?,then you get that stupid reply,"yes,I do",not once,but maybe,three,or four times.The comment section is for that.Not obvious replies for nothing.
That's it.Oh yes,today,some newbie posted a political rant,of how US soldiers should continue to get blown up in Iraq,and down with the US,etc.I think it was under Bin Laden is alive,or something.I reported this to admin,as political views,in my opinion,of a derogitary nature should be banned forever.Rant over.

I am spelling and typing impaired. I take time to try to cover it up with spell check. I also proof read after spell check, a great new source of humor, Saddam comes out Sadism. The poorly written posts do grate on me too.

I also don't like questions without even half the information you need for a good answer.

Of course, my big gripe are people insisting on posting poor answers in areas where they know a lot less than others here. Once Tom showed up, I cut way back on plumbing answers, with tkrussel less in electrical, and now applguy may cause me to drop out of appliance repair. I am not here to kill time. I hate having my time killed correcting answers that should not have been posted.

Got another one for you as well.
What is it with all these newbies recently that are expecting us to do their hoemwork for them.
I'm all for guiding people in the right direction, but giving them the answer straight off the bat is just wrong.
How on earth will they learn anything if someone else does all the real work for them.

I have a degree in chemistry and have done a lot of general reading since I have been out of school. I am sure I could be giving good answers in the science and math forums. I used to enjoy answering questions in the science for children section in the original AskMe along with Loci. Since so many of them are ''Do my homework'', I don't even take the time to try to sort out the ones that deserve to be answered. Another place where the idiots hurt the good people. At least, they are easier to ignore here than all the ones sent to me at All Experts.

Curlyben, you pretty much said it all. One thing you forgot, is when people (mostly newbies) post the same suggestion, just in different words right after you did. And yes those 'chatese' posts do drive one crazy! But, I'm sure that when newbies post their thanks, instead of rating, they'll get the hang of it sooner or later - so we just have to be a little patient. And on those double-posters - I refer them to one or the other with the link and explain. Live and learn.
P.S. without those 'dummies' we'd have nothing to laugh or gripe about (lol). Can I help you pick out your next name Ook!?

You would have loved the one troll on the old AskMe. I would post an answer to a dog question. Later when I came back, she had rewritten my answer trashing the spelling and grammar and posted it as her own. Then she came back under a different name and anonymously gave my answer a low 1 star rating and hers the top 5 starts. There was a bug on the site at one time and I was able to expose her posting an anonymous question and then giving 5 similar answers each of the 5 possible ratings. The net is a much poorer place for all the good people that couldn't take such abuse and left.

On the other hand if I post a question on plumbing, I don't care if there already are 15 answers saying the same thing, I still want to know what Tom has to say. In the same way, I feel I need to post my answer in dogs even if there are other answers.

You would have loved the one troll on the old AskMe. I would post an answer to a dog question. Later when I came back, she had rewritten my answer trashing the spelling and grammar and posted it as her own. Then she came back under a different name and anonymously gave my answer a low 1 star rating and hers the top 5 starts. There was a bug on the site at one time and I was able to expose her posting an anonymous question and then giving 5 similar answers each of the 5 possible ratings. The net is a much poorer place for all the good people that couldn't take such abuse and left.

On the other hand if I post a question on plumbing, I don't care if there already are 15 answers saying the same thing, I still want to know what Tom has to say. In the same way, I feel I need to post my answer in dogs even if there are other answers. You've got a point there Labman, but if I have something to add to a previous post, I at least state that I agree with so and so, and also add, etc...

On another forum, there was a person that actually copied published articles from other sites and used them as her own without utilizing the quotes, and doing it the legal way. Too bad she picked articles from doctors that I personally knew, so I proved several times that she did this and she finally got tossed, but it took admin to stop her, even though she was openly told that it was not right and that she could be sued. Some people just don't have any morals at all. This was a forum where you would get a 'prize' if you got a certain amount of fast answers posted and positive ratings each month.

Good call there Labman, I'd forgotten about multiple ID trolls.
Luckly this forum seems quite immune, OK there are one or two but they get jumped on soon enough.
The worest place for this seems to be Pointask.
While I'm on trolls, some forums have the ability to post anonymous questions.
While I can fully understand the reasoning behind this idea, for posting sensitive questions, more often than not the ability is heavily abused by trolls.

I while back I found an excellent site that goes into get detail on the subject of Trolls. LINK (http://www.flayme.com/troll/)
It also covers flaming, stalking and netiquette. A very valuable resource indeed, well worth a read.

Have a great weekend guys
Thanks for letting me rant ;)

Good link

According to your link, I have been misusing the term troll. So what is the proper term for the pathetic people that abuse rating systems to have a high rating despite a lack of knowledge? The worst form is giving the better people bad ratings.

I think such people are far more harmful than those just stirring things up.

I think what you are referring to is a specialised kind of Troll as it produces the same effect.
After all the linked sites desn't cover all areas it's just some general reading.

Got something else to add to this rant.
When Newbies post a question and demand and instant response by either demanding in the title (ASAP, NOW, etc) or adding a time limit to it (respond by X time/date)
Don't they realise that we have our own lives too and that we do this for fun!
I must admit that whenever I see a demanding question I avoid it. I may read it and come back later, but I will never answer immediately.

This problem has been around for a long time, and was what prompted this document (http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html). Unfortunately, no one reads that either.

I deliberately let a chemistry question go a day on all experts due to a ''Please reply promptly.'' Great link. I usually try to answer that way. Those that don't likely will not check the link.

I doubt this thread will change how anybody does anything, but I am enjoying it.

When are you going to lose your green boxes? Who are you kidding?

This problem has been around for a long time, and was what prompted this document (http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html). Unfortunately, no one reads that either.
Just read the document, saved it for further reminders, thanks, great find!

Got something else to add to this rant.
When Newbies post a question and demand and instant response by either demanding in the title (ASAP, NOW, etc) or adding a time limit to it (respond by X time/date)
Don't they realise that we have our own lives too and that we do this for fun !!
I must admit that whenever I see a demanding question I avoid it. I may read it and come back later, but I wil never answer immediately.
Curlyben, you're such a bad boy, you're Cute!
I never help anyone with homework, I tell them they are lucky to have internet - all I had was a library...

I agree. The newbies "demading" immediate responses is fustrating.

Got something else to add to this rant.
When Newbies post a question and demand and instant response by either demanding in the title (ASAP, NOW, etc) or adding a time limit to it (respond by X time/date)
Don't they realise that we have our own lives too and that we do this for fun !!
I must admit that whenever I see a demanding question I avoid it. I may read it and come back later, but I wil never answer immediately.

I agree.

The Newbies that demand an immediate response is fustrating.

And quite frankly, a bit rude.

Curlyben, you're such a bad boy, you're Cute!
I never help anyone with homework, I tell them they are lucky to have internet - all I had was a library...


Chery, I don't know how I would have survived in your time. When I say your time, I mean the time when you grew up.

I don't know what I would do without the internet.

Libraries... to be honest, I have barely ever used them. Before I went to university, I had only been to the library twice in 4 years.

Chery, I don't know how I would have survived in your time. When I say your time, I mean the time when you grew up.

I don't know what I would do without the internet.

