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Forums > Social Discussion > Lack of Imagination
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playing the days away
7,263 posts
Location: The Middle lands, United Kingdom
playing the days away
7,263 posts
Location: The Middle lands, United Kingdom
Posted:
(sorry for the length of this post/rant)
ok, sometimes I can be a bit grumpy and certainly sarcastic but I've just been through the most boring techinical question threads in history. I try to be polite and helpful, mostly.
I remember and know what it's like to need help and be really grateful of it but sheeeesh, some of the things in there have really hit home how people just aren't using their imagination and brain power for their own advantage. And even when they do ask questions they provide such little information don't even think about what you might need to know to answer, (like global location perhaps!) so you have to ask them loads of other questions just to get to the root of what they're asking before giving the remarkebly simple reply.
I don't want to identify any particular threads, read them and you'll see without taking too much time.
I understand folk who are new to the boards won't automatically realize what social actions annoy/please folks who regularly attend, but asking the most basic questions instead of simply "thinking" of what is often a blatantly obvious answer (one that most non-spinners could easily think of) and answering it for themselves seems to be becoming even more prevelant of late. Have some folks actually not heard of imagination?! Or even google especially when the über useful google search bar is blatently at the top of the page to search HoP AND the WWW??
Maybe it's just me, maybe I'm a grumpy old b*stard, maybe I prefer to think about solving a problem instead of just lazily letting someone else do the thinking for me.
I ask questions just like everyone else, but it tends to be after some trial and error or at least after a thought process has taken place and hasn't realised the solution I'm looking for, or I think I've found one but would like to know if it can be improved?
Has anyone else noticed this, and I don't just mean in the boards here but life in general? Everyone wants an answer, the solution, the easy way out. Tips and hints are brilliant to get you on your way but it's a big old world out there, I wish some folks would get off their arses, put their perfectly able brains in gear and THINK about something, not just letting their computer monitors relay someone elses time trodden thoughts to elate their apathy and lethargy.
Is it just a product of todays society? Is it becuase I grew up with computers as something we couldn't afford and that were only used for design, science and gaming so i had to use my own brain during development into adulthood? Am I just over-reacting? Or perhaps its just the manifistation of my worry for future generations on this small globe we pretend to own.
[/rant]
(sorry for the length of this post/rant)
ok, sometimes I can be a bit grumpy and certainly sarcastic but I've just been through the most boring techinical question threads in history. I try to be polite and helpful, mostly.
I remember and know what it's like to need help and be really grateful of it but sheeeesh, some of the things in there have really hit home how people just aren't using their imagination and brain power for their own advantage. And even when they do ask questions they provide such little information don't even think about what you might need to know to answer, (like global location perhaps!) so you have to ask them loads of other questions just to get to the root of what they're asking before giving the remarkebly simple reply.
I don't want to identify any particular threads, read them and you'll see without taking too much time.
I understand folk who are new to the boards won't automatically realize what social actions annoy/please folks who regularly attend, but asking the most basic questions instead of simply "thinking" of what is often a blatantly obvious answer (one that most non-spinners could easily think of) and answering it for themselves seems to be becoming even more prevelant of late. Have some folks actually not heard of imagination?! Or even google especially when the über useful google search bar is blatently at the top of the page to search HoP AND the WWW??
Maybe it's just me, maybe I'm a grumpy old b*stard, maybe I prefer to think about solving a problem instead of just lazily letting someone else do the thinking for me.
I ask questions just like everyone else, but it tends to be after some trial and error or at least after a thought process has taken place and hasn't realised the solution I'm looking for, or I think I've found one but would like to know if it can be improved?
Has anyone else noticed this, and I don't just mean in the boards here but life in general? Everyone wants an answer, the solution, the easy way out. Tips and hints are brilliant to get you on your way but it's a big old world out there, I wish some folks would get off their arses, put their perfectly able brains in gear and THINK about something, not just letting their computer monitors relay someone elses time trodden thoughts to elate their apathy and lethargy.
Is it just a product of todays society? Is it becuase I grew up with computers as something we couldn't afford and that were only used for design, science and gaming so i had to use my own brain during development into adulthood? Am I just over-reacting? Or perhaps its just the manifistation of my worry for future generations on this small globe we pretend to own.
[/rant]
Let's relight this forum 
BRONZE Member
Geek-enviro-hippy priest
1,858 posts
Location: Diss, Norfolk, United Kingdom
Geek-enviro-hippy priest
1,858 posts
Location: Diss, Norfolk, United Kingdom
Posted:
You're not over reacting at all mate - I think it's the same in any sort of support/help. I know computer tech support has the same problems.
I'ts great that there are people like you to help out though - it makes this site so much better
Do you need any help using a phone btw?
You're not over reacting at all mate - I think it's the same in any sort of support/help. I know computer tech support has the same problems.
I'ts great that there are people like you to help out though - it makes this site so much better
Do you need any help using a phone btw?
There's too many home fires burning and not enough trees
GOLD Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
3,252 posts
Location: sheffield, United Kingdom
Carpal \'Tunnel
3,252 posts
Location: sheffield, United Kingdom
Posted:
It is a little annoying, but not massively so.
