Way back in January there was a post about Walthers Modulars.
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/p/225270/2526124.aspx#2526124 (Highlight the link, left click on the highlighted link, a menu box should appear with 'open link' or something similar, click on it - will not work for all browsers).
The discussion partly involved the discrepant ratio of Walthers Modulars pilasters to wall panels. In the thread a first time poster asked if I had any pilasters left, and if so he was willing to purchase them from me. I sent him a PM listing everything that I had. Since then I have heard nada, nothing, total silence!
To say the least I am a little disappointed by the newbie's attitude.
So, as a theraputic exercise for my fellow forum members, I ask you to share your fellow exasperating good will experiences. Hopefully the moderators will recognize this as a simple exercise in getting rid of a little winter cabin fever. Or not.
Dave
This won't accomplish a good gosh darn thing except to make us feel good after having gotten our frustrations off of our collective chests.
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Dave,
take it easy, chap - that´s life. In the past 5 years, I have turned in a little over 2,000 job applications, and guess how many answers I got?
If blowing off a little steam helps to reduce boiler pressure, well, good that you have done it - we don´t want to see a boiler explosion in here
Dave, I will offer a little more sympathy than Ulrich did.
I share your frustration. I often think about starting a thread on forum decorum.
Members start threads about a problem or issue but don't give sufficient information about the problem. Then, they are asked for more information and don't respond or only give partial answers. The worst part is the lack of follow up. Did they solve the problem? How? Did readers replies help?
Ugh.
Rich
Alton Junction
Dave, I just visited that January thread. That was the guy's one and only post, never to be heard from again.
Speaking of partial Modulars kits, I have a whole bunch of window frames and windows but no walls or pilasters. Let's start a website and combine our partial kits so we can market full kits.
Well, as a relative newbie I would like to extend a heartfelt "Thank You!" to all of you that have offered advice etc. on this forum. Input from experienced modellers on forums like this one are an invaluable resource to newbies like me.
M_Robinson Well, as a relative newbie I would like to extend a heartfelt "Thank You!" to all of you that have offered advice etc. on this forum. Input from experienced modellers on forums like this one are an invaluable resource to newbies like me.
Dave, frustrating as it is, here is a great example that our efforts are not in vain.
Modeling B&O- Chessie Bob K. www.ssmrc.org
Well, golly. Might it be that as a new member he either didn't receive your message or didn't know how to retrieve it?
Yes, it's an interesting phenomenon when someone starts a thread and disappears. I'd like to make a suggestion for what to call this.......Dieseling. You older guys will remember when you'd switch the ignition off on a car and it would just keep chugging along feebly until it ground to a halt. Time for a tuneup. That's just one of the annoying threads, but it seems common. All we can do is imagine the OP got hit by a meteor or something.
Lou
Well, as a relative newbie I would like to extend a heartfelt "Thank You!" to all of you that have offered advice etc. on this forum.
We don't have the option to "like" a post here, so, here it goes: I "like" this post, and I also appreciate all the help, advice, suggestions and yes, wisecracks that I've gotten here over the years. This is a place where the rotten apples don't have much effect.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
I agree with one of the earlier posters who speculated that our first time poster might not even be aware of the Private Message capability. I myself am well aware of it but was not aware for an embarassingly long time that I had some PMs that I had failed to notice.
The other possibility, if I recall this thread correctly, is that one poster provided helpful hints for alternatives to the Modular pilasters and it might be that our first time poster decided to explore that option instead.
Since we are on the topic, I myself have too few pilasters/columns to match the number of wall and base packages I own. At a train show recently I was thrilled to discover two packages of pilasters at an OK price. Only when I examined them more closely -- long after leaving the show of course - did I discover that the prior owner had used the pilaster/column packaging to stuff all the nearly useless odds and ends from his various Walthers Modular projects. I say prior owner because the seller was an NMRA division and the stuff was from an estate sale of a member long since deceased and who probably intended no wrongdoing, he just stuffed loose parts in a handy container.
Dave Nelson
I would also like to mention that not just the person for whom the advice is intended benefit. Many times I have done a thread search before posting a question and have found my answer from an older thread.
There are a lot of great people here, and willing to take the time to help others. So yes I also must say, its very common for some new people to ask for help and never say "Hey thanks for help I apprieciate that, it solved my issue". Now that I'm not considered a newbie anymore. But when I first joined this site asking all the newbie questions. Every single time anybody took time to explain things for me, I was always gratious and thanked individuals by their name.
Could it be the youger kids perhaps? I'm sorry but the texitng generation is NOT known for their "online manners". That probably explains some of it.
Michael
CEO- Mile-HI-RailroadPrototype: D&RGW Moffat Line 1989
Motley Could it be the youger kids perhaps? I'm sorry but the texitng generation is NOT known for their "online manners". That probably explains some of it.
Hmm, might have something there, some may just feel "entitled" to use the forum and any sense of gratitude is optional.
I believe in a lot cases, this is the cause. But what do I know?
Frank
Hi Maxman and Dave Nelson:
Just to clarify, the offending first time poster asked me specifically if I had any pilasters left over. I dutifully responded.
I do suspect that the poster did not know how to set their profile so they could receive PMs, but I posted in the thread that I would send him a PM listing what I had. That puts the ball in his park. He should have investigated further or simply posted a question on how PMs are done. Perhaps I should have explained what a PM is and how to receive them. My bad for not being thorough.