Libraries....to be honest, I have barely ever used them. Before I went to university, I had only been to the library twice in 4 years.
The library, and all my doctor friends who gave me their books saved my life and career. You'd be surprised what treasures they have.
My favorite book for years is an autographed 'bible' from the man who wrote the book on Neurosurgery - and I worked with him for a year. That was a super experience.
I have to admit that I use the net now because my eyes can't handle books that well anymore, and I still love to read, and can eat, smoke, and relax more at home now.

As far as newbies being in a hurry, the net is not an emergency room, and they'll survive, so no problem.

No internet,only a library.Chery,you were lucky.When I was at school,we were so poor,we had to share copied documents,share pencils,rulers,ink,bloting paper.Oh yes,and share answers... Doh... no,that last one is'nt right :D

I remember as a child,failing to answer a question correctly,and made to stand in the corner with a dunce (idiot) hat on,for several minutes.I remember crying.At five years old,it's not a nice feeling. :mad:

Whilst on the subject of homework,I agree that not answering is the correct way to proceed.As the brother of an English teaching sister (if you remember my photo,she is the one sitting on my right at the pub),but never mind,I'm digressing.Even she has said,don't do their homework,as they will never learn to think for themselves.

To Captain Forest,before the net,there was paper,a pencil,and your brain.I hated those days :D

Awesome piece there Psi, I was reading it and laughing and some of the stupidity.

Ok so its referring to technical questions, but it's so true for any kind of forum.
Thanks for posting it.

Hi, Curlyben,
Good initial posted comments.
It really helps to get off steam once in a while!
If this were a perfect world with perfect people, all this would not be happening. But, as we all know, it's not.
For all of us who at one time or another, have had jobs dealing with the public in general face-to-face, it's all normal. However, when typing, reading, and trying to type something that is really what one wants to say, is different. It's hard enough sometimes to explain what one is asking face-to-face, but online is another whole ball game. That's why some of the questions asked are not really understandable, until more clarifications are added.
I have noticed one thing about the language used, in terms of typing something that looks like a texted message on a cell phone, running sentences together, no punctuation, using "u'' for "you", etc. Many companies in the US are now having classes teaching their employees how to type! This was on the National Network news in the US. Many employees can't even type up a memo so others can read it, and we're talking Management employees here! This type of problem, with celll phone usuage, has hit the US nationwide, not just on Forums of this type.
I really enjoy helping others with their questions. Whatever comes along, will be answered if possible; and I do expect all of this from the get-go. The only other alternative is to stop using Forums, turn my interests to other things with the computer.
It's a fun hobby, and I treat it as such; expecting all the normal questions, language, run-on sentences, sometimes getting rude replies back from those who ask the question, and getting replies back that make no sense at all!

Now about those 2 yr old questions being answered:
The idea of a "pop-up" saying this question is too old, and you cannot answer it, has been discussed many times. The last suggestion I heard was to not be able to answer a question that is older than 6 months. The only way to stop this is for the Administration to do it with a "pop-up". I am sure the Administration will do something about it, if and when they see it as a major problem.
That's my 2 cents worth, which can't even buy bubble gum now.
I was 64 yrs old yesterday, and there is still a lot to learn. But, having dealt with the public for many, many years, there really isn't much new that comes along anymore!
Have a great weekend.

Sounds a lot like my rants from previous issues. Unfortunately we live in an instant gratification world. Instant coffee, fast food, hi speed internet, etc. The younger generation expects things to be done quickly. They also expect answer as their due, forgetting that the answers are coming from volunteers who have already paid their dues.

But the point is we ARE volunteers. We have EVERY right to refuse to answer some questions that we feel are rude, incoherent, unethical etc. We have EVERY right to try an instruction people on the proper way to ask questions before we answer them.

While there is a competition for questions, this site seems to be among the more active. That gives us the ability to reject the lazy and the rude.

Sure we should give newbies the benefit of the doubt. Give them an initial level of respect even if they don't show it to us. But once they refuse to learn, the kid gloves can come off.

I want to help people who truly want to learn. Not people who want things handed to them in a step by step procedure they are unlikely to remember. If we teach them how to think, how to reason out the answer for themselves by giving them clues as to the direction, then we empower them to help themselves in the future. That a lot more help that saying do x, y & z.

Rant over.

I agree with all the rants here. It's pretty interesting though to note that, people in real life are quite often like this as well, and do a lot of the same things. Anyone who has worked retail or dealt with customers or the public will know what I'm talking about here.

For example, not reading signs or instructions... I used to work in a sandwich shop, and we would have big signs at the counter telling our customers various things such as, "The special is ONLY on the ham sandwich", "Please don't ask for parking change if you're not a customer", etc... And yet practically every day people would be asking for change, or asking to have a different sandwich substituted for the one on sale. My favorite (and unbelievably frequent!) question by customers was "How long is your 8-inch hoagie?" Ummmm... 8 inches?? :rolleyes: We also had a huge clock at the front counter, yet it was not uncommon for people to ask what time it was. Many people just don't pay attention.

People also tried to be dishonest a LOT. They would try to use expired coupons, coupons from another store, etc. And when you said they were expired, they would lie and say that they just got the coupon in the mail... but of course when you looked at the coupon, it was like, 2 years old or more! Or, people would try to say they knew the owner and that he was giving them a deal. And if they didn't get exactly what they wanted, no matter how courteous or helpful you were to them, they would be rude, condescending... horrible really.

So unfortunately, my conclusion is that people in general (not everyone of course, but many!) are just rude, don't bother to take the time to read directions, and expect everything to be just handed to them on a silver platter. And yes we are volunteers here, but even if we were paid something, that still doesn't excuse rudeness for a great answer given.

It's pretty interesting though to note that, people in real life are quite often like this as well.

Many people just don't pay attention.

People also tried to be dishonest a LOT.

So unfortunately, my conclusion is that people in general (not everyone of course, but many!) are just rude, don't bother to take the time to read directions, and expect everything to be just handed to them on a silver platter. And yes we are volunteers here, but even if we were paid something, that still doesn't excuse rudeness for a great answer given.

Yes its true that what we see here is often mirrored in real life. But not to as great an extent in my experience. The anonymity of the Net tends to embolden people to do things they might not do in real life.

And I agree that people have become more unethical and dishonest. The person who would not think of shoplifting a CD from a music store will eagerly download songs from a peer to peer service.

Hi, Curlyben,
Good initial posted comments.
It really helps to get off steam once in a while!
If this were a perfect world with perfect people, all this would not be happening. But, as we all know, it's not.
For all of us who at one time or another, have had jobs dealing with the public in general face-to-face, it's all normal. However, when typing, reading, and trying to type something that is really what one wants to say, is different. It's hard enough sometimes to explain what one is asking face-to-face, but online is another whole ball game. That's why some of the questions asked are not really understandable, until more clarifications are added.
I have noticed one thing about the language used, in terms of typing something that looks like a texted message on a cell phone, running sentences together, no punctuation, using "u'' for "you", etc. Many companies in the US are now having classes teaching their employees how to type! This was on the National Network news in the US. Many employees can't even type up a memo so others can read it, and we're talking Management employees here! This type of problem, with celll phone usuage, has hit the US nationwide, not just on Forums of this type.
I really enjoy helping others with their questions. Whatever comes along, will be answered if possible; and I do expect all of this from the get-go. The only other alternative is to stop using Forums, turn my interests to other things with the computer.
It's a fun hobby, and I treat it as such; expecting all the normal questions, language, run-on sentences, sometimes getting rude replies back from those who ask the question, and getting replies back that make no sense at all!