The asking for advice that's going to be dependant on location, without saying where you are, is a common one that I've noticed a lot recently (examples being asking about insurance, or where to get fuel etc).
It's just something that people tend to post without thinking- I can relate to that, if you're on-line, in a rush, and looking at various places on the net, it's easy to go into a random discussion board and post a quick question.
That particualr one could be solved by the location being made compulsory to register (at least the country anyway).
Bear in mind that, for many, the problems made worse by the state of IT and web resources- ie, you just want to get on the net and get a simple answer to a simple question, but, even if you are proficient at searching (and many aren't), you have to wade through loads of irrelevant pages that claim to have the answer, but actually are just trying to sell rubbish, or that are unopenable PDFs etc.
If you register on some boards to ask a question, it can involve hefty registration forms that, if you make a mistake, come up blank and have to be filled in from scratch (annoying), password verification to your e-mail account, and sometimes double verification, etc, etc.
What I'm saying is that there's another side to this (and I've been there
)- when the web and supposedly 'user-friendly' IT, finally gets its act together and sheds the stupidity and inconstistencies, then maybe we'll see less of the same from newbie users too.
It is a little annoying, but not massively so.
The asking for advice that's going to be dependant on location, without saying where you are, is a common one that I've noticed a lot recently (examples being asking about insurance, or where to get fuel etc).
It's just something that people tend to post without thinking- I can relate to that, if you're on-line, in a rush, and looking at various places on the net, it's easy to go into a random discussion board and post a quick question.
That particualr one could be solved by the location being made compulsory to register (at least the country anyway).
Bear in mind that, for many, the problems made worse by the state of IT and web resources- ie, you just want to get on the net and get a simple answer to a simple question, but, even if you are proficient at searching (and many aren't), you have to wade through loads of irrelevant pages that claim to have the answer, but actually are just trying to sell rubbish, or that are unopenable PDFs etc.
If you register on some boards to ask a question, it can involve hefty registration forms that, if you make a mistake, come up blank and have to be filled in from scratch (annoying), password verification to your e-mail account, and sometimes double verification, etc, etc.
What I'm saying is that there's another side to this (and I've been there
)- when the web and supposedly 'user-friendly' IT, finally gets its act together and sheds the stupidity and inconstistencies, then maybe we'll see less of the same from newbie users too. "You can't outrun Death forever.
But you can make the Bastard work for it."
--MAJOR KORGO KORGAR,
"Last of The Lancers"
AFC 32
Educate your self in the Hazards of Fire Breathing STAY SAFE!
Ed: geek, staffer, past participle
122 posts
Location: London, UK
122 posts
Location: London, UK
Posted:
I'm going to sit on the fence here. The web's got pretty much all the information you could want if you know how to search correctly, just as this board has a lot of spinning info on it.
The problems are that (a) people might not be sufficiently well-versed in IT to do careful searches, or (b) the info may be difficult to track down. Certainly, in these forums, threads tend to naturally go off topic fairly readily so it can sometimes be hard tracking down exactly what you want.
But some people have also been a bit lazy (raises own hand in guilty confession) in the past. I don't think that has anything to do with IT skills - it's just a general problem. How many of us have had colleagues at work delegate crap tasks down the line because they couldn't be bothered themselves? Similar things occur when it comes to tracking down information. The counterpoint to that is that it can be more efficient to use someone else's expertise and learn from it rather than reinventing the wheel for yourself. I know I've found myself in situations where I could have saved hours of work if I popped down the hall and asked someone else for a bit of advice.
As for most things, there's a fine line between spending too much effort without resorting to help and spending too little before doing so.
I'm going to sit on the fence here. The web's got pretty much all the information you could want if you know how to search correctly, just as this board has a lot of spinning info on it.
The problems are that (a) people might not be sufficiently well-versed in IT to do careful searches, or (b) the info may be difficult to track down. Certainly, in these forums, threads tend to naturally go off topic fairly readily so it can sometimes be hard tracking down exactly what you want.
But some people have also been a bit lazy (raises own hand in guilty confession) in the past. I don't think that has anything to do with IT skills - it's just a general problem. How many of us have had colleagues at work delegate crap tasks down the line because they couldn't be bothered themselves? Similar things occur when it comes to tracking down information. The counterpoint to that is that it can be more efficient to use someone else's expertise and learn from it rather than reinventing the wheel for yourself. I know I've found myself in situations where I could have saved hours of work if I popped down the hall and asked someone else for a bit of advice.
As for most things, there's a fine line between spending too much effort without resorting to help and spending too little before doing so.
SILVER Member
Are we there yet?
1,897 posts
Location: australia
Are we there yet?
1,897 posts
Location: australia
Posted:
A couple of points:
we don't always know what we don't know
and secondly, sometimes its an issue of trust.
HoP is a trusted resource on the net, and it would make sense to ask here rather than do a search on google (where the information returned is not always verified as being authentic, reliable and accurate).
Fire is dangerous.
So combining a trusted resource with someone new to the fire arts, it makes sense to have a chat to someone in the know (how I see the discussion boards).
