Ungrateful people in CP programming forums?

Lost User

Hey everybody! Recently I've been helping out quite a bit in the C# forums - sometimes I give short but precise answers, sometimes I take the time to explain in more detail, But I noticed over the last few months that more and more people simply don't reply at all after their question has been answered. I don't care if they just reply "thanks", "that helped" or "fuck you moron!", but at least it shows me they care about what I write. Is this anoyone of you also experienced or is it just me? Do I smell bad or is my english as comprehensible as latin for these people? Share your observations :)

Paul Conrad

Greeeg wrote:

sometimes I take the time to explain in more detail, But I noticed over the last few months that more and more people simply don't reply at all after their question has been answered

I've noticed that too. I generally put that as being either that was the answer to their question or they ended up figuring it out on their own. Yes, a response back would be nice :) I especially do not answer HOMEWORK questions. If I do, I give the kind tip of GOOGLE it or use the resource found between the ears and directly behind the eyes :) Just my thoughts. Paul

benjymous

You get the same problem everywhere, to be honest. People post questions first, without bothering to do any research themselves. All they care about is getting an answer as quickly as possible, they have no interest in giving anything back to the community. A while ago, somebody posted a link that describes it perfectly (sorry, can't remember who it was!) Help Vampires: A Spotter's Guide[^] -- Help me! I'm turning into a grapefruit! Buzzwords!

Nish Nishant

It's not just CP, it's the same in any programming forum. Over the last 5-6 years, at various times, I've been active in the MSDN newsgroups, the MSDN forums, the CP forums, Local UG forums in India etc. Very rarely do people get back to you, maybe less than 1 in 5 people actually reply back with a thank you. It's not a big deal really - the odd thanks post you get feels that much more sweeter then :-) Regards, Nish

Nish’s thoughts on MFC, C++/CLI and .NET (my blog)
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Lost User

I think you can expect to find the same people here as you do in everyday life. Some are polite and appreciative, some are rude and demanding. More importantly though, some are from different corners of the planet; your expectations may be quite different from theirs. Maybe let them know you expect a response. Cheers, Drew.

Joe Woodbury

I'm the opposite: I find it very annoying when people give a trivial response to a post I've made. Anyone who thinks he has a better idea of what's good for people than people do is a swine. - P.J. O'Rourke

Michael Dunn

I always figure no news is good news. If the answer doesn't work for them, they'll post again. In The Old Days, it was bad netiquette to post thank-yous on boards or Usenet (it was supposed to be done via email, to avoid cluttering the thread) so that could be a factor too, maybe some folks grew up with that rule. *shrug*

--Mike-- Visual C++ MVP :cool: LINKS~! Ericahist | NEW!! PimpFish | CP SearchBar v3.0 | C++ Forum FAQ

Jorgen Sigvardsson

I believe it's common courtesy to acknowledge help in some way, be it "it didn't work" or "thank you!".

Greeeg wrote:

Do I smell bad or is my english as comprehensible as latin for these people?

Until smell-o-vision is available as a plugin for Firefox, I am going to assume that it's your expectations on some people that is somewhat off. ;)

Eric Dahlvang

Me too. ---------- There go my people. I must find out where they are going so I can lead them. - Alexander Ledru-Rollin

David Crow

Greeeg wrote:

Is this anoyone of you also experienced or is it just me?

It's just you. I do not expect a reply to my answer if it is simply going to say "Thanks." That's just a waste IMO. If my answer was wrong or not helpful, then I would expect a reply (so that more help could be offered).

"Let us be thankful for the fools. But for them the rest of us could not succeed." - Mark Twain

"There is no death, only a change of worlds." - Native American Proverb

Lilith C

Joe Woodbury wrote:

I'm the opposite: I find it very annoying when people give a trivial response to a post I've made.

And that's the reason I often don't respond unless I feel it's necessary to assure the answering poster and the other members of the forum that further replies aren't necessary. I used to get slammed back in the days of BBSs for wasting magnetic real estate and bandwidth with "thank you"s. Of course, space isn't at the premium it used to be and neither is the bandwidth. Lilith

darkelv

Not as annoyed as after responding the question, days later, the same poster asking the same question again.

Marc Clifton

Greeeg wrote:

But I noticed over the last few months that more and more people simply don't reply at all after their question has been answered.

It's not what you get, it's what you give. :-D Marc Pensieve Functional Entanglement vs. Code Entanglement Static Classes Make For Rigid Architectures Some people believe what the bible says. Literally. At least [with Wikipedia] you have the chance to correct the wiki -- Jörgen Sigvardsson

Bob X

Personally, I usually say thanks in advance, because I am not neccessarily going to be online when someone else posts an answer. Although if I am online I will usually post a thanks. I have noticed an increasing number of users who don't care to be polite online. Some become polite and fit in the community once they are informed of how the site works, but others...

Gary Kirkham

really? Gary Kirkham Forever Forgiven and Alive in the Spirit He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. - Jim Elliot Me blog, You read

Gary Kirkham

True, but most often I find that I get what I give. [edit: I replied to Marc, but it has attached itself to Bob x] Gary Kirkham Forever Forgiven and Alive in the Spirit He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. - Jim Elliot Me blog, You read -- modified at 13:55 Monday 10th April, 2006

Luis Alonso Ramos

Oh I see. :-D

Luis Alonso Ramos Intelectix Chihuahua, Mexico

Not much here: My CP Blog!

Lost User

To me a "thanks" actually means something like "your code works and helps me, (thanks)", not like "great, you're my hero" ;) But I think I should see it like most of you: If no reply comes back I assume my help was okay, that's probably the more relaxing view at it :) regards

generic_user_id

I disagree. When people post thanks, other people know that the solution posted actually *works*. This is important. When people search the messageboard for an answer it really, really, helps if the answer provided has helped somebody before. It can be very frustrating to follow somebody's advice only to find out later it could not possibly solve your problem. By saying 'thank you' you're not only being polite - you also save other people's time by confirming the solution's effectiveness. If you came up with another solution to the problem then that's worth posting too.

Shog9 0

Greeeg wrote:

I don't care if they just reply "thanks", "that helped" or "f*** you moron!", but at least it shows me they care about what I write.

I'd rather not get replies unless they have further questions (for instance, because i did such a bad job of explaining things in my reply) or they have something interesting to relate. The voting buttons are there for a reason.

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