Telling people to search instead of answering their question...

Never really had that many questions, and it doesn't seem to be a part of the cultures that we nurtured on the forums - though of course links to old answers do get provided.

Though recently, one guy, when an answer was not forthcoming quickly enough, decided to make up his own (about Elliquiy's history). Was amusing : )

 

"Do a search" is never an acceptable response. Forums are for discussion, not for searching. If a member doesn't feel like answering the same question over and over again, they don't have to. They can let somebody else answer the question.

 

Seconded...I mean, there ARE times when asking the same question over and over is obnoxious (such as the answer being in a sticky and clearly stated as such), but for the most part, it's not a member's place to insist on doing a search. Like Snobo here said, if a member's getting tired of a question, all said member has to do is keep their trap shut and let someone else who doesn't mind as much take the question.

 

One time I came across a forum where the culture was not only to tell newbies to search for the answers to their questions, and tell them not to post in really old threads, but also criticize newbies if they dared create a new thread similar to any old threads.

I didn't stick around on that forum. Seemed to me a lot of the "old forum hands" just liked to assert their superiority over the newbies.

 

Michelle, I've come across such forums before and I never thought about going back. It's pure rudeness and I won't tolerate it as a member.

 

You wouldn't survive a 4chan raid. :| I did.