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Should you post if you haven't properly read? - Page 2

post #31 of 38
4/15/07 at 2:10pm
I don't think people get "bugged" way too easily. I guess some people have to be on the receiving end of this before they can understand what the OP here is talking about.

There's nothing more frustrating than explaining the background of the situation, and the problem...and then being scolded for doing something, or NOT doing something...that is clearly covered in the original post.

As far as walls of text, I don't read them either...and I don't reply.
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post #32 of 38
4/15/07 at 2:11pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sims2fan View Post
I think this depends on whether the OP is serious or not.

When a person does not commit to reading the whole thread in Health or Behavior forums they should not reply, unless its vibes. We could lose a person who we could have helped by doing this, and bottom line its the kitty that suffers.

Its fine to skim other threads and answer but I would advise caution.
I agree with you here.

Although we are a community in many ways, we have to be aware that this is an informational website in many respects. In the lounge, the posts are not always of a serious nature. However, in parts of the forums specifically designed to be helpful to kitties and their owners, a certain amount of seriousness is called for. What would happen if we all decided we were too busy to read an OP and started posting random, unrelated responses in Health&Nutrition, Behaviour or, god forbid, the Rainbow Bridge? These areas of the forum are full of people looking for advice with a problem or a loss, one that I'm sure causes them much distress and worry if they are posting about it. To post a stock answer like "spay your cat" without reading the original post to learn the specifics of a particular furbaby's problem could not only be frustrating to the poster, but also reflect negatively on the supposed knowledge and willingness to aid that is the backbone of TCS.
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post #33 of 38
4/15/07 at 3:22pm
Yes this is true.

I can't forget when a member started a long and heartbreaking thread about her cat whom she rescued from an abusive person, had a serious heart murmur and she could not spay her because of this condition. Some one wrote a three word post to the effect of "SPAY YOUR CAT!!!!", the member handled it well and did not take the post to heart.

However, what if she had? She may have left the site without finding out that there was a particular type of anesthetic that she could use for her cat.

Fortunately she did not leave and the cat was spayed.

This is something I tell myself before responding to posts:

Is what I'm about to type helpful to the kitty?
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post #34 of 38
4/15/07 at 6:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sims2fan View Post
This is something I tell myself before responding to posts:

Is what I'm about to type helpful to the kitty?


The way I look at it is, even if I think what they are doing with their cat is really dumb, they are here looking for info because they care, or are worried and if people are rude to them, they will look elsewhere or stop looking altogether.

My post was more aimed at lounge type posts as I don't post in threads in H&N etc, apart from to give vibes, unless I know that I am sure of my information (as much as a non vet can be anyway) as I just don't know enough to advise people not knowing if they won't discuss it with their vet first.
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post #35 of 38
4/16/07 at 7:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Leli View Post
I just think that, if you're going to respond, you should at least read the OP..... don't offer advice on how to handle the problem if you're not willing to spend the few minutes it would take to find out what the problem is.

.

That's exactly what I meant - at least read (really read) the original post. I equate it to raising your hand in class to answer a question that you never heard in the first place. Would you raise your hand to answer it? I wouldn't - I would be too embarrassed.
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post #36 of 38
4/16/07 at 11:31am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Leli View Post
Does anyone ever have an experience on TCS or other forums where you get/see responses and it's clear the person posting hasn't really read the original post? I'm not saying anything bad about TCS itself....in fact, by far the vast majority of replies are very helpful, insightful and pleasant. But sometimes, I see posts where I'll think to myself "Wow, that guy didn't even scan the original post!"

I find this really frustrating. I know it's time consuming to read posts and quicker to just skim and then reply, but if you don't have time to read it, it seems like you shouldn't post until you do have the time.

I know that when it happens, the person is well-intentioned, but it just bugs me.

What do you guys think?
A somewhat different take on this is when a post asks a question, and then four or five people answer the same question with the same answer. Which means, I guess, that they see the original question and do not see what anybody else has had to say about it. So, what ya think about dat?
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post #37 of 38
4/16/07 at 11:55am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Persi & Alley View Post
A somewhat different take on this is when a post asks a question, and then four or five people answer the same question with the same answer. Which means, I guess, that they see the original question and do not see what anybody else has had to say about it. So, what ya think about dat?
That sometimes happens when people are posting simultaneously, or don't "refresh" before posting an answer.
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post #38 of 38
4/16/07 at 12:51pm
I hate cheerios.

Oh, I'm sorry, this was about not reading the original post?

I'm just being a brat.

Actually, lots of times, I'll reply to a reply rather than the original post. Or I'll reply to the original post right away before reading through the entire thread, especially if there are tons of responses. I know it seems silly, but I just have to get my two cents in.

I agree though, that there seem to be a heck of a lot of replies to people's questions that show that the person replying paid zero attention to what the original question was!

Most times, these non-answers appear to be lectures, as if the responder simply saw some keywords, jumped to an assumption then posted without really paying attention to the OP's actual post. That is a bit frustrating, but I just skip over those replies, as the folks who posted them were obviously on a different planet at the time of their post. Inter-planetary translation issues do arise, sad to say.
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