Criticism?

I just answered a private message, which I don't usually do. In this case, I made an exception because I agreed with the poster.

The poster did not want to use the Q&A forum because the topic involved Schneider Electric products and he/she did not want to have to deal with the criticism of chosen PLC, off-topic bashing and promotion of other brands seen in other postings.


Just a comment.

Speaking only for myself, I don't find the "off-topic comments or promotions of other brands" objectionable. To me, it's the price you have to pay for the free advice you get here. If your correspondent finds it objectionable, he/she can always post his/her questions on the Schneider forum.

Furthermore, IMHO, your correspondent is extremely fortunate to find someone like yourself who is willing to take the time to offer personalized service. If the tangents and smarta$$ comments he/she sees here are the most stressful things he/she encounters in his/her day, I want to know where to apply for a job like his/hers.

My thoughts exactly!

I am with you Steve. Jim, you did a good job with your handling of the PM and I am sure your advice to the poster was to jump in with both feet. We are not that bad and like Steve said, if that is as bad as it gets for them, I want an app too!

Most of us that answer questions here are PROFESSIONALS, hazing is part of the game. If I can't taunt my questioner then IMHO they take their job to seriously. Put another way, if it isn't fun, then don't do it!
Besides, I used to work for Modicon, so what!
I buy A-B because the customer requires it....so what!
I write programs to perform a JOB!
My JOB is to do what ever the customer wants/requires!
Just remember, nothing here in this forum is meant to be personal!
At least my post aren't, unless they attack me personally, or someone else I hold in high regard.....
I have little regard for the user questions that require me to solve some homework problem that they are asked to do themselves.
I am sure I didn't taunt or cause your PM'er to send mail just to you. I am sure that they held you in the highest regard, to ask ONLY you, for an answer.
Quite frankly Jim, I'm jelous!

Blake, the bitmore

:site:

I agree too. There seems to be a handfull of very wise people on this board. Their attitude is obvious is the way they write. Mr. Bitmore, hats off to you.

Johnny

I don't find any particular problem with the "off brand" PLC posts, Lately, I've been doing a few trouble calls off of my regular rotation and I've already ran into 2 posts that answered questions that I had. Some light tongue lashing aside, the questions are more often than not answered. Don't be ashamed or afraid of posting, that's why it's called a "forum". Your question may help somebody down the line.

Call me crazy....

Steve Bailey said:

If the tangents and smarta$$ comments he/she sees here are the most stressful things he/she encounters in his/her day, I want to know where to apply for a job like his/hers.

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Perhaps he/she works somewhere with those warm and fuzzy inspirational posters in the hallways and break areas and where they are more concerned with maintaining everyone's self-esteem than they are with actually working. I've not ever witnessed any hazing or rude remarks due to someone's equipment choices here. But then again I'm pretty thick skinned or at least not too concerned with anything that someone on an Internet message board may say about/to me.

Acronymns

seen the two acronyms commonly used

IMO
IMHO

What do they mean ??

Dan Bentler

Internet speak!

IMO=In My Opinion

IMHO=In My Humble Opinion

LOL

These are the kind of poster I need at my job. I think I saw them posted here before.Demotivator

If I couldn't personally take the heat, I sure wouldn't hang around here.

But I sympathize with somebody who wouldn't post because they were unhappy with off-topic tangents.

The tangents to which I object strongly are the ones where somebody jumps in and recommends their favorite controller when the question was not about product selection or comparison. I have never done that and I don't think much of the guys who do it regularly.


A long time ago, in the early years, there was a forum and listserv over at Control.Com. It has been obsoleted by Vbulletin and other live-action forums like this one, but really its demise came from one guy named Curt Wuollet.

Curt couldn't control himself.

Every post that had to do with Windows, or A-B , or anything else with more than a fraction of a percent of market share he would be the first reply. "Use Linux". "Linux wouldn't have that problem." "If you used Linux, you could just rewrite that part of the kernel yourself." "Everything about Linux is free; why do you pay for that Windows-based software?".

I gave up on that forum because I couldn't get anything done; if I tried to give somebody a tutorial or technical help, there would be Curt, telling them that Linux would come down from the clouds and save us all. He once called me "stupid and scared" to my face because I work for Allen-Bradley.

I have, quite a few times, refrained from entering a discussion because I knew the issue was complex enough that I'd be set upon by howls of "yeah, A-B is too hard to use". This Forum shouldn't be like the White House Press Office.

So, Mr. Private Message, go ahead and post openly, and try to remember that it's just dots, on a screen.

Good for you!

Well said, Ken! I applaud your sentiments!

I agree with what all of you are saying, but let me play devil's advocate here. As anyone who has browsed this forum will attest, pretty much all of you who have responded to this post carry a wealth of knowledge and expertise in the field. In other words, there's not much chance you guys will get ridiculed for posting something dumb.

The reluctance on posting comes from types like myself, novices who started by reading the forums with the intent to gain info, and realizing just how much knowledge is out there (and how little we know). We also start to feel like we get to "know" the usuals who post here. Then some student makes an ignorant post and gets flamed for it. It can make one feel a little tentative, and reluctant to get dissed by those we've come to respect.

Anyhow, just so you can get an idea as to why some people might come across as oversensitive.

-Mike

mpiotro said:

...there's not much chance you guys will get ridiculed for posting something dumb.

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Getting flamed is one way you get better. Think about it for a minute...if you get torched over lack of effort, don't you take more time and effort before you post something else? There is the not so obvious benefit of flaming, Maturity.

I dare say that ALL of us have been ridiculed, flamed, embarrassed or similar either at work or on this or other forums. It's called experience and it's part of the real world.

Post openly and wear your suit of armor. Pretty soon you won't need the armor.

Originally posted by mpiotro:

Then some student makes an ignorant post and gets flamed for it.

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Originally posted by Rube:

...if you get torched over lack of effort, don't you take more time and effort before you post something else?

Click to expand...

I would submit that Rube is more correct. The typical response I have seen to the 'ignorant' question that had some effort applied to it is a 'look here' link. As long as some effort was made to find the answer the people around here are very helpful. The longest thread on the forum has people scrambling to help because the initiator has put in so much effort on their own.

The posters that get flamed are ones that ask for direct answers to obvious homework questions or for pre-made code for an assignment. These people SHOOULD get flamed. General education has obviously not fostered any type of work ethic or desire in them. Maybe a good, solid flaming will get them asking 'Why did I get hammered on?'. Introspection can be good.

In short, don't be afraid to post. Just help with your own success and the people on this forum will be glad to help.

Keith