Anyone help with a layout issue?

[RuralWeb]

If you're a newbie, and short of experience and subsequent knowledge, there's not a great deal you can give back other than a simple 'thanks'

I would not call using the forum for 5 years being a newbie by any extent so your argument does not hold water in my books.

The regulars ie we who read every post every day can spot the genuine newbies and help them others who pillage the forum can expect less help.

Let me give you an example, which of course you will not know about because not all help is given on here. The other day a newbie asked for help which I gave but saw he was strugling so I got a copy of his site and spent several FREE hours fixing his problem and gave it him back.

Now that is help that goes on all the time on here but the vast majority of members never see it - all we see are the people wanting thier site built for free and are too lazy to RTFM and post without searching - the get a prompt from us to search and then throw a wobbler because we have not answered thier question.

Let me paint you a picture - if you were to piss off the seven top posters on this forum and they stopped posting then you would all sink - you would then have no option but to pay for help - think about that.

[NormanRouxel]

A quick BOEC (back of envelope calculation) shows that the top 10 volunteer posters represent about 0.1% of the members yet we post around 30% of the answers!

We certainly don't ask many questions - except to coax those URLs, network settings, server types, accurate error messages, etc, etc, etc out of those posters who expect clairvoyance.

[leehack]

I'm sure Philip would like to thank you for illustrating his point so eloquently Lee. I think your post epitomises exactly what he's getting at.

He seems fine at talking, so i'm sure he will speak for himself if needed. We're not on the village green Bradley.

If you're a newbie, and short of experience and subsequent knowledge, there's not a great deal you can give back other than a simple 'thanks'. We can't sweep the forum floor or make some cyber tea, but I'm sure we would if we could.

We have continually explained this to be boulder dash, it is an easy way out answer. There are many simple questions to be answered but if you are not too happy/confident doing that part, then site reviews are something that any man and his dog can do. After 30-40 posts on the forum, it's also clear that 'searching' is best practice on here. If you feel you have nothing to offer, then as a last resort, try doing a search for the poster and spend your time finding some helpful URLs they can use instead of crafting replies. In any community, there is always something you can do. It's the desire to help that is missing, not the knowledge or experience.

There's a certain mild 'acidity' continually hanging over this forum, of the type that I haven't experienced anywhere else. Even at the political forum I use, where passions can run very high, there is a basic understanding of the need for some level of mutual respect. Posters rarely resort to ad hominem style attacks as we do here.

It's not perfect i agree, it could be better as with most things in life. Just the same as we can choose not to come here, so can you. You don't get to choose when it's a free gift IMO. But if you think it should be improved, stop being a 'complainer' about it and become a 'doer', you never know you might make that difference. A new injection of help from some new people is a great idea, i look forward to seeing your efforts in this area.

[RuralWeb]

Here is another idea which I quite like - the top posters know the answer to nearely every problem posted here. All of them have paypal accounts - just suppose that before they posted an answer they calculated its worth an required a payment before posting. Remember this forum is not actinic support its people giving very valuable help for free and if you don't like what you read then there is a facility to ignore a members posts but you won't do that will you - I certainly do and it makes my life easier.

So at £50 a post please ask away and you will get my professional help

[Philip M]

This is posted to messrs Hack and Stubbs and is not intended for any other of the major contributors.
The bravado of a community forum! Do you really think that we all believe this ‘holier than thou’, ‘we are so charitable’, ‘aren’t we great’ bullshit? – one of the main factors for your administration of this site is cheap marketing for your own business. Just how much business do you pick up off the back of a couple of hours per day contributing to this site, its certainly cheaper than advertising.
The only reason I have been visiting this site is to help with my wife’s business, I’ve asked three questions since I joined in March 2007 and , the forum admin should be able to check, I have visited the site on about 6 occasions additionally, so your accusations of mass rape and pilage of the forum are not quite with substance.
I have in my own right been involved with the administering of other forums and know exactly how the game is played and readily admit to it; but I have to agree with Bradley, the level of acidity you two guys display makes me think (sorry IMO) you’ve been involved with this site too long. You behave like a pair of playground bullies whose handbags have been nicked.
If you don’t agree with this, which I wouldn’t think for a moment you will, why not continue your splendid work ( OBE’S are in the post) but remove your signatures and any reference to your business beforehand.
And with regards to Mr Stubbs and his £50 for professional help you can SIUYA. And if my boat now sinks as a result well . . .

[leehack]

If your opinion is correct, i'd have to be rather stupid to use this medium to advertise my company surely, noone would come near me would they?

I have never played a holier than thou existence on here, far from it, only the naive would ever think that. I say what I feel, I speak straight and i like to help people who want to learn and get stuck in themselves. I detest lazy people and i suffer idiots very badly, that is me, I can't see it changing - blame the parents as they say. You will see the above points shine through on almost every post I have ever written.

Now since I joined, i've probably had 5 people come out and say the same as you, but I must have had at least 300 thank yous. That's a statistic i can live with for the time being. I certainly don't aim to be loved by everybody, far from it. You either love or hate me, my life meanders along that 'all or nothing' road on almost everything I do. I can live with you being in the 'H' crew.

You ruffled some feathers, you got a reaction, you failed to answer any of the real points that would help improve the forum, so time to toddle off back into your hole with a smile. Good post anyway, at least you have a character and you made me smile. We could be best of mates in 12 months time - never say never as the saying goes.

[RuralWeb]

I could reply but I cannot be arsed TBH as Ive just had another request via the forum to build a site - so someone out there likes me

[Greenmind]

Yeah, and I helped someone once. I did, I did. The one time I actually knew the answer. I had a warm fuzzy feeling inside for the rest of the day.

[sean_jackson]

[QUOTE=Philip M] the level of acidity you two guys display makes me think (sorry IMO) you’ve been involved with this site too long. You behave like a pair of playground bullies whose handbags have been nicked.
QUOTE]

......that is funny though

IMO (and i'm relatively new still ) is it's all points between great help/advice - short thrift and the odd 'love-in' on here, and yeah a degree of clique'ness that can be affronting for newbs - but hey we were all one of them etc..

I am however and have been for sometime convinced that the best advice is to RTFM however

thanks to all that give me help and a nudge when I need it.