Forum Moderators: open
Geez-the attitude in this forum can be so negative. I have been reading/posting/lurking at the google forum for 2-1/2 years. For the most part people there are respectful and polite to newbies and "dumb questions."
I have been looking at this forum for only about 2 days and I see so much hostility (mainly from 1-2 people) towards newbies and their "dumb questions."
Yes, I know that it is annoying to see the same questions over and over again. Yes, it is annoying to find people looking for a "free ride."
BUT, remember, none of us were born with all of this knowledge. We ALL had to start somewhere and we all had to learn and we all asked "dumb questions" at the beginning.
At the risk of sounding like some existential idiot..."The only dumb questions are the ones left unasked." If you don't ask you don't learn. A baby is not born with innate knowledge of SEO...at least I wasn't :-)
To the newbie in that post--
To put it in a more gentle manner. You don't get something for nothing. It takes lots of work and knowledge and time. You have to invest in this endeavour just as you would have to invest in the knowledge to be a lawyer or anything else.
I think part of the problem is that the general public sees and reads stories about the internet and they get all confused and excited. On TV I see "get rich on the internet" and "get rich on ebay" infomercials. Combine this with stories about amazon, google, google IPO, ebay, and everthing else about this internet gold rush, and you get a very confused public.
It is like me trying to explain to my 67 year old mother why AOL is not the same as the internet. UGH! It's all the same thing to them.
So, I hope that I am not in the wrong here. I always assume that any question is OK to ask. (also the webmaster world search feature doesn't work that well IMHO) I don't know, maybe it is the money? Maybe there is a history of lame people coming here?
Anyway that is just my 2 cents. I figure that you can tell a person the same thing in a nice way or a rude way. I try to choose the nice way if possible.
IDEA:
Maybe at the top of every webmaster world page we should put a newbie FAQ. Or maybe the permanent #1 post on every forum should have the FAQ's relating to that forum. That would save the old timers AND the newbies lots of headaches. MODERATORS?
But web marketing is a real profession, requiring deep knowledge in many different areas. Someone who comes in and in effect asks "How do I get in on this scam?" is trivializing what we do. That disrespects our professionalism and it implies that we are all participating in some kind of get-rich-quick pyramid scheme.
Speaking personally, if you do some minimal homework and ask specific questions, I will help in whatever way I can. But if someone expects me to do a complete brain core-dump in response to a vague question like "How can I build a web site so I can earn money from Amazon?", then forget it. I usually do not participate in those discussions.
But he keep on asking things like how to spam /how to rip off lead affiliate programs etc etc ...Its not his newbie ignorance but rather his attitude which annoyed me...
My final response was meant to be a satire .Anyway i felt bad about it later but it went past the editing time!
Subj: Does this forum hate newbies?
For the most part people there are respectful and polite to newbies and "dumb questions."
You answered your own question... :)
Anyways, I beleive most of us here welcome newbies well all the time (including me). I understand that everyone has to start somewhere.
I also agree with responses above. I do not mind help, but I don't do someone's homework/research. For most of the time, you can tell a newbie willing to learn from someone just being lazy. After all, most of those answers are at most 2-3 queries away using just keywords from subj.
By the way, have you ever tried participating in linux related news groups? Those who did will understand me ;)
LOL! That might be one of THE most amusing things I've ever seen in this forum. I have new respect for you :D
And anyway, I'm a comparitive newbie to these forums. I know a little bit but people here accepted me rather well (with an exception of a few who will remain unnamed :P).
But I agree with this thread being rediculous.
But web marketing is a real profession, requiring deep knowledge in many different areas. Someone who comes in and in effect asks "How do I get in on this scam?" is trivializing what we do. That disrespects our professionalism and it implies that we are all participating in some kind of get-rich-quick pyramid scheme.Speaking personally, if you do some minimal homework and ask specific questions, I will help in whatever way I can. But if someone expects me to do a complete brain core-dump in response to a vague question like "How can I build a web site so I can earn money from Amazon?", then forget it. I usually do not participate in those discussions.
You are entirely correct. It seemed that the guy got flamed and I thought it went overboard. That is why I asked.
I believe that in general the people in webmaster world are very helpful. I am a new reader to *this* forum since I am looking at getting into this business. I have been 4 years with a "normal" ecommerce site and am getting burned out. The affilite business it a new challenge for me and I am ready to learn from the brains here at this forum. Ears open-mouth shut. ;-)
Questions which cannot be answered by using the sitesearch function or by reading through recent threads are usually given more time by other members than those questions which could be answered with a minimal amount of research.
For people who really don't know what they're doing there is a "friendly" folder for those who are new to the web. I imagine you can ask any number of inane questions here and always get a kindly, patient response.
But just to charge into a folder and start asking questions like: "I've heard you can make big bucks! Let's do it! Where do I start? Give me all the info I need to know!" is never going to win a very favourable reaction from anyone here who has put years of patience and learning into what they do.
I think actually, the responses to Yanov's questions were both measured and patient. The oft-repeated message was go and read and learn something yourself and when you have a less nebulous set of concerns, come back and ask small questions on specific points.
yanov> When you are the moderator, you can choose which threads should be deleted. Until then, best of luck on your learning curve.
It is sorta funny that folks here have busted their a$$ figuring out how to make lot's of money on the web and some one comes in and says, "Tell me!" :)
I agree. He wanted to know how and he wanted to know NOW. I tried to stay out of that thread. When I was a newbie I respected the 'senior member' because with time and patience they helped me gain the knowledge I needed. I realized how full of knowledge they were.
I guess my point is, it's not what you ask, it's how you ask it.
wellzy
If someone does some thinking and research and work on their own and comes here for the final piece in the jigsaw, we have the right to answer or ignore. But if someone wants all the pieces, that is asking a bit too much in my opinion.
Belive me ,before I hit the botton submit I preyed
for not to be banned.:)))
BEst wishes Asen
p.s.-I'm sorry for my bad English
I didn't even understand your question about forms. By the looks of things you didn't understand it yourself. At least thoroughly comprehend what it is you need to know before bringing it to the attention of others on this board.
If you don't know what it is you need to know then go away and do some reading and come back when you do.
After a few months of participating at WW, there are concerns that come again and again, so I'd like to second Brizad's suggestion to have FAQs featured at the top of each forum. Let me be bold and suggest a Wiki format. I imagine it would get phenomenal PR in very little time :)
