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

Am I missing the part of the op where it stats that only "senior members" should contribute? Did it get *edited*? As its not showing so...

I normaly rather post on zero thread posts than on threads that have like 10 posts allready. If there are a certain number of posts I assume the thread is alive and a solution is beeing "baked". Either by collecting the right informations or sharing thoughts on the approach to solve. But I also dive into them when the question graps my attention. Maybe the topic is something I'm interrested in or mostly when it comes to programming you might find some neat way to do stuff. I even sometimes read long threads where people just don't get it. Beeing it the op or the contributing members. Or maybe because some one in a thread gets harrased for minor or even no reason.

When it comes to new zero post threads that draw my attention but I have no knowledge about I just subscribe to them to see what the solution might be or how people start to tackle it. But latetly I also ignore or don't answer zero post threads where the question is either lacking essential information or is of the kind "definitely a homework question" or is so general that you could google it and read like hundreds of pages to just make an educated guess what the real intent is.

Also there are threads where I will definitely stay away from even when the bubble sort up for like a week. Mostly those that ask stuff that can be google within seconds. Also this depends on my mood. I sometimes like it to lay false trails to get those people off.

Originally Posted by chrism01 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

yeah, i have anxiety over being the first responder because if i am off-base, then the thread will fall off the 0-reply list and off into obscurity.

Originally Posted by zhjim Am I missing the part of the op where it stats that only "senior members" should contribute?

Either missed that myself, but also don't feel that's a very nice attitude to have. This isn't some "club" where only seniors and above matter. Everyone's opinion is welcome here. I feel badly that some earlier responses were chosen to be removed.

Originally Posted by schneidz yeah, i have anxiety over being the first responder because if i am off-base, then the thread will fall off the 0-reply list and off into obscurity.

I'll admit to have had that similar feeling. Get past it and respond. The thread will percolate higher up because you've answered it. I've done what others have cited and subscribed only out of interest, and noticed that threads have remained untouched for long times, so then I've chosen to add something. I've found in more than a few cases that this actually gets the discussion going.

Originally Posted by Michael Uplawski 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.

Personally, I think even a partial answer is helpful. Even if a somewhat wrong answer is posted, seeing the mistake and subsequent correction can be more enlightening than having just the correct answer.

Originally Posted by zhjim Am I missing the part of the op where it stats that only "senior members" should contribute? Did it get *edited*? As its not showing so...

Third post:

Originally Posted by Michael Uplawski 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.

Originally Posted by rtmistler 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.

Thank you for your post, I have read all of it and consider it all seriously. Just this correction: My reputation on this forum is of exactly no interest to me. Where I mention a score, it can be because I am lacking vocabulary to express differently or because I keep a (sort of) personal score... or not even that: I just like the way that my subscribed threads evolve until a point where the subscription makes no sense any more.

And I am not sure that you can estimate the effect of the forum ambiance on someone “new” to the forum, having to express in a language that is not her/his own and being already able to assist or get assistance from people whose background and life-style is light-years away from your own. Or if you ever have considered this or considered it an interesting thought.

Many years ago, I asked my only opponent on a BzFlag map where he lives. He found the question dumb: In the US of course. Of course. No. Not of course. Score. Not reputation.

It was the second post where the sm got up. I read the op like three or four time and could not find it. Sometimes doing a <CTRL>-<F> is really hard when you are reading. Shame on me.

Michael I think you have a sane and good way to go about this. LQ is not like serverfault or similar sides where things get rated to oblivion. Also I like they big idea behind it. Also reputation can be manyfolded. Like beeing nice as a point of reputation. Beeing extra exact with the wording. Or maybe beeing a total behind as a reputation.
In this context I read the word "language" not as english or french or what ever but more of technical terms. That right? If not I bet there is a native langugage forum people can get on. And if I'm right. Asking a good question with mostly the right terms shows to me that some one had a thought himself about the problem hes facing (to us). But asking questions is a process of learning as well as understanding the question.

Lets not forget we are here on a voluntery basis. If you don't want to you don't have to. I myself took holiday from LQ for a whole year once. But as good as we are as a community every thread gets the attention it deserves.