Shity staff

[mrMarcus]

What also bothers me is that some people think they can do stuff here that they wouldn't otherwise get away with just because it's on the Internet. Examples:

 

the internet is like a liquid courage of sorts for those otherwise incapable of even the lightest of civilian conversation within the general public.

 

prime example would be how you said, "Urgent!! Help me now. NEED HELP ASAP" - When waiting in the line in the supermarket, would you start shouting and demand that you should move up front in the queue?" .. i could wager my life savings that this kid is not only the type to NOT make a scene in public, but would actually be the one cowering away from such an incident.

 

this is not an attack at the OP, but a generalized observation of how things have progressed on the web since its beginnings.  the internet has allowed people to create a second identity .. one where they can be the bully, instead of being the one getting bullied .. one where they can feel like they have the control, since if things get a little hairy, they can just get up from their computer, take their hands out of the pants, and leave the room.  the complete opposite of how things are dealt with in the "real world".

 

bottom line is, the internet is a great tool.  but there should definitely be an age limit to access it.  under 18?  sorry, Disney World for you.  why?  'cause you can't control yourself on a public forum.

[corbin]

Did anyone else read the topic title as "Shifty Staff" instead of "Shity Staff"? I coulda sworn it said "Shifty Staff" when I first looked at this board.

 

 

The first thing that I noticed was that it's missing the second T.

[premiso]

Good riddance to bad rubish. Let that other site have you, cause we do not want you as you obviously just disregard the rules and have no respect for anyone here who donates their time on this website. Thanks for coming, but please do not come again unless you change that attitude of yours and adhere to the rules!

 

EDIT:

As far as the title I thought it was shifty as well =\ Weird how computer screens can mess with your eyes, gd refresh rates!

[Daniel0]

Did anyone else read the topic title as "Shifty Staff" instead of "Shity Staff"? I coulda sworn it said "Shifty Staff" when I first looked at this board.

 

 

The first thing that I noticed was that it's missing the second T.

 

How do you know it's the second and not the first one that's missing?

[blueman378]

. If someone were to say, "[the] PHP manual is crappy, whoever is working on it is a bunch of idiots" then I certainly wouldn't feel any need to tell them to stop using the manual.  The manual does have a lot of work still to be done (and always will), the point is very valid and I'm sure the volunteers working on it would let the idiot remark roll off of them like water off a duck's back. In all seriousness a quick rant is nothing to get all concerned about.  After all, we all volunteered to improve the manual in the first place, so we must be aware there are "crappy" parts that need to be completed and/or fixed!

 

You do realise you basically did what they have done here?

The "PHP manual is crappy" comment was simply an example relevant to you, and although it was obviously not said with the intent of being taken truthfully you still decided to defend against it.

 

Daniel0 is correct, he came in at an offensive approach so they came back at a defensive approach, and the best defense is a good offense, and well, he just got owned.

[corbin]

Did anyone else read the topic title as "Shifty Staff" instead of "Shity Staff"? I coulda sworn it said "Shifty Staff" when I first looked at this board.

 

 

The first thing that I noticed was that it's missing the second T.

 

How do you know it's the second and not the first one that's missing?

 

 

Because I assume that he forgot to type the second one, not typed the first one, removed it and then typed the second (or typed the first and second then removed the first).  Then again, perhaps I shouldn't count from the left.

[.josh]

or maybe he simply typed the 2nd one and not the 1st. 

 

shity

 

see I just typed the 2nd one and not the 1st. 

 

shity

 

As opposed to there, where I typed the 1st but not the 2nd. 

 

I mean it's not rocket science.  You just skip the letter.  Lazy people skip things all the time.  Prety easy to do. 

[corbin]

Yeah true....  He seems like the type that would purposely omit the first letter.  What's the point in repetition anyway?

[blueman378]

cause its the way we say it shit-ty well atleast in NZ we do

[.josh]

NOM NOM NOM

[Maq]

I am not clear how the OPs posts in this thread could be considered as "attacking staff"

 

It sounds to me like he is attacking the staff as well trolling.  I mean, doesn't the title give that away?  What kind of responses do you expect?  Besides, we're doing the world a favor by teaching this kid some manners.  He repeatedly blamed the staff for enforcing the rules or utilizing/altering SMF features (for reasons which have already been stated).  So his lack of competence, laziness, carelessness, ignorance (the list goes on...), whichever it may be, to post in the appropriate section and/or read the guidelines and rules, that resulted in staff having to correct them, makes the staff "shity"?  Sorry, but I don't agree, and he is one out of thousands that complain every couple months.  That's got to hold some sort of value.  The fact is, it's impossible to please everyone and people are going to complain.

 

Sure, it would be nice if everyone took a more diplomatic stance when airing their grievances but just because a viewpoint is put across crudely doesn't make it any less valid, does it?

 

No it does not but if a member is going to lash out like that on the staff, imagine what they would do to regular and/or badged members.  If his previous posts, and especially this thread, even remotely reflect his personality, then I'm not sure I would want someone like that around anyway.

 

Besides, he asked to be flamed...

 

Flame at me all you want.

