How does one get replies to questions?

[Jim H.]

OK, it's a good thing to get replies to questions but all too often, legit
questions in this and other forums go ignored by MVP's who know perfectly
well the answers. What's a person to do? Repost the same question over and
over in the same forum or go to a slightly different forum and repost? I get
burned when I see an MVP get on the back of some poor bedeviled soul who is
desperate for a solution, chastising them about posting to the right forum
while not lifting a finger to help with their problem. Is it hubris or just
plain lazyness?

 

[Ray Luca]

OK, it's a good thing to get replies to questions but all too often, legit
questions in this and other forums go ignored by MVP's who know perfectly
well the answers.

You - in all your wisdom - know that HOW??

What's a person to do? Repost the same question over and
over in the same forum or go to a slightly different forum and repost?

Sometimes nobody KNOWS the answer.

I get burned when I see an MVP get on the back of some poor bedeviled
soul who is desperate for a solution, chastising them about posting to the
right forum while not lifting a finger to help with their problem. Is it hubris
or just plain lazyness?

Get ready to "get burned" again. It's bound to happen.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

You - in all your wisdom - know that HOW??


Sometimes nobody KNOWS the answer.


Get ready to "get burned" again. It's bound to happen.

I'll speak just for my myself. I don't chastise people for posting in
the wrong forum, but I will often point out that post sing in the
*right* forum is much more likely to get them the information and help
they are looking for. None of us is an expert in everything, and the
*right* forum is the one where experts in that particular subject hang
out.

As a single example, ask a question about Microsoft Word here in this
Windows XP newsgroup, and it's highly unlikely that I can help with
it; I am not a Word user, and I know very little about it.

 

[Pegasus [MVP]]

OK, it's a good thing to get replies to questions but all too often, legit
questions in this and other forums go ignored by MVP's who know perfectly
well the answers. What's a person to do? Repost the same question over and
over in the same forum or go to a slightly different forum and repost? I
get
burned when I see an MVP get on the back of some poor bedeviled soul who
is
desperate for a solution, chastising them about posting to the right forum
while not lifting a finger to help with their problem. Is it hubris or
just
plain lazyness?

MVPs are volunteers, same as all other respondents in this newsgroup. They
may or may not spot a post that is within their area of expertise and they
may or may not have the time or inclination to answer it. Since they are
volunteers, your suggestion of "plain laziness" is inappropriate - they are
under no obligation whatsoever to answer your post. Quite often it is the
other way round: A large number of posters will happily absorb a lot of time
from respondents (MVP or otherwise) and are never heard of again after their
problem is solved. They appear to think that the phrase TIA (Thanks In
Advance) in the original post takes the place of a final "Thank you for your
help". IMHO it doesn't.

About posting in the wrong forum: I think you're exaggerating a little. I
have seen many posts sent to the wrong group and invariably MVPs politely
point out the error and suggest the most appropriate group. If you think I'm
wrong, let's have just one "chastising" MVP reply.

About your main point: Yes, post it again if you don't receive an answer
within a reasonable period. To avoid duplication of effort you should put
words into your introduction such as "I posted this item three days ago but
did not receive any / an insufficient number of replies.". It is best to
wait two or three working days - expecting a reply within less than a day
(as with your Desktop Replication query) is perhaps a little unreasonable.
If you need an answer urgently then there is always paid help from
Microsoft.

 

[Gerry]

Jim

Which of your questions in the last month went unanswered?

--


Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England
Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

No one here works for or represents Microsoft. This includes MVPs. We're
all volunteers and this is user-to-user support.

No one here, including MVPs, is required to answer any questions.

That being said, making an appropriate and informative post in an
appropriate newsgroup makes life easier for all concerned. See...

Making Good Newsgroup Posts
http://members.shaw.ca/dts-l/goodpost.htm

How to ask a question:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555375

How not to get help
http://www.unix-girl.com/blog/archives/000911.html
http://users.tpg.com.au/bzyhjr/liszt.html

 

[VanguardLH]

OK, it's a good thing to get replies to questions but all too often, legit
questions in this and other forums go ignored by MVP's who know perfectly
well the answers. What's a person to do? Repost the same question over and
over in the same forum or go to a slightly different forum and repost? I get
burned when I see an MVP get on the back of some poor bedeviled soul who is
desperate for a solution, chastising them about posting to the right forum
while not lifting a finger to help with their problem. Is it hubris or just
plain lazyness?

Um, just how much did you PAY to ask a question here?

Um, just what forces anyone VOLUNTEERING their time to answer your
particular question? When are you going to open a PayPal account so
anyone that offers you help can charge you for it? If you want that
type of scheme, go open an account at ExpertsExchange. Alas, you still
cannot force anyone to elect to help you.

Um, if you were to ask a question about some medical procedure or
disease, you don't think the car mechanic you queried might not suggest
you go ask in a more appropriate community of users that are actually
familiar with that topic?

So you're lazy, you obviously don't lift a finger to help, and you're
whining about your personal behavioral shortcomings? Your "me, too"
posts are NOT helping the OP but instead a sorry attempt to hijack
someone else's thread. You posting a new thread and then never
returning to that thread to notify the respondents that their help
worked or not was YOUR choice to abandon your thread. You ASK a lot of
questions. You don't appear to provide much help, if any. So you leech
from others without returning the favor by returning here to help
others. Yeah, some model of perfection are you.

