Is it me or do others notice a large number of new members who join the forum, want assistance or advice, but can't be bothered to complete the full information, Outfit, location. Which gives us a lot of information to base our advice on. Should we help if they want to remain anonymous?
Quote: Originally posted by rushallmanor on 07/1/2013
Is it me or do others notice a large number of new members who join the forum, want assistance or advice, but can't be bothered to complete the full information, Outfit, location. Which gives us a lot of information to base our advice on. Should we help if they want to remain anonymous?
yes I think so.
------------- the only silly question is the one you do not ask.
I hate it when somebody asks for help on something and gives you half the information on whats wrong eg "my caravan needs a heater " You then go off searching the web for a WATER heater then they come back saying "No its a BLOW air heater element or something..most annoying !!
It's the existing members own choice whether to help or not. I am sure most new members do not complete all info from ignorance or lack of confidence. I for one am very careful about divulging info about me until I know what's what and I always try to think the best of people I don't know until proven otherwise.
Tbh I've nothing against new members remaining anonymous with their location if that's their choice - let's face it, there are quite a lot of established members who just give their location as 'here and there' or 'in a field' for instance - but if asking for advice on specific things then it would help if they provided a bit more detail. The worst one for me is someone asking for site recommendations and not saying which area or how far they are prepared to travel.
To give any newbies the benefit of the doubt though, maybe they don't realise at first that they need to give specific details about certain things, so maybe the first person to reply to an ambiguous post could give a friendly reminder.
------------- Tigermouse
I have a very temperamental personality - 50% temper and 50% mental
Q.I bought a caravan which has damp what can I do?
A. Under the Sale of Goods Act the van should be fit for purpose and it sin't so make the dealer put it right
Q. I tried to have a word with the dealer but he has gone out of business
A. have you tried the manufacturer. You can make them pay under the warranty
Q. I bought the van 20 years ago can I still make the manufacturer pay?
We have this many a time. A question is posed and when you come back with questions to tease out the really important facts the story changes.Once the story changes the resolution of the problem changes.
Many a time posters just don't understand what facts are essential for people to give them the correct answers. That is why they post....they just don't know what is important to be able to work out the solution to their problems.
That's life...be patient
Phil
------------- If you're not on a fell your wasting your feet and for 2014 it's.......Feb Castleton Mar North Yors Moors; Apr Sutton on Sea; May Thirsk; Jun Clapham/Riverside (Lakes); July Wharfedale; August Crakehall; Sept Knaresborough; Oct Wirral Park/Clitheroe
Quote: Originally posted by rushallmanor on 07/1/2013
Is it me or do others notice a large number of new members who join the forum, want assistance or advice, but can't be bothered to complete the full information, Outfit, location. Which gives us a lot of information to base our advice on. Should we help if they want to remain anonymous?
It's not confined to just new members.
------------- XVI yes?
As well is two words!
How does a sage know everything about everything? or does he? or does he just think he does?
Remember, if you buy something you bought it, not brought it.
No one is under any obligation to answer any ones questions. While there are the occasional threads where information has to be coaxed out a bit at a time, this is normally because the poster knows they won't like the answer they get if they post all the facts.
Most of the time when questions don't give enough information it is because the poster doesn't know what information is needed. I do get amused when people sign up to the site and ask questions that google would have answered in under a second though.
The answers to the vast majority of questions asked on here could be found by a quick google. It is fair to say though that there is a knack to using search engines & it is the same on forums, that is to get the correct answer you need to ask the correct question. Those that find difficulty in using search engines will generally find it difficult to express themselves on forums & as pointed out they sometimes need some coaxing to reveal the relevant info that enables them to be helped.
Hi I am a bit of a newbie still, but my thinking is people dont research problems for them selves. When we were looking for a van we spent 8 months looking for the right one! And during that time I was on the tinternet looking into everything about them. Yes my partner things im sad but it paid off. Yes people should be specific when asking questions, but perhaps they dont know where to start and ask you cleaver guys!
Quote: Originally posted by Tentz on 08/1/2013
The answers to the vast majority of questions asked on here could be found by a quick google. It is fair to say though that there is a knack to using search engines & it is the same on forums, that is to get the correct answer you need to ask the correct question. Those that find difficulty in using search engines will generally find it difficult to express themselves on forums & as pointed out they sometimes need some coaxing to reveal the relevant info that enables them to be helped.
This is true. But there's google, and then there's real life experiences!!
If I've got a problem, I'll start with google, but I always prefer to ask someone. I might ask people in real life, or on more specialist forums like here.
I try to search the forums to see if someone has asked that question before, and often they have, and so I find my answer. But other times, I might miss it, and ask a question that's been asked a million times before!
And then there are times when I'm just dumb, and I just don't get it!
I have to say, like the electric hook up thread! OK, I do understand it, but for me it's such an important safety issue that I'll probably still ask again when I'm ready to buy, in the hope that someone in the know will approve what I'm going to buy, so I don't electrocute my family!!
So I guess what I'm saying is that there might be a lot of reasons for people asking potentially silly questions on forums! And those are mine.
People sometimes want to remain annoymous for various reasons but the one fact I can't understand is when someone hasn't completed their profile location then asks a question with.... 'I live in the X X X X location of the UK' whereas it would be much easier just to complete their personal profile which is then evidence that the personal doesn't actually mind revealing the town where they reside but by just filling in their location would help creating a positive shortcut. I can understand people not wanting to put personal photo's in their profile but if people need advice then they should be prepared to somewhat simplify things with their proposed question. But to add on here, what's the definition between a good and a bad teacher? Well a good teacher will cover the important aspects of any topic with their pupils thoroughly and if it is not executed in the proper manner, when it's time to ask "Are there any questions?" the amount of hands raised should be either none or very minimal because the job has been conducted effectively. It's no different in reverse when someone asks a question on here, so if a question is very brief with little information then basically the hands go up asking for more specific details before anyone can offer any accurate advice. I find this quite often in the 'Towing' section regarding advice on tow cars where the details are very often insufficient such as car model, engine size, manual or auto, petrol or diesel, year of model etc. so if the question is brief then more likely so is going to be the answer.
------------- If you're not on a fell your wasting your feet and for 2014 it's.......Feb Castleton Mar North Yors Moors; Apr Sutton on Sea; May Thirsk; Jun Clapham/Riverside (Lakes); July Wharfedale; August Crakehall; Sept Knaresborough; Oct Wirral Park/Clitheroe
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: New Members - give full info please
