[ic] re: what is help response demonstrates the problem

[rick kershner]

This is exactly what I was referring to. Bully for you that you find most of your answers in the archives. So effing what?

I do not give a good g - d  how you feel about "most people", etc. If you feel this way don't answer the questions; why waste everyone else's time.

If these questions have been answered previously, the proper help thing to do is to give the questioner the URL to the answer as in:
"The answer can be found here http://www.icdev.org/11111/22222/33333.htm" Nebulously saying "it is in the archives" is helping no-one; hence the repeating of the same question.

The other help alternative is to go into the archive, cut and paste the answer into a response, and send it - off-list (privately) - to the questioner.  

If the question is about compiling the perl dist, give them a Perl URL to one of the Perl Help sites, or reread the question to see if it is unique to that version/configuration/etc. (why do you think people send that info?)

re: ******************************************************************
 "I spend an inordinate amount of time sorting through the list with
questions about "How to compile Perl?" or "How do I find the permissions
of a file?" or "Can I use IC on a host with only ftp access?" to find
the one answer buried in it.

I say to them all who do the above, "Go to 'Barnes and Nobles'
and buy a book on UNIX basics" or the quickest answer RTFM. 

I personally am tired of the (paraphrase) "I have no clue about
computers and especially UNIX/LINUX/Perl could you help me?".  "
************************************************************************

I could not have demonstrated what is NOT help better.You have an attitude problem: this is not a "help" attitude. A "help" attitude (customer service attitude, et. al. ) is typified by a basic respect for the customer - this demonstrates none.

A help attitude is demonstrated by actually providing some help to the customer regardless of how you feel about it; in fact always ask if there is anything else you can do to help. A help attitude does not assume that you know what the customer is thinking or trying to say; you have to give-and-take; communicate to develop that. A help attitude does not assume you know that individuals system and configuration.

As an example, I said that I had sent a question about authorize nets SIM process and had anyone tried it, etc. and all I got in response was people who had not READ the message and responded about AIM method. This was no help; had no chance to be help, was totally irrelevant and irresponsible. The bottom line was I got several response not one of which responded to my question. This was no lone example.

I understand you are tired of seeing the "I have no clue..." messages. Frankly, you can either help them have a clue or Grow up, get a clue yourself and shut up. the (OK I'll say it) CHILDISH response "it's in the archives" has no place in a HELP group. If ytou don't actually want to help the person why respond in the first place? Is this an EGO issue?

The point here is that help questions deserve helpful answers. If you don't want to give a helpful answer why are YOU posting at all? examine YOUR motives in posting. Moderators should moderate out all the childish non-answer answer posts as that will remove the motivation for them.

Folks; everyone on this planet has some knowledge that other people don't and most have some specialized knowledge that most other people don't. Unix / Linux is not the end all / be all / do all and there should be no reason to act as if it is. My experience with UNIX starts back in 1978; could you use UNIX as it was then? MY IQ is 187; does that mean I know more than you about the UNIX / Linux flavor-of-the-month?

Respect people asking questions, no one said that having DB Admin / sys admin experience was a requirement for using Interchange. Most people are using Interchange not because of a conscious choice but because their host provides it as it is free (or Agora, or OS Commerce, or....). There is no reason to be abusive, and the non-answer answers are basically abusive. the attitude that other people have no clue is abusive. the attitude that their questions do not belong here are abusive.

How can I say it Better; Please go away if you are more a nuisance than a help?
-- 
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