What’s Your Preference?

San_Sebastian · #1 (**permalink**) 03-26-2010, 07:01 AM

I haven't really seen it on here....but on other forums and sites such as Yahoo Answers, I come across *a lot* of pompous talents.

I was raised to respond to anyone that seeks out help on anything, if I can. I was also raised to treat everyone with unparalleled kindness. So when I go to some place where someone posts questions regarding "how-to's" and "troubleshooting" issues and all they get are abrasive responses like "you can type so you must obviously know how to read---it's called a MANUAL" and "do I look like customer support to you?" I get furious. I get a ton of people like this at work....people will come in and want me to fix stupid problems, big and small alike, and I do get agitated and sometimes do put my foot down and say no....but I also try to take into consideration the circumstances, and I try to also have a little bit of kindness in me. And I needn't say this has also bitten me before.

I see a lot of photographers that get like this. They've very skilled, very knowledgeable, and very proud of their work. They're also very rude and self righteous and intimidating to approach when you want genuine advice. I just ran into a situation where a girl was trying to figure out how to do a simple task with her Canon 300D. And instead of providing a helpful response, a man absolutely bit her head off insinuating she was completely incompetent and unworthy of this camera. I chimed in my two cents, tore into the fellow before me, educated her a little, and suggested she sits down to learn about the camera because it has great possibilities. Upon suggesting this, she thanks me for my kind response and points out it's her step fathers and he's letting her borrow it and he doesn't have the manual anymore.

Honestly, it's not just photographers. It's anybody with a knack for something. Musicians, painters, gamers...

Is it really that people get *so* good at something that they take for granted that not everyone is a master and forget what it's like to be noobs?

Sorry for this ranting post. I'm just frustrated by this man's response to a simple question.

Marija · #2 (**permalink**) 03-26-2010, 07:35 AM

I'm with you...

Quote:

Originally Posted by San_Sebastian

Is it really that people get *so* good at something that they take for granted that not everyone is a master and forget what it's like to be noobs?

I don't think this has anything with How good you are in some area, I think it's a matter of How good you are as a human being.
When I read that kind of comments I try to memorize the person and not take him/her seriously any other time, because I tend to appreciate a person more for their kindness and will to help then knowledge.
And I would want other people to realize that they shouldn't take it personally because the person has some issues and no one should put up with that!

lonni · #3 (**permalink**) 03-26-2010, 08:15 AM

I get that a lot cause i have a knack for asking dumb questions and questions that show how clueless the person really is. I noticed wedding forums are even worse that talented people.

I got a mouthfull on another forum for graphic designers discussing RGB vs CMYK for file set up. One group was only RGB (mostly web people) and teh others were for only CMYK (print designer).

I was flammed and told i didnt know what i was talking about for suggesting you use the format that your file will be displayed in eg if it is for print use cmyk for web use use rgb.

I thought it was just common sense, but apparently it is not. Out of the 150 posts, about 50 were direct attacks on my character or professionalism etc. I think people get a bit carried away online as they dont have a person to face they can say anything with out consequence.

Aegea · #4 (**permalink**) 03-26-2010, 12:45 PM

One of the many good things about this forum is the low proportion of pompous snarky asses (unlike some other forums I have frequented ...).

StillFocus · #5 (**permalink**) 03-26-2010, 01:22 PM

It's always been my experience that you can't ask for advice on the internet without a fair amount of condescention. Unfortunate for sure, but it seems at though it's simply the nature of the beast.

ZannieGirl49 · #6 (**permalink**) 03-26-2010, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lonni

I think people get a bit carried away online as they dont have a person to face they can say anything with out consequence.

I completely agree with this statement. It's much easier to be snarky and condescending to someone you don't have to face in person. Though it probably happens on every forum, I think that DPS is nice in that the ratio of jerk statements to helpful polite statements is pretty low. I tried out another photography forum and didn't even end up posting. The majority of the first threads that I read included senior members complaining about the 'noobs'. Really? Seriously? Isn't the point of a forum to have an active and thriving membership? San_Sebastian, I understand what you're talking about and agree that it's not cool no matter what your expertise.

inquiries · #7 (**permalink**) 03-26-2010, 02:58 PM

I definitely agree with you. After being on Yahoo Answrs for a bit I noticed this unhelpful replies as well.

The same thing happens on a couple of the group forums on Flickr as well. There is a group of about four/five people who always give the link to search the forum, or tell them "stop self-whoring your photostream", or just take the mick out of the OP. It really bugs me

sybren · #8 (**permalink**) 03-26-2010, 03:02 PM

I'm sometimes on the other side of the fence. Sometimes people ask questions that have been asked a million times, for which the answer has been given a million times, and is there for the taking. In such a case I wouldn't mind if someone were to give an answer along the lines of "you can easily find this on Google" or "try searching for terms X and Y".

This is not just out of my own personal laziness. I really think that learning how to find information on your own is an important skill. It's the classic "do I feed the man a fish or do I teach him to catch them?" conundrum. As having some issues with photography generally isn't a life-and-death situation I tend to be on the "learn how to fish" side.

I'm also very willing to help people, but I feel that the person with the problem/question should put the most effort into solving/answering it.

ZannieGirl49 · #9 (**permalink**) 03-26-2010, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sybren

I'm sometimes on the other side of the fence. Sometimes people ask questions that have been asked a million times, for which the answer has been given a million times, and is there for the taking. In such a case I wouldn't mind if someone were to give an answer along the lines of "you can easily find this on Google" or "try searching for terms X and Y".

This is not just out of my own personal laziness. I really think that learning how to find information on your own is an important skill. It's the classic "do I feed the man a fish or do I teach him to catch them?" conundrum. As having some issues with photography generally isn't a life-and-death situation I tend to be on the "learn how to fish" side.

I'm also very willing to help people, but I feel that the person with the problem/question should put the most effort into solving/answering it.

I totally agree, I'm a complete research fiend and know that the information is out there for the taking. I think that the responses that you quoted are perfectly helpful. I'm thinking in terms of the difference between saying, "If you Google it you'll find tons of information" and saying, "Ugh, that question's been asked over and over. Why don't you search next time before asking a stupid question!". Each creates a very different environment for the person asking the question.