Only Reply To A Post If You Have Something To Add

When researching a problem on the Internet, a lot of times you will find message boards and blot posts to be very valuable. If during your research, you come across a post which shares the problem you are having, only post a reply to it if you have something valuable to add to the troubleshooting process.

Often times, you will see a problem explained in great detail only to find a slew of follow up posts which basically say “I’m having the same problem”. This adds nothing to helping the issue get resolved. Instead, only post if you have something constructive to say such as troubleshooting steps you tried or any additional information the original poster didn’t supply. Doing this allows others to have a better understanding of the problem you are experiencing which hopefully leads to a solution.

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Genius
You know the problem is some sites need a registration which compels you to give your Email, then will get a lot of spam. Another problem is the language, some can’t explain the issue precisely in English
Haha I posted here coz there’s no spam
Thank you
Jase
Another problem I tend to strike a lot with said message boards, is usually the threads are too old (some by 5+ years), and/or they have been “closed” by the website admin, so i’m usually unable to add my 10c worth anyway, which is a pity seeing as I can usually solve said original posters problem, and the rest of the thread goes off on odd tangents
Roger
This week my wife brought home the HP laptop, belonging to her boss, for me to look at as he couldn’t access the internet. I saw the light by the wireless switch was “orange” instead of “blue”. Researching this showed posts with similar problems with many “I’m having the same problem” posts. This let me know there was a significant problem with wireless connectivity on some of HP’s products. When he called HP support they told him the laptop was out of warranty, he replied that researching the internet showed many problems with this issue. The HP representative then said he’d send a box to pick up the laptop and it would be repaired free of charge. Consequently, sometimes, “I’m having the same problem” comments are helpful.
http://TriumphTalk.com Carl S
I think there is some value in others posting that they have the same problem. That reveals that the problem is not isolated. It would be helpful if the poster would tell what they have tried to fix the problem even if what they tried didn’t work.

Mark
Agreed. It is better to try a solution when people verify that it solves a problem. There are times that suggestions given by others are dangerous to the computer, its set-up and its operating system.
One must be very careful.

David
Amen! This is my bigger pet peave. Find a post which has the exact problem you’re having. It has a reply that says basically “try this”. Then nothing else. Maybe it fixed the problem. Maybe it crashed their computer so they could never get onto the internet again, ha ha.
How hard is it to post “That fixed it!”?

http://www.nathanhunstad.com Doctor Gonzo
One reason people post “I have the same issue!” to a forum thread is to subscribe the thread to get via email any future replies that may have the solution they are looking for. Apparently, a lot of people don’t realize that you can subscribe to a thread without posting to it.
BobYokl
I would definitely agree on this point which appears to me to be more of a pet peave than anything else….I delve through the noise of those to find the right answers and sometimes my search criteria picks up the wordage of the same user saying “I had the same problem with*****MY ERROR WORDS***** Too”. So I am not entirely sure that it may or may not been helpful to me. Plus when you get advice on line it is more along the lines of let the user of suggestions beware if my take. Think the logic through as to possible outcomes before you use the advice in full. e.g., I need help with an issue and found what I thought I was looking for but found out the person was coding in php not asp which was the answer I was looking for…totally different world and when I saw the example they gave I knew it was php…some might not.
Nick C.
i have the same issue!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol