Zero response threads : When *not* to respond...

Good morning, all.

I am one of the few who believe that there are dumb questions alright. But this discussion is not about those.., or maybe I am about to present you a specimen of that category.

It has been my habit in most of the forums that I visit, to observe those threads which do not receive responses. And I know, that in LQ this practice is encouraged anyway. To me it just shows the gaps between my own and the average knowledge of the forum community and I jump on those few topics that I can contribute to... before someone else gets it (then add 1 to my score or something...).

Now. There are questions which intrigue me as very interesting or important. I may even be able to contribute. But. If there is a real “problem”, I often cannot provide a downright solution. Sometimes the description of a situation is lacking detail or the wording may mislead (other) readers. Having a non-english background or even non-american background I am even alerted when cultural influences superpose a purely technical description. Most of the time I shut up, for fear to add complication, like in this paragraph.., a good example maybe.

Finally.
The question is: A zero-response discussion which suddenly receives a first reaction-, does it lose appeal and will the chances to get a nice and clean conclusion be diminished? Are you hunting for zero-response questions, yourself? Then I might choose to leave them all to you and avoid the risk to give them three barrels and three misses, where you would hit with the first.

(post deleted because the OP wants "senior member" responses only)

I did not want to be this specific in my first post, above, but feel like it now: “senior member” on LQ might be one of the possible qualifications needed to respond to my question. Were this a mailing-list, I could have chosen to extract their email-addresses before writing. It is not - I did not. But what would be a way to be precise on this point and avoid bad vibrations from the others ... Once I know what I should be sorry about, I will beg your pardon. ;-)

that is not so simple. Sometimes there should be a first post/answer (probably meaningless) just to wake up that thread and to raise its "appeal". I know it is not a documented or expected "feature" but that's what I see here. And sometimes I know already the original poster (because we already discussed some issues) and I will decide based on that (to answer or not).

(deleted)

Okay, shall I have the discussion removed?

Sure is hard to help folks 2000 miles away with only limited information at hand.

I do try to avoid an unproductive answer on a zero thread unless it has sat there for a few days.

I prefer to think of this forum as a place where professionals gather. We expect that in any group someone may have a small clue or the correct answer. Even a small clue sometimes adds to the mix. Since we never really know the entire story it is hard to scold someone as they may have the better guess.

We are guessing really.

I never over think this stuff after wheel barrowing cement all day or any other time.

If a poerson sticks out their hand and asks for a lift. I'll extend mine. If they complain about my callouses. I'll withdraw and walk away.
If they take me for granted. I'll remember them. Pretty simple really.

No, forum life for me does not include no response threads. So feel safe doing your own thing. I am certainly doing mine.

Okay, shall I have the discussion removed?

What for? Oh I see. I don't take this online stuff as serious as some I guess.

Just to show. I know practically nothing about using crux linux. But

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...69#post5510769

one can take my posts or leave them. It don't bother me unless they get trite about it.

I do look at threads with no responses, and my reaction depends on several things. Sometimes (often) the question is something I know little or nothing about, and so I just move on to another thread. Sometimes the question is so badly posed as to leave me with no idea what the question really is, and then I often move on. Sometimes it's something I actually can answer, and then I answer, and may continue to monitor the thread. Sometime the question is so stupid I just ignore it, because that much stupidity might be contagious. I have no single answer for this, it all depends on the question and the alignment of the planets, asteroids, and how I'm feeling at the moment.

You should never ( in my opinion ) decide who you want to answer a question based on their title/rep points, I have been posting on this forum for a long time and so am considered a 'Senior member' that doesn't mean I know more or less than anyone else that may post, if the answer to your query is posted by a 'noob' then that is the answer to your question, if a 'Senior member' posts a wrong suggestion then that is not your answer, the only time I pay any attention to a members standing is when they post a question without enough or relevent info, if they are reasonably new to the forums I sugest what they might like to post tomhelp get a better answer, if on the other hand they have been posting for awhile and they are still being too lazy/stupid to phrase a question properly they get told in no uncertain terms..

Well, a zero response thread will automatically keep floating to the top (a feature of LQ and possibly phpBB), so I usually avoid unless I have a substantive answer OR the qn obviously requires the provision of more info before an answer can be given.
Once it's off the aero response status, it will gradually sink unless more people chime in.

HTH

What is important to me at this time, is that your responses (thank you for that) show either an attitude which has grown with the time or that the topic, as I have proposed it, has at least been given some thought, even before I started the discussion. It is true, that my own perception may have been a little misguided, but that can be expected after only a short time, that I am reading LQ.

Your contributions allow me then to “shortcut” a little the process of “getting into the mood”.

