Can we ignore the same old questions please?

eskbanker

Malthusian wrote: »

Pavane, I have an important question for you.



Advice pls.

8 out of 10 cats said they'd count it (or get Rachel Riley to do so on their behalf....)

Flobberchops

Glen_Clark wrote: »

If you were being mugged in the street you might be glad if a self appointed busybody stepped in to help you, instead of saying 'its not my job leave it to the police'.

...did posting stale topics on an internet forum just get compared to being mugged on the street? That does it, I've had enough of the internet. *breaks modem over knee*

bigfreddiel

I keep trying to ignore this one but every time I respond to it it goes to the top of the list!

bowlhead99

pavane wrote: »

Sadly, some of the contributors I value most reply to these threads bumping them to the top. Bowlhead actually takes the time to reply in detail to things that have been asked and (s)he has anwered a hundred times (not exaggerating), xylophone posts links to similar which is a good way to put the point across (to those who get it) but even this is somewhat too much for lazy posters who don't put the slightest effort in seeking information widely available.

I do try to ignore the simplest ones these days, especially the "got £10000, wat do?" where the only intellectual challenge is trying to figure out the picture of someone's personal finances to decide which one of the set of decent generic answers might best fit their needs. Getting there - just to type out something that has been typed before countless times - just isn't rewarding.

Even if this board had a wiki or a good set of sticky threads, new users will still rock up and say "I don't know anything about [saving / investments], what should I do with my [x]". You could point them at the stickies but some kind soul would still chip in with their preferred solution (despite the OP usually providing completely inadequate information about their circumstances), which would then develop into some sort of debate which would then ramble off-topic. That's the nature of internet forums.

If I was looking for advice I would try and find out some basic information about obvious solutions and then maybe if I wanted a to shortcut a load of exhaustive research towards the very best solution, I would sign up to a forum to see if someone could explain the bit I didn't understand or highlight a great solution I wasn't aware of. But others will just use the forum straight off: "Ive got money. What's the best thing for it" as if the responsibility to sort their affairs belongs to someone else.

For those of us who would rather not have to surf past a bunch of inane questions, the board is a bit of a victim of its own success. There are 60,000+ threads, and they average 10+ posts each, so clearly it is a place where people engage in discussion and will help people out. So, if you are lazy and want other people to solve your problems without you even doing a modicum of pre-research yourself (including looking at *any* of those tens of thousands of decent threads or using the search tool), you will probably get an answer by starting a new thread.

My post #4 in this thread (https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4363999) was a light hearted way of dealing with the billionth inane query that month from someone who had spent ages building up £10k savings in a 0.5% account and wondered what they could now do with it. But the OP did not seem to appreciate or take on board the suggestion to go and read the main site savings section or any of the other recent discussions which show up when you simply flick through a few pages of threads.

So, I can't be bothered doing that again, and have gone back to ignoring threads unless they have some content that interests me, or offer an opportunity to feed my ego by writing things that people might be genuinely grateful for and say thank you.

Thrugelmir

pavane wrote: »

I visit these boards every day. I enjoy reading up on what's new and engaging in the discussion. However, one thing really annoys me.

Every day, without fail, there is at least 1 and usually several threads about the same old type of questions savings/high rate current accounts. On any other message board, posting these would be against the rules and these messages would get deleted by mods telling the user to visit the sticky/wiki. These are a simple search away and there really is no excuse other than laziness for those asking the same things over and over and over and over and over again without even bothering to try a search.

As the mods here don't seem very proactive, I suggest these threads are ignored rather than answered bumping up the same "I have X pounds, which account should I save it in?" threads to the top.

Who's with me?

If someone has a question then they should be free to ask it. Then the thread is relevant to them and their particular circumstances. With no one size fits all solution.

As has been said previously. People have different levels of understanding of what can be complex topics. Often only by having an exchange can the extent of knowledge be teased out of people.

Ultimately the individual has to make their own decision and take personal responsibility for it. So taking plenty of time in arriving at decision is well worth the effort while the options are pondered over.

pavane

Bowlhead, you are a credit to this site. I urge people like you to focus your enthusiasm, energy, knowledge, opinions on those that have put in some effort. "10,000..." what a thread! With these types I quiet like the xylophone approach of just pasting a link to similar thread without saying a word, this should get the point across to most. The problem with giving each of these daily threads 5-10 posts is that, besides the undue attention, it clutters the database and makes the search function useless for those who are willing to put some effort for knowledge.

