Bob W. just made a good point over on another thread (Anyone using *******?). It is -- that he never knew private messages existed. Which, I think, is not particularly unusual. Why would he (or anybody else)?
I'd been on the board for quite a while when somebody happened to mention that he would "PM" me -- I didn't have a clue what that was until I asked and somebody explained it to me. Then, like Bob, I clicked on it and found that half a dozen people had sent me messages (some of them months ago) and I had, unknowingly, ignored them. I was quite upset to realize that they probably thought I was, at best, too lazy to respond, and, at worst, that I'd read their messages and intentionally dismissed them as unworthy of a reply. Imagine my, and Bob's, distress. This is a good board -- people put their thoughts and hearts into some of these posts and they certainly deserve the consideration of a reply, which I think most posters here would surely give if they knew about them (everybody likes to feel he/she's important enough for people to write to).
The point being, it might be a good idea to build in some kind of notice about this important feature of the board and maybe an "instruction manual" of sorts which lists the services available and how to use them -- a "roadmap," so to speak, that would pop up automatically when a "new guy" logs on for the first time. Maybe then we can avoid such misunderstandings and make this a better board (I was gonna use the phrase "promote the general welfare" but I think...umm...Thomas Jefferson -- wasn't it? -- beat me to it).
Anyway, you get the drift. If there isn't such a thing, it seems to me we need one. Some of us may feel "it's basic stuff" or that we -- somewhat cynically -- "already know all that," but many probably don't and we're in the business of building a better board rather than stroking egos.
Mabye there's already such a thing here, and if so, then (Brad/Paul) please let me down gently. But even if there is -- it doesn't seem to be working very well.
I'd been on the board for quite a while when somebody happened to mention that he would "PM" me -- I didn't have a clue what that was until I asked and somebody explained it to me. Then, like Bob, I clicked on it and found that half a dozen people had sent me messages (some of them months ago) and I had, unknowingly, ignored them. I was quite upset to realize that they probably thought I was, at best, too lazy to respond, and, at worst, that I'd read their messages and intentionally dismissed them as unworthy of a reply. Imagine my, and Bob's, distress. This is a good board -- people put their thoughts and hearts into some of these posts and they certainly deserve the consideration of a reply, which I think most posters here would surely give if they knew about them (everybody likes to feel he/she's important enough for people to write to).
The point being, it might be a good idea to build in some kind of notice about this important feature of the board and maybe an "instruction manual" of sorts which lists the services available and how to use them -- a "roadmap," so to speak, that would pop up automatically when a "new guy" logs on for the first time. Maybe then we can avoid such misunderstandings and make this a better board (I was gonna use the phrase "promote the general welfare" but I think...umm...Thomas Jefferson -- wasn't it? -- beat me to it).
Anyway, you get the drift. If there isn't such a thing, it seems to me we need one. Some of us may feel "it's basic stuff" or that we -- somewhat cynically -- "already know all that," but many probably don't and we're in the business of building a better board rather than stroking egos.
Mabye there's already such a thing here, and if so, then (Brad/Paul) please let me down gently. But even if there is -- it doesn't seem to be working very well.
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