Unrequited Guest Questions

The email policy is listed in the site FAQ. The fact that it's missing from the tips for posting may be an oversight. We are proposing some changes to both sections and I'll definitely suggest that it be added to the tips for posting. In bold.

Hmmm...make it so a "Guest" cannot originate a question, but can respond to any thread already started?

Seems a fair compromise. It'll deter a few casual / accidental visitors, but perhaps not many. May even cut down a little on the spammy threads.

It's an idea to consider - but Guests who don't know any better (and some that do) might try to start new threads within existing threads because they can't find the "new" button.

Guest #2 may be on to something.

As a guest, the 'Rate' button is unavailable. Perhaps as well the 'Ask a Question' and 'Start a Discussion' buttons should be unavailable?

I have been involved in several threads started by a guest that turned into a productive and enlightening discussion. I would hate It would be discouraging to see the guest participation restricted, but it may solve some of the issues Admin is facing. SavvyExacta, are there any downsides to some possible guest restriction that have been identified by CR4 Admin?

As I consider, you have already told us Admin has several things under consideration. We will find out soon enough.

There might be registered members who feel the need to post as Guest if the question or answer is too close to their field of employment or too close to a confidentiality agreement. Hopefully no posters will post anything that they shouldn't, but stating that "steel is hard" might give lawyers something to work with if all they want to do is cause trouble for someone that used to work in the steel industry.

Also, some posters have a tendency to get rather nasty. A registered member might post as Guest if responding to someone that they do not want to risk getting into a long term flame war with.

Doorman,

I suggest that people who forget where they went don't care about the answer enough anyway.

I think that anyone who has a legitimate problem, or is just an upstanding e-citizen would register. I don't like to do it either. But I thought enough of this forum to register before I posed my first question. So did you, I'll bet.

It's not my forum. ^{_{If it were, it would be perfect!}}

Cheers Partner!

On a side note, as a member of CR4 who doesn't like his email inbox getting full of CR4 "new comment" notifications (the 'breaking the bathtub' thread was one of the straws that broke that camels back) I bookmark new threads first so I can find them and periodically check the thread for new comments. Later I subscribe to the thread when the new posts start to slow.

This internet browser bookmark function should work perfectly fine for guests or non-subscribed members of a particular CR4 thread (in that it makes finding the thread easy) and seems fairly logical to me. Perhaps this comment could be added FAQ (even though it is fairly obvious).

Or: choose the "limit to one" email option in "limit subscribed discussions alerts" at the foot of your profile setup.

The existing choices are very flexible.

I don't think there is a problem with the guest functionality of this forum. The problem seems to lie with registered members' feelings. They think their answers are a waste of time when a guest poster does not reply. There would be not hurt feelings, if people do not reply at all to guest questions. Equally so, when a guest posts something offensive. Why do registered members reply? Just marked it off-topic or report it to the admins. There is no need to respond. But, often many long time members post a reply instead of ignoring the offender's post and letting the admins take care of the offensive guest.

Obviously, if the question has already been answered previously, then the thread doesn't beg to be answered again. Yet time and again I see registered members continue long threads to posts that have been answered many times over (this is known by the links provided to previous similarly answered posts).

As far as unrequited guest questions are concerned, if the guest truly wants an intelligent answer, then perhaps they should either pay someone else for it or become a member of CR4, since being a member seems to encouraged others to answer. In any case, this is a forum and there should be no expectation that any one question will be answered in full or correctly. No one is getting paid to solve anyone's problems here. And there is no guarantee that the answer will come from someone with credentials to give a professional answer.

But I want everyone to realize that responses that solve a problem here are not wasted. What some forum participants do not understand is that many people with either the same or similar problems read the answers and will not post a response, but will benefit from an intelligent answer. So, I say if you have the solution and the time to post a reply, then do it. Do not worry about responses. Someone will benefit from your experience and knowledge. If you do get a positive reply to your solution, enjoy it, but don't get used to it.

by the usual guest

The problem seems to lie with registered members' feelings. They think their answers are a waste of time when a guest poster does not reply.

No, imo, it when a response is posted the op does not return it in time......or quickly enough........lack of patience.

by the usual guest

?, that carry's no meaning for me.

In any case, this is a forum and there should be no expectation that any one question will be answered in full or correctly.

you just answered for me.

Hello "the usual guest".

I'll just pick a few pieces of your comment and toss in my 2 bits.

"And there is no guarantee that the answer will come from someone with credentials to give a professional answer." Like this question? Perhaps The Amazing Kreskin can diagnose that problem.

"But I want everyone to realize that responses that solve a problem here are not wasted." I agree, and it appears several others do as well. The "Unrequited Guest Question" does not imply that we should not respond, it refers to the OP guest never seeing the responses... our guest is sitting on his hands, waiting for the email response to his urgent question from his trusted friends at CR4. It will never come, thus the guest's perception of an unrequited question. Is there a way to make that better? There have been a few good ideas here... thanks guys!

An Unrequited Question is a question that is not openly reciprocated or understood as such, even though reciprocation is usually deeply desired. ^{_{(This similar to Unrequited Love,} according to Wiki)}

Let's see if I qualify as a psychic

"But I want everyone to realize that responses that solve a problem here are not wasted. What some forum participants do not understand is that many people with either the same or similar problems read the answers and will not post a response, but will benefit from an intelligent answer. So, I say if you have the solution and the time to post a reply, then do it. Do not worry about responses. Someone will benefit from your experience and knowledge. If you do get a positive reply to your solution, enjoy it, but don't get used to it. "

Actually, I think that this is particularly insightful and worth consideration.

I am concerned about the folks with no flippin idea about something who run to google and grab chunks of "stuff" that the OP could have done themselves. What the heck does that prove? I try to stick to the subjects I have either experience or education, and mostly I succeed with that. My Number one objective in life is to "first do no harm." so often that means not commenting.

Milo

I haven't been following this one [thanks for pointing it out Usual Guest]

the notion that a member posts as Anonymous Coward [guest], to avoid the possibility of undue scrutiny is a cop out

any member is as anonymous as they want to be...

I would limit members to one Anonymous Coward posting per thread

We can table that for another thread

giving Anonymous Coward the ability to post as a way to test drive is fine. Starting a thread should be crossing a line, making a step, joining our community....