Where did all the help go?

[From A Buick 8]

I have been a frequent visitor and poster to this site, in the past i have had great success with asking questions and receiving great advice and helpful tips.

Maybe it is just my questions, subject matter or the specific sub forums, but i just having no luck with getting responses.

Do not take me wrong i have received some and i am very greatful, just seems like the volume of helpful folks has gone down.

Excuse my rant, just had to get that out.

[stridemat]

We're still here, though since I started modding here as well I have less time answer peoples questions now

[From A Buick 8]

There are a lot of helpful folks just had a bad run with my latest round of questions i guess.

[Apple fanboy]

I think there is lots of helpful people out there, but there is also a growing trend of people that just want to talk about when or what the next apple device will be. I guess these are the guys that don't generally stick around. That said this site is only what we make it. I try to give advice when I can, but I'm no IT specialist.
I think as a guy who is new to Mac's I find plenty of good stuff. If you are more of an old hand I guess it might be a little bit harder.
I had a look at your last few threads you started but couldn't offer any advise, but did see other that had, Maybe its a perception thing?

[From A Buick 8]

Yes i had some helpful comments, but also some post with lots of views and 0 responses. Again in the past it was iPhone and appleTV questions so maybe the other questions are just not in the ore visited forums.

[Weaselboy]

Originally Posted by From A Buick 8

Yes i had some helpful comments, but also some post with lots of views and 0 responses. Again in the past it was iPhone and appleTV questions so maybe the other questions are just not in the ore visited forums.

I know sometimes I see posts with no answers and they are problems that (I think) are so unique or complex that nobody really knows what to do to help the user. That may be what you are seeing with some of your questions.

[From A Buick 8]

Perhaps, thanks to all of you for letting me talk through my frustrations.

[Mr. Retrofire]

Originally Posted by From A Buick 8

Maybe it is just my questions, subject matter or the specific sub forums, but i just having no luck with getting responses.

This board is full with helpful answers. Why should we repeat those answers?

I use google to find helpful answers on MR, and as a result, i do not ask many questions on MR, because someone found already the right answer.

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Originally Posted by Apple fanboy

I had a look at your last few threads you started but couldn't offer any advise, but did see other that had, Maybe its a perception thing?

Likely.

[SandboxGeneral]

Originally Posted by Mr. Retrofire

This board is full with helpful answers. Why should we repeat those answers?

Even if a question is asked multiple times over the years, there is no harm in answering it again for newcomers. It's what helps foster the spirit of discussion, which is what this forum is all about.

[Weaselboy]

Originally Posted by Mr. Retrofire

This board is full with helpful answers. Why should we repeat those answers?

I use google to find helpful answers on MR, and as a result, i do not ask many questions on MR, because someone found already the right answer.

I have found a lot of great answers here myself by searching, but I do think some regular/longtime posters are too quick to chastise newbs about searching. Also, some users could be a little more tactful pointing the way to search.

Many of the repetitive questions have answers that change over time. For example, what is the best SSD, or what is the best router recommendations can change a lot even over a six month period.

I don't mean this to point the finger at you ... just posting my thoughts on the issue.

[aarond12]

I posted a question a while ago about a WEIRD issue with my wife's iPad and her Bluetooth keyboard. I never received any replies, which is exactly what I expected. The issue was SO weird that no one had any idea of how to fix it at all. That's life.

[Brian Y]

I try to hang around in the MacBook section since that's where my hardware experience is.

[snberk103]

Originally Posted by SandboxGeneral

Even if a question is asked multiple times over the years, there is no harm in answering it again for newcomers. It's what helps foster the spirit of discussion, which is what this forum is all about.

I agree. I have no problems answering the same question multiple times. Often I find my answers getting better with practice

However, if the answer is a longer one and I know that it has been posted, then I may give a short answer - and then also suggest searching for the details. Though, I will also list the keywords to search for. The person may have already searched unsuccessfully.

I think that is often the problem for someone who is searching for an answer... they don't (yet) the correct words. Often, good help can be as simple as suggesting the search terms, at least imho.

If it is a topic I have recently written up myself, I have been known to suggest my own username as one of the search terms. I mean, why should I type something up twice, eh?

I suspect GGJStudios has a whole encyclopedia that they copy from and paste... which is another way of minimizing the time needed to answer repetitive questions.