I still think in an ideal world the thread would be closed, ideally by a bot (based on certain key terms, user post count, date joined) like done on more advanced sites, if not manually by a mod with, at best, a link to similar/sticky. Archiving would be best not to clutter the search results if not removing outright. Based on MSE mod activity or rather lack of as they only seem to occasional post to announce old news, I think this is rather unlikely. So, by replying we are actively making the search function useless which in turn forces decent posters who are willing to do the initial search to do the same and post similar repetitive threads.

It is interesting and somewhat surprising the tone and level at which some are trying to sway this another direction. I am saying teach to fish, don't just give a fish. I am not categorically saying "don't help newbies". If you must, at least slap the cold fish across the user's face rather than make a three course dinner complete with trimming.

For those unconvinced but willing to listen and engage in the thought exchange, the types of posts I refer to could very easily be avoided, an easy guide or simple workflow.

- time horizon to establish saving vs investing
- if saving, just fill accounts starting with highest rate working down until you put everything away. This avoids the most common question "I have X where do I put it". Such threads already exist as do external sites.
- if investing, go first read a little about shares, funds, active vs passive on MSE, monevator, etc. and then ask your question giving sufficient detail. Maybe based this off some template of questions as other sites do when asking for advice to avoid the equivalent of 'what car do I buy' without giving any details on personal circumstances.

Those that ask where more refined answer is required usually involves more than just a saving/investing question, it usually goes into debt/mortgage, emergency fund, etc. which is general finance. It is great some offer this but is this subforum really best place? Maybe set up a separate beginner's personal finance section?

We were all newbies once and we all need help sometimes, I am not claiming otherwise, and yes I can of course just continue to ignore. I was trying to improve the experience and reduce clutter so that those who do try to navigate or use the search function (gasp!) don't get a million results when trying to find something relevant.

Anyway enjoying some of the humour!

Thrugelmir

pavane wrote: »

don't get a million results when trying to find something relevant.

Why waste time trawling through even 10 threads if in less time you can ask a relevant direct question or two?

Life is a cycle. Every generation starts by knowing nothing. Passing on knowledge is invaluable.

hoc

Thrugelmir wrote: »

Why waste time trawling through even 10 threads if in less time you can ask a relevant direct question or two?

Life is a cycle. Every generation starts by knowing nothing. Passing on knowledge is invaluable.

The second statement is not being disputed and stating it does not validate your suggestion.

So spam the boards? Is that your suggestion?

This all boils down to net etiquette which is social behaviour by another name. Your words could easily be spinned as advocating a taker mentality rather than giver. Ask your question, get your answer, get out. That isn't very community oriented.

Decent, honest people use the search function. Hard working families up and down the country want to use the search function, control of the board must be taken back! Et cetera, et cetera. This is how the world works now, right?

HardCoreProgrammer

The problem is that things are not very clear on the website.

There is a sticky thread - perhaps it needs to be called "read before you post"? Or perhaps add a page to highlight this when the user clicks "New Thread" for the first time?

The page contains a lot of links and the one called "How to Start Saving - Get max interest from every penny you've got" may not be very easy to spot for somebody new to the site.

I agree that some posters are too lazy to do any prior research (or even bother to provide enough information about their financial needs), and this can be annoying. But the way the site is designed does not make it easy for them to find what they need.

Thrugelmir

hoc wrote: »

This all boils down to net etiquette which is social behaviour by another name. Your words could easily be spinned as advocating a taker mentality rather than giver. Ask your question, get your answer, get out. That isn't very community oriented.

There's lots of sub forums within MSE that cover a multitude of topics. I dip and out of some as I have use of them. Many I've used once and never returned to. The one thing that I would say. Is that there are many good posters with particular areas of expertise. That frequent these sub forums. More than happy to endlessly repeat the same words to help others. That's what a community is. Supporting and helping others with no desire to reap a reward. Totally different to the real world where there's sharks lurking everywhere to rip the shirt off ones back.