Forum Courtesy.

I'd like to start this new year out with a request.
Far too often a question is posted. Then a series of helpful replies follows. Then the thread ends. The person with the question never responds and thanks anyone, or posts what he finally did to cure the problem.
Lets all make a resolution that the LAST response in a thread looking for help is the original poster with the end of the story.

Gordo

I agree, the most useful information of all is the resolution of the issue. We get out of the forum a wide variety of help, insight, and applicable transferable knowledge, but we quite often fail to be rewarded with the answer to the poster's final solution. More than a year ago a gentleman with a Farmall 450 W/Loader with no oilpressure that many of us struggled to help, just quit posting at all. It sure leaves a empty spot. JimN

I agree and have almost always replied with a thank you or an update. I have noticed that the folks who posted the original question and do reply are greatly appreciative. The folks that have replied to my questions have helped me considerably and have saved me a lot of money. Jake.

Here, Here !

Before this forum existed I used to have to catch a mechanic-friend at church or call a mechanic-friend at night . I always felt like I was imposing . I never feel that way about this site.

More fun than a barrel of monkeys.

Excellent suggestion. I try to do just that, but sometimes forget. Also would not hurt to kinda follow the golden rule. Sometimes I have noticed that several replys will come back with good, well thought out, helpful advice. But then some ner-do-well with make some hateful comment ridiculing something.

Lets just play nice. 99% of the folks on here are great!!!

Gene

That's a great point, Gordo. Many times someone will describe a problem and get back a handful of plausible educated guesses, but we rarely find out which one turned out to be right.

If each thread were "wrapped up" by presenting the final solution to a problem, the archives would be even more valuable than they already are.

Mark W. in MI

I try to say thank you when i can, or at least in advance in closing of the original question. Unfortunately, posting the results of info gained isn"t always timely because of the lack of time to actually do the projects til sometimes years later. There seems to be a shortage of round-tu-its! And the close relative of round to its, money...(and i live in an apartment, and my dad somehow farmed 67 years of his life without a garage or shed or any shelter other than the dairy animal barns which are not built as or easily/cheaply converted into tractor housing needs)

Happy new year and thanks to all who"ve helped in the past. May you all flourish in your successes.

karl f

I'm really glad this subject came up.

I know I'm guilty of not always giving feedback upon the suggestions I've received. Which is hypocritical because I always feel much better myself when someone responds back after I have given help. I too am curious of what eventually happened. And sometimes I feel annoyed when I've prepared a special reply and hear nothing back. But here's my question. I'm not on every day, and sometimes several days may go by before I actually take some action and may have anything to report. And by that time, in Stardard Mode at least, the original post is any number of pages down into the "stack" and I figure nobody else is going to see it anymore anyway if I do add to the thread. Other times, I may think of something to add to a thread that appeared a day or two ago, but again, is the original poster going to see it? Not too long ago I discovered "Modern Mode" which I now prefer just for these reasons, because current postings come back to the top.

Do most people go back to follow up on what they have responded to, or use Modern Mode? Or is there another way? Now that I know it makes a difference (I thought it only mattered to me) I will be more diligent to give feedback, and express my appreciation.

Again, thanks for bringing this up!

I agree. I've got to the point to where I ask them to post back with the results, if it is a specific repair I'm interested in, but rarely do they do so. Can't hardly get someone to post back after a request for additional info. Like those hard starting questions, its kinda nice to know if it was points, condensor or what. Same for removing a bolt, there are about 10 different ways to do it, kinda like to hear back with what worked for them.

Guess the second question to ask is if they are using classic or modern view. I mainly use classic and can't seem to post or log in when in modern view. I do switch to modern sometimes at the end of the day so I can catch the daily postings that can get lost in classic view.

On the other side of the coin, I try to post back with information and a thanks, a la my continuing saga of my 2606 power steering, hydraulics, and brakes. I'm not at the farm every day and sometimes it can take a month or longer to chase down parts and do repairs. Like my brakes, took me 6 months to fix one side and now the other side can wait before I take it in. When I win the lottery is when I buy a new pump. And sometimes it is easy to get busy and can't post back for a day or two and then the thread gets buried.

I suppose we could ask the forum moderator to post some type of banner across the top requesting them to respond back with the results and state which view they are using.

If the thread gets buried to page four or five, the original poster can just repost, same subject, and add "problem solved" or "done" or "thanks" or any appropriate remarks. We see that quite often, someone posting the subject "revisited". Not too difficult.
Also consider using the "todays posts" to see waht has been added to old threads.

Gordo

Amen!

I've gotten to where I'll ask somebody to drop back in and let us know how they've made out.

On the flip side, I try to make a point of saying "You're welcome" to folks that check back in to say thanks for the advice and certainly for those that take the trouble to come back and let us know how the job went and what the solution was.

A lot of the times that that doesn't happen, I suspect, is folks that google us up and don't know the culture of the place.

(quoted from post at 19:42:29 01/02/09) If the thread gets buried to page four or five, the original poster can just repost, same subject, and add "problem solved" or "done" or "thanks" or any appropriate remarks. We see that quite often, someone posting the subject "revisited". Not too difficult.
Also consider using the "todays posts" to see waht has been added to old threads.

Gordo

Click to expand...

I fully expect that some are related to the time lag between question and the action taken by questioner. I have observed questions answered and never any response. Then sometimes months later, the same person asking the same question. This leads me to believe that he never worked the problem. Probably bored at the office, didn't need the tractor for months & then needs to ask again because he forgot the answers.
It would be nice to see 100% feedback. I know I'm like many of you in that if I spend time & effort to try to put together a good answer, that I'm disappointed to see zero feedback.

Gordon: Got a bit of advice for you and the others. Always include your e mail or have e mail open. I've posted close to 50,000 posts in the last ten years, always leave my e mail open, always have, right from the beginning. I don't get all that spam and crap, or whatever else you call it, that so many of you folks are afraid of. You must be getting that crap looking at sites other than old tractor sites. I do get a lot of thankyou's. I also answer close to the same number of questions off the forum as I do on the forum.

To respond to the results of the long thread a couple of weeks ago regarding the clutch not fully releasing on my 460: All responses were logical and could help my problem -- none of them did, so I still have it -- I will post the solution if I ever find it. Thanks for everyones help, notably Tractor Vet, JimN, and D Slater -- I am still attempting to implement your suggestions, it might partially be in the TA itself, but there is also a main clutch problem. Tractor is currently split, again.

I agree it would be nice to hear an update about the problem. I mean to see if it worked. Maybe it doesn't and the person giving it might learn why and how to fix it..

JD: You have a good point, it doesn't matter how long one has been around tractors, there is always a better idea. I climbed on my first tractor as an operator in 1948. Later I farmed for a lot of years running 7 tractors, 2 skid loaders and 4 trucks through the 1970s. I still make it a point of learning something every day here at YT. I actually respond to very little of what I read.