martinibuster - 6:07 pm on May 26, 2010 (gmt 0)

i remember a newbie posted something about link building once (i think it was link building), asking the same old questions that a newbie always asks, and the second post was from a mod saying look in the library before asking. end of conversation.

Hey, I resemble that remark! :P

You are correct that some members get a link to the library but have got the circumstances mixed up. ;) The only times I refer someone to the library is when the question is too general, like "How do I build links?" It's like joining a fishing forum and asking, "How do I catch trout?" The best answer to that would be to point to a stickied post or a library that has the general answer to that.

The other occasion to point a member to the library is if the member has a faint grasp of the fundamentals. That goes back to the general "How do I build links" question. You, caribguy and cornwall can spend an hour posting a complete guide to the fundamentals of link building and post it for the member. Then do it again in a few days for another member. And another. And another... Of course, that's a poor experience for you and the other senior members.

The library presents a wealth of information for learning the fundamentals. A referral to the library is made in order to be helpful to that member and virtually every time I pointed a member to the library they return and post an enthusiastic "THANK YOU!" [webmasterworld.com] It's quite common that members referred to the library are happy to discover it.

Another reason for doing that is to benefit senior members, what caribguy and others have mentioned as the tedium of "muppet level" questions. How do I build links is not only a "muppet level" question but it is also too general to discuss in a single discussion. The entire link dev forum is about how to build links. How could anyone condense that into a single discussion, then repeat that week after week? This is why it benefits all members when overly broad questions are referred to the library.

[edited by: martinibuster at 6:32 pm (utc) on May 26, 2010]