Ulrich:
Thanks for your concern but I think you might not have placed enough emphasis on the smilies attached to my last sentence. Yes, I was a little frustrated by the rudeness of the poster, but knowing full well that there wasn't anything I could do about the situation I decided to add in a little humour.
Hope all is well.
ndbprrMy favorite are the people who post layout plans asking for comments then get offended when obvious faults are pointed out. I avoid commenting now.
Yes indeedy..I have notice when one takes the time to redo a overflowing spaghetti bowl plan into a decent layout the OP gets a tad upset.
What gives me a good chuckle is when the OP asked plainly if a N Scale SD70MAC can go around a 18" curve and the HO modelers start with their most excellent but, wrong scale advice.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
I was a newbie on the MR Forums not that long ago- back when we still had a space program (ahem). I think that responding to someone's PM is just plain old common courtesy. Nothing gets me more at work than sending an e-mail to another employee and then hearing...crickets. If I was the receipient, I would reply as soon as a I could- and I do. But, here on the Forums, it is just a cross-section of the public sidewalk, so to speak. There are all kinds, not all of them "kind"!
Cedarwoodron
I am willing to cut people slack on how fast they respond back, after all we don't know what is going on in their lives. I was guilty of disappearing after starting a couple of threads and people were wondering if I dropped off the face of the earth.
What had happened was my son had a situation that landed him in the ICU at Childrens Hospital for six weeks. We didn't leave the ICU much. When he got out of the ICU and onto a ward things relaxed a bit and one night I after he fell asleep I logged onto the forum. (every ward has a couple of computer stations for the parents to use) I saw a bit of dismay by some and proceeded to explain my situation and apologized to those involved.
A lot of people travel for work and can be sparatic participants at best. Over the years I have seen lots of people show up down the road explaining their tardiness. Some have become good contributors over the years.
If this is the first forum someone has ever participated in, they might just be feeling a little intimidated as well. I know I was.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
Although I have been a "reader" here, I just recently did my first post. After waiting for the moderator's okeedokee, I received four replies, and thanked each individual. Then the post kinda took off, and I realized it could become quite tedious responding to each individual. So I decided to allow the dust to settle and then post a thank you, while pointing out particularly usefull help. Is this acceptable to you gentlemen that provide a vast knowledge base? Of course posting and then never acknowledging the information provided is TOTALL UNACCEPTABLE.
Steve
Life is tough, but it's tougher if your'e stupid.
C'mon, this has nothing to do with the younger generation. I've been on the internet now for 18 years and this sort of thing happened in 1996, too (before the kids these days were born). Heck, if you go back to the pre-internet generations, how many times have you never received a thank you card for a Christmas, graduation, or wedding gift? It has nothing to do with age.
Paul A. Cutler III
Steve:
What you did is totally acceptable when a post takes off. I don't think anyone expects you to acknowledge every single post when you have multiple responses. Simply acknowledging the fact that there has been a lot of input is the decent thing to do, and, as you said, if a particular post(s) is very helpful then acknowledging that individual is proper too, IMHO.
As to me being one of those with vast knowledge, I don't think I qualify for that title. However, as everyone has noticed, I still seem to have a lot to say!
hon30critter Hi Maxman and Dave Nelson: Just to clarify, the offending first time poster asked me specifically if I had any pilasters left over. I dutifully responded. I do suspect that the poster did not know how to set their profile so they could receive PMs, but I posted in the thread that I would send him a PM listing what I had. That puts the ball in his park. He should have investigated further or simply posted a question on how PMs are done. Perhaps I should have explained what a PM is and how to receive them. My bad for not being thorough. Dave
rrebell:
At least you tried to do something about the problem. There has been no indication that the poster who asked me if I had the pilasters has done any followup at all.
bruce22:
A PM (private message) is a way of sending another forum member a message without having to post your message to a thread.
What you do is click on the name of the forum member to whom you want to send the message. You will get a page which shows all of the information about that forum member that they wish to share publicly. On the upper right of that page you will see a command which says "Start Conversation". When you click on that it will open a dialogue box where you can write your message. After you have written your message you will see below your message a bold type command which says, again, "Start Conversation". When you click on that you will send the forum member an e-mail message just like a regular e-mail. For me, when I get PMs I cannot respond to them directly but that may be a problem with the way I have my e-mail set up. I have to go back into the forum and type my response on the "Start Conversation" page.
In order to receive PMs from other forum members you must click on 'Settings' which appears under your forum name in the box on the upper right of this page. Then scroll down to the box which says "Receive E-mails" and check the box. This will allow you to receive PMs both through your regular e-mail and also under the 'Messages' option under your name, again, in the upper right corner of this page. Please keep in mind that, at least for me, I don't seem to be able to respond directly to the PMs from my regular e-mail. I have to come back into the forum and click on 'Messages' to respond.
OK now! I'll bet I have you totally confused!! If you are confused please say so and I will try to help you sort it out.
And! By the way, there is absolutely no reason what so ever to feel embarrassed by the fact that you didn't know about PMs!
Gotcha hon30critter. I have been vacillating between HOn30 and On30, and available track selection has been leaning me to the HOn30 layout. I am using AnyRail 5 and have quite a few different layout of both. Planning on just running a Shay and a Climax, with maybe a small passenger engine. I am not modeling any particular area, but was thinking Colorado. I have a 16x16 room, and was planning an around the room "U" with no duck under, although all the confusion between HOn30 and On30 leaves me wide open to any suggestions. So, as you may suspect, I have a jillion questions on minimum radii for small engines, prototypical track, and on, and on.
Anyway, thanks for the adice on proper etiquette Dave.