And finally, in information seeking studies it has been shown that people will ask someone near to them before consulting the library or formal information source (who are consulted almost last!) See ed209's response - that's a classic approach to finding information.
Written by: Dunc
And even when they do ask questions they provide such little information don't even think about what you might need to know to answer, (like global location perhaps!) so you have to ask them loads of other questions just to get to the root of what they're asking before giving the remarkebly simple reply.
[/rant]
A couple of points:
we don't always know what we don't know
and secondly, sometimes its an issue of trust.
HoP is a trusted resource on the net, and it would make sense to ask here rather than do a search on google (where the information returned is not always verified as being authentic, reliable and accurate).
Fire is dangerous.
So combining a trusted resource with someone new to the fire arts, it makes sense to have a chat to someone in the know (how I see the discussion boards).
And finally, in information seeking studies it has been shown that people will ask someone near to them before consulting the library or formal information source (who are consulted almost last!) See ed209's response - that's a classic approach to finding information.
BRONZE Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
5,814 posts
Location: Perth, Australia
Carpal \'Tunnel
5,814 posts
Location: Perth, Australia
Posted:
Dunc think it of training for being a parent. Are we there yet? Where is my blah?..
Hugs to you and stay patient
Dunc think it of training for being a parent. Are we there yet? Where is my blah?..
Hugs to you and stay patient
Is it the Truth?
Is it Fair to all concerned?
Will it build Goodwill and Better Friendships?
Will it be Beneficial to all concerned?
Im in a lonely battle with the world with a fish to match the chip on my shoulder. Gnu in Binnu in a cnu
SILVER Member
100 characters max...
2,996 posts
Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia
100 characters max...
2,996 posts
Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia
Posted:
I once had the weird experience of being asked how to use a lift. This from a woman who had just stepped out of one into the reception area of my office.
At the time, it seemed so strange. But I walked away and had a think about all the possible reasons why someone would not be able to use a lift:
- they could be from a country town, and have never been in a high rise before
- they could be from another country (same again)
- they may know how to use a lift but have a phobia of them, or have a phobia of touching the buttons
I am not saying that there are no stupid people in the world, just that you don't always know what is going on in the background. It is best to err on the side of caution when responding.
I once had the weird experience of being asked how to use a lift. This from a woman who had just stepped out of one into the reception area of my office.
At the time, it seemed so strange. But I walked away and had a think about all the possible reasons why someone would not be able to use a lift:
- they could be from a country town, and have never been in a high rise before
- they could be from another country (same again)
- they may know how to use a lift but have a phobia of them, or have a phobia of touching the buttons
I am not saying that there are no stupid people in the world, just that you don't always know what is going on in the background. It is best to err on the side of caution when responding.
It was a day for screaming at inanimate objects.
What this calls for is a special mix of psychology and extreme violence...
SILVER Member
addict
449 posts
Location: Australia
addict
449 posts
Location: Australia
Posted:
All forums are plagued by stupid questions. The fact is, for a really abstract question often its quicker to ask in a forum or chat room, than spend 10 minutes googling for the answer. People do it more because they're lazy, not because they're dumb (but quite often both).
All forums are plagued by stupid questions. The fact is, for a really abstract question often its quicker to ask in a forum or chat room, than spend 10 minutes googling for the answer. People do it more because they're lazy, not because they're dumb (but quite often both).
GOLD Member
playing the days away
7,263 posts
Location: The Middle lands, United Kingdom
playing the days away
7,263 posts
Location: The Middle lands, United Kingdom
Posted:
I am patient, well I try, I'm one of the few people here (few compared to the amount who surf here regularly) who will still take the time reply and try to help questions instead of ingnoring them, even if I may strike a pang of sarcasm, it's in my nature
Gnor....14 weeks left to go, my sig will keep everyone updated! 
Ade ~ I know we don't know what we don't know. That's kinda the point I'm making. Folks often don't think about mentioning they're from the US or Bolivia or wherever when asking fire regs for example. It highlights a lack of common sense in the general western populous. And Yes Ed's answer makes sense, so does your quote about asking before trying to find/think of the answer for yourself. And that's what I'm talking about. And it's not specific to the boards or spinning or Home of Pio, that's why I said quite plainly
And there's more to life's answers than can be found on GOOGLE!!
Exactly
I am patient, well I try, I'm one of the few people here (few compared to the amount who surf here regularly) who will still take the time reply and try to help questions instead of ingnoring them, even if I may strike a pang of sarcasm, it's in my nature
Gnor....14 weeks left to go, my sig will keep everyone updated!
Ade ~ I know we don't know what we don't know. That's kinda the point I'm making. Folks often don't think about mentioning they're from the US or Bolivia or wherever when asking fire regs for example. It highlights a lack of common sense in the general western populous. And Yes Ed's answer makes sense, so does your quote about asking before trying to find/think of the answer for yourself. And that's what I'm talking about. And it's not specific to the boards or spinning or Home of Pio, that's why I said quite plainly
Written by: me
I don't just mean in the boards here but life in general
And there's more to life's answers than can be found on GOOGLE!!
Written by: psyrush
People do it more because they're lazy, not because they're dumb
Exactly
Let's relight this forum
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