apparently my asking alot of questions here in this forum has offended some. i am just the type to ask a Q when i think someone can answer it quickly rather than going to look for it and spending alot of time doing so. plus, i have figured it would give me a chance to get to know some ppl here

apparently that offends some here

ok, ill bow out.  no more questions for me.

now i see why there aren't more ppl here.

this forum is entitled "ask questions about pbs", not "only ask questions about pbs that you cant find anywhere else after looking really hard".

i was liking this place until i realized that ppl who arent well seasoned are just not welcome here. oh well.

meh, this place is like any other message board, or any group of people for that matter..  Some people are patient and helpful and others are snarky.  Don't let the snarky ones get to you. 

Alex, I searched through the forums for your posts (I only got through page 2) but I don't see where people were offended. Did some people send you some nasty PM's?

Don't feel bad for asking questions.

Oh yeah...about what Melani said PLEASE don't let the snarky people run you off. My first experiences here weren't that great, either.

all questions are very welcome.....there is no limit on how many you can ask.  just ignore those who say otherwise. some people jsut have the need to be nasty to others. 

welcome to pbs..have fun  :-)

Alex--

"Unseasoned" folks are very welcome here -- I certainly was when I joined in July.  New members are, however, expected to do their homework and read the rules before participating, not expect the basics to be spoonfed to them "rather than going to look for it" because "I dont need more stress in my life".  So, someone else should look them up and post them because we don't have lives, or we need more stress? :-)

I've read your posts since you joined several weeks ago.  In many of them, you've made criticisms of a system you haven't taken the time to learn, let alone understand.   You've stated that perhaps you shouldn't be a member, as it is too much hassle.  You're annoyed by a 48 hour wait time for those who may not spend their lives reading email or may not have internet access at home.  You feel it unfair that you have to cover your own PayPal transfer fees on a non-profit website.  You find requestor conditions "annoying".

You also tend to take potshots at PBS and its members, who are only trying to help you by replying, when the answers you get don't seem to suit you.  Comments like "now i see why there aren't more ppl here" and "jeez...i can see why this board doesnt get more action" and "i wouldnt mail to that requestor.  he/she just sounds like trouble" aren't terribly constructive.

Reading and knowing the rules is an expectation of members in any online community, be it PBS, America Online or elsewhere.  If you don't know the rules, how will you know what is expected of you?

Not everyone uses the forums but, generally, those that do are happy to help new members in finding their way around and clarifying issues.  This is, of course, a "free" service and you get out of it what you put in.  I'm sorry you don't feel there's enough value here to keep you interested, but that's your perrogative.  Since you seem to have been vocally unhappy since joining, perhaps this isn't the bookswapping site for you.

Cheers,

Catt

"this forum is entitled "ask questions about pbs", not "only ask questions about pbs that you cant find anywhere else after looking really hard".

I disagree..PBS easily answers 99.9% of questions in The Help Center..NOT hard to find if you take a few minutes to check it out.

Catt hits the nail on the head with her post.

You're annoyed by a 48 hour wait time for those who may not spend their lives reading email or may not have internet access at home.

Let's be fair here.

She said she was annoyed but it was still reasonable: "but is 2 days TOO LONG?  its annoying from my perspective (i keep comign back to see if they accepted so i can ship it! lol!).....but seems like a reasonable time".

I, too, get annoyed when people take forever to respond. I realize they may not have access or can't get to the computer as often, but it's still annoying. And by annoying I don't mean I hate this site and can't accept that I have to wait.

Alex, ask as many Q's as you want.  We were all new here once.  If people are rude to you, that's their problem, not yours.

If you are getting rude or nasty pms, be sure to report them.

Ask away. Don't get offended if you get pointed to the help doc that answers your question, people are assuming you can't find it yourself and want you to know the site's exact stance on things. Don't get snippy or snide if you don't like the answer, I think that IS what is getting you snippy feedback, not the quantity of your questions ( I have not seen any outright rude forum comments). You tend to snap at members and rag on the site when you don't like the way things are. Some people like the site, some people don't and leave, that's a fact of life. Those that appear to not like the site, but stay here and rag on everything about the it will get negative feedback from those here that do like the site.

You're more than welcome here at PBS and on the forums; you just need to take the time to read the Help Center and get used to the site.  I feel like you alos need to look at the club rule that is at the top of every forum page "Club rule - Please, if you can not be courteous and respectful, do not post in this forum."  If you keep slamming this site, then, yes, people are going to get annoyed with you.

