Do you view uninformative thread subjects like "urgent", "please help", etc.

Relatively speaking, how often do you respond to uninoformative thread subjects like "urgent", "please help", "help me", etc.

almost always---I can't stop myself from trying to help.

I'll skip over them and maybe go back if there aren't many new postings.

Not a Linux question, so I have moved this to General. Though LQ S&F may also be viable.

And I nearly always read them - part of the job description

I do if I'm really bored.

Yes, I do.

It might be wrong strategically, but these people seem to need help. So, I look what's up in those threads.

Usually -- for the entertainment value of the responses they provoke.

I almost never try to help.

I try to resist "piling on".

I usually do and if someone else has replied to the thread (or I can answer it), then I tell them to use proper titles.

I always read them if they are in forums I help moderate and I usually change the thread title to something meaningful. If they are in threads I don't moderate then sometimes I don't read them due to time constraints.

Of course. They are usually from newcomers who may not understand how to properly summarize their issues and ask questions appropriately, or they really are in a crunch and need a fix fast.

What I don't like is yelling, cursing, flaming, rudeness, and other generally negative social behavior.

Originally Posted by SlowCoder Of course. They are usually from newcomers who may not understand how to properly summarize their issues and ask questions appropriately, or they really are in a crunch and need a fix fast. What I don't like is yelling, cursing, flaming, rudeness, and other generally negative social behavior.

I like this answer.

I think it usually makes sense to respond to the first cry for help. After that, it depends on whether the OP responds rationally to requests for more info. If it becomes obvious that OP is a flake, troll, or PEBKAC, then I stop responding.

I do so I can edit them in my forums to make them reflect the actual question or thread.

Pretty much never. If someone can't be bothered to put a brief description in the Subject, I'm not going to waste my time looking at it. There's only about 2% of topics that are of any interest. I'd be wasting my clicks 49 out of 50 times.

Originally Posted by Dox Systems - Brian Pretty much never. If someone can't be bothered to put a brief description in the Subject, I'm not going to waste my time looking at it. There's only about 2% of topics that are of any interest. I'd be wasting my clicks 49 out of 50 times.

With that in mind, members should feel free to actually view the thread so they can report it to have the title changed by a moderator. That is highly encouraged.

Originally Posted by trickykid With that in mind, members should feel free to actually view the thread so they can report it to have the title changed by a moderator. That is highly encouraged.

That's a good suggestion. To be honest it never occurred to me to report a thread for a title change. In the future I'll do that instead of being unduly snarky about the poor title (yes I admit that I have been guilty of that from time to time).