discussion To 'Go public' or P.M.?

[spanner570]

I've just read Colin's (CDW) post on John Huggins 1/16th figure thread, and it got me to thinking what the newer members think about whether queries about a certain technique should really be posted on that particular thread, rather than sending a P.M., thus possibly denying other members of the information......

I have revived this old thread of mine so folks can see earlier responses to this age old dilemma!

Cheers,

Ron

 

[Ian M]

I suspect that some of these PM'ers may well be new members that are still suffering from 'silly question' syndrome.

The only silly question is the one you don't ask!!!

The fact that the person sends a PM instead of asking here, then of course still leaves the question unasked for all the other's that are wondering the same. One way around the problem could be that the person receiving the PM could evaluate if the reply should be public. Tact and diplomacy is called for in doing this.

It the question relevant to the thread, reply in the thread. No need to hang any members out by starting the reply with X has PM'ed me asking.......

A much kinder way is to say that you have been asked in a PM "How do you do this, that or the other" but I think that the reply would be of interest to all so what I do is........

Or you could just reply to the PM and suggest they ask on the forum. As Steve has said before. There is more than one way of skinning a cat. Someone else might have a much better/simpler/cheaper way of getting the same result.

Just my tu'pence worth.

Ian M

 

[stona]

I feel people should go with what they are comfortable with. There's nothing wrong with a "private" discussion,particularly if it's about some arcane subject that would probably bore most members to death!

The good thing about a public question is that you will get more answers and they will not necessarily all be the same. This allows you to make an informed decision.

There certainly is no such thing as a daft question and noone here will give a snidey or unhelpful answer.

I don't mind questions being posed in my threads either. I haven't noticed anyone else being bothered either. Even if it diverts the thread somewhat,if it spreads a bit of knowledge or helps a fellow member then surely it is fulfilling the purpose of a forum.

The same goes for linking to your own builds. Surely noone thinks that is showing off. It's just an easy way of showing something that you have done and someone else may be trying to do. A picture is worth a thousand words.

Cheers

Steve

Cheers

Steve

 

[BarryW]

Since I returned to the hobby 6/7 months ago people 'going public' has really advanced my knowledge and skills, often answering questions I did not even know to ask!!!

 

[Guest]

I have to say that i agree public is good, not only is the technique being described, but it is being shown as well. I tend to learn quicker from what i can see as i think most of us can but we all get to see the end result.

scott

 

[Guest]

Public has got to be the best way surely. Maybe there are a few questions posed to a member via a PM, and there's nothing wrong with that, and I can see reasons for doing it, but in general, public is useful and interesting to a lot of others. Lets face it, without the internet forums, model making would be quite a lonely hobby and forums make one feel a part of a massive friendly community.

 

[Guest]

absolute yes from me.

I've stumbled across old threads that interest me that i'd otherwise never have seen, it's good to resurrect an old interesting thread occassionally.

 

[flyjoe180]

Since I returned to the hobby 6/7 months ago people 'going public' has really advanced my knowledge and skills, often answering questions I did not even know to ask!!!

That goes for me in my limited time here too. Questions I may have asked have already been answered or techniques I did not know about explained in some detail. Great site, going public can only add to the interest of the forum in my opinion. The search function is my first port of call before asking a question.

 

[Guest]

Respecting the fact that they PM'd me, so not mentioning any names.

Two members were new (less than a month in the forum and had few posts)

One other was a longer member (2 years) and didn't post much at all.

questions were along the lines of... how long has it taken/will it take, how did you bend the balsa, where did you get the plans, what paint did you use, how do you work out the scale ... etc.

I'm more than happy to help and offer advice via PM (as limited as it is compared to some on here, yes i know i always mention this .. but just look at the level of work thats posted .... truely mind blowing in some threads) but i think open questions in the forum would get more responce from a more diverse audience therefore getting more differing ideas and experiences.

I think one thing may have a bearing on people posting their work or asking questions publicly (this i summize from the content of one of the PM's i had)

If you just joined the forum and have an interest in a less popular subject matter then when you post you will receive fewer (if any) replies .... you will always get a fair few views though. posts with no replies could be seen by the new member as other members not being interested (or even to the extent of "clicky" because you're not in the mainstream build subject matter). Asking a question they think may have been asked before may get answers like "why didn't you search" or maybe get directed to another thread with a sarcastic comment.

I know it's not the case here, some other forums maybe (hence why i joined this one) Maybe these new members think all forums are the same regarding this and so aren't willing to post for fear of defamatory comments?

The main point is if you build popular models you'll get more interest, if you build obscure items then interest will be minimum unless it's so unusual (or impressive) that people feel the need to post saying just that.

 

[mossiepilot]

I agree with the "go public" crowd.

I 've seen, and posted myself, threads that start with "It may be a daft question but ....." that have taught me a great deal.

Keep it public and if I'm not interested in the subject I wont read it, but PM's I'll never read and I'll learn now't.

Steps off soapbox

Tony.

 

[Guest]

I think if it's the case that there has been a reticence to "go public" by someone for reasons explained by Colin, then hopefully, if they, or that person, reads responses here, they will feel more comfortable about asking in general. Having said that, although I think "public" benefits more people and makes the forum more active and interesting, I still have no issue with PMs. Unless of course, it was all PMs and no public Wouldn't be a very interesting forum then would it?