The Age of Instant Gratification.....

[the2ofus]

What is a reasonable time to expect response on a thread?

 

Recently we have had some instances where a thread is begun in the late evening or the early morning. The thread sparks a lively debate, with several posters asking questions of the Original Poster. 8 to 12 hours later, there has been no response from the OP.

 

At that point the speculation begins. Did this poster just drop in to cause controversy? Is this poster a troll? Then the innuendoes and the criticism take on a life of their own.

 

The Original Poster comes back after a day on the job or a weekend away, sees that they have been misunderstood or even flamed and quickly the whole thread goes into turmoil. Useful information is lost in the din. New posters and even some of the regulars are so battered or disturbed by the uncordial atmosphere that they decide the HAL board or CC as a whole is not for them.

 

Does anyone else see this as a recurring problem on this board? If so, what suggestions do we have as to how to solve it? (Short of telling the timid or the thin-skinned to not bother to post.)

[kakalina]

Interesting topic, the2ofus, thanks:

 

I don't see why anyone cares weather or not someone follows up on a post. It could be the answers are plain and they see no reason to post again. Not everyone is courteous enough to say thank you. Why it should generate controversy is beyond me. If I see a post and know the answer or have something pertinent to add I will do so. I don't generally "hover" over a post to see what responses are ( unless of course I started that particular thread ;) ) except for thought provoking and stimulating questions about opinions. Otherwise it is sort of straight q & a . Just my humble and personal opinion.

[RuthC]

I would figure 24 hours +/- would be fair. Since most of us are creatures of habit I would expect people to come to the boards about the same time each day.

I would also expect someone who is new at posting to be anxious to come back looking for replies, so they might come back sooner. If they're looking for advice I would expect a quicker return than if they were venting.

I don't start threads very often, but when I do it's usually at the end of my CC day, after I have finished reading the rest of the threads. In that case it's unlikely I'll be back until the next day.

[Kiwifruit]

Hmmmm Ruth, I envy you. I'm lucky if I can find time to check cruise critic once a week, let alone every day..... even where I may have started or may be actively contributing to a thread. It also has to be appreciated that not everybody enjoys continual access to the internet. I guess we all lead different lives with different responsibilities and time demands.

 

I tend to sympathise with the OP in most cases, as it seems that people on the HAL board seem to be all too quick to flame people or to label them as trolls which I think is unnecessary. Having not yet cruised HAL, I guess I don't understand why seasoned HAL cruisers seem to be so protective of the cruise line and averse to the slightest hint of criticism. This only serves to stiffle discussion and scare people off from contributing lest they be labelled a "troll".

 

Come on everybody lets be a bit more accepting of people with different views, this is a forum for discussion and the dissemination of information relating to HAL ..... it's not intended to be primarly a HAL fan club.

 

30 days and counting down to my first HAL cruise.

 

KiwiFruit

[SDHALFAN]

 

I tend to sympathise with the OP in most cases, as it seems that people on the HAL board seem to be all too quick to flame people or to label them as trolls which I think is unnecessary.

 

Come on everybody lets be a bit more accepting of people with different views, this is a forum for discussion and the dissemination of information relating to HAL ..... it's not intended to be primarly a HAL fan club

 

KiwiFruit

 

 

Hi KiwiFruit,

 

Welcome to the HAL board. As to your post: when you have a moment to spare check out some of the other boards - you will find them enlightening. I checked out a thread on the Carnivore board today and the OP was labeled as a Troll immediately after their initial post. I have a feeling the other boards may tell a similar story so the HAL posters are hardly the only ones at whom to be pointing your finger.

 

Have a great cruise.

 

Valerie:)

[sail7seas]

Great topic, 2ofus.

 

I sometimes wonder why an OP has not returned. My thinking is why ask a question or start a conversation that you don't have enough interest in to return and read what others have contributed.

 

Then I say.....Self. Maybe they had an unexpected event pop up in their lives and they don't have the time; got distracted; forgot.

 

I think about 24 hours sounds about when I would start to wonder.

 

I also wonder about someone who seeks information but never posts again.

Did they see it and didn't bother to let us know they came back and read our answers and neglected to say, Gee, Thanks.

 

Or did they never even receive the info we offered???

 

Of course, there is no obligation to return but why start a topic and then drop out of sight? Again, I acknowledge there could be reasons about which we have no knowledge.

 

 

[Karen112999]

I have never started a thread, but I do tend to check out ones I've participated in daily, and when I have the time, I read other posts - which may be once a week.

 

When I am not cruising in the near future, I sometimes stay away for months, but I couldn't imagine me starting something without checking back or acknowledging responders within a few days.

 

Karen

[the2ofus]

Interesting responses so far. Most people favor the OP getting back sometime within 24 hours, and certainly offering appreciation for answers to their questions. Many of our frequent posters have not yet weighed in.

 

I also am wondering how to advise new Original Posters re: likely time frame in which to check back in.

[turia]

I wouldn't worry my pretty little head about it. There is so much more to worry about. Life is full of trolls whether it's on these boards or in our real worlds.

 

I do think that there are others out there that due benefit from your words of wisdom that you submit to us in these treads. So even if the op does not comeback don't worry about it, don't flame as it might discourage others that you are benefiting from posting.

 

By all means don't get into any heated discussions about anything as that was probably the persons intention and your feeding into his hands.

 

Just smile and talk about the weather.

 

We really had a nice day here sunny and 23 degrees Celsius a bit windy though, but nice just the same.

