On Fri, 2004-12-31 at 08:46, Karen wrote:
> Hi,

> With the issue of no replies to posts being brought up with the RE: 
> Starcraft Crashing Problem, I have had only one reply to a post and all 
> other  issues I have had no luck finding myself have gone unanswered. 

Yep, I think I've had little better luck when it comes to posting
questions. I just consider it the luck of the draw, though... nobody
knew the answer, or my post was too long winded and complex.

[snip]

> It does seem the odd posting by an unknown doesn't get the 
> replies as the others do.

I think there are several factors to that. First, many cases when
there's a discussion among the "regulars" it's about a sub-point or
technical detail of a post, rather than an extensive discussion of some
request for help. Quite a different thing.

Also, I think many of the list regulars are better at asking questions.
This matters. Short, clear posts (oh, if only I could manage that!),
clear wording, good structure, proper punctuation and spelling, etc help
a lot. I know that if _I_ can read and understand a post in one pass,
I'm vastly more likely to reply if I think I can help. I suspect many
others here react the same way.

> This list has many many experienced users who obviously have a wealth 
> of knowledge and it would be wonderful for them to try a little harder 
> to share this.

What I've seen on this list is folks consistently answering many
questions, even quite basic ones, and usually doing so helpfully and
politely. I'd say posts on this list get responses considerably more
often than on many lists/groups I've seen. Of course, not everybody gets
a response... but in the end, WAMUG isn't a paid tech support forum.
WAMUG is a bunch of people talking about macs and helping each other out
when they know the answer to a problem. In many cases this involves
professionals who work in the area donating time they'd otherwise charge
for. I, for one, am grateful for that and reluctant to ask for anything
more than what people choose to give.

On a side note, I suspect you're more likely to get helpful responses
here when posting about general technical issues, rather than questions
about very specific programs - like an ancient game, or Karaoke software
;-) . Many geeks love knowing the answer, and also love tricky technical
questions, after all (coming from a geek).

> Personally I feel sometimes that anything I might have to say or ask 
> just seems unimportant to others on the list especially if there are no 
> replies.

It's easy to feel that way, but I think normally it's that nobody knows
the answer and nobody has any ideas about quick ways to find it out.

> If an effort was made by all to at least acknowledge postings I think 
> more people would feel welcome on this list and contribute more.

I'm not sure its worth having a bunch of people reply on-list to say
"I'd love to help, but I don't know", though. 

--
Craig Ringer