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<TITLE>Re: [OT] - [Asterisk-Users] Why should I answer a Newbie question,therethick!</TITLE>
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<DIV id=idOWAReplyText82959 dir=ltr>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>Look. Lets make it
simple.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2>In most cases, if a guru is bored or not
interested in a noob question they just ignore it. Personally, I find
myself answering some of these specifically because I am not a guru and not
quite a noob anymore either. The majority of those that dump what are
essentually dumb questions here do so because they know no better. They
are new at *, sometimes new at Linux, and most of all new to the list.
Doesn't offend me, I just send them a "google site:lists.digium.com <some
word>" email and explain why they are getting ignored.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2>Everyone in this current thread has a good
point. Yes, people really should RTFM but maybe it is not in everyones
interest to rag them about it. We can use better ways of communication
without trying to send a negative vibe to the new guys. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2>Yes, people who know no better should be
given some slack and taught and "shaped" into good questioner, list users, and
hopefully contributors. Regardless, taking offense in any situation like
this is counter productive.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2>Gurus, keep on doing your thing.
Answer those you find worthy and ignore those that didn't study Asterisk 101. Or
if you want to help out even the most mundane of questioners, then more power to
you. Then, if your voice is heard, it is only when you are doing something
positive to help out another and help out the Asterisk community. Why
speak up at all if it is a waste of your time?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2>Everyone else, make it a point to give
direction to the noobs so they know where to start out. Consider it
Asterisk boot camp and we all get to train a complete * virgin or two.
Direct them to the starting point and tell them the rules of the
game.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2>My guess is that the majority of us on this
list are not people who have been involved since the inception of
Asterisk. Most of us got a start with a rudimentary understanding and the
desire to be part of the open source community, not to mention save some
bucks. That means most of us asked a dumb question or two.
Personally, I have gotten the snide reply before when I asked a dumb
question. Also I have gotten some wonderful advice and direction when I
asked the right question and showed I put forth a real effort. That taught
me the way this works and I adhere to it now. Lets teach them the
same.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2>You don't have to throw the noobs a bone if
you don't want to but remember that you are shaping the next generation of
Asterisk users and hopefully the next group who will carry Asterisk to even more
people. You patience nets us one more person who is on the Asterisk wagon
and that is a good thing.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2>That is just my $0.02. Please don't
flame me. There is no point to this kind of angst on the list.
It is a waste of email when we should all realize that participation is
voluntary.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2>Best regards to all,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2>Wiley</FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><BR>
<HR tabIndex=-1>
<FONT face=Tahoma size=2><B>From:</B> asterisk-users-bounces@lists.digium.com on
behalf of Ronald Wiplinger<BR><B>Sent:</B> Thu 3/3/2005 9:46 PM<BR><B>To:</B>
Asterisk Users Mailing List - Non-Commercial Discussion<BR><B>Subject:</B> Re:
[OT] - [Asterisk-Users] Why should I answer a Newbie
question,therethick!<BR></FONT><BR></DIV>
<DIV>
<P><FONT size=2>Steven Critchfield wrote:<BR><BR>>On Thu, 2005-03-03 at 17:59
-0700, Paul Fielding wrote:<BR>> <BR>><BR>>>----- Original
Message -----<BR>>> <BR>>><BR>>>>Look,
don't answer lame questions if you don't want to. Flaming a
newb<BR>>>>for being a newb is just mean. (they will eventually RTFM or
STFW or<BR>>>>they will fail). This is the way of the open source
community.<BR>>>> <BR>>>><BR>>>Here
Here, I'm with you. I find it a constant source of amazement how,
in<BR>>>all the various lists I've followed, people find it necessary to
beat on the<BR>>>new guy. Even the 'if you don't want to get flamed
then do some research<BR>>>first' attitude i'm not a fan of.
Sometimes newbies are also newbies to the<BR>>>concept of lists, etc, as
well as the topic of the list.<BR>>><BR>>>Frankly, I agree. If
you don't like the question, feel it's lame or dumb,<BR>>>or don't like
that someone hasn't done their research, then delete
the<BR>>>message. If you think they're wasting your time by
writing a message, then<BR>>>don't waste any more of your own time by
responding to it. I find the<BR>>>pummelling of newbies more
annoying than the newbie question
itself.<BR>>> <BR>>><BR>><BR>> <BR>><BR><BR>Sometimes
it is not the "if" you make a search, often is for new comers<BR>"what" to aks
for.<BR>If you do not know the specific term, than you need to ask
somewhere,<BR>and I think the list is good for that.<BR><BR>To point to the
'wiki' or 'Google' in general often does not make<BR>sense!!! Just be silent
than, if you do not know a better hint!!!<BR><BR>If I get a reply to my question
"Look at the wiki" or "Have you searched<BR>it on Google" is for me just a time
waster!!<BR>If the answer is, look up "xxx" "yyy" than it makes more sense to
me!!!<BR><BR>The term RTFM is not always a good hint either! Sometimes the
right<BR>answer, even it is the 100th times is better (maybe even shorter) than
a<BR>comment like that!<BR>Besides the documentation of * and add-ons are either
changing often or<BR>changing not often enough to the newest version.<BR>As user
we cannot "guess" what the developer team found better to use now.<BR>E.g.,
ASTCC is a great product, just there is little till nothing to<BR>find in the
wiki or Google, ... Asking in the list was also never answered.<BR>The best
product is worthless, if you cannot document it!!<BR>I know that documentation
is the last thing to do. Even my lawyer in the<BR>school told me, if you want to
save money, ask for two set copies of a<BR>manual included to the machine. 95%
of technical companies will fail to<BR>give you that IN TIME, and there you can
than deduct for each day!!!<BR><BR>Often I think, why somebody does not make a
screen shoot of all he has<BR>developed and attach it, so that we can guess more
what the product can<BR>do. Again for ASTCC (obviously I fight with that one
right now ;-) )<BR>e.g., I cannot find anything for USERS and SIP/IAX friends,
....<BR><BR>1.5 cents<BR><BR><BR>bye<BR><BR>Ronald<BR><BR><BR>>As I have told
others before. This list is a valuable resource even for<BR>>those of us who
know a lot about asterisk already. The users who would<BR>>rather come here
than do any work on their own become pollution to this<BR>>list. They are the
repetitive spam that has no benefit to the ones<BR>>receiving
it.<BR>><BR>>This type of behavior has run many of the "guru"s off of this
list. They<BR>>are unlikely to be replaced.<BR>><BR>>BTW, telling a
user they haven't done the prerequisite home work before<BR>>asking a
question is no where near pummelling. Pummelling would be<BR>>calling them
names and making personal attacks. Life is full of venues<BR>>where you need
to meet specific criteria before you are considered<BR>>worthy of
interacting.<BR>><BR>>All that to lay the ground work to say that when we
send a user back out<BR>>to the search engines to do their homework, we do so
as a jealous<BR>>protecting of this forum and what value we receive from
it.<BR>> <BR>><BR><BR><BR>--<BR>Ronald Wiplinger (CEO of
ELMIT)<BR><A
href="http://www.elmit.com">http://www.elmit.com</A> +886 (0)
939--77-55-16 or FWD 511208<BR>- I'm a SpamCon Foundation Member, #694,
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