Posting Format

[Mark O'Brien]

I rang the MS hotline once, well more than once because they kept disconnecting me (I think the question: "how do I open an effing file without the password" kind of ticked them off though) (j/k. BTW )

Basically, if the solution wasn't available through the MS Knowledge Base or the MSDN, they couldn't answer my questions and refused to even try. To cut a short story long, the service was **** poor and I wish I knew of this site, or something like it.

 

[Anne Troy]

Hey, everybody. Thanks for your input. Chris, you're absolutely right. I didn't really write it specifically for MrExcel's site. I thought more of posting it on my own site, and it does say FREE tech support sites (not commercial!). I consider MrExcel to be one in the grand scheme of things, but this IS Excel, and you're right about that.

I suspect there's a lot more experts here that never go to other sites, than there are at many other sites. I go to many. I've found only about four with the *community/team spirit* of MrExcel so, as you can imagine, those are the ones where I hang my garter...er...hat!

I would expect either Bill or myself would edit it to be MrExcel-specific should he ever use it as a "Need Help Posting?" (stolen from another free tech support site) link that could appear on the forum pages or in the FAQ or something. I haven't presented it to Bill yet, just trying to get some general opinions first.

I hate forms for this kind of thing, myself, so looked towards a solution like this as being a better option. Forms can be nice, but what happens when someone says they have Excel 98, and you KNOW the odds of that one lonely Mac user out there coming here for help? Hee hee.

_________________
TheWordExpert
This message was edited by Dreamboat on 2002-05-08 18:17

 

[Mark O'Brien]

I too, read your document. I think it is very good and could be used as a guideline for people, which I think was/is your original intention.

Hell, you could put it up there with the Chip Pearson thingy. (put more humour into it and you beat Chip )

 

[anno]

On 2002-05-06 09:59, Mark O'Brien wrote:
I rang the MS hotline once, well more than once because they kept disconnecting me (I think the question: "how do I open an effing file without the password" kind of ticked them off though) (j/k. BTW )

Basically, if the solution wasn't available through the MS Knowledge Base or the MSDN, they couldn't answer my questions and refused to even try. To cut a short story long, the service was **** poor and I wish I knew of this site, or something like it.

mark
apologies if you've seen this already, but given your experiences with ms hotline support i thought it might appeal to you:
http://www.bmug.org/news/articles/MSvsPF.html
anno

 

[Mark O'Brien]

Thanks anno,

I hadn't seen that. You know, that was pretty much my experience with MS and I wasn't even asking them anything about VBA. (additionally, I think at that point MS UK was a premium line, so you paid per minute)

My best personal story about technical support lines was when I called (3Com I think) about a printer hub. I can't remember what the gist of the problem was, but I'd tried everything in their troubleshooting guideline. I called them, told them what was wrong, they scratched their heads and said that they'd call me back as soon as the had a solution. In the meantime, I killed the power to the hub and left it for about 5 minutes. (cold boot) I came back and plugged it back in. Yay, success! It turned out to be something to do with network collisions and the fact that we had a small (5 PC) network. I think we had assigned the same IP address to two machines. (can't remember, but that sounds good)

Anyway, about a month later, 3Com give me a call back. Their advice:
"Disconnect the power and leave it for 5 minutes, then turn it back on."

 

[Chris Davison]

On 2002-05-06 18:55, Dreamboat wrote:
Christ, you're absolutely right.

Dreamboat,

Was this directed at me ?!

People usually get my surname wrong, not my first name !

Or maybe you *were* just blaspheming :wink:

Aaaaanyhow, yeah, it's a nice guideline document, one you've obviously spent some time working on and drawing on your experience !

Getting back to the original thread though, as this seems to have split off at a tangent (although still relevant and applicable).

Question posting "intro"

I'd recommend a thorough search for relevant threads and maybe a quick MVP brainstorming session to come up with something suitable.

(my suggestion of "optional" only : maybe as we have the ability to switch our signatures on or off, users could also have the option to switch on or off a "posting intro", so as people get more used to asking questions, they can switch off the form that asks about various things.... I dunno....)

 

[Jack in the UK]

Chris maybe i expect to much of MVPs???

To me MVP soul have a skill that unique or be an outright guru in A b or C, so MVP in this board shopuld have the power to edit posts instantally if it to help, but thats a tough call.

im can not make MVP, i have MASSIS back up from my resources and experiance, seem MVP is who can sit at work and surf.

to me the finest guru do not do this and are some MVP and some not.

i have helpped thousands and will comtinue to do so best i can, i work with simple ways...

thisis crap and some input form will comfuse the poster and we oose the question if written badley or not as we would,

the UK have very few solver, and i do not know UK MVP this is a discrace and i say OK UK has no one good enough to be MVP, MVP ar3e US most ok few outsice but do they post as much and help as much as we do???

Excep one of cause.

to me this contridict the MVP as how can MVP be 20% of what i post many they post are on sdame feed i do not, i can play the game and have 3 times the post.

Do MVP do their job as would really help this board>>>>>>>

i dont know many do some do not.

As punishment if i never make MVP .... fine.. i guess the truth never works. but the US has CIA and FBI who police the US and much of the world, allowing country to do a civilised living as we see in the civalised world..

Maybe i shout to our US friends what has the UK done wrong in the UK.. we have no resepentaion in the MVP so input in next to zero.

excel knows no polotics and is open to all, or maybe not.

As we spoke th eother trust me if i post i will if i never post again, i personally dont care i have enough to do you know me well. oim not afraid to post these words, but as you bluntly tell me but the woprld looses me and my knowledge.

OK i except this and have told you.. but maybe i have so much more to offer but in teid by US ball and chain.

My work has my cap from US Washington Res1cue and these guys my father know in New Your many died so it seems as always the US rules the world. Harh.. no relistic.. but in life the guys i meet fact to face are fine US guys..

I guess an American way...

What the US needs to learn is not everyone is against them and as they know the UK is their best allue...

as i am!

 

[Mark O'Brien]

Jack,

I guess I may be the exception you mentioned with regard to there being no MVP's from the UK.

Have a good evening (I'm off to play golf).

 

[Jack in the UK]

mark you and i are friends but in this post my friend you are US (i know your scots)

only 2 non US MVP i know of both gurus simple..

but no british....

you have inervertiflt highlighted my comments i post 4 or 5 in th e ranks most to single shot posts not many on the same feed..

but


no UK MVP.....

 

[Anne Troy]

Chris:

Get off the pedestal. You've been demoted!

LOL!!

Hey, I haven't even thrown this by Bill (MrExcel) yet, so before we get the MVPs in??

Or, if you think you should, go ahead and start something.

And it took me about 1.5 hours to write that thing. It's been in my head for months, tho. As I'm SURE y'all can imagine.