Now about those 2 yr old questions being answered:
The idea of a "pop-up" saying this question is too old, and you cannot answer it, has been discussed many times. The last suggestion I heard was to not be able to answer a question that is older than 6 months. The only way to stop this is for the Administration to do it with a "pop-up". I am sure the Administration will do something about it, if and when they see it as a major problem.
That's my 2 cents worth, which can't even buy bubble gum now.
I was 64 yrs old yesterday, and there is still a lot to learn. But, having dealt with the public for many, many years, there really isn't much new that comes along anymore!
Have a great weekend.
Hey fred, belated Happy Birthday! I turned double-nickle today. Yeah, Aquarius!! Your points here were also very well put.
I always loved to write and have seen some new employees not even be able to spell the most simple words. I wonder where they went to school and how they managed to graduate. I remember reading one operating report that was typed for signature and had to laugh. The report started with: The patient was prepped and raped in the usual fashion. This stuff was on medical documents and could have been used in a legal issue - and should have been 'draped'.


http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/5/5_7_1.gif (http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZN) http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/13/13_14_64.gif (http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZN)

Love, Chery

Yes Happy Birthday Fred! Hope this next year is a good one for you! :)

I am not sure about unanswered questions. In some cases it maybe best to leave them unanswered. Sort of keep quiet and let people think you are a fool, or open your mouth and remove all doubt. If somebody wonders in and sees old, unanswered question they can answer, they can see they are needed. I am not sure about the people that drop in and answer old questions, but if they have something to contribute, at least they announce they are here. I wonder how many people look back through old questions before asking one? Once in a while, somebody new will want me to expand on an answer 6 months old.

I agree with all the rants here. It's pretty interesting though to note that, people in real life are quite often like this as well, and do a lot of the same things. Anyone who has worked retail or dealt with customers or the public will know what I'm talking about here.

For example, not reading signs or instructions... I used to work in a sandwich shop, and we would have big signs at the counter telling our customers various things such as, "The special is ONLY on the ham sandwich", "Please don't ask for parking change if you're not a customer", etc... And yet practically every day people would be asking for change, or asking to have a different sandwich substituted for the one on sale. My favorite (and unbelievably frequent!) question by customers was "How long is your 8-inch hoagie?" Ummmm... 8 inches??? :rolleyes: We also had a huge clock at the front counter, yet it was not uncommon for people to ask what time it was. Many people just don't pay attention.

People also tried to be dishonest a LOT. They would try to use expired coupons, coupons from another store, etc. And when you said they were expired, they would lie and say that they just got the coupon in the mail... but of course when you looked at the coupon, it was like, 2 years old or more! Or, people would try to say they knew the owner and that he was giving them a deal. And if they didn't get exactly what they wanted, no matter how courteous or helpful you were to them, they would be rude, condescending... horrible really.

So unfortunately, my conclusion is that people in general (not everyone of course, but many!) are just rude, don't bother to take the time to read directions, and expect everything to be just handed to them on a silver platter. And yes we are volunteers here, but even if we were paid something, that still doesn't excuse rudeness for a great answer given.


I am with you there Orange. I used to work as a Lifeguard. There are many signs surrounding pool area - one of which was "Non-Swimmers beyond this point" another "No Armbands beyound this point" - the amount of parents who did not watch their kids and allowed them to float up to the deep end with their arm bands on and the amount of non-swimmers we had to pull out of the deep end was unreal.

It did not matter how many signs were around the pool, us lifeguards had to constantly keep telling parents and keep pulling kids who could not swim out of the deep end. Teenagers were the worst. There were signs up telling them not to Bomb, or duck people etc and they would continue to do so regardless. Even after 3 verble warnings I would have to kick them out - it was unbelievable. The amount of times I heard "I didn't know" was unreal - it does not matter how many signs there are or how many times you tell them.

The teenagers even tried to play one lifeguard off another. But little did they know we exchanged information about the swimmers each time we changed shifts. If there wer kids being awkward and on verble warnings every lifeguard knew about it!

The biggest gripe I think I have is people (mostly newbies) misusing these boards for other purposes than what they are intended for. I've noticed a few threads that I literally had to ask myself "is this really a valid question, or someone just trying to be funny?" I also think that the "chatspeek" is annoying to and this isn't a chat room, although if someone has been use to chatting in a chat room, they may not be aware that chatspeak isn't the best way of going about getting there question answered. I think most newbies would understand if told them that, and would probably write in normal, legible English.
Don't let me find that thread that was in reference to wanting to have us soldiers blown up in Iraq and in the United States. That really makes my blood boil. What is even the point in posting something like that? It only makes that person sound like a complete sicko. And if it was a joke, in this day in age are people really that stupid to be posting something like that because they think its funny? AGGHHH! You did the right thing Nez, in reporting that, thank you!

H,I saw that post Friday,I think it was,and reported it to Rick.It was deleted very quickly.Can you imagine the outrage,if anyone of us had posted a rant about the middle east,et el.Some people just come on AMHD to stir up trouble.I could have ignored it,but without wishing to get into external politics,posts such as that have to be dealt with promptly.

Not only is that chatspeak thing annoying it is downright unreadable to me,but what takes the cake are the multiple posts asking the same question by the same person,what's up with that?The thing I probably hate most are the ones who after 20-30 posts with everyone's opinion running about the same they still want more opinions,or expect different ones,I really don't know what it is their looking for but it makes you want to reach through the screen and choke somebody.As I learn more about this site though I've learned to check profiles and previous threads to stay away from the occasional nut job who wanders in,also the dates of the original post,cause I just found out that a new answer makes it a new post hmmmmm.All in all this is a great way to pass on knowledge and get knowledge even with the personality clashes that pop up here and there.:cool:

Hey you know what? I saw something the other day that proves my point in people mis using AMHD? Someone was advertising there business and they posted the thread like two or three times. I think it was for some beauty cosmetic line. That really ticked me off. This isn't a friggin' free advertisement board. How is that asking for advice? I didn't even think of repoting it. But next time I will. Rant over, lol!
I agree with you Nez, No matter what your political views are, or how you feel about a country. There is no place for that kind of post on this forum. Not only that but that threat could have easily be taken as a threat to Americans, some people, I swear!

Hey you know what? I saw something the other day that proves my point in people mis using AMHD? Someone was advertising there buisness and they posted the thread like two or three times. I think it was for some beauty cosmetic line. That really ticked me off. This isn't a friggin' free advertisment board. How is that asking for advice? I didn't even think of repoting it. But next time I will. Rant over, lol!
I agree with you Nez, No matter what your political views are, or how you feel about a country. There is no place for that kind of post on this forum. Not only that but that threat could have easily be taken as a threat to Americans, some people, I swear!
I agree about the sneaky advertising too, but I ignore it and not answer to it, and hope management will let them know it's wrong..

By the way, you posted two pictures, but all I get is an 'x' where the picture should be. Is this a system problem, or did management take the picture out? I know I did not change my computer and internet setup and should receive all pictures.

