in which a long-running annoyance of mine finally gets aired...

[lagilman]

When someone asks for advice online, consider 3 things before you* speak up.

1. Do you actually know anything about the topic?
2. Is the person asking the question higher on the food chain than you are (i.e. they know more than you do on the topic, and therefore have likely already gone through everything you can think of (the "yes, I know about hard reboot, thanks anyway" scenario)
3. Has someone already suggested your solution, or a variant of it, and been told it didn't work?

Once you've done all that -- and really, it's a matter of a minute, not hours, to run through those three essentials -- and determined yes, no, and no, then and only then should you post your response...



*where "you" means "any/all of us"

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

*love*

[debg.livejournal.com]

Yep. Because otherwise, you (any/all of us) look like a pompous pathetic blithering idiot. Oy vey.

[ex-fashioni.livejournal.com]

Preach it, sister!

[kateelliott.livejournal.com]

You know, when people do that to you, you should . . . . oh. Wait.


iow: Yes.

[kradical.livejournal.com]

Well said.

[chickwriter.livejournal.com]

OMG, yes, this.

[icedrake.livejournal.com]

Would you like some advice on airing this annoyance?
*ducks and runs*

[squirrel-monkey.livejournal.com]

Corollary: make sure that they are indeed asking for advice :)

[lagilman]

Oh yes, that too...

[warriorofworry.livejournal.com]

Hear, hear!

[mtlawson.livejournal.com]

Oops. Sorry about that.

[ellenmillion.livejournal.com]

*pins this above my computer*