9 Responses

1. Knowledge experts and kudos
   Respondees contribute for all kinds of reasons, in the main the knowledge expert contributes out of altruism and kudos. However over time the knowledge expert may realise he/she is contributing more than they are learning and others are keen to mine their expertise with little or no thanks or gain for the expert.
   After a while the expert realises they are gaining less and less.
   Those who contribute answers to find potential clients continue to contribute whatever.

2. Work coming in???
   I noticed that there are a few comments on other forums about this as well.

   Where I work its just a case that we are busier in the autumn coming up to year end so there is less time to ask questions.

3. Seasonal trends
   Hi Mike
   Interesting post. Stuart has a good point. In previous years I’ve noticed that members have more time for posting comments etc in the traditionally slower times for training such as the summer months/ holiday periods.
   Claire Savage
   Editor, TrainingZONE

4. Fragmented forums, busy people and other reason’s
   Hi Mike and all,

   I think there are several reasons IMVHO:

   1) People are now busy at this time of year and summers are becoming busier

   2) People are spreading their time over several forums – this means that they may read more and be more picky about replying

   3) Juliet’s comment rings true – If I am busy I will reply when I can see that I add true value AND the request is focused and clear.

   4) People have different priorities at different times and so now people may be busier with other “stuff”

   Just some humble opinions

   Regards from KL, Andi

5. Photos
   Its all the scary photos people keep uploading to their signatures…

6. in-active forums?
   Hi all thanks for your views (and sorry helen for the photo)

   While I can undrstand the number of respondees droping if the mass of that population are ‘busy’, the reason for my question is that it also appears that question posers have gone into hybernation as well! My assumption (yes I know) is that if I am busy in my job that is the time I am more likely to need help – so ironically I would have expected to see a rise in postings.

   Regards
   Mike

7. Tiredness and searching
   I think we have to remember that essentially these forums are knowledge libararies – with time the knowledge grows and many answers are stored within. The search function can be used to access many of the more obvous questions. Perhaps this is happenening?

   As for responding I make it a point not to respond to FAQ’s that could have been searched eg. How do I do a TNA?
   I also dont have much time for those who dont seem to know what they are doing “How do I do a TNA/ evaluation?” I dont think it does the overall profession much good to aid amateurism.

   I think others also get tired of answering the same old questions.

8. –
   Sorry Mike, I didn’t notice you had a pic until I’d clicked Submit and it was too late! It wasn’t aimed at you – I had been browsing before I posted and had noticed a lot more pics, some of them very large!

   Juliet – re: your comment about amateurism – we all have to start somewhere and I think that new trainers come here for advice from those more experienced than themselves. I know I did. I find quite a lot of snobbery on this forum.

9. Consider the medium
   Helen,

   I dont regard it as snobbery merely pragmatism. Consider the advice you gave in the past; was it for those who you worked with, colleagues from the same company or did you give it freely to unseen strangers with whom you had no connection? Did you trust your colleague because you knew them? Did you subsequenly publish it with worldwide rights for anyone to copy,steal or sell and compete against your business?

   This global communications medium isnt the same as giving a few tips to a work colleague. We work in the knowledge profession and that knowledge is has a financial worth – both to the underskilled employee and their employer wishing to save costs by not investing in training them. To assume anything less is to misjudge the capabilities of the internet and the ruthlessness of capitalism.

   We sell our skill and knowledge for a price to our employers yet trade those same qualities online for nothing – thats not snobbery thats contradiction.