Bizygurl, your attachments don't seem to be working.

I agree about the sneaky advertising too, but I ignore it and not answer to it, and hope management will let them know it's wrong..
Chery, I find it's best to use the "Report Inappropriate Post (https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/report.php?p=79925)" link for these issues. That way the mods can ban the user and/or remove the posts.

Chery, I find it's best to use the "Report Inappropriate Post (https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/report.php?p=79925)" link for these issues. That way the mods can ban the user and/or remove the posts.

That's what We did earlier this week. Some guy came on here and posted the same advertsing thread 3 times. We told him on the first one it was not allowed here and asked him nicely to stop - so he posted it 2 more times and his response was just business. Nez reported him and PM'd me to let me know he had done so - which was a good job as I was about to do it. Curlyben banned him instantly.

If there's any problems like that the best thing to do is Report the post as a reply just bumps it on the New Post list.
If you want to follow it up drop Rickj, psi42, crocivic, the Admins or I a PM and we'll see what can be done.

Normally tho' I'm around quite a bit and catch most of them, but I can't remove the posts. That's for Rickj and the Admins, but a report will let them know anyway.

Are my attachements still not working? Im looking at it now and they are. But let me know if they still aren't and Ill try and remove them. Maybe management doesn't want me to use them. They re a picture of the twin towers, and it says" 9-11, this should never have happened. Maybe management thinks it would offend others. I hope it doesn't, and that wasn't my intention, if it needs to be removed Ill take it off.

Are my attachements still not working? Im looking at it now and they are. But let me know if they still aren't and Ill try and remove them. Maybe mangement doesn't want me to use them. They re a picture of the twin towers, and it says" 9-11, this should never have happened. Maybe management thinks it would offend others. I hope it doesn't, and that wasn't my intention, if it needs to be removed Ill take it off.

They are not there full stop now Bizygurl ;)

Are my attachements still not working? Im looking at it now and they are. But let me know if they still aren't and Ill try and remove them. Maybe mangement doesn't want me to use them. They re a picture of the twin towers, and it says" 9-11, this should never have happened. Maybe management thinks it would offend others. I hope it doesn't, and that wasn't my intention, if it needs to be removed Ill take it off.
From what info I just got, you might have deleted the attachments, so please try to post them again, and we'll let you know if we can see them.

Chery, I think DJ'H said that they still weren't there, so I did delete them. I figured that maybe there was a block on them for a reason. Its too bad it was a really good attachment.

Chery, I think DJ'H said that they still weren't there, so I did delete them. I figured that maybe there was a block on them for a reason. Its too bad it was a really good attachment.

No they were not there, so I guess Admin did block them. I am sure it was a great attachment though. ;)

Yeah it was, I was kind of bummed that they blocked it, because I didn't think at the time it would have insulted anyone, I mean 9-11 did happen and I only put it in reference to what my post was saying. But I really didn't think about that it may bother people sensetive people. Or people who had lost a loved one who and are reading this thread, and that I can completely understand. I probably should have thought that a little more through.

Im glad you guys told me what was going on. I kind of wished administraion had sent me an e-mail about the block, I wouldve taken it off right away, no questions asked.

yeah it was, I was kinda bummed that they blocked it, because I didnt think at the time it would have insulted anyone, I mean 9-11 did happen and i only put it in reference to what my post was saying. But I really didn't think about that it may bother people sensetive people. Or people who had lost a loved one who and are reading this thread, and that I can completely understand. I probably should of thought that a little more through.

Im glad you guys told me what was going on. I kinda wished administraion had sent me an e-mail about the block, I wouldve taken it off right away, no questions asked.

They may not have blocked it. It could have been a computer error.

I guess we are just speculating ;)

That's true! You could be right

My turn to reply. I'll probably add some things that have already been added but I can't be bothered to read the middle pages :P

First thing that ticks me off: RUNESCAPE! You mention that word and suddenly you get tonnes of dumb 14 year olds asking how where they "can download a b0t to upd8 their r0x0r c00king skillz!". In fact I think First - no one here cares. Secondly, it's a game, do what most people and level up whatever skill by using it a lot. But not, they point this pointless question completely off topic. They then come back and ***** when they lsiten to some random person who said "post your username/password here" and then wonder how they got hacked.

Come to think of it, the ones that really annoy me are the ones who say they have been hacked but never used a bot. All they did was give their details to their mate. NEWSFLASH: Your "mate" has probably logged into your account and taken your stuff..

Next, onto the punctuation. Now I know my grammar isn't great and I possibly, just possibly, use a comma once to many. But I don't think it annoys anyone. But when somebody feels that they need,, to,, separate,, every,, frigging,, word,, with,, commas,, instead,, of,, spaces,, - THAT ANNOYS ME!


Ben, you've got us all started now.


Onto the homework peeps. I don't mind if somebody posts their homework. I won't answer it of course but I will normally be kind and point out that I can't help them but they could start by reading/doing XYZ. Most of the time you get a polite thank you and that's that. Of course you get the occasional idiot who flames you for this.


My final rant - people who email/PM you their response. I don't get a chance to view this board every day so if you email me saying "I'm still having trouble" chances are I will have forgotten about it the next day and your question will become unanswered. If you had just posted the response on the forum somebody else could have taken over the reins and you'd be surfing happily by now.


And now it's almost time for me to go home so I'll end my rant by saying smoething inspiring... Monkeys are cool.

My turn to reply. I'll probably add some things that have already been added but I can't be bothered to read the middle pages :P

First thing that ticks me off: RUNESCAPE! You mention that word and suddenly you get tonnes of dumb 14 year olds asking how where they "can download a b0t to upd8 their r0x0r c00king skillz!". Infact I think First - no one here cares. Secondly, it's a game, do what most people and level up whatever skill by using it a lot. But not, they point this pointless question completely off topic. They then come back and ***** when they lsiten to some random person who said "post your username/password here" and then wonder how they got hacked.

Come to think of it, the ones that really annoy me are the ones who say they have been hacked but never used a bot. All they did was give their details to their mate. NEWSFLASH: Your "mate" has probably logged into your account and taken your stuff..

Next, onto the punctuation. Now I know my grammar isn't great and I possibly, just possibly, use a comma once to many. But I don't think it annoys anyone. But when somebody feels that they need,,,,,,to,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,seperate,,,every,,,f rigging,,,,,word,,,with,,,,commas,,,,instead,,,, of,,,,spaces,,,,,, - THAT ANNOYS ME!


Ben, you've got us all started now.


Onto the homework peeps. I don't mind if somebody posts their homework. I won't answer it of course but I will normally be kind and point out that I can't help them but they could start off by reading/doing XYZ. Most of the time you get a polite thank you and that's that. Of course you get the occasional idiot who flames you for this.


My final rant - people who email/PM you their response. I don't get a chance to view this board every day so if you email me saying "I'm still having trouble" chances are I will have forgotten about it the next day and your question will become unanswered. If you had just posted the response on the forum somebody else could have taken over the reins and you'd be surfing happily by now.


And now it's almost time for me to go home so I'll end my rant by saying smoething inspiring..... Monkeys are cool.

You want a Banana?? Lol

Hi LT,

I share most of your rants. I especially agree with people who ask a follow-up outside the thread (starting a new thread or via PM) and expect you to remember the question. Like they are the only person who asked for help.

