How do you decide?

Some people write the simplest questions and get 30 responses. Others are in need of help and get one response with a one line sentence. I%26#39;m just wondering how you choose to whom you are going to give your time and expertise. Just curious. You all do a great job when you find a person that you enjoy answering.

How do you decide?

I answer a question when I%26#39;m 100% sure of the info I%26#39;m giving. Sometimes I%26#39;m at home and have more info than when I%26#39;m at work and other times I%26#39;m too busy at work to respond or give a detailed response......it%26#39;s nothing personal :)

How do you decide?

For me it%26#39;s not about choosing who to give the time to, but whether I have any pertinent information for that poster. For instance, if anyone asks about forms of transport from the airport other than a taxi, I steer clear as I haven%26#39;t a clue.

Ditto for me. If I%26#39;ve got nothing to add, I don%26#39;t. And I%26#39;ve long ago stopped responding to questions that can easily be gotten elsewhere, like weather information. And -- this is just a personal thing -- I don%26#39;t like reading through itineraries. I never plan a trip minute-by-minute, so I rarely read through someone%26#39;s detailed schedule.

Agree with what%26#39;s been said already. I find that some posts have soooo many questions in them, it%26#39;s just too much to answer. Or you%26#39;re basically being asked to plan someone%26#39;s trip from start to finish.

Or if it%26#39;s typed all in one paragraph so it%26#39;s hard to read, I tend to skip over it.

If it%26#39;s a question that%26#39;s unanswerable (ie will it snow/rain while I%26#39;m there) if I%26#39;m in the mood, I give a link to a weather website where they will find a history of how much rain/snow occured at that time in previous years.

I am on the site from early morning and throughout the day but not at night usually. If a question is posted at night, sometimes I don%26#39;t see it.

Here%26#39;s MY question to you all. Why do so many people ask things that are often easily answered by doing a websearch? Like dates for turning on/off Xmas tree lights etc.

Whiz

Perhaps its laziness, lack of Internet knowledge (although using TA so...?!) or not knowing about the search function on the forum?

More of the same from me -- if there is a question about something I know (and something that interests me, which can be as important!) such as the subway, or traffic rules, or local history, I will answer. If the question is about something about which I know nearly nothing (as in hotel comparisons) I will let it go by.

I don%26#39;t mind commenting on itineraries if they are sensible or just need tweaking. Someone who is clueless about how many things can be crammed in one day, though, requires more help than I can offer.

I agree 100% that questions dealing with one point are easier to answer -- people with multiple questions should start multiple threads.

There is also the odd factor that if someone is in a different time zone, he or she might ask a question that gets buried as the New Yorkers are sleeping!

I%26#39;d just like to add that I think you%26#39;re all SO extremely patient with people who are asking the same questions that have been asked a million times before. Even I get fed up with reading them over %26amp; over again, yet you all answer so politely! I have posted a few questions myself recently but I think they were a bit more specific due to special circumstances. Hopefully I didn%26#39;t irritate too many people!

The trouble is, people today (here%26#39;s my grumpy old woman piece) can%26#39;t be bothered to do things for themselves and it%26#39;s just as easy to get someone else to do it. A classic example is this - I work in a school and parents are sent exact details of dates %26amp; times when their child will be starting in Nursery. They phone up and say they haven%26#39;t been told. We point out that it was in the letter we sent them. They deny receiving it, even when told that they must have received it because they have returned the acceptance slip that was attached at the bottom of the letter! Why do they need to make a note of the details in their diary or keep the letter in a safe place when they can pick up the phone and ask someone else?

It%26#39;s OK, I%26#39;ve climbed down from my soapbox now....

Foss4, I completely agree with you. I work in a school too so I understand your frustration.

So, a big thank-you to all the Experts here for your kindness in responding to both mine and others questions with courtesy and patience.

One comment though,regarding the many similar posts on here that crop up all the time. As a researcher by profession sometimes I just want to shout at the screen %26#39;can%26#39;t you just google for that information or do a search on here%26#39; but then I think sometimes it really is as quick to post on here and your response is personalised.

btw I%26#39;ve never posted a question on this forum where I%26#39;ve not tried to search for the answer through the search function or tried to google the answer.

Thanks again everyone for all your help in answering my previous questions. oops and in particular to GWB who has %26#39;set me right%26#39; on directions a couple of times :)

You mean nobody else selects posts by using a lucky combination of consonants, vowels and numbers in the poster%26#39;s screen-name?

Some people have the cheek of the Devil!! Don%26#39;t forget, the people who give help on here are doing it in their own time, out of the goodness of their heart (and thank god they do, or we%26#39;d all be stuffed!!). I often wonder how annoyed/bored these people feel when people (myself included here!) come on here and ask the same questions over and over again. In my defence, I do spend hours each night (yes, each night!!) wading through the pages, and picking up tips from other posts, so that I don%26#39;t have to ask too many questions. When I have asked questions, it%26#39;s because I%26#39;m a bit of a worrier, and this is a very special holiday for my son - so I just want it to be as perfect as it can be, for him...I do try to give help on the Manchester forum as my way of ';giving something back';, as I am from Manchester.