mens Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 I'll keep this brief, I've recently joined, and have been reading through some threads. I see a lot of people giving invalid information(reference, guidelines, standards), it may be a lack of their own knowledge, but the point still stands: the information they provide is invalid. A simple example: Short-hand logical statements are "incorrect" (a.k.a. not using curly brackets). Should one correct these people, for the beginners sake or just let it be in order to avoid arguments? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
requinix Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 If it's flat-out wrong or harmful, I'd call them out on it. Be polite, offer sources, and don't criticize them - just point it out as nicely as you can. Don't make them feel threatened or pushed into a corner for something they (in all likelihood) heard from someone else. What's wrong about them? Sure, if you indent like if ($condition) $statement; then it's possible you'll accidentally add another statement without realizing there aren't curly braces and introduce a bug. But I wouldn't say it's "wrong" just because you didn't look at the code carefully enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ignace Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 We have tried to hand-code a text-correcting script, but it made it no further then the early beta's, never a real release candidate. But since you are now volunteering, we'll give you a nice shiny button below your name and the option to edit/correct/solve topics/posts (which is only possible when you are a moderator or higher on these forums). Contact Daniel0 and he'll provide you with further instructions on how to gain the new title. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cssfreakie Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 well in some countries they call an air strike, but since this is a 'friendly' and helpful forum, try to advice and or correct the best you can(in a polite manner). No one can know everything, and I bet that 'almost' everyone is happy to find out that what they say is incorrect as long as it's explained. And If they don't well, that tells enough about them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.josh Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 We do promote pointing out inaccurate information. After all, this is primarily a learning site. Our goal is to help people learn something from their problems (and for we ourselves to learn something as well), not just solve stuff for them. My first advice is to not point something out unless you're willing to argue/debate about it, regardless of the issue or how tactful you are. This is especially important for things that are matters of opinion or otherwise subjective. As far as one's attitude in approaching it...it's a big gray area as far as how much or little "tactfulness" we allow. We don't feel we should have to police attitudes, nor do we really want to. Though there is always a limit, if you look around, you will see for yourself that some people have a certain bite that others may or may not like, that we do in fact allow. We generally err on the side of leniency even if you're a bit asshole about things - as long as your corrections/counter arguments are accurate/valid. But having said that, don't expect to win friends or popularity by being a dick about pointing out something wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mens Posted April 20, 2011 Author Share Posted April 20, 2011 Thank you for your replies, a few more questions regarding this subject; Say something is more matter of fact than actual opinion. Would blatantly pointing out the mistake, without any consideration, be tolerated? And as for "tactfulness": most people will be offended if you point out a mistake of theirs. I don't think this can be avoided in any way. Some people are just arrogant, and will make a fuss about this type of stuff. So, just ignoring those people would be agreed upon in such a situation? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cssfreakie Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 as already mentioned, we are all here to learn, learning is also a matter of listening and accepting that other might very well know stuff better that's the whole point of learning. If you find out that someone doesn't give a crap about what you say, there is no point in trying to turn them religious or in to a believer in your knowledge. That's how it goes. most people will be offended if you point out a mistake of theirs. since i came here i only met 2 people here that were rather 'interesting' in terms of offended. the rest is here to learn and help. Just have fun and don't be to serious! it's almost weekend Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.josh Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 Say something is more matter of fact than actual opinion. Would blatantly pointing out the mistake, without any consideration, be tolerated? Pointing out the mistake is okay. But what do you mean by "without any consideration" ? If you are referring to tactfulness in pointing out the mistake, then again, it's a gray area. Examples: "Hey, you made a mistake" is okay. "Wow..I can't believe you would actually say that..." is probably okay. "Holy shit, if I was your boss, I'd fire you for code like that...wtf?" is probably okay, but don't expect to win friends. "You fucking retard, you should just do humanity a favor and die for uttering such crap" is...probably not okay. And as for "tactfulness": most people will be offended if you point out a mistake of theirs. I don't think this can be avoided in any way. This is true, which is why I said my very first piece of advice is unless you're willing to stick to your guns, don't say anything at all. There's very little value in someone opting to be offended rather than listening. There's even less value when the "offender" decides to run away from it. Some people are just arrogant, and will make a fuss about this type of stuff. So, just ignoring those people would be agreed upon in such a situation? I did just mention to stick to your guns, but there's also little to no value in trying to argue a point when it's obvious someone is more interested in salvaging their pride. If it becomes clear that the person isn't really interested in arguing the actual point, and that's all you are interested in doing, then sure, just walk away. But if you wanna call them on their b.s. then sure, go for it. I can't guarantee someone won't close the thread or something but I will say that some of us enjoy a good show and pull up a chair and some popcorn and will watch and lol for a bit, as long as it doesn't get too ugly. I know not everybody agrees with that PoV and for those who have the power to do so, it's within their power to stop it and they can. But as for me, I'm not really interested in policing people's behavior or enforcing my personal idea of what is "civil" to the extent that it is feasible not to do so. Flame wars happen for legitimate reasons, and I'm not gonna punish someone for having the sharper tongue, but I probably will smite someone who is being outright evil about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mens Posted April 20, 2011 Author Share Posted April 20, 2011 Thank you for clearing that out, and thanks everyone for your advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maq Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 I know I sound redundant but, I agree with everyone else. As long as you're polite, know why and how to fix it, you should correct 'false info'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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