If you have a question, look in the Help Center.  If you cannot find an answer, or want a more detailed explanation, then feel free to ask here or send a PM to the Tour Guide who was assigned to you when you signed up for the site.  We don't mind answering questions - if we did, we wouldn't be TG's.

Just please have a little bit more respect and courtesy to the site and the other members here.

I think people should do a reasonable amount of looking for answers to their questions before posting a repeat.  Using the "search" feature is a wonderful tool for that.  I don't think people appreciate seeing the same question again and again - especially if it was posted recently.

I think you should read the help section any way as wrong info can be provided on the forums.  I'm not saying intentionally but rules change and people get misinformed or they have selective memory over some rules.

ETA: don't complain on here that someone gave you wrong info because you didn't look it up yourself.  

I ask questions on here as well but most of the time I find the answer first in the Help docs.

I think this is a wonderful site (even though I do NOT agree with all of the policies here, and I do abide by them even while I disagree) with many wonderful people.  I think the forums have a good amount of activity, and many members who are willing to help out with anything posted here.  Never feel that you are asking too many questions.  IMO, there's not really any such thing as too many questions.

That being said, please don' t take offense if your method of learning about the site is through asking forum questions, and the answers guide you to the Help Documents.  People that direct you there are trying to help you learn as much as the ones that answer your questions directly.

Also, although you are allowed to state your opinion, even if it is to disagree or complain about some feature of the site, realize that others are also allowed to state their opinions as well, including those that support the feature you don't like, and ones that disagree with your viewpoint.  And, while you are allowed to state your opinion, you aren't supposed to criticize or belittle anyone else who states their opinion or verbally "attack" someone for doing so.

I agree with Catt's post, except the part about not spoonfeeding answers to you.  Some people (although, kind of hard to believe on a bookswapping site!) don't do well with reading instruction manuals and would prefer to learn about things in a more social and chatty environment.  So, I think you should continue to feel free to ask your questions to learn about PBS, and those that don't want to respond because they think it is one of the Basic Rules covered in Help documents don't need to respond.  However, you should have a clear understanding of the rules before you actually start requesting and sending out books...

Please respect all and feel free to post your questions.  I hope you end up enjoying the site as much as I do, but if you feel it isn't a good match for you, feel free to leave, hopefully with no hard feelings or regrets.  No sense in staying if everything about the site just makes you crazy and feel bad...

LOL Alex I love that "this forum is entitled "ask questions about pbs", not "only ask questions about pbs that you cant find anywhere else after looking really hard".

You're right, of course.

Good posts in this topic to make it clearer to you why you may have gotten some flak (if you have, I haven't seen it personally in any of the topics you started); I hope you have seen them.

Anyway, can't say it better than Robin: Please respect all and feel free to post your questions.

The Golden rule do unto other as you would have them do to you

REMEMBER AT ONE TIME WE WERE ALL NEW.

SO WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND.

PAY IT FORWARD

IF SOMEONE ASKS A QUESTION CAN'T WE ALL DO THE KIND THING AND JSUT REPLY.

I HAVE ALSO BEEN TOLD ON MANY OCCASSIONS IT IS THE HELP SECTION.

WELL SOMETIMES DID YOU EVER THINK MAYBE A MWEMBER DID GO THERE TO LOOK,

AND COULD NOT FIND THE ANSWER OR DID NOT UNDERSTAND IT.\

LIFE IS COMPLICATED ENOUGH I THINK IT WOULD BE NICE IF EVERYONE COULD JUST TRY AND

SEE THINGS FROM ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW

Alex,

I've read several of your questions and I've learned things from the responses.  I haven't noticed anything really negative in your posts...maybe you're a little blunt at times, but you're entitled to your opinion.  It's OK to ask questions, especially because people like me learn from your questions and because someone who has been around for a while gets the fun out of helping newbies. 

If someone doesn't want to help, they can just skip your question.  If you're getting a lot of flack, maybe check your wording and see if your words are coming out differently on the screen than you thought them in your head.  It is so easy to misinterpret someone's intent in print than in person. 

Anyway, good luck and continue to post.  That is how we learn. 

