Forum/PM - Ghosted after getting what they want?

Gerry Kan · September 6, 2021, 04:40

Howdy Folks:

This has happened to me a few times already on CFD-online, so I wonder if you have the same experience as well.

Some one writes to you directly (on Forum or PM), requesting your help or opinion on something they are working on. You give them what they are looking for, and then nothing. No acknowledgements, no further questions, and not even a thank you note.

I am raised to think that this would be pretty rude if you take off without a word after taking something from someone, but some might think a proper closing notes superfluous. I just want to know from your own experience, if this ever happened to you at all.

Thanks in advance, Gerry.

flotus1 · September 6, 2021, 05:30

For the most part, I just don't answer technical questions via PM. As far as I am concerned, it goes against the purpose of a public forum, where other people can join in with their expertise. And more importantly: stumble upon the answer to a problem they might have years later.
The right way would be to create a thread, and then PM people you think might be able to chime in, if it remains unanswered for a while.

Not getting any response after you put in some time to answer a question sucks. But you get that both in PMs and in public threads. At least when it's public, other people can benefit from it. This kind of interaction should not deter you from participating in a forum. There will always be weird people around who might appear ungrateful. But I choose to believe that for each of them, there are several others who are grateful for finding the information they were looking for, readily available in a public thread. At least that's my sentiment when I stumble upon the answer to a weirdly specific problem I can't solve myself.

September 6, 2021, 04:40	Forum/PM - Ghosted after getting what they want?	#1
Gerry Kan Senior Member Gerry Kan Join Date: May 2016 Posts: 376 Rep Power: 11	Howdy Folks: This has happened to me a few times already on CFD-online, so I wonder if you have the same experience as well. Some one writes to you directly (on Forum or PM), requesting your help or opinion on something they are working on. You give them what they are looking for, and then nothing. No acknowledgements, no further questions, and not even a thank you note. I am raised to think that this would be pretty rude if you take off without a word after taking something from someone, but some might think a proper closing notes superfluous. I just want to know from your own experience, if this ever happened to you at all. Thanks in advance, Gerry.

September 6, 2021, 05:30		#2
flotus1 Super Moderator Alex Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Germany Posts: 3,428 Rep Power: 49	For the most part, I just don't answer technical questions via PM. As far as I am concerned, it goes against the purpose of a public forum, where other people can join in with their expertise. And more importantly: stumble upon the answer to a problem they might have years later. The right way would be to create a thread, and then PM people you think might be able to chime in, if it remains unanswered for a while. Not getting any response after you put in some time to answer a question sucks. But you get that both in PMs and in public threads. At least when it's public, other people can benefit from it. This kind of interaction should not deter you from participating in a forum. There will always be weird people around who might appear ungrateful. But I choose to believe that for each of them, there are several others who are grateful for finding the information they were looking for, readily available in a public thread. At least that's my sentiment when I stumble upon the answer to a weirdly specific problem I can't solve myself. fportela and Gerry Kan like this.