@rokytnji : Yes, I am taking this stuff a little more seriously for a while. Because I seriously consider abandoning all Internet-activity and to possibly get rid of all my computer equipment.

Because I seriously consider abandoning all Internet-activity and to possibly get rid of all my computer equipment.

Not me. I buy motorcycle parts off the internet. I use my small netbooks in my saddlebags on trips at free wifi spots at TX rest areas to get a idea on where I am going and how I am going to get the cheapest rates when I get there.

Hell. Motorcycles is what got me into using computers and then using gnu/linux. I use this shop computer as the shop stereo player while I am typing this out.

But to each their own.
Happy Trailz, Rok

Originally Posted by Michael Uplawski I jump on those few topics that I can contribute to... before someone else gets it (then add 1 to my score or something...).

I know you wrote a lot more in your original post; however this showed up as glaring, also because you emphasized it by colorization and italics. My recommendation is that you change your mindset here and UN-adopt this perspective. LQ is not, in my humble opinion, about reputation. Sure, reputation is there, I have mine active and I give out kudos to those I agree with or feel their points and answers are applicable. In fact will do that in this thread shortly after completing this post. Some feel the exact opposite. There are threads in this very forum discussing that at length. I feel if reputation and your placement in what you consider to be the hierarchy of response givers is more important to you, then my personal opinion is that potentially some of your answers would be "bad answers" because you're stretching to gain reputation versus being there to really help other users.

Here is the thread about reputation.

Also, here is a thread about how to deal with zero reply posts.

Both of those threads are in this forum.

Originally Posted by sgosnell I do look at threads with no responses, and my reaction depends on several things. Sometimes (often) the question is something I know little or nothing about, and so I just move on to another thread. Sometimes the question is so badly posed as to leave me with no idea what the question really is, and then I often move on. Sometimes it's something I actually can answer, and then I answer, and may continue to monitor the thread. Sometime the question is so stupid I just ignore it, because that much stupidity might be contagious. I have no single answer for this, it all depends on the question and the alignment of the planets, asteroids, and how I'm feeling at the moment.

@OP, pretty much all of this.

Originally Posted by Keith Hedger You should never ( in my opinion ) decide who you want to answer a question based on their title/rep points, I have been posting on this forum for a long time and so am considered a 'Senior member' that doesn't mean I know more or less than anyone else that may post, if the answer to your query is posted by a 'noob' then that is the answer to your question, if a 'Senior member' posts a wrong suggestion then that is not your answer, the only time I pay any attention to a members standing is when they post a question without enough or relevent info, if they are reasonably new to the forums I sugest what they might like to post tomhelp get a better answer, if on the other hand they have been posting for awhile and they are still being too lazy/stupid to phrase a question properly they get told in no uncertain terms..

Also agree here.

Originally Posted by Michael Uplawski Yes, I am taking this stuff a little more seriously for a while. Because I seriously consider abandoning all Internet-activity and to possibly get rid of all my computer equipment.

This is just a disabling point here. Why bother bantering about this topic at all? To me this is what now classifies as one of those "bad questions", because you sort of blew it all up.

Originally Posted by rokytnji If a poerson sticks out their hand and asks for a lift. I'll extend mine. If they complain about my callouses. I'll withdraw and walk away.

To go one further, and besides the fact that rokytnji needs a spell checker , I'm from the northeast where everyone tends to be a jerk all the time. I go out of my way to be nice to people, not like some 1970s Brady Bunch style, but just being pleasant and having conversation with people in general. For instance talking to some lady in front of me at the grocery store because she was buying a gift card for some store that I'd thought was long ago out of business. She joked that she "hoped" it wasn't, because it was part of a gift for her son and daughter-in-law for the arrival of their new baby. And then we laughed a bit about how baby products have grown immensely since the point where that woman and myself likely had our children, many, many years ago.

Yes, there are some people you can't be nice to, or also if you're nice to them, you pay a price because you'll be hard pressed to get away from them. But that's life.

So stop taking this so seriously and that whole part about tossing your computer equipment, well ... if you're talking about "getting off the grid" a'la avoiding Cyberdyne, then just shut it all down for a few days and maybe practice only being online when you need too, or really want too.

Getting all upset because I'm challenging you here, or due to something someone else said it just silly.

Originally Posted by Michael Uplawski Okay, shall I have the discussion removed?

This is not done on LQ. Good and bad, all is kept.

To re-address what appears to be your original question. Looking at zero reply threads is a regular part of my LQ Forum engagement. Also looking at particular forums and also looking at New Posts.

I enjoy Linux and if I can help someone with it, that's all I'm really here to do, but yes I will also participate in discussions such as this or things about non Linux related things like woodworking or sports.