 

Now ban me' date=' and go against me and flame[/quote']

 

Justin, the world isn't out to get you, stop acting like it.

[KevinM1]

Interesting topic...

 

I think that there is a bit of an air of superiority with myself and my fellow badged members.  I also think it's earned.  We know our stuff.  We've proven it to the powers that be.  After all, badges are given out based on merit, and that decision is made by more than one person.  I think the sudden influx of four new Gurus shows that we value intelligent, helpful members who have been consistent in the quality of help they provide.  Moreover, it shows that the overall quality of the board is improving.

 

On the other side of the coin, we don't suffer fools very well.  I think that all of us are more than willing to help those struggling to learn PHP - if we weren't, why else would we volunteer our time?  Our help is predicated on a few things:

 

1. People obey the rules.  It's not hard to do.  The rules are clearly visible to all - there's a link to them at the top of the page and many of us also have the same link in our signatures.  Being ignorant of them when a dispute comes up isn't much of an excuse given their easy access.  They're also easy to follow, as the majority can be distilled down to Wil Wheaton's Law - Don't Be A Dick.

 

2. People actually attempt to work at the problem they're having.  We don't mind helping people so long as they're attempting to do some work on their end.  They cannot expect to drop a problem in our laps, say "solve it," and get a finished result.  We have a freelance section for that sort of thing.

 

3. They clearly describe their problem.  We're not telepathic.  What is the problem?  What should be the correct behavior?  What have you tried?

 

4. They shouldn't expect a badged member of the team to answer their questions.  We're volunteers and there are hundreds - to - thousands of posts to read.  We can't get to them all.

 

Amazingly, all of this is mentioned in the rules.

 

I view getting snarky at those that can't follow the rules as a deterrent.  I know it's not polite, but if it can convince those insisting they're more important than the rest of the community to ultimately leave, it's worth it.  Given the value of this forum, I'd like to at least keep the signal-to-noise ratio where it is.

[gizmola]

This is really one of those one sided situations where there really is no gray to it.  Basically you have someone who has contributed nothing to the community and only taken.  Along the way, that person has acted rudely, and also been stupid and impetuous.  For example, posting a thread knowingly in the wrong section, and claiming it's because it's the only way to get seen, is simply foolish and ignorant of the way that many of the veterans use the forum.  Many of us use the "Show unread posts since last visit" button, and we see posts, regardless of what forum they are in.

 

Certainly there are forums that generate less interest but that is usually because people are simply not interested in the subject matter, or aren't well versed in it.  I actually find that we have outstanding coverage of a wide variety of material, but for example, a question on using php with Oracle isn't going to get the same number of responses that a post on php with mysql will, because there just are far fewer people with any direct experience using Oracle with PHP. 

 

Childishly deciding to go against the rules, and willfully posting in the wrong area, shows a complete lack of respect for the staff here, who volunteer their time and expertise.  Sorry but I just don't see any reason for anyone to kowtow to some smartass, who decides to offer up a poorly written FU, and expects some type of apology or positive response to his "you suck and I'm leaving". 

 

Sure we could lie, and pretend to care, but in my experience, the OP will certainly not be missed. 

 

Contrast that with another poster who questioned the deletion of a Topic.  As it turned out, the topic was deleted because the mod thought it was a duplicate, when in fact it was a subtle variation.  There was a mea culpa and even an apology, and the entire incident was handled respectfully and with the utmost civility. 

 

I think that speaks for itself, when the question of how staff deals with the rest of the community on a routine basis is concerned. 

[448191]

Interesting topic...

 

I think that there is a bit of an air of superiority with myself and my fellow badged members.  I also think it's earned.  We know our stuff.  We've proven it to the powers that be.  After all, badges are given out based on merit, and that decision is made by more than one person.  I think the sudden influx of four new Gurus shows that we value intelligent, helpful members who have been consistent in the quality of help they provide.  Moreover, it shows that the overall quality of the board is improving.

 

On the other side of the coin, we don't suffer fools very well.  I think that all of us are more than willing to help those struggling to learn PHP - if we weren't, why else would we volunteer our time?  Our help is predicated on a few things:

 

1. People obey the rules.  It's not hard to do.  The rules are clearly visible to all - there's a link to them at the top of the page and many of us also have the same link in our signatures.  Being ignorant of them when a dispute comes up isn't much of an excuse given their easy access.  They're also easy to follow, as the majority can be distilled down to Wil Wheaton's Law - Don't Be A Dick.

 

2. People actually attempt to work at the problem they're having.  We don't mind helping people so long as they're attempting to do some work on their end.  They cannot expect to drop a problem in our laps, say "solve it," and get a finished result.  We have a freelance section for that sort of thing.

 

3. They clearly describe their problem.  We're not telepathic.  What is the problem?  What should be the correct behavior?  What have you tried?

 

4. They shouldn't expect a badged member of the team to answer their questions.  We're volunteers and there are hundreds - to - thousands of posts to read.  We can't get to them all.

 

Amazingly, all of this is mentioned in the rules.