No one here works for you. You don't get to demand anything from anyone
who is VOLUNTEERING their time here. Grow up. You are not as important
as you believe. Everyone here is just another user like yourself. It
is a peer community. It is NOT some free venue for Microsoft support.

You've never used Usenet before?

What is Usenet:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usenet
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newsgroups
http://www.masonicinfo.com/newsgroups.htm
http://www.mcfedries.com/Ramblings/usenet-primer.asp

How to post to newsgroups:
http://66.39.69.143/goodpost.htm
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555375
http://users.tpg.com.au/bzyhjr/liszt.html
http://www.mugsy.org/asa_faq/getting_along/usenet.shtml

 

[Jack Leach]

Looks like you got some answers

Even some MVP's roused their lazy arses for this one <g>

 

[Gerry]

Jack

Have you perhaps found a question recently asked by Jim H that went
unanswered?


--


Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England
Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

[Bruce Hagen]

In this group: "Desktop" Icon Replicating in Windows Explore". On May 15 @
1:19 PM Pacific Daylight Time. That's 8 or 9 hours later where you are.

 

[Jack Leach]

Have you perhaps found a question recently asked by Jim H that went

unanswered?

Umm.. no, actually, I don't tend to monitor these boards (in fact my first
visit was a few days ago), so I wouldn't know. I frequent the MSAccessVBA
board and had to come here for a quick issue (which turned out to be access
related anyway).

The amount of just plain stupidity and petty arguing (of which I'm now
guilty of) in the windows vista and xp boards are amazing. I think I'll run
back to my vba hole where the vast majority of those two characteristics have
been culled out...

I have no problem helping people but the flood of idiocy here ruins the
boards for those that look for useful information. I taught myself
application development through the use of the programming boards here by
reading through post after post, but having to weed through the immaturity in
here is a disgusting way to obtain information on generalities of vista and
xp.

 

[Gerry]

Right Bruce found it now. It an unusual problem. I only found one other
report on the problem. The problem no doubt lies in the Registry, which
only a few MVPs like Kelly Theriot and a few others might comment on.


--



Regards.

Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England
Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

[Gerry]

Jack

You're right in many of your comments but most threads do not
disintergate into to these mindless exchanges. Unfortunately the mention
of Registry Cleaners and some other topics prompt these outbursts. Also
we have one resident Troll "the Real Truth imposter" and a number of
others who are obsessed with an irrational loathing of anything related
to Microsoft.

I have now found out that Jim H asked an obscure point linked to Windows
Explorer, which I suspect few could answer. No doubt you get similar
difficult to answer questions in the Access newsgroups.

--


Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England
Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

[Twayne]

OK, it's a good thing to get replies to questions but all too often,
legit questions in this and other forums go ignored by MVP's who know
perfectly well the answers. What's a person to do? Repost the same
question over and over in the same forum or go to a slightly
different forum and repost? I get burned when I see an MVP get on the
back of some poor bedeviled soul who is desperate for a solution,
chastising them about posting to the right forum while not lifting a
finger to help with their problem. Is it hubris or just plain
lazyness?

Lack of responses to a query usually indicate that:

1. No one who knows the answer has yet read your query.
2. No one knows the answer.
3. You haven't asked a definable question or haven't provided any
information that would allow anyone to be able to answer. That's why
you see links to "how to post" articles sometimes.
4. You have somehow PO'd the group and they don't wish to respond to
you. e.g. you've multi-posted all over the 'net and people aren't
willing to try to follow you around to see what responses you have have
gotten. People remember you when you do that more than once or twice.

In that order, IMO.

MVPs may appear to be experts on everything but they aren't. They have
areas of specialty where they are strong and may be weak in other areas.
MVPs are not MS employees; they're just volunteering to answer questions
like everyone else is. There is a lot of hubris at work with some, but
it doesn't prevent answers; it rather leads to un-understandable answers
or non-answers or condescending replies but it doesn't take an MVP to be
that way.

It's very likely that not getting an answer is because no one knows the
answer you need. After a few days if you haven't gotten any responses
to your query, it's often a good idea, using the same thread you
started, to try restating the problem in a different way to see if you
just chose poor words to ask with. After a few days if no response
still, then it's worth checkign to see if there might be a more relevent
group to post your question to.
But, if you decide you'd like to ask in more than one group, be SURE
to cross-post; do NOT multi-post. Crossposting is a big benefit to YOU
and to people reading your messages too! See here to learn more about
that:
How to Post to more than one group:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossposting

HTH,

Twayne`

 

[Timothy Daniels]

The amount of just plain stupidity and petty arguing (of which I'm now
guilty of) in the windows vista and xp boards are amazing. I think I'll run
back to my vba hole where the vast majority of those two characteristics have
been culled out...

I have no problem helping people but the flood of idiocy here ruins the
boards for those that look for useful information....

Have you ever lurked at the Ubuntu newsgroup? It has become almost
a waste of time due to flame wars, trollings, and fanboy postings. I think
the growth of forums that need registration in order to post are a result of
the flame wars and trollings in the Usenet groups. It's sad that Usenet's
convenience is also its Achille's Heel.

*TimDaniels*

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

<bite me?

Looks like you got some answers

 

[Jack Leach]

<bite me?

My apologies, that was intended to be completely satirical, not offensive to
any MVPs.

--
Jack Leach

"I haven't failed, I've found ten thousand ways that don't work."
-Thomas Edison (1847-1931)