Some "etiquette" suggestions

[WendyatArtform]

I still remember when I first started.  

 

If you're new to Chief, and you're trying to do things that aren't just a ranch or colonial, you run into "how do I..." pretty quickly.  Even a fairly straightforward project can have you need to know something that's not obvious - like a chimney.  And even figuring out the words to use to find an answer, whether it's herein this forum or in Help, can be a challenge.  Remember your first "real" project when your head was pretty much ready to explode as you learned 8 gazillion new things at once.  You post a question, you go back to pounding furiously on your keyboard while you pray for an answer.  You get an email saying someone has answered.  You say "yippee" - stop what you're doing to come here - to be not only disappointed, but to have another 15 minutes of precious time under deadline slip by.  So I do think gumming up simple questions with anything except a legitimate attempt at an answer is not the benign use of this space people sometimes think.  

 

So - my suggestions:

 

1. If a question triggers a "wish list" item, put your suggestion where it belongs - in that forum.  Then put a short note in the original post linking to that.  That way some poor newbie isn't dragged into a long debate.  Today's newbie is tomorrow's expert.  Let them be new for a few minutes!
2. Posts that simply tell them there are many prior posts are not necessarily helpful.   OK sometimes a newbie needs to learn how to use the forum.  But try to remember back to when it was just plain overwhelming and be sure that's the best answer.  Sometimes finding the best of prior advice and referencing that would be better.
3. Resist the urge to argue.  A very wise man once wrote to me, and this is near a direct quote "you don't have to show up to every fight to which you are invited" (David Potter, sometime around 2007?  It truly is an option to just ignore something you wish someone had not posted.

[Renerabbitt]

Ignoring this..;)

kidding!

well said Wendy, and noted!

[WendyatArtform]

Ha!  And - Thanks.  

 

Miss Prissy Pants Out.  

[interiorarch]

Thank You @WendyatArtform

[country]

Thank you "Miss Prissy Pants".  

 

I remember starting on Chief a few years ago after moving from another software program.  I was in the middle of a busy season and terrified I was going to ask newbie questions that I should have known how to do after reading the technical manual (good luck on that one).  I received wonderful help on this forum and made it through my deadlines and that first year because of it.

Lately I have noticed many new users have been directed to find old threads or just "read the manual and/or work through it".  We have a forum to help each other and if we can't or won't, we just shouldn't post.

[Richard_Morrison]

Given that this is an incredibly complex, oftentimes unintuitive program, we all need a helping hand. Not just newbies -- even old-timers sometimes get a brain fart and struggle. However, I think that there are frequently times when people ask questions out of laziness rather than bewilderment. At a minimum, I believe, someone should have:

1) Watched the introductory videos. This forum is not intended to be a replacement for proper training, at least, in my opinion. Chief takes a significant effort just to get to newbie status. Downloading the trial version, mucking around a few minutes with it, and immediately asking "how do I get walls to line up with each other between floors" is just laziness, and you deserve any snide answers you get. (again, IMO.)

2) Pressed "F1" to see if the answer is there. Often, it is.

3) Made at least a half-hearted attempt to find the issue in prior threads. Most questions have already been addressed, and the answers often aren't that hard to find.

[lbuttery]

If a question triggers a "wish list" item, put your suggestion where it belongs - in that forum.  Then put a short note in the original post linking to that

 

this is a good one for me to remember

 

I ceased making suggestions long ago

 

so now I wait until others indicate it is needed or desired and then I chime in

 

mainly to reinforce it isn't "just little ol me" that found the need

 

Lew

[VHampton]

There is no so thing as a dumb question. ...Most fellow user are more than happy to oblige. In fact, it's quite incredible to see the generous display of assistance which invariably arises when a new user needs to get a better grasp of something. 

 

Wendy... you may have added that one should be forewarned that posting an image or plan is encouraged to garner a response by some of the first responders. Just as the Grinch had a very good heart when all was said and done, so do the bridge trolls, even if they give you a good kick in the shin before sharing their wisdom. lol

[Richard_Morrison]

1 hour ago, VHampton said:

There is no so thing as a dumb question.

http://sarcasmsociety.com/15-people-who-proved-there-is-such-a-thing-as-a-stupid-question