 

I view getting snarky at those that can't follow the rules as a deterrent.  I know it's not polite, but if it can convince those insisting they're more important than the rest of the community to ultimately leave, it's worth it.  Given the value of this forum, I'd like to at least keep the signal-to-noise ratio where it is.

 

QFT

 

Although I'd add sometimes it is just pure spite. Cause you know, staff is just humans. And humans are shity. Shitty even, sometimes. We don't like you having sex with our sister and we don't like you teaching others crappy practices, myths and baloney or other cheap meat. I personally can get freaked out of my mind about that yet somehow manage to stay polite, most of the time. Be thankful at how polite the staff is, considering all the crap and overblown egos they have to put up with. There. I said it. Now I am going back in polite mode. Ramble off.

 

So yeah, pure spite. Sometimes. For me anyway, but I'm not officially staff anymore so it doesn't count. So probably "staff" has gotten a lot more polite since

 

 

[cags]

Sorry but I just don't see any reason for anyone to kowtow to some smartass, who decides to offer up a poorly written FU, and expects some type of apology or positive response to his "you suck and I'm leaving". 

Here, hear (I'm not sure which is grammatically correct, so fuck it I'll use one of each at least I'll be half right)! I was actually going to say this a few days ago, but I just couldn't spit out the word kowtow, I was thinking cow...something but couldn't for the life of me remember the word?! No other word seemed as appropriate. That's the main reason I like it here.

 

I quit my last job partly because of my boss kowtow'ing to customers. Yes I know it was a business and to a large degree we had to swallow the bullshit, but some people are downright rude and at times it was all I could do to stop myself smacking them in the face. I had to sort of 'zone out' in order to prevent myself being extremely rude to some customers. That alone was bad enough, but for my boss to then turn around and have a go at me because the customer wasn't happy (after the customer had left, it wasn't even just for appearance sake), despite the fact they were quite clearly in the wrong was just too much for me.

[Garethp]

What also bothers me is that some people think they can do stuff here that they wouldn't otherwise get away with just because it's on the Internet. Examples:

 

the internet is like a liquid courage of sorts for those otherwise incapable of even the lightest of civilian conversation within the general public.

 

prime example would be how you said, "Urgent!! Help me now. NEED HELP ASAP" - When waiting in the line in the supermarket, would you start shouting and demand that you should move up front in the queue?" .. i could wager my life savings that this kid is not only the type to NOT make a scene in public, but would actually be the one cowering away from such an incident.

 

this is not an attack at the OP, but a generalized observation of how things have progressed on the web since its beginnings.  the internet has allowed people to create a second identity .. one where they can be the bully, instead of being the one getting bullied .. one where they can feel like they have the control, since if things get a little hairy, they can just get up from their computer, take their hands out of the pants, and leave the room.  the complete opposite of how things are dealt with in the "real world".

 

bottom line is, the internet is a great tool.  but there should definitely be an age limit to access it.  under 18?  sorry, Disney World for you.  why?  'cause you can't control yourself on a public forum.

 

Isn't that a bit generalized here? I mean, there are lots of teenagers who can and will be respectful on forums. I myself have been a member since I was 15 (I'm now 17) and I don't believe I've ever been rude to a staff member... I may have been slightly rude to a few people who post in the Help forum without actually caring about learning, or choose to ignore the help I've given and demand for more, but I've always been nice to and polite to those that actually come here for honest help in learning, and to those that provide it.

 

Edit: Woops, I didn't actually realize that this was a dead topic. Sorry

[.josh]

yes, it is generalized; stereotyped.  That would be because while there are some teenagers who do not fit into that category, most do. 

 

You know, I personally like being stereotyped.  I believe a lot of social time is wasted on figuring out what buttons to push.  Being stereotyped makes it easier to figure out what people expect out of you, which in turn, makes it easier for you to either "Ride the clock" or "Raise the bar," depending on what gets you off.

[oni-kun]

Now ban me, and go against me and flame, I don't care. My opinion isn't changing.

 

You know he's saying that because he wants attention. It's sad, that he puts that much thought into stating he's leaving when he 'doesn't care' about the rules or volunteering staff. It's a free forum, go pay $1000+ for someone to do 'hard work' when you can learn it from here and go sob.

[Alex]

Although it is being stereotypical, I don't really see a problem with it. There are stereotypes for a reason. Typically the first thing anyone joining a forum community would see is your posts, not your profile, or age if you happen to have it public. I'm 16 years old and I've been part of many forum communities for many years, and I'd like to think I maintain a respectable reputation. Even though there might be stereotypes in this situation, the most important thing is how you represent yourself. You're not going to be type-casted into a group in which you do not belong.

[448191]

Aside from the fact that some minors are actually less childish than "adults", making it a pretty poor quality filter, a forum like this really has no way to enforce such a filter. As a result everybody gets the benefit of the doubt. I know, it sucks.

[.josh]

Aside from the fact that some minors are actually less childish than "adults", making it a pretty poor quality filter, a forum like this really has no way to enforce such a filter. As a result everybody gets the benefit of the doubt. I know, it sucks.

 

And by that what he really means is we assume every random irregular who posts is a moron until proven otherwise.  See? We're nice and fair-like.