The mystery of the newbie questioner.

[OldAirmail]

I just noticed this posting by a newbie - dell laptop using Internet Explorer asking about having problems with YouTube.

Not watching aviation oriented YouTube, mind you. But a general YouTube "buffer problem" question.

I bring this up because I've noticed this type of behavior here and elsewhere - Find a friendly site, and everyone wants to help the beginner.

AND THEN - - - - - - - - - (drum roll) - - - - - - - - - they disappear.



Back on March 10th I received a PM from a newbie. It' not personal in any way, so I don't have a problem using his question as an example.

The question was;

Hi:

Sorry to bother you but I see that you are experienced in using Saitek Pro flight Instrumentation Panel, and I hope you could help me out.

I purchased a single unit recently and tried to use in on FSX. The panel works as a display frame before FSX starts (it cycle through the samples jpgs and any pictures I put in in the directory). So I know the driver works and the hardware is ok. However, after starting FSX, nothing different happened. I started a few missions and tried different planes. Yet the FIP does not display any instruments. It seems like FSX does not accept or recognize the panel. Any suggestions? Do I have to do something to activate the panel? I tried running SaitekFlightSimX.exe manually as well, and it did not help. Any suggestions? I have been exchanging email with Saitek for more than 2 weeks now, and there isn't much help offered, and the person I talked to does not seem to know much about FSX.

Thank you in advance for you help.

Nxxxxx

He was very polite, and thankful for my help over three posts. His last post was (basically) to say "that works now, thank you". Other than the PMs, he's made no posts on SimV.

Hopefully he'll come back, as he seemed a bright fellow.


The point is, that I've seen a number of posts where once the poster has his answer, he (she, it?) never comes back.

It's as if they're using forums as a answer mine, to dip into whenever they can't fine a solution on Google.



I'm just curious if anyone else has noticed/experienced this happening.

The PM "can you help answer this" has occurred on only one other site. It's almost like "you" are a personal tutor.

[Steve M]

The Dell laptop post actually didn't say what type of video and didn't say it was on YouTube. But I see your point. Someone a few years ago PMed me with a question. (I couldn't answer it correctly), so I said why don't you post this on the forum, you'll get a better answer. No reply of course..

[OldAirmail]

Some people come here with a flight sim question and decide to stay, even if they're not all that active.

Most of us like a little challenge, and are more than willing to help , if we can.


Others seem to use this, and other forums, as research staff to solve their problems. And then the disappear.



Google, or whatever your choice is, will produce more possible sources of answers than you could ever read. Assuming that you want a life.

For instance, a search for music track gives you "About 1,430,000,000 results (0.25 seconds)".


Knowing how to word a search can be a little more productive.

Using the accumulated knowledge of most of the members on a website, can be FAR more productive.



I wonder if we're not all in a Google type "Matrix" for kids who just want a fast answer without having to work for it.



Some years back, there was a lot of activity on the internet where kids were debating weather or not the movie Titanic was based on a real event.

NOBODY IN THE DEBATE DID A SEARCH FOR "TITANIC"!

They just asked each other what they thought - a real event or just a movie.

[OldAirmail]

As to the YouTube problem.

Yes. There is a setting that causes YouTube videos to "pause" all too frequently.

If you haven't experienced it, be thankful. VERY thankful.


I had to search for the solution about 6 - 10 years ago. It wasn't all that hard to find, although I don't recall what the answer was now.

[Hagar]

I've noticed that this is becoming quite common here recently. The questions might well be genuine but I suspect it's spam. Note the links in the newbie's sig. Some look harmless enough but I've never tried clicking on one.

[pete]

Doug is absolutely right.

The spammer posted an appropriate - but generic to many forums - question.

The links in his signature gave him away as a spammer (I have removed the links)

His IP also traced to India -- which is not in itself a bad thing -- but is the source of much of the world's spam.

Just a lesson to us all to look at the signature of a newbie -- if it's advertising something I think we can assume

[Fozzer]

I must admit that I generally wait for a few more extra posts to accumulate from the "Newbie", relative to the Flight Sim subjects, before I make a move to reply, to avoid being drawn into the one-off spam message!.... ....!

