Do Posters Read Their Answeres?
 

I've wondered if posters actually read the answers they receive. There are those that do respond with "thanks" or they ask another question, but many seem to go unacknowledged. What do you think?

I agree. Just a simple acknowledgment would be nice. Even more so would be a trip report to let others know how things were.

I think most old timers do post some sort of follow up. But my suspicion is that most newbies don't know how to use the boards, and never find their original threads again. That is why so many post the same query multiple times.

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These days with the sort of replies one gets on here, a lot of posters are seeing a simple question turn into a debate on racism or being an American, stupid stuff.I always thank people for answers.

Doesn't it seem like the design of the board is set up to encourage longtime posters rather than "ask a quick question, get a quick answer." I would imagine it is hard to find a thread that you started the first time, especially when the search function isn't working.

It might be interesting to compare this board with Fodor's Australian board, where posters nearly always acknowledge responses and often a multi-exchange correspondence develops. But then, the Australian column doesn't often degenerate into the personal abuse, vilification, and just plain rudeness which often distinguishes the replies on this board.. sometimes I am quite shocked at the language and name-calling, and I would imagine that this ill-use of your board is one reason so many respondents are afraid to use their real email addresses and why newbies would look once, and then move on elsewhere, aghast. I wonder why this board degenerated into this kind of slanging match? A bit sad, I reckon.

I often wonder if posters proofread their questions.

Well, I read the answers to my posts almost obsessively, checking them all the time to see if anyone has added anything new. Unfortunately, that's hard to do when the thread falls to the bottom of the pack and the search function won't dig it up. I also try to add my thanks, which btw is a nice excuse to float the thread up to the top again, however fleetingly.

Totally agree with you, E. I'm fairly new to this board but I'm completely hooked. Not only do I constantly check my own posts, but I also check to see if others have commented on my answers! Even though there are some really rude posters on this board, I still think it's amusing and informative. I promise to enter a trip report when I return from Hawaii.

Sure, posts sink quickly, But even without a good search function, you can streamline a search for a specific post by selecting the country if you indicated one, and by using your browser's regular "find" function to search batches of 50 headers.

Er, sorry, make that "by selecting the STATE if you indicated one." For a moment, I forgot which board I was on.

Oh, Lenore, that is SO funny--I check to see if anyone has commented on my answers, too! And Ellen, I wasn't really complaning about posts sinking fast--I like that the first 50 posts are usually different every time I visit. But I'll use your suggestion to find my sad, unpopular posts in the future, thanks!

Ellen, spoken like a pro!

I do, but lately it is getting scarey,you never know what someone will start on your thread..and a well meant post will turn into a free for all that should be deleted :(

scardy,<BR>I have had that problem too but if you e-mail Fodors they seem to delete the post pretty quickly.

I do check back for response, both to my own questions, and sometimes to answers I've given. But I may or may not respond. Not to long ago the nasties harassed someone up one side and down the other for politely saying "thank you" for every post. I'm sure the person saying thanks was stunned, but these others apparently thought he/she was wasting space! <BR><BR>So please don't judge, regardless of whether you do or don't get a response. After all, it's not really about you, is it?

As a longtime reader of the Fodor message boards and occasional poster, it's my opinion that the boards' popularity has grown incredibly in the past 6 months. It used to be easy to find your posts but now the left hand topic frame is moving at the speed of light. Another annoying thing is the proliferation of "What's the funniest thing ... blah blah blah" type posts instead of more travel-related queries. <BR><BR>But it's still among the best boards I've seen.

So, What Do You Think, Where's your "thanks"?

I ALWAYS read my posts. I have learned a lot from these boards. And I try to remember to thank those folks who help me out.