Repost Etiquette

[Ark68]

When is it ok to repost a question? I have been seeking further support from a member's suggestion but have not received a response for several days. Perhaps it has gotten lost among all the daily posts of this popular site.

When is it OK to repost the problem as it currently exists after the original reply before its considered a duplicate post? I have tried bump, but I don't know how effective that is for users who answer zero post questions primarily.

 

[Joe4]

See rule 12 here for Board Policy: Message Board Rules

 

[Ark68]

Thanks Joe for pointing me back to the rules. I was aware of that, but I thought by perhaps asking their may be circumstances or exceptions when this can be fudged a bit.
I'm behind the eight ball though. I posted a question, got a reply, but am now faced with needing an answer based on a problem encountered with the contributor's solution. It remains unanswered (and thats fair, people have lives and responsibilities outside of helping others on online forums).

Although the new problem is different than the original, I am unable to post for help on that new problem without being chastised for duplicating posts (only because it is associated to the original. It's considered a duplicate just by association even though the problem differs from the original question.) I'd think that it would be ok to post on a new problem although related to code already posted. Heck, if I couldn't post my unique questions because they are all related to the one code project I'm working on, I'd only ever be able to have one question. (I know thats extreme, but it is numerous different questions related to one code).

As much as I really appreciate the help here at Mr. Excel, you guys are amazing, one flaw that makes situations tough like this is this. Perhaps there is no answer. Perhaps many have looked at it and there is a glaring obvious problem, or again, no obvious solution. The poster waits for an answer. Even an answer that simply says "There is nothing wrong with this code" would go a long way in having to wait for a solution that will never come.

I can't bump ... that's usually ineffective based on what I read. I can't reach out to the poster providing me the solution. The only thing I might be able to do is cross post to another forum (with consideration of the rules), but really, this is the place I trust and value most. (besides most of you lurk around the other sites to contribute and look for cross posters).

Just wondering how I can go about getting my question answered if unable to rephrase or refocus in a new question. I'm sure my thread is so far back in the forum that it's out of sight and out of mind and I do wish to be respectful of your rules in exchange for the teams generous help. I appreciate the adage "Beggars can't be choosers" so not out to show disrespect.

 

[Joe4]

If the question is significantly different from the original one being asked, you can post a new question. The general rule of thumb is this:
"If the question is a duplicate or a directy related follow-up dependent on the previous question, then it should be posted in the same thread."

However, if it is a new question, not dependent on the answer to the previous question (even if it is involved in the same project), you can post it to a new question. Think of it this way, does the responder need to have knowledge of the other question in order to answer this one? If not, and if it is not a simple restatement of your original question, you can post it in a different thread.

By the way, you can bump, and bumping sometimes does work. What we caution against is "overzealous" bumping, i.e.
1. If your question has not gotten any replies, wait at least 24 hours before bumping (as bumping removes it from the "Unanswered Threads" listing, and you want to give people around the world a chance to see it as unanswered before you remove it from that list; that is usually the best strategy)
2. If you have gotten at least one reply, you do not want to bump more than once a day (too much bumping may make you appear impatient to some user)

Bumping will bring it back to the front, and some other users who may not have seen or replied to it originally may do so.

Note that many times you post may not have gotten many replies originally because of reasons like:
1. It lacked details;
2. People didn't understand;
3. It is complex.

For issues 1 and 2, it might be helpful to post more details/explanations when bumping to help clarify the request.

Hope that helps.

 

[HeatherF]

Thanks for this thread, I had a similar issue. I posted a question two weeks ago and realized right away that in an effort to be thorough I absolutely mangled the title and body of the post. I'm not sure bumping will help as readers would still have to get past the title. Is there any point that it becomes okay to repost a much simplified version of the same question?

 

[Joe4]

Thanks for this thread, I had a similar issue. I posted a question two weeks ago and realized right away that in an effort to be thorough I absolutely mangled the title and body of the post. I'm not sure bumping will help as readers would still have to get past the title. Is there any point that it becomes okay to repost a much simplified version of the same question?

In that particular instance, if the original question has not had any replies, go to it, click on "Report", and add a note for the Moderators asking them to remove/delete it, explaining what you said above. That way, we can get rid of it, so no one does post to it at some point in the future. The whole point is to avoid to active threads dealing with the same question.

Just note that you only want to do it in the situation described. We do not want people making requsts for the Moderators to delete a thread, only to have them turn around and post the exact same thing. That is when they should be doing a "bump" instead (that is why you want to be clear when Reporting it why you would like to removed, because the original one was "mangled").

 

[HeatherF]

In that particular instance, if the original question has not had any replies, go to it, click on "Report", and add a note for the Moderators asking them to remove/delete it, explaining what you said above. That way, we can get rid of it, so no one does post to it at some point in the future. The whole point is to avoid to active threads dealing with the same question.

Just note that you only want to do it in the situation described. We do not want people making requsts for the Moderators to delete a thread, only to have them turn around and post the exact same thing. That is when they should be doing a "bump" instead (that is why you want to be clear when Reporting it why you would like to removed, because the original one was "mangled").

Thanks Joe! I will do that with along with my simplified version and they can decide if the problem really was that the first post was unintelligible.

 

[XrayLemi]

Good morning everyone. This is the first forum I have ever joined so if I am doing something wrong let me know. I have two questions regarding re-posting questions. First, I have been working with a member on a problem. Half of the solution came out fantastic. The other half of the problem has had issues, and there is not yet a solution. It has been three weeks with no answer. The menber helping has been on and answered other posts since. This is the title of the post I created. "Copy data from a closed master WB to different WBs when the different WBs are initially opened. Way over my head !" I know my knowledge of VBA is extremely limited. Maybe I annoyed them? frustrated them? Should / could I re-post with only the second half of my problem?
The second is I have a post where the workbook has drastically changed. But the question has not. The member helping me said I should repost. Is this an instance where I should report and ask the post to be removed? or continue under the old post?
Thank you so much,
Jim Lemieux

 

[Fluff]

For you 1st question, the person helping you has not logged in since 20th May (before you most recent posts), so please do not start a new thread, but you can bump the thread occasionally.
For the 2nd question, if the workbook has changed drastically, then please start a new thread.

 

[XrayLemi]

Thank you very much.