So many people don't stop to consider there are other viewpoints and ways of doing things besides their own. They just expect people to see things the way that see them. And before someone thinks this is hypocritical of me, I'm not talking about things that are black and white, but where there is room for differences.

But my biggest rant is people who don't reason. One of the main things that sets us apart from animals is out ability to reason things out from facts and logic. Many of the questions that are asked here could be answered by a few minutes of logical reasoning. Many of the arguments people make here are disproved when logic is applied. Yet so many people refuse to perform this so essential of humankind's abilities.

Scott<>

Agree with you 100%

The people that really piss me off are those that seem to post the same question like 2 - 3 times in different place's on the board, get a life and post once in the correct thread!! Not all over the forum. The one that gets a block straight away is when people put "REPLY NOW ASAP" :mad: I just don't even bother looking at them because most of them are just some dum *** that thinks I'm going to do there home work for them.

I also really get pissed off with the people that post weird b/s all over different threads as like here https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/showthread.php?t=18142 get a life please, the truth don't cost you anything. Would say that I agree with most of the posts on this thread 110%

Another one that's dumb as hell.
We have a nice new "Questions About Use of This Site" boards and yet some dumb schmuk posts a building question there.

These are the sort of people that need warnings on packets of peanuts that say "Warning could contain Nuts"!!
This is the sort of person for whom RTFM was invented

Lmfao they piss me off toooo big time

Nice to see the new added info bars below the thread title,and at the bottom of the thread.If anyone doesn't understand that,I give up! :D

Nez, I agree dear, admin did a good job here. Also, the sponsored links are better placed and not in the way of the other clickable features - this should work.

OK, I've got one that really makes me laugh in the computer section. A question like this:



Hi, I think I may have had a virus. I recieved an email telling me that when I opened this attachment, I would be sent $100 in the post. Now my computer is doing some really wierd things.


It's true we don't get this that often but it does happened occasionally. Personally (and I think I'm in a mean mood this morning), if you're stupid enough to think that some random person is going to send you $100 for opening an attachment well then you deserve to get the virus. When will people learn - do not open attachments from unknown address.

And now some stupid jokes. The WordPerfect one always makes me laugh: http://www.humournet.co.uk/Jokes/techsupport.htm

Lee,that's a classic about attachments.Will people ever learn.The thing that makes me (laugh),is those questions that say "my girlfriend has run off with my best friend.Should I try and get her back? Or,I bought a new pair of shoes and they are the wrong colour.What should I do? Get a life... :D

LT,

I agree. People need to take some personal responsibility for their actions. If something looks too good to be true it probably is. With all the mainstream publicity given to virus and phishing threats it amazes me that anyone would be so careless. And frankyl I agree they deserve what happened to them.

Its not dissimilar to the people who post questions in the obviously wrong forums. What do they think all those subjects are for? Did it ever occur to them that there are some method to posting? I think it's a symptom of the Me generation. They want and think they deserve to have things handed to them.

Scott<>

Hey, there's a new one on the block! How about the people who ask either hypothetical questions and/or questions for their friends. When I suggested that burnout is possible and to get a life and have fun, I didn't get much clarity either. So 'the world is still turning', stangely for some, it's the other way around...

http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/4/4_12_2.gif (http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZN)

I even got brave enough to suggest that if they were writing a book, to ask us for input on the title..

Jokes? A Katie Horny posted this on another site, ''I've got to pee but there are no toilets, what should I do?'' There are 4 answers that look like serious ones to me. None of them were mine.

Jokes? A Katie Horny posted this on another site, ''I've got to pee but there are no toilets, what should I do?'' There are 4 answers that look like serious ones to me. None of them were mine.
http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/36/36_11_6.gif (http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZN) That's a jewel, please send us the link if you can still find it.

Great Site - I added it to my favorites.

What is it with the multiple posts *bashes head on desk*
Don't they understand what this https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/images/buttons/edit.gif nice little button does!!

Well from the icon, it looks like its cuts the document to shreds ;)

Well in some cases the posts should be cut to shreds :o

Also read those posts.So has admin... stay tuned.

I just pressed that button,and a voice said "please dont press that button again!!"

Honest :D

Bet it doesn't make decent tea either ;)

Well in some cases the posts should be cut to shreds :o

In some cases the posters should be cut to shreds. :D

Careful

I just pressed that button,and a voice said "please dont press that button again!!"

Honest :D
You and Curlyben are right about that - and I thought I was paranoid, thanks for your help.
http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/8/8_8_36.gif (http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZN)Starting early - good brain food!

Another thing that bothers me, or rather, worries me, is when people come on here with serious medical questions, either for themselves or their pets. My husband is a doctor, and he's read several posts on the site where he thinks people need to go to a doctor asap rather than coming here. I guess maybe people just need reassurance that their condition is serious enough for a doctor's visit, or maybe live in a country where they have to pay for the doctor and can't afford it, but... it kind of scares me. Like what if a person comes on and reports a certain symptom, and a member tells them it's nothing to worry about, when in reality it's a serious condition in need of medical care? Even if an expert is a doctor, like my husband, his ability to help here is limited. He can't make a diagnosis online, and he also can't advise past certain general points. For a definitive diagnosis, people need to have medical tests.

And when it comes to pets, I've noticed people writing things like, "my dog hasn't eaten for 4 days", "my cat won't drink water", "my animal is bleeding". Those are serious symptoms IMO. The animals should be taken to the vet right away!

Good point. I am afraid too many times people do come here for a diagnosis and cure. Some may just lack experience and not be sure what is worth getting help for. Often somebody with a good background can say yes, no, and wait until Monday. What I hate to see is somebody saying my dog had etc. and the vet treated it with... The dog may or may not have the same thing. I seldom see anybody that knows dogs very well recommending a treatment. Others, well...

Another thing that bothers me, or rather, worries me, is when people come on here with serious medical questions, either for themselves or their pets.

That is definitely a concern of sites like this. Its more worrisome with medical issues, but concerns all the forums.

Someone could give advice about beauty tips but to someone with an allergy that could cause serious damage, even death! Someone could give legal advice that could cause a person to wind up in jail. Someone could give financial advice, that could cause the loss of a great deal of money. Someone could give advice about a computer that could result in the loss of important data.

I believe that this site, like others of its type, has a disclaimer somewhere that essentially is caveat emptor. ANYONE who makes important, especially life or death decisions based solely on advice they get on a site like this is being foolish In my opinion.

But that still doesn't excuse someone given advice unless they are sure of themselves. Unfortunately there are people out there doing so. They care more about their own egos then the quality of advice they give. This is why I have been adamant about advocating that all questions be kept public. And why I like the comments/rating system we have here. Keeping questions public allow for peer review. It gives others a chance to correct mistaken advice. Which is one of the uses of the comments/ratings feature.

But In my opinion, any serious questions about health should at least include advice to see a doctor. In some cases it should be the ONLY advice given. I feel similarly about some legal and financial issues. I think some people have been, at best, irresponsible in the advice they have given.

As others may have noticed, I have been a champion of the quality of the advice given. I think anyone who decides to give advice on a site like this takes on a responsibility and I for one, take that responsibility very seriously. I'm not sure about others. I've encountered people who do it for their own self aggrandizement or just for fun. And while it can be enjoyable, the responsibility should come before the pleasure.