A peek at the entries detailed in the Posters "Profile" can sometime reveal just how interested they are in being on the Flight Sim Forum!
Most genuine Members will take the trouble to include some interesting details about themselves and their location... ...!

I am always suspicious of Members "strange" Forum Names...mostly a random jumble of letters and numbers!

Paul.... ...!

[Apex]

I've been watching this unfold. I made a comment about this in the Site Questions & Feedback section under the Spam/Commercials post. It is a mystery, and that's probably what whoever there wants - to just create a sort of harmless non-problem here and probably elsewhere. They are one-off posts under a lot of different and very strange looking names, the same person most likely.

The mystery part is that the questions are seemingly legit, but whoever it is never gets back here. The answer to the mystery might be that the person doing this is not really having the
problems he(she?) is calling up, but just wants to harrass us, clog up our forums, and generally waste our time. That's my guess. There are at least 10 posts now in the Music/Arts section. Take a look at those "newbie" names, they really stick out from the crowd.

So. We used to get our kicks on Route 66, now it's the Internet Highway that provides the arena for some.

[Tug002]

Hello. Just to start I have been following the posts here for quite some time now and find them interesting, informative and entertaining. I belong to only one other forum, one of which I had bought an aircraft and needed help. I dont post a lot on this site as I dont like to be a pest. I just thought that some of the "newbees" may feel as I do and not want to be a pest. From reading your posts you all seem very friendly and helpfull but also seem to know one another quite well which makes a newbee like me feel llike an intruder. This is just my take on this.
Enjoy your day.

Keep smiling
Tug

[Bass]

Hello. Just to start I have been following the posts here for quite some time now and find them interesting, informative and entertaining. I belong to only one other forum, one of which I had bought an aircraft and needed help. I dont post a lot on this site as I dont like to be a pest. I just thought that some of the "newbees" may feel as I do and not want to be a pest. From reading your posts you all seem very friendly and helpfull but also seem to know one another quite well which makes a newbee like me feel llike an intruder. This is just my take on this.
Enjoy your day.

Keep smiling
Tug

Tug, you just hit point blank!

This is excatly what i'm affraid of! That others/newbees se us as an integrated family and therefor are holding back by posting....
We should welcome ANY newbees to join the family, (if its not obvious it is a spammerlike), then we ALL can gain from eachother and get the challenges we so like

Tug, from what i've seen, you will never be a pest

[Tug002]

Hey Bass. Thanks for the kind words. I have always enjoyed reading the posts here and finally decided to say something after reading and seeing the friendly people that post here. I usually dont have much to say but just felt that I had to comment on the topic this time as a newbee. Sometimes I have something to share and from time to time will, but if you dont hear from me much its not because im not reading as I visit here a couple times a day and have for the last year or so.

Keep smiling
Tug

[OldAirmail]

Tug, believe me - WE LIKE POPLE TO JOIN IN!

As I said in the opening post ".... and everyone (here) wants to help the beginner."

It's something that many of us usually do, depending on our ability and expertise.


Not that you need to be a supper tech.

Just pipe up if you hear something funny or interesting.

Or just post a comment of agreement, or disagreement (Except don't you dare disagree with me, I'm HIGHLY revered around here!).



So, join in if you feel like it, the more voices we hear from the better.

[Steve M]

Hehe! No one responded much to my first post, my screen name was Wombat. At one point I decided to change it to Steve M, and that didn't seem to work either. So I just post happily away like a gabby biotch. I do like this place..

[OldAirmail]

Hehe! No one responded much to my first post, my screen name was Wombat. At one point I decided to change it to Steve M, and that didn't seem to work either. So I just post happily away like a gabby biotch. I do like this place..

Same here.

I may visit & post a little on other sites, but I like this site best.

[Tug002]

Thank you for the friendly welcome. I will likely join in from time to time or will help out whenever there is a problem that I have come across and was able to solve either whith help or on my own. The main reason that I joined is by watching as seeing everyone here is friendly and not fighting, just having fun and helping one another out.

Keep smiling
Tug