Level indicator

R

riaz

Well-known Member
Joined
Jun 27, 2006
Messages
779
Just a thought that popped into my head. I have been a regular/addict on this forum since I joined oh so long ago (wow, nearly a month!).

I started here looking for answers, and have occasionally seen questions where I can also assist. My problem is trying to figure out at what level to pitch the answer - am I talking to a very experienced person who is stuck and a keyword will prompt her/him to the right avenue, or is it a total newbie who needs hand holding with detailed steps.

If there were some way to identify users' abilities, the answer could be phrased accordingly. What do you think?

Levels could range from rookie, basic, no VBA, some VBA, medium, expert, I know it all :-D

Btw, I would class myself as medium with some VBA, so that shoots down my list immediately.

Cheers
 
That's a good question.

There are a couple of methods I use when working out how to pitch an answer : first up I take my cue from the general tone of the posters question, what sort of language / technical terms they use, any hints they give about experience with Access or VBA etc, if I'm unsure I sometimes ask, and lastly I try to mirror short questions with short answers and longer questions with answers sufficiently detailed to answer the question. If I have mis-read the OP (it happens) then they sometimes come back and tell me as much (e.g. "I'm a novice, so can you explain how I do this?").

But a good question nonetheless!

Cheers
Andrew

P.S. Per you list the 'know it all' wouldn't be asking questions here! :-D
 
Hi Andrew

I see your point. Its just that I am afraid (nervous?) of giving offense, or causing annoyance, if I misread the level and come in as if explaining to a rookie to a guru. Conversely, if I have typed in a very short answer and the questioner is a rookie, that's no help either.

What doesn't help (this is another topic altogether) is having people pose questions, but never coming back to tell you how they got on. A one liner to say it worked would assist when you formulate replies. I wonder how many of you gurus get thank you messages when you have solved a problem.

Cheers
 
Hi riaz

I don't consider myself a guru but from experience about half or less come back and say whether something worked (or not). For me it's not about the feedback, it's about a) giving something back and b) expanding my own knowledge. But that said it is nice to get feedback too! :-D

Don't worry about pitching your answer at the wrong level. A way around this is to say "Yes this can be done by doing x, y and z. Post back if you need more detail". That often works for me.

There was a similar thread on this subject in the lounge not too long ago where various members posted the merits of providing answers versus helping people learn for themselves. If you find the thread you will find lots of different opinions on this subject - so don't worry about it! Lastly beware - for once you answer a few questions you might find it addictive!

Cheers, Andrew
 
Your question is a good one. And Andrew's response(s) are good. I would add that just as there is a learning curve to Excel, there is something of a learning curve to forum participation. As you continue to read posts and when you can, answer questions, you'll get a better sense of when to be succint and when to be didactic. As Andrews already said, you can generally get a feel for a poster's experience with Excel just by the context/content of the post.

For example - here all I need is a very succint answer on where this information is located in the Excel object model. Whereas, here I was looking for longer, more informative answers. But in both posts you should be able to see that I was not an Excel newbie (at least I hope it's apparent), even though at the time I posted these questions, I had only a few hundred posts to my credit.
 
Lenze's classifications seem ideal to use for starters. I would now call myself intermediate and a half (can't do pivot tables, they frighten me so I never looked at them :-D ) but do write macros and act as help desk when IT is "too busy".

I agree with Greg and Andrew too. The tone is the thing. And I'll learn from my mistakes, unless they are fun to make, then I'll do them all over again....

Off now for a short break to London. See you in about a week, unless I can snitch a computer and some time. You can tell I have it bad. I seem to spend hours here "researching".
 
Learn pivots. They are amazingly powerful. Once you get the knack, you'll wonder how you ever lived without them.
 
I would now call myself intermediate and a half (can't do pivot tables, they frighten me so I never looked at them :-D ) but do write macros and act as help desk when IT is "too busy".
Click to expand...

Your IT department has a clue about Excel? Impressive. I can't recall any that were beyond the novice stage with the app. Their strengths certainly are in other areas and applications, but not Excel.
 
Your IT department has a clue about Excel? Impressive. I can't recall any that were beyond the novice stage with the app. Their strengths certainly are in other areas and applications, but not Excel.
Click to expand...
So true, and the sad part is, they THINK they know it. I have won a lot of free lunches from IT guys who told me I couldn't do something in Excel.

lenze
 
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