I just need to vent. And this seems to be as good a place as any.
<rant on>
I belong to a few different forums on various subjects, and a particular type of behavior seems to crop up regularly. I usually just have to close the thread when I see it. Otherwise, I am likely to draw myself into a lengthy back and forth with the person; something that isn't useful to either of us.
The behavior I'm talking about usually exhibits itself in one of 2 ways:
Example 1:
At the end of a multi-page (often 50 or more) thread, someone posts "I know the answer is probably here, but I don't want to read 50 pages of posts to find it. So <insert previously answered question here>?"
Example 2:
A person posts a brand-new thread, writing, "I know that the answer is likely in the forum somewhere, but I don't have time to search for it. So <insert question>?"
Really? If you can't be bothered to do some basic investigation on your own, then why should the rest of us do it for you? If you can't be bothered to read through some other potentially useful information in order to find the answer to your question, why should we be bothered to spoon feed you? Is your time somehow more valuable than mine just because you say so?
I know we all have (me included) posted a question on a topic that has been discussed before. It's inevitable on a board that has been around as long as HBT has. Sometimes I miss a post. Sometimes I just fail at search terms. But I never just post and say, "Hey, I'm lazy. Do work for me." With that kind of attitude, it surprises me that these people bother to brew their own at all. Just pop down to the corner store and buy yourself a six pack.
In most cases, if you see me post a question on these forums, you can be sure that I have tried searching for the answer several different ways. I'll even point it out if I have found information that might apply to what I am asking, but either doesn't quite fit my situation or is confusing to me. Heck. I'm the king of resurrecting old threads because I found them through my searches and still have questions about the topic.
But you'll never catch me saying, "Hey, just shove knowledge in my head and don't make me work for it." For me, these forums are about learning. Learning is a 2 part process. Those who possess information should share it. And those who need information should actively seek it.
</rant off>
<rant on>
I belong to a few different forums on various subjects, and a particular type of behavior seems to crop up regularly. I usually just have to close the thread when I see it. Otherwise, I am likely to draw myself into a lengthy back and forth with the person; something that isn't useful to either of us.
The behavior I'm talking about usually exhibits itself in one of 2 ways:
Example 1:
At the end of a multi-page (often 50 or more) thread, someone posts "I know the answer is probably here, but I don't want to read 50 pages of posts to find it. So <insert previously answered question here>?"
Example 2:
A person posts a brand-new thread, writing, "I know that the answer is likely in the forum somewhere, but I don't have time to search for it. So <insert question>?"
Really? If you can't be bothered to do some basic investigation on your own, then why should the rest of us do it for you? If you can't be bothered to read through some other potentially useful information in order to find the answer to your question, why should we be bothered to spoon feed you? Is your time somehow more valuable than mine just because you say so?
I know we all have (me included) posted a question on a topic that has been discussed before. It's inevitable on a board that has been around as long as HBT has. Sometimes I miss a post. Sometimes I just fail at search terms. But I never just post and say, "Hey, I'm lazy. Do work for me." With that kind of attitude, it surprises me that these people bother to brew their own at all. Just pop down to the corner store and buy yourself a six pack.
In most cases, if you see me post a question on these forums, you can be sure that I have tried searching for the answer several different ways. I'll even point it out if I have found information that might apply to what I am asking, but either doesn't quite fit my situation or is confusing to me. Heck. I'm the king of resurrecting old threads because I found them through my searches and still have questions about the topic.
But you'll never catch me saying, "Hey, just shove knowledge in my head and don't make me work for it." For me, these forums are about learning. Learning is a 2 part process. Those who possess information should share it. And those who need information should actively seek it.
</rant off>