Getting down off my soapbox now
Scott<>

Good point to raise

Good points. The asker often is not the best judge of an answer.

Another thing that bothers me, or rather, worries me, is when people come on here with serious medical questions, either for themselves or their pets. My husband is a doctor, and he's read several posts on the site where he thinks people need to go to a doctor asap rather than coming here. I guess maybe people just need reassurance that their condition is serious enough for a doctor's visit, or maybe live in a country where they have to pay for the doctor and can't afford it, but... it kind of scares me. Like what if a person comes on and reports a certain symptom, and a member tells them it's nothing to worry about, when in reality it's a serious condition in need of medical care? Even if an expert is a doctor, like my husband, his ability to help here is limited. He can't make a diagnosis online, and he also can't advise past certain general points. For a definitive diagnosis, people need to have medical tests.

And when it comes to pets, I've noticed people writing things like, "my dog hasn't eaten for 4 days", "my cat won't drink water", "my animal is bleeding". Those are serious symptoms IMO. The animals should be taken to the vet right away! Welcome back,and hope your honeymoon was great - even with Alex's ailment.

Alex is right, some people may not be able to see a doctor due to financial reasons, but don't know how serious their problems could be. We can advise, give examples, (trying not to be too scary even though some really need one heck of a scare to finally do something), and emphasize that the golden rule is to see the doctor as soon as possible. There is no way anyone can make a diagnosis online - not for humans, and not for animals either. If my pet does not eat or drink for 4 days, then I evidently did something wrong by not taking it to the vet on the 2d day - instead of waiting.

Human patients should take their bodies more serious, but some do it when it's too late. If they don't ask online, they probably ask their neighbors. Plus, the "HELP!!!!!" typing does not do any good.
We can try and re-iterate that the body is important and needs taking care of, which is far better than not answering at all, though.

There are some countries that will accept patients without insurance, or the state has an insurance plan for all, then the excuse there is "it takes too long to get to see a doctor". So it's a "you're damned if you do, and damned if you don't" situation.

I'm very relieved that someone else voiced the fear I also have in this regard, but it's very evident that people will continue to use this 'shortcut' or we would not see so many medical sites on the internet.

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/showthread.php?p=85333#post85333

I thought I'd seen them all!

http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/36/36_1_25.gif (http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZN)

OMG run away it's the attack of the pointask idiots :(:(

Just be thankful that we don't have an anonymous question feature.

Oh my god,just had my breakfast.Cannot believe that post either.By the way,just thought I'd ask this here:If I staple my left foot to the floor,would I run around in circles,or do I call a doctor.Yours,confused? :D :D :D

If it's a Wednesday you run around in circles and call the doctor dirty names,The office is closed on Wednesday that's their golf day.:cool:

Another thing - this may seem obvious haha - but I hate when people answer a question by saying "sorry I don't know the answer". Actually I've noticed several times that the person who answers "I don't know" is the only one who answers, and then the question is ignored by other members, who I assume see that the question has been answered already and therefore don't bother to read the thread. This happened to me with a question I asked a while back, and I had to bump the thread in order to get someone to answer again!

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/showthread.php?p=85333#post85333

I thought I'd seen them all!

OMG Chery that's hilarious!! Although, I used to work as a peer counselor on a Sexually Transmitted Diseases helpline, and you would NOT believe all the insane questions I was asked. I won't repeat any here so no one will lose their breakfast or any other meal! ;)

Another thing - this may seem obvious haha - but I hate when people answer a question by saying "sorry I don't know the answer". Actually I've noticed several times that the person who answers "I don't know" is the only one who answers, and then the question is ignored by other members, who I assume see that the question has been answered already and therefore don't bother to read the thread. This happened to me with a question I asked a while back, and I had to bump the thread in order to get someone to answer again!

In most of the forums I am active in, I read most of the questions and answers. Spedball1 or tkrussel might slip one by me, but that is hardly their style. I hate those answers too, am forced into them in some of the forums where we lack good people. As we add good people, I can let more of those go.

Another thing - this may seem obvious haha - but I hate when people answer a question by saying "sorry I don't know the answer". Actually I've noticed several times that the person who answers "I don't know" is the only one who answers, and then the question is ignored by other members, who I assume see that the question has been answered already and therefore don't bother to read the thread. This happened to me with a question I asked a while back, and I had to bump the thread in order to get someone to answer again!

Some people think it more important to acknowledge the question then answer it. Why is beyond me. If I'm not comfortable with answering, but I think I can help, I'll usually wait at least 24 hours to see if someone with a better answer comes along. Again I come back to the fact that its quality of help and truly helping that is important here, not getting your post counts up or communicating with people.

I try to be very selective about answering questions I don't have a good answer to. Note the absence of them in plumbing, electrical, and more recently appliance repair. In Heating and cooling, I am still struggling. I know how to wire up conventional thermostats. The people needing help with others, I figure I may as well tell them they are going to have to dig the info out of the vendors' resources. In some cases I answer figuring I may as well, as leave it for somebody knowing less than I do. A lot of what I know, I have figured out myself, and sometimes I can help somebody else figure out their problem.

If it is an area I feel I am one of the better people, I will answer even if there are other answers. I even answered yesterday where some body dug up one of my old answers and plagiarized it.

If it is an area I feel I am one of the better people, I will go ahead and answer even if there are other answers. I even answered yesterday where some body dug up one of my old answers and plagiarized it.

You know, if someone is actually digging up answers of yours and plagarizing them, that is just plain sad. That person must have no life whatsoever... what a pathetic way to get approval and attention.

That's very true

Its happened to me as well. While some answers are going to be very similar, I've had an answer reproduced word for word. I've also seen some people produce answers that they clearly copy and pasted from some website, yet no credit was given to that site.

Scott<>

Bleah. That annoys me. :mad:

I think a lot of people who do that think we are all a bunch of nimrods. Especially if one of us sees one of our posts reproduced word for word under someone else. What do these people think that we won't notice? Yep, that would get me ticked.

I thought this forum at least would be spared this type of crime - and that's what it is. I know of other forums where this has happened and was able to prove it. Those that continue to do so should be first reprimanded and then reported and thrown out. PERIOD.

A copyright is a copyright, no matter who wrote it, and should at least be 'quoted' and credit given accordingly.

Labman is certainly justified in calling such individuals TROLLS - or worse!

http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/36/36_1_30.gif (http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZN) !

I thought this forum at least would be spared this type of crime - and that's what it is. I know of other forums where this has happened and was able to prove it. Those that continue to do so should be first reprimanded and then reported and thrown out. PERIOD.

a copyright is a copyright, no matter who wrote it, and should at least be 'quoted' and credit given accordingly.

Labman is certainly justified in calling such individuals TROLLS - or worse!

http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/36/36_1_30.gif (http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZN) !

Problem is some people just don't see it as a crime. One of the more active members here has posted on more than one occasion that there is nothing new and anything could be found already existing somewhere on the Web.

Look at how many people seem to think it fine to pirate music!

Your so right Scott.One of my favs is "my steal-it software is really slow at downloading".Or,"my P2P connection keeps giving me a virus.An ideas?"

