HOME FAQs BOOKS JOBS: Help Wanted Suggestions you are here: Hotline/Forum => Letter 22538
How to be polite?
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Why is it that u are very sarcastic in answering questions that doesn't suit your taste. And u always refer questions to commercial stores or tell questioners to buy this book or that.
If u can't answer well let others do, just be polite.
There are enough wiseass in the internet, don't add.
James Ling- New Kanji, Shang-lin, Manchuria
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I assume your criticism is directed at me, Ling. I am human, flawed, and sometimes sarcastic, although I keep working at improving.
We direct people to our advertisers because this is a commercial site with bills to pay & families to feed, including my own.
But also because metal finishing involves dangerous, environmentally damaging materials which untrained people can hurt themselves and others with. If you operated a website and someone asked how to perform an appendectomy, wouldn't you refer them to books or schools? Many people assume that metal finishing is dead easy and any amateur can safely and responsibly do it with a paragraph of recipes--but that isn't the case; I and others have spent a lifetime trying to learn it and still know only a fraction of what we'd like to know.
Yes I do answer questions which I'd rather not; the site would make no sense if too many questions remained unanswered. If you found ten unanswered questions in a row, how long would you stick around? When inquiries go unanswered for a while, I go back and try to answer them.
People who want help and answers beat a path to our door and to any site's door. What is harder to find is regular readers who provide answers. Part of my job is to keep reminding these readers that we're working hard to keep improving the quality of the questions so they'll be interesting, informative, and answerable. If I get to pick between losing one regular reader and fifty one-time posters, I'll keep the one regular reader every time.
Thanks for taking the time to offer a suggestion. Feel free to post your questions; please see http://www.finishing.com/Letters/standards.html#abstract first. Thanks!
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 Ted Mooney, P.E. finishing.com Brick, New Jersey |
1st of four simulataneous responses +++
Well said, Ted
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Trevor Crichton R&D practical scientist The Pheasantries - Chesham, U.K. |
2nd of four simulataneous responses +++
Hi James,
Oftentimes the quality of the answer will match the quality of the question. It is very difficult to answer questions that are poorly phrased or are missing essential information.
Anyone who posts a helpful answer on this website does so because that person wants to share their expertise. But it is hardly worth my time to investigate the gist of a question simply because the poster is too lazy to word his question properly.
People who post questions here should not assume that everyone who reads their questions is also capable of reading their minds. ;-)
George Gorecki- Naperville, Illinois
3rd of four simulataneous responses +++
Hi James, We all have days when we are a bit grumpy. Ted has been here at least 5 days a week for several years. His basic nature is a wee bit sarcastic. I would suggest that you do not take an occasional less than kind remark personally. If you want to tell a person that has asked for a thorough discussion of all aspects of anodizing, be my guest with the answer. That person does deserve the courtesy of being told what book to start with. PS, one set of my anodizing books ran over 1,100 pages. Do you start to see the problem.
Next, people will rarely use the search engine. Their question has been answered dozens if not hundreds of times. Why should anybody take their time if the writer will not use any of his time in available free research.
As you said, do not answer it. Well then some people become hostile because no one would take hours to answer their question. Would you rather see 20 -no answers or 20 buy a book.
Am I qualified to speak? I think so. I have been here - unpaid - and rarely a thank you for 7 years now. My replies are second only to Ted.
Finally, it is a free country, at least here. If you do not like the answers you see, you are free to not come back. No other free site handles anywhere near the volume of this site, and several that tried are history.
James Watts- Navarre, Florida
4th of four simulataneous responses +++
Hi James,
I must back up Ted ... who I've never met ... because many, many questions posted are by people just looking for a glib, quick easy answer... and often do NOT provide enough info for one to intelligently reply to.
One tries to help people. But many inquirers are too damned lazy to research questions on an internet site and hope to get a good answer by asking finishing. com I sure would NOT LIKE to have Ted's job ... which must be very time consuming and calls for a nearly encyclopaedic knowledge of finishing processes... and if a smidgen or two of sarcasm occurs, you must agree that it sure is sometimes FULLY deserved.
As for myself, I'm always extremely polite ...until I encounter an idiotic request.
| Freeman Newton - White Rock, British Columbia, Canada | Ed. note: Please keep Freeman in your thoughts & prayers. Message from Freeman, Dec. 2010 |
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You forgot to mention, Ted, that some questions/comments deserve some sarcasm. James...take a look at letter 12341 (unless are trying to market some copper-iridium coins, in which case, you won't understand)
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Marc Green anodizer - Boise, Idaho |
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First of all thank you James and thank you Ted.
As to metal finishing, don't you just dip it?
- Minneapolis, Minnesota
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Thank you Jon. As well as "just dip it", metal finishers charge a ridiculous amount for their product.
James Watts- Navarre, Florida