 

 

PS If talking about the whether doesn't scare them away I can always start talking about my dogs ( I wonder why my parents haven't had me over for diner in a while) LOL:D

[seniormiss]

Let me get this straight...just because someone has a question or a comment and they don't post again some of you think that is out of the ordinary. Again I am new and I guess maybe I didn't get the "rules and regulations".

It seems to me the ones that get the troll label are the ones that might have something a bit negative to say.

I have asked a few questions and they have been answered and have been very helpful, so if I neglected to come back and say thanks I am sorry.

I don't want that dreaded "troll" label on me.

I really don't get the whole troll thing anyway, why in the world would someone waste thier time posting threads just to get a uproar.

[hammybee]

 

PS If talking about the whether doesn't scare them away I can always start talking about my dogs ( I wonder why my parents haven't had me over for diner in a while) LOL:D

 

Turia: OMG....just copy a post or two from the animal love fest thread and that will scare almost everyone away:)

[RuthC]

I really don't get the whole troll thing anyway, why in the world would someone waste thier time posting threads just to get a uproar.

For some people the answer is simple: it's because they can. Some people get their jollies out of pushing other people's buttons.

It happens. One little rule of life that took me a long time to figure out: what is, is.

And I disagree that it's a matter of something negative being said. It's a combination of things and the negativity is only one of several components. If someone has something negative to say, says it well/nicely, and will explain their reasoning when asked there is usually no problem. It's when some unknown person comes on strong, does not elaborate, and disappears that it becomes suspicious after a while.

[serendipity1499]

I honestly believe that an OP should never be labeled a troll or their motives questioned at all...There could be any number of reasons why an OP can not respond within 24 or 48 hours..

 

Sometimes posters can't get on line for 72 hrs or more, because of family work or other obligations..Sometimes ISP's go down.. Ours has been down several times for days..We've even lost our electricity due to plain old thunderstorms.. There are times when I expect to be back within a few hours, but things come up & I'm not able to do so for several days..My PC was down & it took almost a week until a Tech was able to get here.. Again this week my PC. went berserk!:confused: My home page would only stay up for 10 seconds & then the screen would go blank. We figured it had a virus & spent hours on the phone with our ISP to try to get the stupid thing to work...No luck:( ..Fortunately it was up the next day..

 

Our children have one PC in their home & if the Kids are using it for homework, then Mom or Dad can't get on line at all..they also both work long hours & frequently are just too busy with family obligations, or too tired, to answer e-mails until the weekend...

 

Recently, several long time posters were criticizing an OP for not answering them, in what they considered was a timely manner...It turned out that the OP is a business woman & was unable to get back to us..But her motives were questioned until she returned..If I was the OP & was criticized for not posting, as she was, I probably would never have posted on CC again!:(

 

JMO..Betty

[AAAAmerican]

Now in the USA there are more Television Sets then people..

 

2.7 now.

 

So when the electricity goes off what does the mathametician do too?

 

A= He/She writes in the sand...:cool:

[turia]

:D

Turia: OMG....just copy a post or two from the animal love fest thread and that will scare almost everyone away:)

 

 

That was my point or at least one of them. Us animal lovers are a scary bunch, we can make it so that whenever you see a furry or feathered friend you cower in fear

[hammybee]

I honestly believe that an OP should never be labeled a troll or their motives questioned at all...

 

Recently, several long time posters were criticizing an OP for not answering them, in what they considered was a timely manner...It turned out that the OP is a business woman & was unable to get back to us..But her motives were questioned until she returned..If I was the OP & was criticized for not posting, as she was, I probably would never have posted on CC again!:(

 

JMO..Betty

 

You are absolutely right about the labeling thing and I need to remind myself of this more often.

 

As it related to the Carnival loving granny thread, that whole deal was unfortunate.

[gizmo]

There are too many variables to come up with a reasonable time.

Maybe the OP intended to check back and for whatever reason it took longer than 24 hours.

 

I see it on other boards more often, like ports of call. A question is asked and the OP never returns.

 

On the cruise line boards it seems like they are all the same. If it is anything negative posted by the OP they are accused of being a troll especially if they don't have a zillion posts. If they hang out on the board all day and have a lot of posts, the regulars usually accept the negativity.

 

I don't think there should be a time limit required to rebutt anything. People do have lives and it is their choice. To be torn apart because you haven't responded to all the negativity posted against you just doesn't seem right, at least IMO.

 

If you think they are a troll, why post? That is exactly what a troll wants.

 

DON'T FEED THE TROLLS.

[happy cruzer]

The reason trolls bother me is that I don't like to be manipulated and I don't like to see other helpful people being manipulated and then after a time tending to not be so helpful to sincere posters.

 

I think the bigger problem is that we can not be thin skinned (why would anyone get furious because someone thought they might be a troll? why not just say - I'm not a troll) on the internet. It's impersonal to alot of folks and the communication is informal. I think you have to let things roll off. If you are too thin skinned then you may be the problem on a thread. If you STATE an opinion as fact, you will get people differing with you and wanting to follow up the discussion. They are not necessarily calling you a liar, they just want more details. If one is going to stay on the internet for some period of time, they will have to adjust; the internet is not going to soften up anytime. We can try to keep HAL's board a nice place but that often attracts the trouble makers; they seem to love to rile up the nicer boards; it's a challenge to them.

 

So giving and taking comments, I have a goal of trying to give the benefit of the doubt.

 

Have a happy carefree day all with friendly discussions!:)