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in reply to Re: Re: Newbie madness, experienced ambiguity.
in thread Newbie madness, experienced ambiguity.
Chady, your interpretation of bladx's post is quite
interesting.
... newbies come here often to ask questions and aren't
usually interested in signing up
I think that if that is the case, then we end up playing
our part as the Wizard, while wide-eyed Dorothy newbies come
and simply expect the easy answer on how to get home.
My point is that I don't want to help newbies if they have
no intention on being a part of the community. This may sound
harsh, but what if Ovid or chromatic decided that they
just needed to use this site when they had a quick one-off
question? What if merlyn decided that this was just another
leech of his time? The thing is that everyone involved has to
contribute. I think that is why bladx seems to think those
of us who would rather just give a terse answer to newbies
are being rude. It's because you can't get something for
nothing in a gift culture. Everyone has to give and everyone
gets what they need. One-off newbies are treated as such
because there is such a wealth of information if they'd only
look at the map. And the map is posted at nearly every major
street corner.
ALL HAIL BRAK!!! |
Re (tilly) 4: Newbie madness, experienced ambiguity.
by tilly (Archbishop) on Mar 21, 2001 at 23:46 UTC
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I found that a very good way to put things.
In a gift culture people participate by giving in one form
or another. It is fun to answer questions. It is pleasant
to get questions answered. It is satisfying both to go from
asking to answering and doubly so to help others do
likewise.
But people who essentially say, Gimme! aren't as fun.
If you clearly do not appreciate that you are asking for
my time and energy, then I am not going to want to give you
any. By default I assume that people do understand
that this is a gift culture, I don't assume that people
are thoughtless. But if they truly are, then no, I do not
have to answer their questions. I am not paid, I have no
obligation to answer questions... | [reply] |
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It's a funny thing, this gift culture we are in. Newbies don't usually have that much to give except their questions. Early on I was often told to just go and RTFM or STFW or do some simple googling. I do those things now, but early on I needed someone to say, "RTFM! And here's how you do it...." Yeah, I've seen plenty of posts that looked like someone had a homework assignment and needed someone else to do it for them, but there are some newbies (even comp geek newbies) who really do want to walk the path, they just need someone to teach them how to read the map.
Don't worry about people stealing your ideas. If your ideas are any good, you'll have to ram them down people's throats.
-Howard Aiken
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I have been guilty of asking my mentors for the easy way out on more than a few occasions and the best of them told me to figure it out myself. I always appreciated the gentle guidance over the easy answer because I really learned what I was after rather than cutting, pasting and forgetting.
There's a great difference between working together to arrive at a solution and I don't think anyone here would be out of place for refraining from handing answers over to anonymous monks who can't even be bothered to register for an account.
That being said, does anyone have the answer to question 4 in my homework?
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I concur wholeheartedly, I'm a newbie to the language for the most part, and I find if I am patient, explain what I need help with, I will get the help I need. I can't stand when you ask an honest question and get a backhanded smart ass remark in return. It's a waste of time on both party's hands. I think we need to think in that higher form, and try and help each other out as a community as much as possible.
Ergo!!! Vis a Vis!!! Concordidly!!! Mr. Timberlake. I apologize. I don't usually like to use my big voice.
Will Ferrill as the Architect from the Matrix 2:Reloaded
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Newbie madness, experienced ambiguity.
by Anonymous Monk on Mar 06, 2004 at 11:10 UTC
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Bonjour Monkies ;-)
tonight, while poppin' about the net lookin' for answers to my Q's, i ended up here once again - and this time, happening across these
postings. I've been comin' here stealing your knowledge for quite awhile, but never bothered to join ('til now).
i cannot say, i'm an expert at perl - but i've had quite some dealings w/computers for many yrs and often found myself, as that
person, who your friends go to for techie solutions.
i can sympathize w/everything everyone has been saying here. Computers is a really large subject and to outsiders (and even some
of us insiders) can seem overwhelming. Most people do not have a clue, where even to go - let alone ~how~ to ask a question and it
can be quite frustrating for both them (the wounded) and you (the doctor) to fix.
that being said........ :-P
uhm...
there are a lot of people out there, who seem to believe, that they are entitled to help - "just 'cuz". They'd prefer you did the work for
them and sometimes, won't even thank you for the minutes or hours or more, which you've spent trying to define and solve their
problem.
i've noticed in myself and my relationships w/people in these circumstances, that often this not only breeds a dependency (rather than
them trying to learn - they just ask you), but it often denegrates into them expecting you to help... One can come to feel like their
being used...
well, you all here have helped more individuals than you know. PerlMonks has been written up in most of the perl-books i have and
often cited at many other websites. There are many lurkers popping in and out (like me), who have found your discussions helpful and
insightful through our own learning of language -
so on behalf of all those anonymous monks out there - and for myself, as well, i'm just here to say ~
thank you :-)
tc,
wolfi
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whoops....
thought i was logged in...
~insert look of embarrassment~
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