Spoonfeeding

[Windsinc]

Yes, I have even heard that in the trurcking biz. I've heard more off the wall things in my 46 yrs than I want to remember.
I really do use the F.A.Q, search the post, google, Mr. Gates help files and all the links provided. I once cooked a steak dinner to get my friend to show me how to even think about using Excel, it was worth the $50 bucks
However, I am going to say that each person looks for things in different ways using different terms and trust me sometimes you end of in the far left field under the cow paddy.
Me I just want to learn, I waited a long time to have the chance to learn so I am not going to waste it by being too proud to ask for help, even though I know it might be a question that 50 million have asked and understood. Of course I am going to be the one that doesn't.
After all what's going to happen, am I going to get killed, booted, ran off, told to never return? I don't think so.
It's like the people who are afraid of the police and every other thing that scares people, the worst that can happen is you have to pay some money out, maybe do a little time in the corner. So what you are alive and breathing that's a big plus in my book.
Try being a small, blonde, 50% deaf female trucker in the late 70's early 80's in the south, if they couldn't break me from trying then no one else can.
My hats off to anyone that helps others and expects nothing in return but a heart felt THANK YOU and knowing that they helped when help was needed. ray:
I do understand explaining the same thing over and over. But I always remember that I had to learn some where and someone had to have a big enough heart to teach me.
SO thanks to everyone and I am back in the corner.
One more thing, has there ever been a Excel meeting where the regulars on this board meet each others? I am sure it would be so funny judging by the post.

 

[Windsinc]

There never seems to be a "right way" to help. The problems that I, personally have with the help files, and other DIYHB is that I don't understand the terms, words meanings. Yes I look that up too, but some things are best explained and understood, (look at the MS Exel help),by example anyway on my part. How do you think we learned to walk & talk, by example.
And that's my story and I am sticking to it.

 

[clipovich]

Hello everyone. I am new to programming and have found out that I learn best when people tell me the main steps to take but leave it up to me to figure out how to perform the steps and then provide me with specific code only if I ask for more help on a particular step.

Example:

1) create select query
2) convert to update query

and then leave it up to me to figure out how to actually create the select query and convert it.

 

[kevinboo]

" I suppose I'm thinking do we give the answers or help to learn? People don't learn by being given the answers IMHO (myself included) "


Ask anyone who teaches/trains and they will tell you that the way we learn can differ greatly from person to person, and that chances are there are some people out there who actually DO learn in this way.

 

[clipovich]

I would recommend giving general instructions first and then only giving more specific answers once the person has had some time to try and follow the general instructions.

 

[TrippyTom]

I consider myself an average use of VBA because of a variety of resources:
- help I've received from this board
- books I bought from this site
- VBA help file info
- posts I've read over at the VBA Express Forum

Without a combination of all these resources, I would still be using about only 10% of Excel's capabilities.

I like seeing the various solutions different posters come up with. I also believe that one can adopt a bit of Darwinism with regard to forums. Survival of the fittest seems to work here; Those who actively seek out information of the hows and whys retain the solutions far greater than those who are just looking for a quickie.

In that past, I worked as a Technical Writer for a software company and I can tell you it's a FACT that people don't read manuals or help files. That job is frustrating because you do work that you know will rarely be looked at. Here's a great article that talks about why people never read manuals: http://www.joelonsoftware.com/uibook/chapters/fog0000000062.html

But of course, people won't even bother to read that link, so why am I wasting my time? Because there's a slight chance that someone might actually get a snicker out of it because they've gone through the same thing.

FYI - i voted "Teach Them". It's the only way people are going to learn.

 

[starl]

Don't be such a pessimist Trippy
You can always count on another Tech Writer to read your stuff! *lol*

btw - that article.. the truth is scarey!

 

[Andrew Fergus]

Thanks for the link Tom. I think a few changes need to be made to my user interfaces.....
A

 

[Norie]

I like the concept of Teach not Tell.

That is, give people an idea of how to solve the problem, not give them the full solution.

Also, I'm getting a bit annoyed when I go to another site and find that the OP has found a solution and has failed to telll others.

 

[Von Pookie]

Norie: If you reply with a link to the answered version of the post you find, and then report it, we can lock those cross-posts (basically like we do with duplicate postings).

I find cross-posts now and again, but don't really like to do anything unless there's a reply of some sort on one of them.