DISCLAIMER: I think this is the right board for this post. If not, please move it to the correct board (maybe BreakPoint?). 😁
So...I am not an expert. I am not a seasoned LabVIEW veteran. I am pretty new to the ni.com community forums (I wasn't a "long time watcher, first time writer" when I created my ni.com account).
But even so, I feel a level of trust here. It feels like a very close-knit community. I can look through BreakPoint and I find myself laughing (here, here, here, and here) and crying for people I've only read about (here and here). I have a strong level of trust in a lot of people here that I've never met in person (not that any of you would trust me - I'm not even an "Active Participant" yet 😅).
However, I have come across a few posts that have bothered me. Here's one from today (but I see one like this every week or so):
...I just started with LabVIEW....
...
Thank you and please dont destroy me, as is sad i'm new to this stuff 😉
Maybe I'm weird and sentimental, but it bothers me when someone new comes to a place I trust and is worried about being "destroy"ed. This OP has even posted a few times, but still feels this concern. Why? What about this forum causes some users to be fearful? (And how many people never post here because of that same fear?)
And maybe the worst part (for me) - I feel some of that fear, too. I feel like I've been "lucky" to never need to ask for help except when trying to support another user. I dread the day when I will post my own snippet that ends up in the "Rube Goldberg Code" thread. Or when I am told I have failed to "THINK DATAFLOW". Or when I am told (quite emphatically, for the 5th time) that I have still failed to attach my VI.
OK, so now I've described what to me is an issue. Maybe I am the only one who feels this way...
But if not, I want to know: What is the root of the problem? And what do we* want to do about it?
(*OK, it's true, I'm new...what does everyone else want to do about it? 😉)
Maybe this is isn't the root of the problem, but I think I'm looking for a companion document to the Unofficial Forum Rules and Guidelines. Something that, instead of being for new users, is a reminder of good practice in answering questions on the NI community forum.
I've seen similar things on the Stack Exchange network. They have separate rules for "askers" and "answerers", and since many users are both at different times, it enables the site to (mostly) keep things civil and positive. I personally believe it is one of the reasons that Stack Overflow has grown as well as it has.
That and the "Meta" sites which, unless I miss my guess, are like this Feedback board - allowing users to discuss things related to the forum that do not belong in a normal forum category.
If this post receives no replies, I will not complain, and I expect I will still do my best to answer questions here when I can and learn when I can't.
But, I am hoping that there is something the experienced users (or NI) can do. I would love it if when a new user arrives, instead of saying "Thank you and please don't destroy me", they will say** "I have a question that's hard to explain, but I know I can trust the users here to help me anyway."
(**I think it might make me uncomfortable if someone actually said this, but I wouldn't mind if it were implied by fewer posts asking not to be "torn up".)
Thank you, truly, for taking the time to read this.
However, I have come across a few posts that have bothered me. Here's one from today (but I see one like this every week or so):
...I just started with LabVIEW....
...
Thank you and please dont destroy me, as is sad i'm new to this stuff 😉
Maybe I'm weird and sentimental, but it bothers me when someone new comes to a place I trust and is worried about being "destroy"ed. This OP has even posted a few times, but still feels this concern. Why? What about this forum causes some users to be fearful? (And how many people never post here because of that same fear?)
I get the sense from other technical boards that people are aiming to "destroy" newbies. I try hard not to except when it is obvious the OP is not putting forth any effort and/or it is a student just wanting us to do their work. We ask for the VI so we can help. Admittedly, it doesn't always come across nicely, but the reasoning is there (we can't diagnose your issue if we can't see code). But that's just me. I will not speak for everybody else.
There are only two ways to tell somebody thanks: Kudos and Marked Solutions Unofficial Forum Rules and Guidelines "Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God" - 2 Corinthians 3:5
