Forum etiquette: Letting users know what you decide and/or how things went

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namajones
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Forum etiquette: Letting users know what you decide and/or how things went

Post by namajones »

I see so many threads here in which people present problems or issues and ask forum members to help with decisions.

Then I see lots of energy expended by forum members in trying to help out.

Then, most often, I never see a follow-up by the original poster, letting members know what happened, what was decided, how things turned out, etc.

I wish topic starters would let everyone know what was decided and how things turned out. Doing so would be not only polite but potentially beneficial to everyone.
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RootSki
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Re: Forum etiquette: Letting users know what you decide and/or how things went

Post by RootSki »

Maybe the site Admins can create a “solved” tag.
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dratkinson
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Re: Forum etiquette: Letting users know what you decide and/or how things went

Post by dratkinson »

I've seen replies to old topics in which the OP came back and told us how things went and "thanks for the help". It was a nice warm fuzzy.

Maybe could add a closing sentence in "Asking Portfolio Questions" to encourage OP to come back in a few years and tell us how things worked out.
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123
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Re: Forum etiquette: Letting users know what you decide and/or how things went

Post by 123 »

RootSki wrote: Fri Jul 30, 2021 9:27 am Maybe the site Admins can create a “solved” tag.
The OP can always go in and edit the title of the THREAD and insert "Solved - " at the beginning for example.
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FiveK
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Re: Forum etiquette: Letting users know what you decide and/or how things went

Post by FiveK »

dratkinson wrote: Fri Jul 30, 2021 12:36 pm Maybe could add a closing sentence in "Asking Portfolio Questions" to encourage OP to come back in a few years and tell us how things worked out.
There's a whole paragraph in Asking Portfolio Questions:
Many posters put a great deal of effort into their replies. We simply ask that if you receive replies, you go back and respond to them in some way. It's a hollow feeling for those of us who respond to questions to never hear back from the person who started the conversation. Remember, the purpose of this is to have a conversation! We are NOT expecting a thank-you necessarily, but feedback on what you found helpful, if anything. We appreciate hearing back from you.
Of course, whether people read and act on that is a different question....
MoonOrb
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Re: Forum etiquette: Letting users know what you decide and/or how things went

Post by MoonOrb »

I like the idea of a "solved" or "updated" tag that could be added. The more of these that are visible on the forum, the more likely it is that people will be reminded that there's value in providing updates to their own threads. I think making this noticeable to people and something they see frequently in the forum will encourage other folks to do this, too.
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Re: Forum etiquette: Letting users know what you decide and/or how things went

Post by LadyGeek »

Adding a "Solved" tag would discourage members from providing updates.

Consider the problem was "Solved" when the market was up. The problem gets "un-Solved" when the market drops. :)

We want to keep the discussions ongoing and the tag would discourage that. We also want members to continue posting about the same problem in the same thread. It's much easier to follow that way.

A simple "thanks" in the thread would be a better solution (and much appreciated by those who helped the member).
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MoonOrb
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Re: Forum etiquette: Letting users know what you decide and/or how things went

Post by MoonOrb »

Maybe not "solved" then; maybe just "update." It's less about what it's called imo than about the power of making this visible via a special tag or marker.
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Re: Forum etiquette: Letting users know what you decide and/or how things went

Post by livesoft »

Not every request for advice or problem solving is actually solved. I suspect that just like in Real Life, many people just go, "Ugh! That's not what I wanted to get told or advised to do!" and carry on as before.

In any event, some folks do send PMs now and then after the fact which is nice. But I think folks should just be generous in giving advice without actually expecting anything in return including without expecting any updates. That way, when one's expectations are exceeded, then it is double nice.
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ResearchMed
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Re: Forum etiquette: Letting users know what you decide and/or how things went

Post by ResearchMed »

123 wrote: Fri Jul 30, 2021 12:48 pm
RootSki wrote: Fri Jul 30, 2021 9:27 am Maybe the site Admins can create a “solved” tag.
The OP can always go in and edit the title of the THREAD and insert "Solved - " at the beginning for example.
This.

And also, when there is an important update, one that would make many/most responses to the original post (or wording) irrelevant.
Especially when threads get longer, many people won't read all of the psots, and will thus miss the part that says, for [fictitious] example, "We had the property borders surveyed and found out X, so the real problem now is [maybe something like; "HOW to split the taxes?" or whatever]

A quick comment in the FIRST post could be something like, "UPDATE: property surveyed, now need help with property taxes" so that there aren't 29 new posts suggeting getting the property surveyed, sometimes with considerable effort put into explanations, etc.
Most here really *are* trying to help! :happy

And then perhaps in top subject header "See UPDATE first" or such.

These won't solve all of the concerns, but it probably would help with many.

Question: Is it possible to put a link in the first post, under the update, that goes directly to the "new information"?

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Re: Forum etiquette: Letting users know what you decide and/or how things went

Post by LadyGeek »

A moderator can do all of that, but so can the OP. It's a matter understanding how the forum software works, how comfortable you are editing your posts, and the time to do it.
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galawdawg
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Re: Forum etiquette: Letting users know what you decide and/or how things went

Post by galawdawg »

Unfortunately (and my apologies to any who are offended), in many areas of life today, common courtesy has taken a back seat to segments of society driven by selfishness, self-centeredness and the desire for instant gratification as well as a lack of manners, decency, respect for others, patience, loyalty and generosity. You can put any button, checkbox, disclaimer and warning on Bogleheads that you want in order to remind, cajole and even require posters to provide updates, or at least an acknowledgement that they have actually returned to the thread they started to review the comments, but it will be to no avail.