Yes.Go into a music store.Pay your fee,and go home with new,boxed disc. :D

Too True!

There is at least one site where you can buy it online - but P2P is wrong.

Your so right Scott.One of my favs is "my steal-it software is really slow at downloading".Or,"my P2P connection keeps giving me a virus.An ideas?"

Yes.Go into a music store.Pay your fee,and go home with new,boxed disc. :D

Its kind of ironic but this site started with similar copying. The opening screen is a copy of AskMe.Com's opening screen. And the name was obviously intended to capitalize on the popularity of AskMe.com.

Scott<>

Look at how many people seem to think it fine to pirate music!

That is so true. Many people do pirate music.

But I think there is a fundamental difference between copy and pasting someone’s work and downloading music.


If I was to copy and paste Scott’s quotes, that is copyright infringement. I am taking CREDIT for his work.

Pirating music. I am not taking credit for this music. I am not saying that I wrote/sang this song.

That is so true. Many people do pirate music.

But I think there is a fundamental difference between copy and pasting someone’s work and downloading music.


If I was to copy and paste Scott’s quotes, that is copyright infringement. I am taking CREDIT for his work.

Pirating music. I am not taking credit for this music. I am not saying that I wrote/sang this song.

While I can see the distinction, the fact is both are still stealing. In the case of plagiarism you are stealing to increase your reputation or get out of doing the work on your own. In the case of piracy, you are stealing to save yourself from paying.

My friend owns the DVD sets of Seinfeld.

I borrowed it from him and watched the dvd's on my dvd player.

I then returned the dvd's to him.

Did I steal?

If you watched them on his player in his home you would be OK. If he bought them to your home and watched with you, no problem. For you to borrow them to watch is probably within legality, but there is an ethical component here. Would you have bought them if a friend didn't have them? If so, then you would be depriving the copyright owners of revenue. While that's not stealing, I don't consider it entirely ethical.

But it is certainly clear that making a copy without purchasing the rights IS stealing.

If you watched them on his player in his home you would be OK. If he bought them to your home and watched with you, no problem. For you to borrow them to watch is probably within legality, but there is an ethical component here. Would you have bought them if a friend didn't have them? If so, then you would be depriving the copyright owners of revenue. While that's not stealing, I don't consider it entirely ethical.

But it is certainly clear that making a copy without purchasing the rights IS stealing.

Referring to your third example, of me taking his DVD’s to my place to watch.

Would have I bought them? Maybe. Or I might have just rented it.

But that’s the same thing as downloading it. I am just borrowing a copy of a movie or some music from someone who LEGALLY owns it.

And before the age of the internet, copying still occurred. I remember when I was little, my parents would make copies of VCR tapes that their friends had bought for their kids.

Yes, there is an ethical issue as you say, but ethics is defined by society and the individual. More and more today, people are moving towards saying that copying is okay and ethical. Well, more the younger generation is saying that.


Personally, I don’t see anything wrong with it. That’s not to say I don’t see your point, I just mean I don’t agree with it.

I look at it as borrowing from a friend. I’ve downloaded movies from the net before. Movies that I might have rented otherwise. After I watch the movie, I delete it. I don’t have a burning desire to keep movies around (too many of the movies in my opinion are really bad).

While I agree that there is a loosening of ethics, especially worldwide, I don't areee that's it right. I think the ethics here is clear. If you want something that has a price on it you pay the price or you go without. To use that something without permission of the copyright holder (not the license holder), is not ethical and can be considered theft.

However you want to rationalize (and the lots of people do it argument is rationalization). It doesn't the facts. Its also a slippery slope. If you rationalize this behavior, then what next? What other unethical or illegal actions come next.

In my view, I think it should be nipped in the bud.

Okay I'm kind of changing the subject a bit again, and going back to the earlier discussion of someone writing the same answer as others. Here's an excellent example I just saw today:

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/showthread.php?t=20175

I know it's not a huge deal, but like why do people do this?? I don't get it. She mustn't have read the other answers.

They probably haven't read any of the other post orange I usually skip past these folks and go duh! But it can be extremely irritating.You get all kinds sometime,wanting in on the action!

Yeah I saw that as well. First, it was an older message (10 days old), second, there was a clear cut answer that had already been posted. The only reason I added a post after Need's was that I think the true name of the # is very interesting.

The only thing I can say is that this was the person's first post so I suspect she was so happy to find a question she could answer she didn't think much about it.

Thanks guys! Yeah it's not a big deal at all, and you're probably right, they're just not reading the other responses. It does look rather silly, come to think of it! :p

Thanks guys! Yeah it's not a big deal at all, and you're probably right, they're just not reading the other responses. It does look rather silly, come to think of it! :p

If this becomes a pattern for the person it might be necessary to politely say something. But a first time shot isn't worth bothering about.

Actually I have seen a couple of people who do this as a matter of course... have several "copying" posts... there's another person doing it right now who has about 10 such posts. But they always seemed to be newbies and they don't seem to stick around very long.

HI,
Much discussion has been put into answers; i.e. when to answer, what to answer, read all the pages and pages of answers previously given, and this thread is a good example of it!
May become the longest thread of all.
Many of us see this as a Forum, where we can express ourselves, answer questions. Some give the same answers as already given, others add a little, others change the thread, and on and on.
It's all within Forum Rules. It is allowed to give a simple "6 word or so" answer, same as a previous answer.
I guess it all gives us something to do, whenever we see someone has added something else to it! Have a great week, and keep up the good work everyone.

Borrowing a movie from a friend happens all the time, all over the world. Nothing wrong with it!

Good points as usual, Fred. I think it's good if people have something to add to a thread, I do that myself a lot, but I don't understand the single sentence (or even less than a sentence!) answers. This seems to happen a lot in the movies section, for example. Someone will ask for the title of a movie, a couple of people will respond with the correct title and a bit of discussion, and then the thread basically dies. A couple of weeks later it is revived when someone else responds with the correct title again. They don't add to the discussion at all, or offer any new information. It just seems weird to me. Personally I'd feel embarrassed to do that. :p But I understand what you're saying, people do think of this as a discussion forum, so perhaps they just think they are enhancing the discussion by giving the answer all over again.

Ya got to enjoy the back and forth sometimes as in this thread almost like talking on the phone.

HI,
Much discussion has been put into answers; ie, when to answer, what to answer, read all the pages and pages of answers previously given, and this thread is a good example of it!
May become the longest thread of all.
Many of us see this as a Forum, where we can express ourselves, answer questions. Some give the same answers as already given, others add a little, others change the thread, and on and on.
It's all within Forum Rules. It is allowed to give a simple "6 word or so" answer, same as a previous answer.
I guess it all gives us something to do, whenever we see someone has added something else to it! Have a great week, and keep up the good work everyone.

The consensus I see from these discussions goes as follows:

1) If a question is technical in nature, once it has been answered adequately others should not repeat the answer. Instead they should add a comment supporting the answer.

2) In the above case, one should add answer only if it adds substantively to the previous answer(s).

3) In a non technical question, additional comments supporting previous answers are more welcome. Since such questions are more a item of opinion, multiplicity of opinion is welcome.

These are fairly simple guidelines. Clearly there may be differences of opinion as to what is a substantive addition and what isn't.