I asked a lot of questions too when I was new.  And I was continuely sent to the help center.   I HAD read it upon joining but there was so many things to remember!  But between the helpful people pointing out where and how to find things I needed to know AND people themselves giving me advice, I began to learn my way around.       I don't see anything wrong with asking a lot of questions.  But like ANY board - if you ask - you have to be ready to accept whatever answer you get.    I hope this site is for you - if it's not - I hope you find a place where there are other readers that will work for you.

Okay.  My experience, there is very little we can do that does not  offend "some" people.  (You probably missed the kids haircut thread.)  But remember this is a site of readers, not typers, "some" get irked when others fail to read what is already written and ask others to write it again.  But that is their problem, my urge is to just skip the thread if it asks the obvious.  So ask away and maybe someone will type your answer.  Though...sounds like you are asking for patience with your questions,  what about being patient with the answers?

One thing to keep in mind is that when someone sends you a paragraph from the Help documentation it is intended to be a help, not a reprimand.  There are some folks who are magicians in finding answers in the Help for the harder questions that we might not find.  The key is to not feel like a chastised child, but to see it as well intentioned help.

As others said.. there might be policies that irk you about PBS...but one thing to keep in mind is that there is never a policy that everyone likes.  No, no one likes to wait multiple 48 hour periods for a wishlist book to be accepted, but think of the poor folks who can't check their email often that really need that time. 

All of the policies were put into place for a reason to make this a better site, but often unless we saw the original problem, most likely before our time, we don't see the "reason" for the policy.

Relax and read... some people might send a snarl with their answer, but everyone has been vacinated, so there is no permanent danger.

Nobody would learn anything if they didn't ask questions, so ask away!  I've had trouble myself finding answers to all of my questions in the help center, so it certainly doesn't bother me to read everyone else's questions, especially if I know the answer, LOL!

And P.S.  Some people will be offended no matter WHAT you do.  You just have to not let yourself be offended right back.

Relax and read... some people might send a snarl with their answer, but everyone has been vacinated, so there is no permanent danger.  Lita, this is so true and so funny...  lol

Sounds like you are asking for patience with your questions,  what about being patient with the answers?  Right on, Keri !

I completely agree with Catt.  I understand the need to ask questions but the first thing I do before I post is go to the help section, try to find what I'm looking for.  If I find it, I read it 2-3 times and mull it over for a while.  If I don't really understand it, I may ask a friend in a private PM or go to a tour guide.  I always say, I went to the help section and this is what I found and this is what I understand but I'm a bit fuzzy on this..... Can you help me understand it a bit better?

The number one thing I have found in my 4+ months here at PBS is that the majority of people are great.  There are some who can be snarly but then again, this is the world wide web.  There are people from all walks of life, some are just as busy and stressed as I am, some more, some less.  I just roll with it.  The one thing I don't do is jump right in, ask a bunch of questions first and hope someone just gives me the answer. 

As for not liking some of the rules or system setups, you have to realize that setting up a database system of this size takes some doing.  Not everyone is by the computer every second of every day and with a system like FIFO, people need an opportunity to participate.  I realize it is difficult to fathom, but some people do have a life outside PBS.  R&R seem like nice guys who are anxious to maiintain a good site.  Give them an opportunity to make it the best it can be.  If you have issues with things on the site, instead of using the forums to vent, go down to the bottom of the page and use the feedback button to leave them a message.  However, just complaining isn't productive.  If there is a problem, state the problem and what you would like to see changed and WHY.  I'm sure that if there is a real problem, they will look into it. 

Relax and have a good time.  It's books not warfare. 

I've found that if I have questions it pays to look through the posts because someone has always asked the question before and I've always found an answer.

Like the whole bookshelf issue. There's a good 6 threads about that. I try to look first. I came on here about that same thing, noticed there were a couple threads already and decided I didn't need to start yet another one. But there's been at 1 if not 2 a day. If they just perused the other threads they'd have the answer.

Live help ROCKS!  It is in the little dropdown menu in the help center!  I have been here a year but whenever I have issues or questions, I go to them first!  I do remember when I was new and asked questions in here how it felt to have people copy and paste from the help center.  LOL  I felt like kind of a dork but some things were hard to find.  Then I found out about the search feature here in the forums.  That helped ALOT!  

My suggestion is LIVE HELP!  Then you can avoid any posters that you feel were less than loving.......

Besides, those live help folks HAVE to be nice ;) it is their job!  LOL  Trust me I have asked some REALLY stupid questions.