Spoonfeeding

[Mat]

Even If i'm almost a new one here and don't have too much experience here, here is my point : I like when people ask easy questions (for my skills in Excel and VBA), that way I can sometimes answer and I feel useful!! Even if the answer could be found easily in the help or anywhere else... And also, when I'm answering to that questions, I see a reply after me, by MVP, and d'oh Well, there's always easier ways of doing things right and I learn new things even when I'm answering, or rather trying to.

 

[countingapples]

I suppose its something I've done in the past when i first joined the board and all I wanted was the answers to MY xl problems which were obviously the most important (!) (PaddyD sent me straight without any messing about!) but now that I've been here a while I don't see any value in just giving answers - first principles is the best solution. I realise many users don't know where to get help from in the first place but as has been stated many times before - read the FAQ, RTFM (how many question's solutions are in the xl help!?), do a search (message board, MS KB, Google) etc etc.

In my case until I was upgraded from Excel97/Win 98 5 weeks ago, I didn't even have access to all the help files. I would try to search and it came back with files not available. Another point: if you don't know what something is called or how to do it or that such a way/thing/etc exists, how can you search for it? It was only last week that I found out that the little +/- symbols in columns outside the row numbers were called outlining and grouping. If I didn't have the new upgrade I could never have queried them to find out what they were. How would I have asked an intelligent question about what those were? I've had classes at the basic and intermediate level that never even discussed the various forms of lookups/match/index/macros etc. How can anyone learn something new if they never ask questions, even the dumb ones? After all we all had to start somewhere. Even if the original poster is not interested in learning about the whys and where-to-fores of their answers, the rest of us browsing and looking for our own answers before posting can still learn regardless of how old a post may be.
Everything needs to be kept in perspective here. If you feel you've been burned by a poster, don't answer anymore of their posts. And if someone didn't do their homework, let them sink. It's the natural consquences of being lazy.

 

[Iridium]

I suppose a basic understanding of xl is required but as has been said many times on this board posters ask questions to which answers can be found in the xl help files, a search of the board, using the macro recorder, looking in the recommended links etc. Irealise that sometimes the query is too simple to warrant a 'learning experience' or there are time constraints but generaly it's laziness on the part of the OP IMHO

 

[Von Pookie]

I suppose a basic understanding of xl is required but as has been said many times on this board posters ask questions to which answers can be found in the xl help files, a search of the board, using the macro recorder, looking in the recommended links etc. Irealise that sometimes the query is too simple to warrant a 'learning experience' or there are time constraints but generaly it's laziness on the part of the OP IMHO

This is why I originally created the Posting tips and general information thread.

But, like any FAQ, no one seems to really read it. And there's no way to really make them do so. There are generally 2 kinds of people who don't take the time to search for their answers themselves: those who ask one question, get their answer and take off again and those who honestly don't know (don't have the help file installed, etc.)

 

[Iridium]

Kristy

Frustrating isn't it when you take the time and effort to provide help and it's not used? I realise some posters may not know where the resources are but they could at least try to have a look (especially when they're linked so prominently)!

 

[Von Pookie]

Yeah, it can be annoying. But you just roll with it

 

[Smitty]

This is a good one and a reason for keeping at it:

Thanks again for the help. VBA is great but it takes a heck of a long time to learn, but I'm trying!

Smitty

 

[chezlinds]

Just my tuppence here, but I find that I come to this site to "learn" and to "beg" under different circumstances.

I am experienced enough in excel to get by in most situations presented to the average office-worker. I am slowly but surely increasing my skills, thanks mostly to lessons from mrexcel.com

However, a little knowledge (as they say) is a dangerous thing because even with my limited skills I am now considered the office "excel expert" Hah! This currently leads to people giving me tasks that , while I'm sure can be done, I am at a loss to see how they are done. This is the point at which I come to the boards with hat in hand, hoping that someone will give me the answer...

In short, I am learning on my own, but it is a slow process. I do use the site "search" and excel help functions -- and have gained a lot of knowledge that way. But, I am still at the level where sometimes I need the spoonfeeding. Every so often, i thank the powers-that-be that I can turn to mrexcel.com MVPs ray:

~Lindsay

 

[santeria]

One of the biggest pathways to learning that I have found is what some call "Rote" learning. Some call it learning by example, others call it "Monkey see, Monkey do".

In the first stage, it really is a case of Mimicing. It's where you take the mimic that makes the difference.

As a PC Tech, from 1994 to about 2 years ago... I had to basically find things myself, copy others, until I knew what the basic Syntax was. In some cases, such as Getting a Program to talk with another program, I needed Vendor provided API files that Allowed the program to send on Banyan Vines and not on the default MS-MAIL program.

Specifically, in Programming Ericsson MD-110 PABXs, I copied commands from my Supervisor, and asked key questions. I devloped my knowledge by using the Twenty volume Manual ( believe me, that is not easy, but I did it ). I made the moves from release BC6.7 up to BC9 purely on my own, and by using a interface that programmed in such a way that the easy commands were abbreviated. But for each short cut on the Interface, the log file showed the long form way, so that when I got stuck on more complex commands, I could at least work out what to do.

I started out in HTML programming by again mimicing, and then advancing to editors, and eventually using FrontPage as an editor; once again the mimic process was the way. I still do this when-ever I can't understand a page code... I just look at the Source code... then Parrot the moves, and work out the Syntax.

The Most extreme example of learning by rote is with Sanskrit. It took 6 months to learn the Script, then after learning basic Grammar, it ended up being an event like an Epiphany... I took in so much, I eventually realised that I knew what to do.

I could give plenty more examples, but I am sure my post will be deleted if I did.

About all I can say, is that thus far, I am glad I Discovered Guerilla Data Analysis, I am EXTREMELY grateful for the people that help me on mrexcel.com , and I totally Love the Holy Macro 1,600 VBA example disc, as well as MR Excell on Excell.
And I am telling as many people as I know about Mrexcel.com ... this place is a major resource, and most of the people I know are academics who are self taught in various fields.

I don't pretend to be good at learning programming of any sort, but my tenacious approach usually compensates. My attitude is that I'll learn come hell or high water, and my hope is to be able to do it by myself, but since I KNOW I don't know a lot, I always ask. This process seems to work.

Well thats my view as brief as Someone with an Arts and Law background can write, but I think it works.

 

[Todd Bardoni]

I prefer to use a small spoon and use the airplane method of getting them to eat. I also put a bib on them so the food doesn't get all over their clothes. I then usually use a warm wash cloth to wipe off their face.

Don't forget to burp them afterwards.