But these are the guidelines I use in deciding whether to add an answer to an existing thread. I've been using such guidelines for a long time. They seem logical and reasonable to me. I would suggest that these guidelines be incorporated into the guidelines for this site.

Not incorporating such guidelines will give license to those who are intent on building their point totals by answering any question they think they can. Quantity becomes more important than quality and I don't think that's the principle we want here. I would suspect that such guidelines would be opposed by those who want to post whenever and wherever they can. But, from my view, they represent a small minority.

Scott<>

They don't add to the discussion at all, or offer any new information. It just seems weird to me. Personally I'd feel embarrassed to do that. :p But I understand what you're saying, people do think of this as a discussion forum,

Orange,

Here's another example for consideration:

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/showthread.php?t=21201

It seems weird to me to and, like you, I would be embarrassed to do it. From my experience, most people quickly pick up on people who do a lot of that. They see the pattern and start to wonder about the person who does it.

As for this being a discussion forum, that's only partially true. First and foremost is a Q&A forum. People ask questions and get answers. Once they get the right answer that should be the end of it. However, not every question has a right or wrong answers and some questions are a matter of discussion. So such questions need to be considered in any guidelines on the issue. I believe I have done so in the guidelines I listed.

Scott<>

Scott you know I love debating you for some reason so here we go,First I really don't see how you can control someone's actions or agenda. Second the most attractive thing about this forum is the absence of restrictive rules and I'm sure others benefit from the freestyle manner you can answer posts to your heart content.As we know from this thread there are things that tic us all off sometimes but we are smart enough to either forgive a transgression or comment on it.This has seemed to work to some extent and most other problems have seemed to work themselves out I've tried to use other forums and call me spoiled but they don't do it for me as I think they are too structured for my taste's. I hate rules, the less the better for me.I think the members here can see and deal with the little things that pop-up. As for redundant or incorrect answer the way to handle it is simply to disagree. We all have that power and since your concern is the quality of answer a few red boxes should take care of those that are going for their own agenda and those who want to help.:cool:

Scott, I would hate to see a rule like that in many forums. It would work fine in the computer area where there are several people that usually agree. Frankly, I don't know enough about computers to tell if they are right. At least in computers you shouldn't have people perpetuating the best of the 50's tech.

In a forum where one person consistently shows much more knowledge, those familiar with the forum are going to want to see an answer or comment from the one they know they can trust.

This site has a huge problem with people answering for the sake of answering because apparently they have no other life. I am not here to occupy my day. I am here to help people by sharing my extensive training and experience. It hasn't been as much fun lately. It has become very time consuming and stressful. The administration is well aware many are tired of it. Many disabling their reputation didn't bring any changes. I am sick of it and doubt I will hang on another week if I don't see some changes.

Scott you know I love debating you for some reason so here we go,First I really don't see how you can control someones actions or agenda. Second the most attractive thing about this forum is the absence of restrictive rules and I'm sure others benefit from the freestyle manner you can answer posts to your heart content.As we know from this thread there are things that tic us all off sometimes but we are smart enough to either forgive a transgression or comment on it.This has seemed to work to some extent and most other problems have seemed to work themselves out I've tried to use other forums and call me spoiled but they don't do it for me as I think they are too structured for my taste's. I hate rules, the less the better for me.I think the members here can see and deal with the little things that pop-up. As for redundant or incorrect answer the way to handle it is simply to disagree. we all have that power and since your concern is the quality of answer a few red boxes should take care of those that are going for their own agenda and those who want to help.:cool:

Controlling someone's agenda is clearly out of range, controlling (though I would prefer to use the word influencing) ones actions is a bit different.

I disagree with the absence of restrictive rules here. This is actually one of the more restrictive sites I have worked with. Notice, also that I listed the three points I did as GUIDELINES. I don't see them as nor should they be rules. But I do believe that listing them as guidelines may influence some of the people who feel, since there is no written prohibition to the contrary, that they can do whatever they want, no matter how much it annoys others. But more than that, I think its protecting them against themselves. I think many think like Chava and I do that echoing previous answers is embarrassing and does not reflect well on the poster. Peer pressure may work on some, but there appear to be others as shown in this thread) who are impervious to it.

But I'll also agree this is a fairly minor issue. The only one it harms are those who do the redundant posting by affecting their reputation. I'd still like to see my GUIDELINES codified, but there are other battles to be more diligiently fought.

Scott<>

I've recently found myself posting to a thread but when its submitted two other people have already posted that can get confusing has any one else had this problem?

Lab,

Remember I'm not posing a rule, but rather a guideline. But I think the situation you describe is still covered. Simply use the comments to add an I agree, nothing more to add comment. That will reassure the poster looking for input from a specific person.

Tal,

Yes I've encountered such situations. That's why I always double check post times. If a post is within a few minutes of mine (or vice versa), I will give the benefit of the doubt.

I mostly stick to forums where there aren't many good people. Some might say none. Still it does happen. I try to think to look at the posting times and cut the second one some slack if they are close. This would be a problem if there was a rigid rule. I also spend a long time on some of my answers.

Very Good Points

Askme was bad for stuff like that. From experience. Answerway.com is set up almost like askme and that stuff still happens.

There is no way this could be a rigid rule. I would never advocate that. But if it were made a guideline it might make some people think a bit about how others view this practice and the damage to their reputations if they continue it.

Scott<>

What do you mean by reputation? Isn't it enhanced in cases like this, https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/showthread.php?t=21214 Doesn't every approval mean a happy customer? Or do you mean the respect of the good people here and people coming for help? I am not here to kill time or make friends. I doubt the people abusing things here care what you and I think of them.

The consensus I see from these discussions goes as follows:
1) If a question is technical in nature, once it has been answered adequately others should not repeat the answer. Instead they should add a comment supporting the answer.

2) In the above case, one should add an additional answer only if it adds substantively to the previous answer(s).

3) In a non technical question, additional comments supporting previous answers are more welcome. Since such questions are more a item of opinion, multiplicity of opinion is welcome.

Scott<>

Scott those are very good points maybe get some kind of forum Etiquette there are lots of people here that already use these rules, but there are also those that don't and play the system.

Or do you mean the respect of the good people here and people coming for help?

Yep that's what I mean. Clearly some people are totally impervious to what others think of them. But some might take the hint.

I've recently found myself posting to a thread but when its submitted two other people have already posted that can get confusing has any one else had this problem?It happens several times when one is still writing a post and others answer at the same time but are shorter and more quick in submitting. I guess I just get long-winded a lot and have to accept it. Sometimes 'short and sweat' is OK, but I like to take time and pay attention to my responses to benefit others - hopefully.

What do you mean by reputation? Isn't it enhanced in cases like this, https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/showthread.php?t=21214 Doesn't every approval mean a happy customer? Or do you mean the respect of the good people here and people coming for help? I am not here to kill time or make friends. I doubt the people abusing things here care what you and I think of them.
After reading that thread again and again, I see where you're coming from. The person asking for help apparently did not know how to use the 'comment on this post' system - you are the first one who gave a detailed suggestion in that one - IMO.

But this should not stop you from giving your advice to help other's - some people will slowly catch on and they do appreciate your input.

There are many other posts that were commented with a 'thank you for responding' which does not, IMO, count as a rating, but it should not stop any of us from trying to help.