cross posting and ratios

[SMULLYAN10101]

Hi. I am agree with all rules here, and reading again all the rules; come out a question about cross posting; is true and impossible to expect answers inmidiatly, or checking all day long for your answer also it is not aceptable, sometime I see question with a lot viewer from long time ago, but no answer, because???...so my question is: after how many viewers and days is logic, or have sense going some where else for help?. Now I am talking about some ratios or scale, example 20v/1d, I mean 20 viewer in one day and no answer = wait more or move on?, or 50v/7d and nothing, what to do according to the ratios, would be for programmer or developer more appropriate to determine a scale of waiting. Somebody talk about this before?. must be hundred reasons why sometimes there are not answer, but whoever post something, is because believe in the forum. thank you so much.

 

[SydneyGeek]

A few answers:
Crossposting is frowned on because it wastes people's time. The people who answer questions here are volunteers. They also will often belong to one or more forums, so if they see a question cross-posted elsewhere without indication that it is a cross-post, they will most likely (1) be upset if their effort has been wasted and (2) unlikely to answer anything else that you post, here or on any other forum. At the very least, let people know that you have posted the same question elsewhere, and provide the link.

There are many reasons why a post doesn't get answered quickly. Often, it's because the post is not clear and people can't work out what is needed. In most cases they will move on. There is a post in the Board Announcements with some helpful tips: http://www.mrexcel.com/forum/board-announcements/685723-help-us-help-you.html#post3393381. Take time to present your question properly, and people will take a look and have a go at answering. Note: DO NOT oversimplify. If you ask something simple, get an answer, and then respond with something "thanks, but what I really need is [insert something much more complicated here]", you will lose your readers.

This Board moves quite rapidly so your question may disappear from the front page a few minutes after posting (in peak times). If you bump your post, there are some potential problems: (1) Do it too fast, and people will see you as impatient and possibly ignore the post. (2) A lot of people search unanswered posts to see what interests them. By bumping the post, you miss out on those searchers finding your post. (3) If it really is taking a long time, take a look at the earlier paragraph. I would wait at least a few hours before considering bumping the post. If you can't wait that long, and you need something more complex than a volunteer can handle in thier spare time, consider paying for it. MrExcel Consulting covers a wide range of work.

Hope that helps
Denis

 

[SMULLYAN10101]

A few answers:
. I would wait at least a few hours before considering bumping the post. If you can't wait that long, and you need something more complex than a volunteer can handle in thier spare time, consider paying for it. MrExcel Consulting covers a wide range of work.

Hope that helps
Denis

I would wait at least a few hours before considering bumping the post. If you can't wait that long,

24 hours and 12 viewer and no answered = you are free to post any where else. why nobody answer is easy to understand, but , how long to wait, that's why I am talking about the scale. "few hours" every person can take different.

 

[xenou]

Since unanswered posts appear in the "posts with no replies list" (i.e., unanswered posts or zero-reply posts) it is in my opinion better not to bump the posts. Our experienced members routinely check this list rather than scrolling through the board posts. A bump may bring it to the top of the list but after a few minutes it then disappears again as the page fills with more posts. Personally I would only bump after 24 hours have gone by. At that point you may also wish to consider if there is a way you can supply more information so that an answer is more likely:

See: http://www.mrexcel.com/forum/board-announcements/515787-forum-posting-guidelines.html
Also: http://www.mrexcel.com/forum/board-announcements/685723-help-us-help-you.html

Cross posting is frowned upon by most forums and known cross posters will end up being ignored by the "regulars". Don't earn yourself such a reputation! When you cross post, always say so and provide a link to the other post so members can check to see if the question has already been answered (you can also leave a comment of your own when this happens, so that users know the case is "closed").

Not all questions get answered - that's just the reality. There are many reasons why.

 

[Smitty]

I generally check for unanswered threads vs. chiming in on ones that have already been "answered", so as has been pointed out you can shoot yourself in the foot by bumping. Although, as has also been mentioned the board does get a lot of traffic, so it's a toss up.

I would follow Denis' suggestion that if your thread(s) isn't getting a response, then take a look at how you worded things and the detail that you gave to support your needs. If you're not getting a response here/there, then cross-posting certainly won't help - look at the root issue.