The latter stages of senility has me wondering on posts on this forum, it seems most people do NOT respond to a post,simply view it and move on, for example the first number is views and second replies=2500/32, 3215/45, 696/33, 135/4 823/19, I suppose you could figure out a ratio if necessary, is there anyone out there that does NOT reply???ever? I would think a person joins a forum to correspond, but maybe not.
[:)]
I’ll reply.
For what its worth, or not: Usually I only reply to those threads I find most compelled to respond. I guess my ratio to viewing vs. replying would be 50/1 maybe (nevermind the threads on topics I may not find time to view at all).
[Edit] And there is another forum to which I belong that I haven’t posted yet. Don’t know why (not).
I know for me I read the forums at work on my brakes and I usually only have time to look at the interesting topics. I have a 3 month old at home how requires my attention and makes it so I sleep when I can so replying isnt always possible. I do love seeing whats going on in the hobby.
Yes…but if they did, then they’d break their streak. [swg]
Seriously, there are folks who may only peruse the topics but never respond to one, or…go months and years before ever making their first post.
Tom
I read a lot of threads as I’m constantly learning. I reply when:
The question hasn’t already been well answered.
I have something worth while to add.
No need to repeat what’s already been said
Bob
If the topic is interesting I’ll reply or if I think I can help the poster. Recently most of the posts here have been uninteresting to me or some of our “veteran” posters ask silly questions over and over again, hence the lack of a response.
If the question has been sufficiently answered I will move along to the next post…However,if I know very little about the subject or not sure of a informative answer I won’t reply…Then there are some types of questions I no longer reply to.
When I first “discovered” this and the Atlas forum, it was because on-line research on a subject dropped me there. After it happened a few times, I started being a regular visitor (not a contributor) because there were a lot of other subjects of interest. Then, after awhile, I started feeling guilty about sucking up the free advice and started providing answers to others–sort of a thank-you payback for the nice people who helped me out.
As others have said, I see no point in providing the same answer that someone else did. And if I don’t know anything useful, I also hold back. Also, some posts are more of a show-and-tell; where a response might be nice, but after a person gets a few pats on the back, I think the point has been made. I’ll note that if no one is applauding some nice work, I sure won’t hold back on my attaboys.
Ed
I read about 1/3 of the threads, and even then usually if it looks to be getting a lot of attention. On the other hand, sometimes a post goes hours without an answer. If it is a new poster, I will usually offer an encouraging comment, after which someone more knowledgeable usually speaks up.
I also look into threads that deal with areas that have been thorns in my side. For example, curved W/S turnouts, Walthers motorized kit of the 90’ turntable (NOT the ‘built-up’ indexed one, I mean the one you have to assemble as a kit), and so on. Sometimes I can answer questions about them.
As Tom says earlier, there are many members who prefer not to jump into the ring (sometimes wiser than the rest of us [:-,]), but who are content to read and move to other forums. I would guess the number of people who post more than one comment in any given week would number in the two or three score at most in the MR forum family.
I would bet that any other forum anywhere is largely the same; a very small core of regular posters on a daily/weekly basis, and then it would fall off heavily.
-Crandell
Regarding replys, I find it amusuing where the poster, who is requesting specific information, is receiving replies that do not address the question. An example being where the poster is having an electrical problem and has asked specific questions and receives a reply stating " I used to have that same model" , or" I have that model and it runs great". etc…
Some members find it necessary to add to the various postings, if the information is relative simply does not matter. Check their posting numbers.
I ask some oddball questions. I get the answer I need. Good. Done.
If I answer a question and I find someone has posted the same answer—I’ll delete my answer. No sense having the same thing written twice.
I don’t ever post on this forum…
[(-D][(-D][(-D][(-D]
(Check his post count, folks!)
I look at almost everything on ALL the Trains.com forums, not just the Model Railroader set. I post to topics where I think my experience might help, or to provide an alternate point of view when the battle lines have been drawn and the rhetoric is beginning to heat up.
Robert Heinlien called this, “Paying forward.” I can’t pay back the many people who taught me - and not only because most of them have their names posted to the call board up yonder. I can hand on what they gave so freely to others who are on a lower rung of the learning ladder.
Of course, I’m not above collecting a few nuggets of new knowledge and technique for my own use…
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Or else the alternate case: folks who post prolifically but never read a single message…
My thoughts exactly!
I don’t have anything to add. See my post count.
Yah, me either. [:P]
Seriously, if the poster’s asking a question that I think I might be of some help on, I’ll answer. Or if it gets into an interesting give/take conversation, I’ll add my two cents worth.
However, there are some posts concerning, say DCC and electronics, that are way out of my range, so usually I’ll just read them to see what the problem and possible solutions are. And sometimes I learn a lot.
So not commenting on a particular post doesn’t really mean I have no interest in it. It’s that sometimes I’ve gone into “Learning Mode” to get what might work for me out of it.
Tom [:)]
I fall into the catagory of limited “expertise” which I will freely share if no one else has already posted it. Most of the time I read and learn, without much need to comment. Many questions posted here are ones that I feel a need to learn about and read through the replies to get my answers. Search function is getting better, but I think the old search function still worked better. I read a lot of old replies, so most new postings are repeats of older topics. Still, it’s interesting to see new opinions and techniques to old problems.
Most of the posts I’ve read all ready have the answer to it so I usually don’t respond unless I have something knowledgeable to add that hasn’t been mentioned. Some “high ranking” posters ask rediculous questions that I don’t answer, I think they are just trying to pad their post count for some reason. Lately the only time I post anything is when its DCC related. Really, how many times do I need to answer how many loco’s do I have? How many boxcars do I have? What’s your favorite track cleaning car?
Part of the reason for such I high ‘view’ count is people keep going back to see what comments were added after theirs. Someone may not have added anything to the conversation either, but is still following it. It’s people watching online!
Then there are replies like mine that state the obvious. I guess I’m a chatty person![:D]