Either a poster appreciates and respects the time and contributions of other Bogleheads in helping them with whatever their situation may be or they don't. I note that some join Bogleheads, create a thread and within six hours they are never seen or heard from again (as evidenced by the last login on their profile). I suspect that for those folks, they want the first and quickest answer to satisfy that need for an immediate response, even if it isn't the best or wisest response. And yet many Bogleheads will continue to post well-reasoned and thoughtful remarks in their thread which are likely never seen again by the "tire kicker" who dropped by for a few minutes. You would think posting a simple, "thank you everyone" would be the norm, but as we say here in the south, "there are some people who are just plain sorry and I don't mean contrite!"

I don't know that there is any answer to this lack of courtesy, but perhaps the comments posted are helpful to others here even if the original poster is long gone, or as I like to say... if "Elvis has left the building." 8-)
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Eagle33
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Re: Forum etiquette: Letting users know what you decide and/or how things went

Post by Eagle33 »

galawdawg wrote: Sat Jul 31, 2021 12:37 pm I don't know that there is any answer to this lack of courtesy, but perhaps the comments posted are helpful to others here even if the original poster is long gone, or as I like to say... if "Elvis has left the building." 8-)
Personally I find many of the threads very informative either immediately or some time in the future. THANK YOU all that provide guidance in the various postings on this forum.
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Re: Forum etiquette: Letting users know what you decide and/or how things went

Post by yules »

namajones wrote: Fri Jul 30, 2021 9:11 am I see so many threads here in which people present problems or issues and ask forum members to help with decisions.

Then I see lots of energy expended by forum members in trying to help out.

Then, most often, I never see a follow-up by the original poster, letting members know what happened, what was decided, how things turned out, etc.

I wish topic starters would let everyone know what was decided and how things turned out. Doing so would be not only polite but potentially beneficial to everyone.
Am I the only one who is going to point out the irony that it’s been over 36 hours and OP hasn’t followed up in this thread to thank others for responding or to reflect on some of the other responses that brainstorm solutions? :twisted:

Yules
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F150HD
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Re: Forum etiquette: Letting users know what you decide and/or how things went

Post by F150HD »

RootSki wrote: Fri Jul 30, 2021 9:27 am Maybe the site Admins can create a “solved” tag.
...and put it right next to the "Like" button. :wink:
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namajones
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Re: Forum etiquette: Letting users know what you decide and/or how things went

Post by namajones »

yules wrote: Sat Jul 31, 2021 11:06 pm

Am I the only one who is going to point out the irony that it’s been over 36 hours and OP hasn’t followed up in this thread to thank others for responding or to reflect on some of the other responses that brainstorm solutions? :twisted:

Yules
Funny--and thanks, everyone.

I had just finished reading several "which path in life should I choose" threads when I created this one, so I was thinking of follow-ups to issues that would likely not be solved in 3 days. :happy

P.S. I also see the utility of a "like" button so that one can express thanks or agreement without causing a thread to become bloated with pages and pages of quoted material followed merely by "thanks," etc.
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Re: Forum etiquette: Letting users know what you decide and/or how things went

Post by LadyGeek »

^^^ The OP may have missed that a "like" button has been discussed in this forum before. It's not going to happen. See: Why not add a "like" button to Boglehead posts?
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Re: Forum etiquette: Letting users know what you decide and/or how things went

Post by RickBoglehead »

galawdawg wrote: Sat Jul 31, 2021 12:37 pm And yet many Bogleheads will continue to post well-reasoned and thoughtful remarks in their thread which are likely never seen again by the "tire kicker" who dropped by for a few minutes. You would think posting a simple, "thank you everyone" would be the norm, but as we say here in the south, "there are some people who are just plain sorry and I don't mean contrite!"
Which results in a question, followed by 50 answers, 49 1/2 of them the exact same thing, stated over and over again.

Wait, did I just do it too? :wink:
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SuzBanyan
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Re: Forum etiquette: Letting users know what you decide and/or how things went

Post by SuzBanyan »

This thread inspired me. I looked up my original portfolio questions thread, which was just over 5 years ago. So I gave an update. Might not help the community much, but the comparison process was very helpful to me.
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Re: Forum etiquette: Letting users know what you decide and/or how things went

Post by KrisNC »

I am one of the many that is reading the forum w/o logging in every time, appreciate the generous and thoughtful input from experienced people, Taylor, Livesoft, Nisiprius, Klangfool, bsteiner and others.
I am continually amazed at the variety of topics discussed here.

W.r.t to providing updates by OP, I personally feel these threads are useful to many, and not just the OP.
Often times, the thread goes off in a different direction, with multiple posters and viewpoints, and run it’s course, and not necessarily due to lack of courtesy.

Thank you everyone !
mouth
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Re: Forum etiquette: Letting users know what you decide and/or how things went

Post by mouth »

My ego isn't so big to think that anyone is thinking of my two threads, but I have two "open" threads in which there was a lot of energy put into providing me help and support. They've gone silent because nothing new has happened yet. But rest assured, I've got them bookmarked and will be providing my updates when they happen :beer
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