I just ran into a little scenario and I wanted to see how other people felt about the issue.
A newbie posted a link without HTM tags so you have to cut and paste into a browser window.
I figured, since he was a newbie, I'd send him a quick PM with instructions on how to use composition toolbar to insert a hot link.
When I tried to send the PM, I received an error message that the user had opted out of receiving private messages.
So here I am...I spent a whole six minutes of my incredibly valuable time to help a newbie, and therefore improve the overall quality of the forum.
My immediate thought was: it would have been nice if there was a flag that warned me not to PM him. (Perhaps there is and I just missed it or neglected to check before hand. In either event, I think my workflow was pretty straightforward and it wasn't until after I had written my epistle that I learned it was all for nought.)
Second thought: Not too long ago I was a newbie and it took me a while to figure out the nuances of posting reader-friendly messages...between quotes, uploads, links to pix and URLs...I wonder if the forums would benefit from a tutorial...perhaps something that earned newbies message credits toward the next tier of membership...If there's already one, I throw myself on the mercy of the forum. As I said..."Not too long ago I was a newbie".
Cheers!
JB
A newbie posted a link without HTM tags so you have to cut and paste into a browser window.
I figured, since he was a newbie, I'd send him a quick PM with instructions on how to use composition toolbar to insert a hot link.
When I tried to send the PM, I received an error message that the user had opted out of receiving private messages.
So here I am...I spent a whole six minutes of my incredibly valuable time to help a newbie, and therefore improve the overall quality of the forum.
My immediate thought was: it would have been nice if there was a flag that warned me not to PM him. (Perhaps there is and I just missed it or neglected to check before hand. In either event, I think my workflow was pretty straightforward and it wasn't until after I had written my epistle that I learned it was all for nought.)
Second thought: Not too long ago I was a newbie and it took me a while to figure out the nuances of posting reader-friendly messages...between quotes, uploads, links to pix and URLs...I wonder if the forums would benefit from a tutorial...perhaps something that earned newbies message credits toward the next tier of membership...If there's already one, I throw myself on the mercy of the forum. As I said..."Not too long ago I was a newbie".
Cheers!
JB